The Finished Work of Christ: Why Many Believers Fail to Walk in God’s Fullness By Willis Inyang PhD

Rejecting Deception, Embracing Truth, and Living in the Completeness of Redemption

Introduction: The Danger of Misplaced Blame

When believers face failure, sickness, or unanswered prayers, a troubling trend emerges: they blame God. 

Yet Scripture declares:

1. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). The issue is not God’s faithfulness but the flawed teachings we accept. Jesus Christ, the “one Mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5), has already secured every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3). This article dismantles the myths that keep believers shackled to defeat, redirecting them to the liberating truth: “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

1. The Sufficiency of Christ: Restoring What Adam Lost

Adam’s disobedience fractured humanity’s relationship with God, but Christ, the “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45), reversed the curse. Through His death and resurrection, believers are “made alive together with Him, having forgiven all trespasses” (Colossians 2:13). This redemption is not partial but total: “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him” (Colossians 2:9-10).  

Key Truths:

- No More Sacrifices: The Old Covenant required rituals, but Christ’s blood “obtained eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). We add nothing to His work.  

- Identity Over Effort: You are “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), not a rehabilitated sinner. Sin’s power is broken (Romans 6:6).  

- Wholeness Now: Healing, provision, and peace are not future hopes but present realities (1 Peter 2:24; Philippians 4:19).  

Why Believers Struggle: Many cling to teachings that prioritize human effort over grace. They pray for what Christ has already provided, like a beggar unaware of their inheritance.  

2. The Poison of False Teachings: How Error Destroys Faith  

Paul warned of “savage wolves… speaking perverse things to draw away disciples” (Acts 20:29-30). Today, heresies thrive:  

a. The Prosperity Trap  

Preachers who equate faith with wealth distort Christ’s message: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth” (Matthew 6:19). True prosperity is spiritual (3 John 1:2).  

b. Mysticism’s Deception  

Some urge believers to “hear God’s voice” through dreams or subjective feelings. Yet Scripture alone is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Holy Spirit illuminates the Word, not imaginations (John 16:13).  

c. The “Sinless Perfection” Myth or Reality  

While Christ’s righteousness covers us, John clarifies: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves” (1 John 1:8). Sin is deception and not victory, victory is total and complete acknowledgement of the defeat of the power of sin by a sacrificial lamb as Jesus on the Cross, sin cannot be replicated after the price has been paid, it was paid once and forever.

Jesus will not die twice for the same sins of the world, is by faith and believing that we are made righteous and having this knowledge, completes and liberates us from the power and yoke of sin. Sinlessness is Christ making to have sin for us and sacrificing, himself as the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. 

Therefore total victory is in annihilating the power or the yoke of sin and becoming victorious in Christ Jesus, seeing him as the fullness of all things in righteousness, not of our works, least we should boast.. Victory lies in confessing, not denying, our humanity (1 John 1:9).  

Here are Bible verses that align with your message but provide additional scriptural depth:

Christ’s Righteousness & Our Faith

• Romans 3:22-24 – “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The Power of Christ’s Sacrifice

• Hebrews 10:10-12 – “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again, he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”

• Hebrews 9:26 – “Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

Victory Over Sin & Living in Christ

• Romans 6:14 – “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.”

• Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

• Colossians 2:13-15 – “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

Confession & Transformation

• Romans 10:9-10 – “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

• 1 John 2:1-2 – “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

d. Ancestral Curses and Superstition  

Christ “redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13), including generational sins (Ezekiel 18:20). Believers need no rituals to break “curses”—the Cross did it all.  

Here are Bible verses that reinforce the truth about Christ’s redemption from curses and the power of His finished work:

1. Christ’s Redemption from All Curses

• Colossians 2:14-15 – “Having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

• Romans 8:1-2 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

• 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2. No More Generational Curses for Those in Christ

• Jeremiah 31:29-30 – “In those days they shall no longer say: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ But everyone shall die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth shall be set on edge.”

• John 8:36 – “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

• Isaiah 53:5 – “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

3. The Truth Sets Us Free from Fear and Superstition

• Hosea 4:6 – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

• 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

• Colossians 2:8 – “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.”

4. The Final Authority of Christ Over Every Power

• Ephesians 1:20-22 – “[God] raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”

• Luke 10:19 – “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”

3. Faith Beyond Feelings: Walking in Christ’s Authority  

Jesus said, “The words I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Faith rests on His promises, not emotions:  

a. Reject “Waiting on a Voice”  

God’s will is revealed in Scripture, not mystical hunches. “Your word is a lamp to my feet” (Psalm 119:105).

Here are Bible verses that emphasize God's will being revealed through Scripture rather than subjective mystical experiences:

1. God’s Will is Revealed Through His Word

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

• John 17:17 – “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”

Here are Bible verses that emphasize Jesus Christ as the final prophet, the ultimate revelation of God, and the fulfillment of all previous prophetic messages:

1. Jesus is the Final and Ultimate Revelation of God

• Hebrews 1:1-2 – “In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”

• John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

• Colossians 1:15-16 – “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

2. Jesus Fulfills All Prophecy

• Matthew 5:17 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

• Luke 24:27 – “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

• Acts 3:22-23 – “For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’”

3. Jesus is Greater Than All Prophets

• John 8:58 – “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”

• John 14:9 – “Jesus answered: ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”?’”

• Matthew 17:5 – “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’”

4. No More Prophets After Christ

• Revelation 22:18-19 – “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”

• Jude 1:3 – “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”

• Galatians 1:8-9 – “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!”

b. Pray with Confidence  

“Let us come boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16). We don’t beg—we claim what Christ purchased.  

c. Live as Christ Lived  

“As He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). His compassion, power, and holiness are ours to manifest.  

4. Practical Steps to Guard Against Deception  

a. Test Every Teaching

Like the Bereans, “search the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11). Reject any message contradicting Christ’s finished work.  

b. Flee False Teachers  

“Avoid profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness” (2 Timothy 2:16). Prosperity peddlers and fearmongers have no place in the Gospel.  

c. Renew Your Mind Daily

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Replace lies with truth:  

- “I am righteous in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  

- “By His stripes, I am healed” (Isaiah 53:5).  

- “I have authority over the enemy” (Luke 10:19).  

Conclusion: Stand Firm in the Fullness  

Believers are called to “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 1:3). The Cross restored everything Adam lost—intimacy with God, dominion over sin, and access to divine life. Stop blaming God or fearing the devil. “Resist the devil, and he will flee” (James 4:7). Walk in the freedom Christ bought: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).  

Prayer for Clarity:

Father, open our eyes to the sufficiency of Christ. Root out every lie we’ve believed, and anchor us in Your Word. May we live as redeemed, whole, and victorious saints—for Your glory. Amen. 

Reflection Questions:

1. What teachings have I accepted that undermine Christ’s finished work?  

2. How can I daily renew my mind to align with Scripture?  

Recommended Resources:  

- Scripture Study: Colossians 2, Galatians 5, Romans 6  

This article equips believers to reject deception and walk boldly in the truth of Christ’s redemption. Share it widely—the Church needs this clarity. Soli Deo Gloria!