02-18-2026 PART 2: Don’t Start in the Spirit and Finish in the Flesh

Section 1

This teaching confronts a timeless human tendency: God makes salvation clear and gracious, and we immediately try to complicate it. Jesus says in John 15:6 that if anyone does not remain in Him, that person is like a branch thrown away and burned. The word remain carries the meaning of abide, dwell, live. Salvation is not a casual nod of approval toward Jesus followed by independence. It is ongoing belief—continual trust in the Son whom the Father gave out of love. John 3:16 declares that whoever believes will not perish, and that belief is active and enduring, not momentary agreement. Hebrews 2:10 identifies Jesus as the captain, pioneer, and chief of salvation. He leads it. He perfects it. He completes it. The point is simple and direct: you do not begin in Christ and then move on to something else. You stay in Him.

Section 2

Ephesians 2:8–9 reinforces the same foundation. Salvation is by grace through faith. It is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God. It is not by works so that no one may boast. The human problem is not that the gift is unclear; the problem is that we struggle to accept grace without trying to add to it. We are not worthy of the gift, and that is precisely why it is grace. Abraham and Sarah tried to assist God’s promise and produced Ishmael, creating consequences that rippled forward. The promise still came exactly as God declared, but unnecessary complexity was added through human interference. Adam and Eve complicated what was beautifully simple in the garden. In the same way, believers are tempted to take what Jesus began and improve upon it with fleshly effort. Salvation does produce good works, but those works flow from God’s craftsmanship, not from human boasting.

Section 3

Paul addresses this directly in Galatians 3:1–3. “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you?” He asks whether they received the Spirit by works of the law or by believing what they heard. Having begun in the Spirit, are they now trying to finish in the flesh? His rebuke is sharp because the issue is serious. The gospel was clear. Christ crucified was plainly presented. Yet they drifted into performance, as if Jesus needed assistance completing what He accomplished at the cross. The message lands with clarity: do not pull an Adam and Eve. Do not start in the Spirit and then try to take over. Remain in Jesus. Abide in Him. Live in Him. The captain of your salvation does not need replacing, supplementing, or rearranging. He needs trusting.