Walking in the Spirit (Part
2)
God’s Work of Redemption
Even if you are familiar with this topic, there are still very important principles of redemption that we should continuously be bringing to remembrance. While salvation is one of the basics of the Christian life, there are many who struggle in their understanding on this topic. This is true both in the church and outside of the church. Humility is necessary for salvation and salvation is necessary for walking in the Spirit. It is not possible to walk in the Spirit until you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit which is given to each believer at the time of salvation. Humility is important because until you recognize that you are incapable of saving yourself or meriting salvation, you will never turn to Christ to be redeemed. Humility causes us to recognize our need for God and our failure to measure up to a godly standard. Pride says, “I am righteous, I have no sin”. Pride also says, “I can earn my salvation or become righteous by my own efforts”. Consider the following passages:
Proverbs 30:20 This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, "I have done no wickedness."
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
Twice in the book of Proverbs we are warned that the way of death seems right to the ways of man. Pride blinds us to our own sins. Like the adulterous woman, we will always justify our actions and in our own eyes we will think of ourselves as righteous, or as Proverbs 21: states:
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.
This blindness to our condition is the consequence of pride. Pride is of the flesh and finds its affirmation in the flesh. Pride blinds us to our sin and our need for a Savior. The word of God reveals to us the need of a Savior and then we either submit in humility or stiffen our necks in pride. In truth, we are all in need of redemption. Salvation is simply believing and submitting ourselves to Jesus Christ knowing that He has redeemed us by His sacrifice on the cross. It would be good for us to understand what the Bible means by redemption.
The word ‘redeem’ means: to release on receipt of a ransom or to liberate by payment of ransom. In other words, if Jesus Christ is redeeming someone’s soul, He is paying a ransom for the one who is being held captive. Who is holding us captive and why is there a ransom in the first place? Jesus explained this in John 8:34-36
34 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Who has not sinned? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are born into sin because we have a sinful human nature. Some people scoff at that concept but if you observe human nature, this is self-evident. Anyone who has children has witnessed sinful human nature first hand. I did not have to teach any of my children to hit, throw fits, lie, take things or act in total selfishness. My kids were self-centered without any help from me. Instead, I have to teach my kids not to do those things and I have to train them up to curb their behavior and restrain themselves from these things. Sin comes natural; civil behavior does not.
There must come a time in a man or woman’s life where they recognize that they are in bondage to sin. This is where humility begins its role in our lives. Do we partake in sin, wipe our mouths and say, “I have done no wickedness”, or do we say, “Lord deliver me from my sins?” The proud does not want to let go of their sinful lifestyle while the redeemed look to Christ to set them free from it. Your human nature tells you that all your ways are right in your own eyes, but when the Spirit of God searches your heart, He reveals to you that your sins are enslaving you and that you are in need of redemption. The Bible teaches that faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). As you hear the word, God convicts you of sin and opens the door of faith in Christ. You then must choose to cling to your sin or humble yourself and be redeemed.
Since the Bible teaches that all who commit sin are slaves of sin, and that all have sinned, it becomes clear that all are in need of redemption. Redemption is the payment of a debt that keeps someone held in ransom. Jesus claimed that His purpose was to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45). The word ‘ransom’ used here comes from the Greek word ‘lutron’, which means: the price paid to free a slave or the price paid to liberate someone’s life. Since we are all slaves of sin, we are under the penalty of sin. Jesus’ last words on the cross were ‘Tetelestai’. This is often translated as ‘it is finished’ but the word literally means, “The debt is paid in full”. Tetelestai was the Greek word that was written on the bills when the debt was fully paid. On the cross, Jesus victoriously declared, “The debt has been paid in full!” At that point He breathed His last breath and died. There was no more need of suffering because the payment for sin was complete. Redemption had been paid and all who receive Christ have now been ransomed from their slavery to sin. There are many passages that go into this but I have selected three that speak well to this topic:
Isaiah 53: 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"),
Colossians 2: 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
The debt was not Jesus’ debt, it was our debt. He took on our debt so that we could be redeemed from bondage. Only Jesus was God in the flesh (Colossians 2:9), therefore only He could redeem the world of sin. The wages of sin is death; therefore, to redeem you and I he had to die on our behalf. Not only was the wrath of our sin laid to His account, but the righteousness of God was credited to us. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
How can a man or woman boast about their righteousness when it is not mankind’s righteousness, but the righteousness of God that has been given to us? You become the righteousness of God in Him. You don’t suddenly become good in your flesh; you must abide in Christ in order to be righteous – for it is the righteousness of God that makes us righteous. You must abide in Christ to have the righteousness of Christ. Look at the following passages:
2 John 1:9 Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.
John 15:4-10 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 " As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
According to Jesus, if you do not abide in Him, you cannot walk in the Love of God, you cannot bear fruit and you cannot claim the promises of God. Many, many people miss this important truth – you must abide. There is no such thing as a ticket to heaven. This gives the misconception that you can live anyway you desire and even forsake your faith and still have God’s obligation to give you a free trip to heaven. The Bible says that you were bought with a price; therefore you must glorify God in your body and spirit. Anyone who desires to be back under the yoke of sin should examine themselves to see if they truly are in the faith. If the Holy Spirit is within you, there should be a desire that draws us to the things of God. Consider 1 John 3:9
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
To better understand what is being taught, this must be taken in light of what is taught earlier in this same book of the Bible. Look now at 1 John 1:6-9
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Once again you see the necessity of abiding in Christ. Those who are walking with Christ are walking in obedience and truth. When you commit sin, The Holy Spirit within you immediately convicts you of that sin and calls you to confess and repent, and then you are cleansed of all unrighteousness. If you are born of God, you have the seed of the Holy Spirit within you. This will draw you toward the things of God while also drawing you away from sinful behavior. Obviously this does not mean that you cannot commit any sins for in the same letter the apostle John first states that you will sin and be forgiven if you repent and abide in Christ. The Bible makes no room for Christianity without repentance. The Holy Spirit within you will make it impossible to live in sin without conviction. However, you must walk in the light of Christ to have the promise of being cleansed from unrighteousness.
The Christian must not underestimate the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It is impossible to live godly and walk in righteousness without the Spirit of God producing these things within us. Only the Spirit can produce the things of the Spirit. Only the Spirit can reveal the deeper things of God. The Spirit is how every believer is anointed and able to understand the truth of scriptures. Look at 1 John 2:27-28
27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him. 28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
Jesus also affirmed this in John 6:45
"It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
The Holy Spirit anoints every believer and if you are in Christ and will allow God to speak to you, you will understand the word of God and He will teach you all things. Every person who has the Holy Spirit has the ability to study and understand the scriptures. It is still your responsibility to study and seek the Lord through His word. As you do so, you can study with confidence knowing that God will teach you by His Spirit. If you walk in the Spirit, study in the Spirit and walk obediently in the Spirit, you will have confidence in Christ and will have no shame when you stand before Him. It is the Spirit that produces the goodness of God within you. Look now at Ephesians 5:8-11
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
This is reiterated in Galatians 5:22-25
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If the Spirit is within you and you are walking in the light, you will see the fruit of the Spirit coming out in your life. Without the Holy Spirit, you have no hope for eternity and also no hope of becoming righteous in this life. The Holy Spirit indwells each believer at salvation and until this redemption and regeneration occurs, you cannot partake in spiritual things or become righteous before God.
Salvation is the work of God.
Only God can produce holiness and only God can call us to salvation. Human nature is not capable of seeking God without God first working within us. Consider these passages:
Romans 3: 10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one."
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
As you can hopefully see, our righteous acts cannot save us for they are filthy in God’s sight. What is corrupted by sin cannot produce spiritual things that are uncorrupted and acceptable to God. No one seeks God and in our flesh no one does good, no not one. Further more, it is impossible to come to God without going through the Son and no one comes to the Son unless the Father draws him. In other words, from beginning to end, we are completely dependent on God. We are dependent on Him to draw us into seeking Him for our human nature does not seek God on its own and cannot seek God. Salvation is only through Jesus Christ and we can only come to Jesus Christ if we are first drawn.
I have heard people say that they began to seek God and soon found salvation. This is only half the picture. We begin to seek because God begins to draw. God discontents our heart by showing us that something is missing in our lives. As He reveals our need, He also draws us to the Cross of Jesus Christ where redemption is found. We soon find that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that He is the door of salvation that we must pass through. We must then submit ourselves to Him, lay down our lives and then receive the new life God is offering. Jesus gave an interesting parable for this truth in Matthew 13:44
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
When you recognize that your life and all that you have is worthless compared to the treasure of God’s kingdom, you will be willing to leave everything behind to obtain that treasure. The message of the gospel is that your life in this world is worthless and under condemnation. Romans 8:1-2 explains this:
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
We are already under condemnation to sin, but the free gift of salvation frees us from condemnation and puts us on the path of life so that we are now able to walk according to the Spirit.
We can see clearly that God must draw us and that we are completely dependent on His calling, we also know that God alone chooses the timing of our calling. Many state in error that they will come to Christ when they are ready. Not so! God calls and we must answer His calling or forego salvation. God may call again, but He may not. God warns us that He will condemn those who do not receive the truth. Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
10 … with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Salvation is completely dependent upon God. He convicts us by His Spirit, draws us to Jesus Christ and then offers eternal life to us. It is impossible for a man or woman to decide to get saved. Our heart is corrupt and deceitful. Jeremiah 17:9 states:
The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
Your heart will deceive you. Even though you can be influenced to act civil and be good by human standards, under the surface your heart is desperately wicked. Consider the Holocaust. Good people became completely calloused to the sufferings of those the culture deemed to be worthless. The cries of those appointed to death were not only unanswered, but were met with complete apathy. An entire nation of decent, law abiding citizens followed the cultural mindset of the day that had unified on the idea of destroying the Jews thinking that they were getting rid of a blight on society. We look back at the horrors and think, “How could they do such cruel things?” However, the human heart can justify anything. The absolute worst advice you can heed is to ‘follow your heart’. Many have said, “I know this is the will of God because I have peace about it”, even though they knew their actions were sinful. Several years ago a popular Christian singer had an affair and soon left her husband. She made a statement that she believed the affair was God’s will because her new love made her happy. God’s highest goal is not to make you happy. God’s goal is to make you holy and Christ-like so that He is glorified and you receive the eternal reward God has prepared for you.
Your heart cannot turn to God without the Spirit of God first working in your heart. We know that faith comes by hearing the word of God; therefore, we also understand that the word of God is the tool God uses to convict our hearts. Look at Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The word, not our feelings, creates discernment in our soul. As we hear the word, the Spirit cuts through the confusion and reveals Christ to us as He also convicts us of sin. God then opens our spiritual eyes to see the cross of salvation and then we either surrender or resist the call of God. It is God that must enlighten our eyes; it is God that must convict us of sin; it is God that must reveal Jesus to us. The word is the method God has chosen to enlighten us to His truth both at the time of visitation and throughout our lives after salvation. This is even taught in the Old Testament. Look at this wonderful passage in Psalm 19:7-14
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
All of this centers around the word of God and His work in our lives. What is the focus of each principle of man’s transformation into righteousness? The Lord and His word. It is not your strength; it is not your righteousness; it is not your understanding. Nothing in salvation is man dependent. God enlightens the eyes through His word, rejoices the heart through the promise of salvation, cleanses us and redeems us. The ONLY time man’s effort is involved in the work of salvation is when we resist the call of God. God gives each of us a measure of faith (Romans 12:3), God’s word convicts our heart by the Spirit (John 16:8), God calls us by His Spirit (John 6:44), God reveals Jesus Christ and the gift of salvation to us (Titus 3:5-7), God converts the heart, God places His seed within us (1 John 3:9), God gives us His righteousness (2 Cor 5:21, Romans 4:5, Isaiah 61:10), God crucifies the old man (Romans 6:6), and God creates a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). According to these many passages, your only role is to let God transform you or resist the Spirit of grace and cling to your old life.
It is truly the work of God, but God does require action on our part. God calls us to believe in our heart which is acting upon the faith God has given us, confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and acting in obedience by being baptized. None of these are acts of works because there is no human effort to merit salvation. Faith is not works; it is a gift of God (Romans 12:3). Unbelief is the work of the flesh, but faith is believing what God has said is true and obeying because we believe. Confessing Jesus is Lord is not works; it is professing the truth that God has indeed redeemed us and that He is the Lord of our life. Romans 10:9-10 says
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Compare this to Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Confessing that Jesus is Lord does not give room for boasting in one’s works for no work has been done. Confessing is an acknowledgment for who God is and what He has done. You believe God and it is accounted for righteousness (Romans 4:5), and you confess that Jesus is Lord. That confession is submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is not an act of works, but submission. God humbles us and we submit. The opposite is that God humbles us and we stiffen our necks and refuse to submit because of pride. The confession of salvation is not a magic word that we speak in order to save ourselves, but an acknowledgment of the work God is doing in our heart and our willingness to allow Him to take our old life, give us a new spiritual birth in the Spirit and be our Lord and Savior.
Finally, baptism is not an act of works either. Each time we see someone submitting their lives to Jesus Christ, baptism follows. Jesus stated the following in Matthew 28:19-20
19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Baptism is not an act of works for you are not doing anything but allowing God to put your sins to death and raise you up as a new creation. You cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ if you refuse to obey the command of baptism. Baptism is an act of submission to God. Baptism is stating that God is burying your old man (or sinful nature) and raising you up as a new creation in Christ. Baptism is identifying yourself with Jesus Christ and identifying yourself with His death, burial and resurrection. Consider these two passages:
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Romans 6: 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
If you have not been baptized, you have not yet submitted to Jesus Christ. What works are involved in baptism? None. You merely allow yourself to be baptized as an act of obedience and submission to Jesus Christ. You are proclaiming that you are allowing God to put your old nature to death and raise you up in the likeness of Jesus Christ. As long as you live in the flesh, you are bound to the law of sin and death, but when you die to yourself, you are now free to live for Christ. This is explained in Romans 7:4-6
4 Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another -- to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6 But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
The Bible compares this to being married to the world. You are bound to the world as long as you live in the flesh; however, once you die to the flesh, you also die to the world. Since your old man is dead, your new man is free to be married to Jesus Christ. The church is the bride of Christ. This is only possible if you are free to be married. You cannot divorce the world; you must die to the world. Baptism is the funeral of your flesh. Through baptism, you are freed from the world and joined to Christ.
If you have never surrendered your life to Christ, now is the time of salvation. Do not commit your life to Christ, but surrender to Christ. A commitment cannot be made until the flesh is dead and buried. A commitment is a promise that ‘I’ will accomplish something for God. God doesn’t want your accomplishments but instead wants to take your old life, bury it and transform you into a new creation. God is calling. By faith, confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, turn from the world and give your heart, mind, soul and being to Jesus Christ. You must believe that He has completed your redemption on the cross through his shed blood, God raised Him from the dead and confess Jesus Christ as Lord. Only then can you follow Him in obedience.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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