Deep Dive into Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards - Affections That Are Truly Spiritual and Gracious, Do Arise from Those Influences and Operations on the Heart, Which Are Spiritual...

Based on the sources, the seal of the Spirit, also referred to as the witness of the Spirit and the earnest of the Spirit, is a core concept related to truly spiritual and gracious affections. It is critically important to understand what it is not. It is not an immediate suggestion or impression of a secret fact, such as an inward voice or idea simply telling someone they are converted, pardoned, or chosen for heaven. Such suggestions, even if powerful, are considered not spiritual in the proper sense, as the ideas of facts themselves are not inherently divine, and natural men (like Balaam) can receive such revelations.Instead, the true seal of the Spirit is vastly different and divine. It is identified as grace itself in the soul, described as a holy stamp or God's own image impressed upon the heart by the Spirit. This is a communication of the Spirit's proper nature, which is Holiness. It is a peculiar, inimitable work of God, entirely spiritual, supernatural, and divine, differing in kind from anything natural. The Spirit dwells in saints as a vital principle of new nature, and this indwelling, sanctifying influence is the earnest of future glory. This presence of God's holy nature within the soul serves as the true evidence, witnessed by one's conscience, of being a child of God, a reality utterly beyond the capacity or understanding of natural men.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianPatreon: patreon.com/edi_reformed