11 January 2026
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SALVATION
(Biblical Teachings on The Christian Life.: BTCL 16)
The promised assurance of salvation is found in Romans 8:1: “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” (NKJV). Some preachers are preaching by quoting only part of this verse: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”. By doing so, they teach about the “once-saved-always- saved” doctrine of hyper grace and this is giving false hope to “Christians”.
This salvation is assured only when a person believes in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior and “walk according to the Spirit”. To “walk in the flesh” means to continue living in the sinful nature and in the sinful way. You cannot be a Christian and still live according to the flesh, because in Christ we are “born again of the Spirit” and our life is transformed by His power, so that “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away and behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor.5:17). Without the evidence of the new life transformed by the Holy Spirit we cannot be called “Christian” and we cannot be saved.
A holy life is the result of “walking according to the Spirit”. The Bible says, “No one born of God can continue to sin because God’s Seed is in him and he cannot go on sinning. This is how we know who are God’s children and who are children of the devil” (1 John 3:9-10). The Bible tells us: “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal.5:16). The Holy Spirit in the “born again” believer empowers him to overcome sins and evil habits and at the same time enables him to live a holy life pleasing to God. Only then can we say “there is therefore now no condemnation” or judgment for anyone who follows Christ.
The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is “the Seal of our Redemption” (Eph.4:30), meaning He is the Guarantee of our salvation that one day we will be in Heaven with Jesus (2 Cor.5:5). In the time of the Tribulation the Antichrist puts his seal, or the “mark of the beast” (666) on all in the earth, and only those who are “sealed” can buy and sell. He copies this idea from God Who seals us with His Holy Spirt Who is the “Real Deal”. The Holy Spirit is the Presence and Power of God in our life, thus enabling us to live like Jesus and grow in His image.
The Word of God emphasizes this Truth: “Those who are led by the Spirit of God are truly the sons of God” (Rom.8:14). To be “led by the Spirit” means to live under the control of the Holy Spirit, Who is God, so that we will walk in the will and way of God everyday of our life. It is to live like Jesus when He was on earth, walking in obedience to the Father. Hence the Bible says, “Whoever lives in Him must walk like Jesus walked” (1 John 2:6). Only when we are led by the Spirit can we ever live like that. Jesus was led and empowered by the Spirit when He was on earth (Luke 4:1, 14,18-19); so must we. Only then can we become like Him in word and in deed. We are to walk as Jesus walked.
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