How the Spirit of Jesus Christ Becomes the Supply for Your Daily Salvation

Have you ever wondered how you can live an overcoming Christian life in the midst of your trying circumstances? The answer is the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

During the apostle Paul’s Roman imprisonment, he uttered these words of assurance that are as full of hope for us today as they were for him some two thousand years ago:

For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:19)

What was the salvation Paul was expecting? And what was the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ that he was referring to?  Finally, how can we enjoy this same supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in our daily life and trying circumstances?

How the Spirit of Jesus Christ becomes the bountiful supply for your daily salvation

What was the “salvation” that Paul was expecting?

First, we need to see what was the “salvation” Paul was referring to.

It was not salvation from God’s eternal judgment. Paul already possessed eternal salvation and so does every believer in Christ.

Neither was that salvation a miraculous deliverance from prison. That did not happen.

The salvation Paul was referring to was one of not being put to shame in his oppressive environment. For him, it was Roman imprisonment, with mistreatment or neglect.

What is your troubling environment? What do you need to be saved from? It may not be something so big.

It may be your troubling thoughts that imprison you—the hurts, the offenses you can’t forgive and forget or the inconsiderate or unjust treatment you’ve received from your family, friends or coworkers. When we’re bound up in these things we’re defeated and put to shame.

So it’s this same present and constant salvation that we need in our daily life.

Like Paul, we need to be saved from being put to shame, such that we magnify Christ, making Him large before the the eyes of those around us. Paul did this even before the Roman guards that probably mistreated him.

For him, “salvation” in this context was to be sustained and strengthened to live and magnify Christ in the midst of a suffering environment.

Such a salvation requires the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

 What is the “bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” that Paul was strengthened with?

 The bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ was not some outward help that Paul received in prison. There was no angel that let him out of prison or stood by his side to comfort him.

It was the Spirit of Jesus Christ that inwardly supplied and strengthened him. This Spirit was not just the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. It was such a Spirit enriched with all the elements of Christ’s person and work—His incarnation, perfect human living, His effective death, and life-imparting resurrection. Even Christ’s ascension was in this Spirit.

It’s like a smoothie or power drink. You may start with some plain water, but then you add many nutritious ingredients—fruits, vegetables, protein powder, and vitamins. You don’t alter the basic ingredients, you just enrich them and make them into a receivable drink–a rich supply.

This receivable Spirit of Jesus Christ is our bountiful supply. Everything we need to live the Christian life is in this dose—this life-giving drink.

How can you enjoy the Spirit of Jesus Christ as the bountiful supply to live an overcoming Christian life?

We not only need to receive the Lord Jesus once for all to be saved eternally.

We also need to constantly receive the Spirit of Jesus Christ as the supply for our daily life.

Before going to the cross the Lord Jesus promised that His Father would send another Comforter, the Spirit of reality in His name, that is, in the name of Jesus.

So when we call on the name of the Lord, He, as the Spirit of Jesus Christ, becomes a rich and bountiful supply to us. Romans 10:12 says,

“For the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him.”

When we’re troubled by certain oppressive things in our daily life—anxiety, anger, boredom, disappointment, jealousy, pride and so on, we just need to call on the Lord Jesus.

When we call on His victorious name, we receive all the elements of His person and experiences as the rich ingredients in the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

For example, as we receive this supply, the element of Christ’s death spontaneously kills our anxious thoughts. The element of Christ’s resurrection lifts us out of our self pity. This supply also elevates us into Christ’s ascension above every kind of disappointment.

So what do we need to do? Simply receive this bountiful supply of the Spirit by means of calling on the Lord.

Taking in God’s Word by means of prayer is another effective way to receive the bountiful supply of the Spirit. In Galatians 3:5, Paul indicated that those who bountifully supplied the believers with the Spirit did so out of the hearing of faith.

Where does this “hearing of faith” come from? The word of Christ. Romans 10:17 says,

 “So faith comes out of hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Hearing Christ’s living Word infuses faith into us and this hearing of faith supplies us with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Try taking a couple of verses each morning and turning them into your prayer, thanks and praise to the Lord. Then muse on them often throughout the day. See if this simple practice doesn’t supply you with the Spirit of Jesus Christ in your daily life.

If you’ve received the supply of the Spirit through calling on the Lord and pray-reading His word, take a moment to confirm this post with a short comment. If you’ve enjoyed this post you  may want to receive our regular updates by subscribing to the Holding to Truth blog.

For more appreciation of the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ you may enjoy reading a message by that title—Message Five of the Life-study of Philippians by Witness Lee at ministrybooks.org

Photo Credit: Deborah Smith