The Divine solution to worldliness, sin, and self-will is not to say it is all covered by grace and to wave it away as though the believers are not sinning! The Divine solution is for us to count the old nature crucified with Jesus. Then there is no problem giving up the world, or sin, or our self-will. Once we consent to go to the cross we already have given up everything. The war is over and there remains only the mopping-up procedures.

This is not to say the mopping-up procedures are always easy. Sometimes it seems our soul is being torn out of us. But the victory already is assured because we are crucified with Jesus.

Counting ourselves dead with Christ and raised with Christ does not mean we no longer have a desire to sin. Neither does it mean it does not matter if we sin. Counting ourselves dead with Christ is our orientation to the experiences through which the Holy Spirit continually is leading us. We know now how to regard worldliness, lust, and self-will. We have already given the victory to Jesus. Now it is a case of praying without ceasing as we keep dumping out the garbage of our old nature. We owe the old nature nothing that we should fulfill its desires! It already is dead because of sin and it will never be saved, never be brought back to life, never inherit the Kingdom of God.

As Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished!"

Our Dual Life

We understand, therefore, that we are living a dual life. We have a very real life here on the earth. Our physical body and brain are here. Our soul is operating through our body and continually deciding whether to give in to the flesh and carnal mind or to obey the Word of God.

We have another very real life. Our new life is Christ. Our new life will not appear on earth until Christ appears. Our new life is hidden with Christ in God.

Our new, born-again spiritual life is a firstfruits of our personality. Because the firstfruits is holy the remainder of our personality is holy. This does not indicate our personality on earth does not sin or can never be lost. It means it has been set aside for God's purposes because the firstfruits has been accepted.

Many times during each day we choose to set our mind on the things above where our new life resides, or we choose to occupy ourselves with our flesh-and-blood life on the earth. This is the Christian's fight of faith.

If we, at any given point of decision, pray and seek the will of God, we add strength to our position in Heaven.

When we choose to live in the passions and appetites of our flesh and soul we sow corruption and death.

When we occupy ourselves with the things of the world, finding our pleasure, security, and survival in material things, not praying and seeking the mind of Christ continually, we are dead though we yet are alive in the flesh. We are not building up our new life in Heaven. We are not laying up treasures in Heaven.

To be continued.