Enjoying Constant Salvation by the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

Are you satisfied with just having a salvation for when you die?  What about your daily life? Such a salvation is not enough to overcome the difficulties of human life.

It’s definitely good to know that you won’t perish in the lake of fire, but that doesn’t help very much when you’re in today’s difficult situations.

With so much anxiety in the world—marriage problems, family problems, job and financial problems and health problems—how can anyone live a joyful life? We don’t merely need an eternal salvation, but a salvation in specific encounters, and in the ordinary things of our daily life. Is there such a salvation?

Constant Salvation, not just Eternal Salvation

Yes. But I don’t mean that you repeat “the sinner’s prayer” every day. I mean you can enjoy a continual and progressive experience of the salvation you’ve already received. The salvation we receive from God is not just an event in our life—like “I got saved twenty years ago.” It’s actually the wonderful person of Jesus Christ Himself coming into us to be our salvation continually. In fact, the name “Jesus” actually means “Jehovah the Savior” or “the salvation of Jehovah.” All the salvation we need is in this wonderful Person Himself.

Yes, we appreciate the eternal salvation God gives to us by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16). But the Bible also reveals an instant, constant and even daily salvation in the life of Christ (Phil 1:19; 2:12; Rom. 5:10).

The apostle Paul referred to this kind of salvation when he told the Philippian believers that He knew that his unjust suffering in Roman imprisonment would “turn out to salvation through their petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:19).

By that time, Paul had already been saved for many years. Yet, he said that his present difficult circumstance would “turn out to salvation.” To what kind of salvation was he referring? It was a salvation from being put to shame in his abased situation, saved to magnify Christ in all kinds of hardships, saved to “live Christ” even while awaiting his expected martyrdom (vv. 19-21).

Experiencing this Daily Salvation by the Bountiful Supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

What was Paul’s secret for salvation in such a time of adversity? The secret is found in Philippians 1:19, “… salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” This was not an objective, eternal salvation that he expected to receive after he died. Rather, it was a subjective, practical salvation that he was experiencing, day by day, even moment by moment, in his imprisonment.

The channel of this salvation was the believers’ prayers and the application of this salvation was the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Paul even enjoyed the application of such a salvation after being beaten and put in the stocks. While he and his companion Silas were in the prison they were praying and singing hymns of praise to God (Acts 16:24-25).

What is the Spirit of Jesus Christ? 

The Spirit of Jesus Christ that Paul experienced was a rich compound, like an ointment full of ingredients. Sometimes when our body is aching we apply some ointment that has ingredients that relax our muscles. At other times we may apply an ointment with multiple actions—that prevents infections, stops itching or reduces pain.

The Spirit of Jesus Christ is such a compound ointment. In the book of Exodus,  there is a picture of such an ointment that was used in the service of the tabernacle—God’s Old Testament dwelling (Exo. 30:22-30). It was a compound of olive oil plus four precious spices—myrrh, cinnamon, calamus and cassia.

The olive oil, as the base of the ointment, signifies the Spirit of God, the unique God. This is Christ’s divinity (John 1:1).

The myrrh in the ointment signifies the precious death of Christ. Flowing myrrh as a spice used for burial (John 19:39), had the ability to stop the wrong secretions in the human body. Actually today, our anxieties, anger, and jealousy are all kinds of deadly secretions that damage our soul. Nothing can rid us of these except the “myrrh” in Christ’s precious death.

The cinnamon in the ointment signifies the sweetness and effectiveness of Christ’s death (Rom. 8:13). This spice was used to stimulate a weak heart. In the depth of our discouragements, we surely need the “cinnamon” in Christ’s death to stir our heart to faith, love and hope (1 Thes. 1:3) that we can go on in the midst of all kinds of adversity.

The calamus in the ointment—a reed shooting up from the marshy places—signifies the precious resurrection of Christ. Our soul may be such a marshy place full of self pity, regrets and things of the past from which we find no escape. But when we apply the “calamus” in the ointment by the calling on the name of the Lord Jesus, we shoot up from our marshy situation. In this compound Spirit, is an “elevator” lifting our soul out of the lowest pit. The prophet Jeremiah found this secret by calling on the Lord from the lowest pit and enjoyed God’s nearness in his situation (Lam. 3:55-57).

The cassia in the ointment—a tough outer bark, used as an insect and snake repellant—signifies the power of Christ’s resurrection (Phil. 3:10). When Satan and his helpers come to harass us like snakes and mosquitoes—shooting flaming darts at us (Eph. 6:16), we can enjoy the “cassia” in this ointment driving them away.

The measure of the four spices was of three units of 500 shekels signifying the three of the Triune God—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). That the middle unit of 500 shekels was split into two parts of 250 shekels signifies that the Son—the second of the Trinity was “split” for us on the cross. Christ is the embodiment of the entire Triune God (Col. 2:9). Such a complete Triune God is in this ointment.

Where is this “ointment” today?

The Spirit of Jesus Christ, is Christ in resurrection as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor.15:45). Although Christ was such a wonderful Person, before His death and resurrection, He was not that available. He could only reach a limited number of people at one place and at one time. But today, He is the “pneumatic Christ,” like the air that we breathe, so available, everywhere and at every time. So we should call on Him every day and in every place (Psa. 88:9; 1 Cor. 1:2).

Whenever a person believes in the Lord Jesus, He as the life-giving Spirit comes to dwell their human spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). So if even once you open your heart to Him, He is in your spirit and you can forever after, turn to Him, call on Him, and receive the fresh application of this “compound ointment” to meet your timely need.

However, it’s important to realize that the application, or the anointing of this compound ointment, this all-inclusive Spirit of Jesus Christ is not just for your personal, daily salvation (Lev. 8:12; Luke 4:18). Rather,  such a constant salvation by the bountiful supply of the Spirit is to equip you to serve in the move of God’s dwelling place, the church (Acts 6:3; Eph. 2:22; 1 Tim. 3:15)

“Lord Jesus, thank you that in Your resurrection you became a life-giving Spirit for me to experience and enjoy. Thank you that by contacting you, I am not only saved eternally but saved constantly, even moment by moment. Lord Jesus, as such an all-inclusive Spirit, apply to me whatever I need right now that I might experience Your constant salvation. O Lord, remind me today of how rich and all-inclusive You are so that in You I can live the proper human life, Christian life and church life.”

This post was inspired by the Holy Word for Morning Revival, Crucial Elements of the Bible, Week 4 on “The Spirit” and the Life-Study of Exodus, Messages 158-159. You can read these messages online at ministrybooks.org. You may also want to read a similar post on the same subject at agodman.com.