When the Holy Spirit of God gives spiritual life to a new convert, he also does some other things for the new Christian that forever secure his salvation in Jesus Christ, so that he cannot lose it after he is saved. He circumcises the body of each Christian away from his soul so that his sins can no longer blemish his soul; he baptizes him into the body of Jesus Christ; and then raises him to be seated in heaven with Jesus so that he can never be thrown into hell.
Spiritual Circumcision
Most people understand the physical operation of circumcision whereby the foreskin of a male is surgically removed. In salvation, according to Col 2:11, the Holy Spirit performs a “circumcision made without hands” whereby “the body of the sins of the flesh” is put off “by the operation of God,” [verse 12].
In this operation of God, the body of the sins of the flesh is removed so that it is impossible for the soul of a Christian to ever sin again. Like 1 Jn 3:9 says, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
His flesh will continue to sin because sin still dwells in it. As Paul said, “Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me,” [Rom 7:17, see the full context in verses 15-20].
Because our flesh still sins, in order to guarantee that our spiritual life will remain in us, God circumcises our flesh away from our soul. That way, the sins of the flesh only affect the flesh and can never affect the soul. Praise the Lord!
Spiritual Baptism
According to 1 Cor 12:13, the moment a person trusts Jesus Christ as his Savior, the Holy Spirit baptizes him into the body of Jesus Christ and makes him a literal part of his body. As Paul said in Eph 5:30, “For we are members of his body, OF HIS FLESH, AND OF HIS BONES.”
This Spirit baptism is not water baptism as you can tell by what Peter said when he witnessed the salvation of Cornelius and his household during his preaching. Peter described their salvation this way, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost,” [Acts 11:15-16]. Notice the distinct contrast between water baptism and Spirit baptism.
In Rom 6:3-7, Paul explains in great detail exactly what took place when the Spirit baptized us into the body of Christ. Since we became part of Christ’s body, we spiritually went through his literal death, burial and resurrection. Notice, “that our old man is CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, that the body of sin might be destroyed,” [verse 6]. Then we “were baptized INTO HIS DEATH,” [verse 3]. Then we were “BURIED WITH HIM by baptism into death,” [verse 4]. And as a result, “like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should WALK IN NEWNESS OF LIFE,” [verse 4].
Because of our death with Christ, we are now “freed from sin,” [verse 7]. And because of our resurrection with Christ, we are now alive forevermore.
Spiritual Resurrection
When Jesus ascended up to heaven 40 days after his resurrection, he was seated at the right hand of God the Father [Heb 1:3]. In other words, if you could go to heaven right now and see Jesus, you would see his body seated right next to God’s throne on the right hand side.
Well, since we have been baptized into his body, and since his body is seated next to God’s throne, then we should be seated together with him next to God’s throne. That’s exactly where we are.
Eph 2:6 says that God, “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” My young Christian friend, you are already in heaven spiritually, simply awaiting the death of your body so that you can be “absent from the body, and … present with the Lord,” [2 Cor 5:8].
Because of these three things, the new believer is sealed in Christ until the day of redemption [Eph 1:13, 4:30] with no possibility of ever losing his salvation. Amen!