Article of Faith: Walking in the spirit, By Femi Aribisala

Unto us, a child is born, but this child is the mighty God.

I asked the members of a Christian fellowship what it means to be saved. What are the practical indices of salvation? They knew they were saved, but could not tell me what it meant. How about this: What are we saved from? If you think it is from the devil, think again. The devil has not given up on you. He is an unrelenting pursuer. He is still after your life on this side of the grave.

We are saved from the absence of God into the fullness of God. Salvation means we now have a relationship with God. That is what it means to have life because God is life. Jesus says:

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).

This is another way of saying He came so that we may have God and have him to the fullest. We are dead without God, but alive in Him.

Jesus also says:

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” (John 10:10).

What he wants to kill, steal and destroy is our relationship with God. It is on that relationship that our life is based. Therefore, the redeemed must guard that relationship jealously. You don’t want to lose it again because your life depends on it.

“In (Christ) we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28).

What does it mean to “walk in the Spirit?”

First of all, who is the Spirit? The scriptures tell us:

“The Lord is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

Jesus is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. (Philippians 1:19; Romans 6:9).

David wrote the psalms because the Spirit of Christ was in him. Jesus confirmed this when He spoke the words of the psalm of David on the cross:

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1).

So, how can we “walk in the Spirit?” Are we not in the flesh now? If so, how can we “walk in the Spirit?” You are no longer in the flesh if you are born again.

“You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9).

However, the Bible distinguishes between “living in the Holy Spirit” and “walking in the Holy Spirit.” Before you can walk in the Holy Spirit, you have to live in the Holy Spirit.

Living in the Spirit

Living in the Spirit refers to a life of faith and trust in an invisible God. It means having a relationship with God. When a man trusts God to save him by accepting God’s plan of salvation, which is in His son Jesus Christ, his spirit becomes alive to God:

“For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation.” (Romans 10:10).

When this happens, the Holy Spirit takes residence in the believer’s heart. The atonement of Jesus means God has taken up residence in your life.

When the Prodigal Son was reconciled with his father, he returned home to live with him. When you are reconciled to God, you are back where you belong: at home with God.

“Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” (Ephesians 2:19).

One way of seeing a Christian is as someone who lives in the consciousness of God. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to enable, equip, and help us live the abundant, vibrant, and purposeful life God wants us to live. This fulfils Jesus’ promise

“I will not leave you orphaned. I’m coming back. In just a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you are going to see me because I am alive, and you are about to come alive.  At that moment you will know absolutely that I’m in my Father, and you’re in me, and I’m in you.” (John 14:18-20).

God is omnipresent. He is everywhere, and so man has always lived in God.

“(God has) been our dwelling place in all generations.” (Psalm 90:1).

“In him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28).

However, we did not know this because, since the fall of Adam, man has been spiritually dead. God is spirit, and the natural man has no spiritual consciousness of God. But all this changed with the atoning, redeeming work of Jesus Christ:

“This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory.” (Colossians 1:26-27).

Therefore, the man who receives Christ as his Lord and Saviour develops a consciousness of God. But the natural man remains in the dark. Jesus says to Nicodemus:

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:3).

God becomes a living reality in the life of the born-again Christian. Once you receive Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live with you. Indeed, the Holy Spirit is “Christ in us,” according to biblical prophecy:

“‘Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and he shall be called ‘Emmanuel’ (meaning ‘God is with us.’)’” (Matthew 1:23).

Who is Jesus?

John says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1).

Is Jesus God the Son, or is He God the Father? Isaiah says:

“Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6).

Unto us, a child is born, but this child is the mighty God. Unto us, a son is given, but this son is the everlasting Father.

Which part of Jesus is God the Father, and which part is God the Son? Where did God the Father begin, and God the Son end? Jesus says to Philip:

“If you had known who I AM, then you would have known who My Father is. From now on, you know Him- and have seen Him!” Philip said, “Sir, show us the Father and we will be satisfied.” Jesus replied, “Don’t you even yet know who I am, Philip, even after all this time I have been with you? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! So why are you asking to see Him? Don’t you believe that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say are not My own but are from My Father who lives in Me. And He does His work through Me. Just believe it- that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me. Or else believe it because of the mighty miracles you have seen Me do.” (John 14:7-11).

If Jesus and the Father are One, is it possible for Jesus and you to be one? The Bible reveals that the believer lives in God and God lives in him. Jesus says:

“When I come back to life again, you will know that I AM in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” (John 14:20).

Do you believe that you are in Christ and that Christ is in you? Examine this prayer of Jesus:

“I am not praying for these alone, but also for the future believers who will come to Me because of the testimony of these. My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father- that just as You are in Me and I am in You, so they will be in Us, and the world will believe You sent Me. “I have given them the glory You gave Me- the glorious unity of being One, as We are- I in them and You in Me, all being perfected into One- so that the world will know You sent Me and will understand that You love them as much as You love Me.” (John 17:20-23).

One With God

The Holy Spirit has come to make us one with God. Therefore,

“Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” (Colossians 3:17).

As you begin consciously to do all in the name of the Lord, you find that the Holy Spirit systematically overshadows you. David was so focused on God that the psalms he wrote expressed the very sentiments of Jesus.

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why do You refuse to help me or even to listen to my groans?” (Psalm 22:1).

Paul wrote a letter to Timothy, and yet, this letter became a Canon of scripture. So did his private letter to Philemon. John wrote private letters to a chosen lady, yet the letters became the word of God. (2 John).

In effect, these men so walked closely with God that it was no longer possible to determine where Christ ended and they began. They understood the inheritance of the atonement and became at one with Christ and God.

CONTINUED.

[email protected]; www.femiaribisala.com