Salvation Unmasked

The new doctrine swept through the campus like a whirlwind. Fellowship leaders were on the defensive while the new doctrine bearers appeared to be on the offensive throwing words without caution. Tempers flared, elders were abused and fellowship leaders lost some members to the new doctrine folks who started new churches. Elders in the University became concerned and held meetings with their mentees to correct what was assumed to be a demonic-infested doctrine.

I was indifferent and thought to myself, “this will pass” but it didn’t. A few of my friends became ordained pastors in the new churches riddled with the new doctrine. A very good friend of mine who engaged one of the proponents of the new doctrine in a conversation narrated his encounter with the proponent to me, and I concluded that the new guys were so wrong with their doctrine. What do they mean by, if I am fornicating and Jesus returns the second time, I will reign with Him? “Impossible! A sinner cannot see God!! “We must be holy!!!” I exclaimed.

The meetings between the concerned elders and their mentees continued, and I received my fair share of counselling. However, after the meeting, I got thinking and asked my friends some questions. I said, “when one gives his/her life to Christ, do you know that he can’t change at once?” Yes, they answered. I asked again, “have you sinned since you gave your life to Jesus?” No, another retorted. I continued, “what happens if one makes a mistake? “That is hellfire,” another fired back. I was not satisfied with their answers, but being a patient person who understood how the Spirit teaches me at the time, I waited and was alert.

I travelled for NYSC and had the opportunity to spend quality time with God. In the cool of the morning one day, the Holy Spirit instructed me to read the book of Galatians. I read it and then I was led to Leviticus and Numbers. Throughout my service year, I read the law and studied it so much. I returned to Galatians and the light of the doctrine started coming alive.

I understood that as Christians, we are saved by faith, not works. If it is by works, then, Christianity is not in any way different from other religions. Other religions teach works as a means to get to their heaven, but we teach faith and complete reliance on Jesus and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. I knew that if a Christian was walking in the flesh and exhibiting its works such as lying or fornication, the person is going to heaven. Works do not get us to heaven, faith in Jesus will get us to heaven.

Regardless, the truth about eternal salvation was not completely resolved in my heart. A few years down the line, I met my teacher and he taught us about eternal salvation. I thrashed it immediately even when I joined his ministers’ league as I did not believe it except my renewed belief from a few years ago.

On this fateful evening, I was walking down the street to have a haircut and started this conversation about eternal salvation with my brother in the Lord. I vehemently argued that anyone walking in the works of the flesh perpetually is going to hell. It was a hot debate and I told the brother to give me some minutes. I started a conversation with the Holy Spirit as He is always my guide and reaches out whenever I ask Him. I started praying in the Spirit spontaneously on the road, then He asked me, “Do I leave a man’s Spirit after I inhabit him?’’

Before I continue, let me give a basic background knowledge. When Adam and Eve sinned, the Spirit of God left their spirits and they died spiritually. They lost the ability to walk with God and discern His ways in Spirit and truth. They lost their spiritual essence in the person of the Holy Spirit when He left them. Since that event, man has devised ways to reconnect to his Spiritual source because man is designed with eternal space for God. Nothing can replace God in our spirit, not money, nor high lofty positions nor power. Man devised many means to satisfy his eternal craving because eternity is wired into man’s spirit, and this led to the advent of many religions. However, nothing can replace God. To restore man to God, Jesus was made sin and suffered for my sin, and your sin. But this is the biggest victory for man. By Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Spirit of God was restored in man. So, man became as Christ because of God’s Spirit is in him. Jesus came to make us exactly like Himself. He gave us His glory. He gave His nature. The same way Adamic nature was a gift to human race by one man is also the same way the Christ nature is a gift to you and to me by another man. You cannot undo Adamic nature by works, you cannot undo Zoe life by works.

Back to the fateful day, the Holy Spirit asked me the question, “can I leave a man after I inhabit Him?” So, I thought to myself, God who had waited for over 4 thousand years through a carefully designed eternal master plan to reconnect and live in us, would He then remove that Spirit after you lied or fornicated? What can make the Holy Spirit leave a man? You mean when you lie, He jumps out, when you tell the truth He jumps back in? This is not a chess game. If you claim it is by works, then Dangote one of the biggest philanthropists in Nigeria should have the Holy Spirit come into his spirit. And if works would sustain His Life, the religious folks like the Jews and in churches would be the only ones with His Spirit.

‘If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have to cut off more than your flesh — you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!’ — Galatians 5:4

‘For by the merit of observing the law no one earns the status of being declared righteous before God, for it is the law that fully exposes and unmasks the reality of sin. But now, independently of the law, the righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One. This is the righteousness that the Scriptures prophesied would come. It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And now all who believe in him receive that gift. For there is no difference between us, But now, independently of the law, the righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One. This is the righteousness that the Scriptures prophesied would come. It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And now all who believe in him receive that gift. For there is really no difference between us, for we all have sinned and are in need of the glory of God. Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness. His gift of love and favour now cascades over us, all because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin! And when the season of tolerance came to an end, there was only one possible way for God to give away his righteousness and still be true to both his justice and his mercy — to offer up his own Son. So now, because we stand on the faithfulness of Jesus, God declares us righteous in his eyes! Where, then, is there room for boasting? Do our works bring God’s acceptance? Not at all! It was not our works of keeping the law but our faith in his finished work that makes us right with God. So, our conclusion is this: God’s wonderful declaration that we are righteous in his eyes can only come when we put our faith in Christ, and not in keeping the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only, or is he equally the God for all of humanity? Of course, he’s the God of all people! Since there is only one God, he will treat us all the same — he eliminates our guilt and makes us right with him by faith no matter who we are.’ — Romans 3:20–24,26–30

Also read the Book of Galatians, Romans 1–9.

So, what can separate the Spirit of God from you?

Do not get it Twisted!

This is not a license to expressly walk and do the works of the flesh. Whoever lies, fornicates, steals, commits murder and the likes will not walk in their fullness in God experientially. They will live and die on the earth like mere men. They will constantly grieve the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will be made dormant and the fellow will live a very weak life. The ultimate solution to walking in the reality of the Spirit of righteousness is locked in Galatians 5:16–18: ‘Let me emphasize this: As you yield to the dynamic life and power of the Holy Spirit, you will abandon the cravings of your self-life. When your self-life craves the things that offend the Holy Spirit you hinder him from living free within you! And the Holy Spirit’s intense cravings hinder your self-life from dominating you! So then, the two incompatible and conflicting forces within you are your self-life of the flesh and the new creation life of the Spirit. But when you yield to the life of the Spirit, you will no longer be living under the law, but soaring above it!’

New King James Version puts it this way: ‘I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.’

Also, let’s look at the following scriptures on Eternal Life (Zoe)

‘ I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life. For even as the Father has life in Himself and is self-existent, so He has given to the Son to have life in Himself and be self-existent.’ — John 5:24,26

‘ And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life. But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides on him. [God’s displeasure remains on him; His indignation hangs over him continually.] — John 3:36

‘ I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life.’ — John 5:24

‘ All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me].’ — John 6:37

Eternal life has been deposited in you, it is the seal of your salvation, nothing and no one can take it away!