The Salvation Series – 2: The Salvation of the Spirit
Bless God for another wonderful day to continue discussing this series, which focuses on the different areas of the salvation, which began the through sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In our last discussion, we introduced what salvation is, covering the spirit, soul, and body. We said that none of these areas should be neglected, nor should they be applied in the wrong order; when we do not apply them appropriately, the salvation of Christ cannot have the maximum effect.
A Story to Illustrate Priorities
Let me start with an example to illustrate my point. Imagine a man traveling with his child in a boat. He does not know how to swim, but he has a life jacket on board. Along the way, the boat meets with a mishap, and his child falls into the river. How do you think the father should save him?
If the man jumps into the river by impulse, he will end up drowning with the child because he cannot swim. His attempt to save his only son is a good and proper thing to do, but obviously it will be foolish if he jumps in without doing the first thing first—in this case, putting on the life jacket. Even if he manages to reach the child, without that life jacket, they cannot get back to the ship.
In this example, the life jacket symbolizes the salvation of the spirit, while the child represents the other areas of salvation. What we must understand is that trying to enjoy the full benefits of salvation without focusing on the spirit will not work God’s way. That is what Jesus meant when He said we should seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and the rest of the things we need on earth will fall into their proper place (Matthew 6:33). He was saying we must place priority on spiritual things.
Total Blessing and Spiritual Roots
The point is not that God does not want to physically bless us; He wants us to be totally blessed, to be alive to enjoy those blessings, and to make it into eternity. What use is it for a person to possess everything in the world if they are going lose their soul (Mark 8:36)?
God is more interested in a person’s spiritual salvation than any other area. In His own way and time, God often only blesses a person according to the level of their spiritual growth. If He were to bless some Christians today according based on their potential rather than their maturity, they might fall from the faith because their spiritual roots would not be able to sustain the blessing. Alternatively, the blessing might not remain with them because the devil could easily steal it from them.
Man’s Spirit: The Root of the Problem
This is why God had to chase Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Because they had lost their spiritual nature, they were not in a position to handle the spiritual resources He had made available; they would have abused them. For God knew that Adam would have eventually tried to eat from the tree of life, in a bid to live forever, man's greatest fear being death (Hebrews 2:15). However, if Adam had eaten from that tree of life while spiritually dead, he would have become like a living zombie forever—physically alive, but spiritually dead for all eternity. In that state, even the sacrifice of Jesus Christ would not have been able to save him. The Scripture says, “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken” (Genesis 3:22–23).
The root of mankind’s problem is in his spirit, because when Adam and Eve sinned, they immediately died spiritually. Everyone who came after them was c also born spiritually dead. Consequently, we must first deal with the problem of mankind’s spirit to build a lasting solution and permanently address other things, i.e., sound mind, health, relationships, and prosperity.
The Ultimate Cure
If we do not deal with the root cause by receiving Jesus Christ into our lives by faith, but rather try to manage the problem by only beautifying things outwardly, the problem at the root will eventually manifest itself. Every man who has not received salvation of their spirit is like a terminally sick person whose days tend toward death. Jesus is the only cure for this terminal disease in every man, which is sin. Though there are many doctrines springing up to dilute this truth, the Scripture clearly says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as a sacrifice for our sins and as the source of eternal life to all of mankind. And by the preaching of the gospel, all men have an equal chance to be saved through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ - this is why the gospel must be preached. The Scripture says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).
If you are not born again, I encourage you to do so today by praying the salvation prayer below. Do not procrastinate and say you will do it tomorrow, but do it now, because no one knows tomorrow. The Scripture says, “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
The Real You
Immediately after you get born again, understand that you are no longer a carnal being, but a spiritual being. It is only when we truly realize this that we can live in the supernatural. Otherwise, we will live under the same limitations of the world as unbelievers, depending solely on science and technology for answers.
How do you see yourself as a Christian? As just flesh? The real you is not your body. Just as a space suit allows a space traveler to remain in space unhurt, so is the body like a suit that keeps us here on earth. Once it is damaged, our spirit leaves this world. Meditate on the fact that you are a spirit being, and not just a body, because that is the gateway for experiencing God, walking in victory, and living in the supernatural (John 4:24). Have a blessed day.
Today’s Reading:
Romans 8, Genesis 1
Nevertheless, if you are not born again, you can accept Christ today by saying this simple prayer out loud in faith, believing that Jesus Christ died and rose again for your sins:
Prayer for Salvation
“Dear Lord, I believe Jesus died and rose again for me. Forgive me my sins and come into my life. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Wash me with your precious blood. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
Congratulations! Your status has changed to that of a child of God, if you said this prayer in faith.