By Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:12-13

Experiencing salvation is the core of a believer’s walk of faith. Salvation is a package of blessings and privileges that the Lord Jesus paid for us to have freely with His life and His blood. It is received only by faith because it is given as grace; unmerited favor. Salvation among other privileges gives us access to God and the privilege to call Him Abba Father. It also makes it possible for us to enjoy all the blessings that are freely given to us in Christ. One of the gifts of salvation is the spirit life which is different from the natural life we were born with. It is called eternal life. This is the life we received by believing that Jesus died for us and, as a result, our sins are forgiven. Adam’s sin brought death, but Christ’s sacrifice brought life and forgiveness of sins. Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.

This spirit life we received is the life of God because God is a Spirit. John 4:24 says “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” That is the life that Jesus came to give us in abundance. John 10:10 says “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.”  We were saved from our old sinful, nature and given a new nature through Jesus who we received into our lives. This life is in Christ Jesus, the son of God. This life in us makes us sons of God. Born into His family.

 1 John 3: 9 says “Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning because God’s life is in them. So, they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.”

Before we received Christ into our lives, we did not have this life, so the only life we could live was the natural sinful life of the flesh. But now we have the gift of the new life which is in Christ who lives in us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.”

Another metaphor used to illustrate this truth is a vine and its branches.

John 15:5-6“I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth, in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” The branch relies on the vine for life, energy, stamina, and stability, so we also rely on Christ who is the Vine for the flow of His life, strength and to do all things. As a branch owes its life to the vine, we owe our lives to Jesus Christ, the true Vine. Our natural and spirit lives are both gifts from God. Just like we played no role in our creation, we also play no role in being a new creature with a new spirit life. We simply receive it by faith in Christ Jesus. We owe everything to God. He gave us the gift of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ.

We are now a full expression of His life which is flowing through us. This light is now shining through us. It makes us like Him because we now carry His life. Through your faith in Christ, we can now live this life of victory like Christ lived a life of total victory. The just shall live by faith and no other way. We are now the light of the world because Jesus the light is shining through us. Ephesians 5: 8 says “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.”

THIS LIFE IS LIVED SIMPLY BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS, JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER BLESSING. Paul said in Galatians 2:20 “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”

THOSE WHO HAVE RECEIVED THIS LIFE BY FAITH AND BELIEVE THEY HAVE IT ACTIVATE THIS REALITY IN THEIR LIVES. IT BEGINS TO MANIFEST IN REAL LIFE.

This means that we can all live this life and not the old sinful life we lived before we were born again, given a new life, and made a new creature. 2 Corinthians 5: 14 “Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”

Pastor Chinedu Emmanuel is the Senior Pastor of Fountain at The Living Word Church, New Jersey.