The most direct meaning of the above passage is that we will not go into the Kingdom of God in our present body but in a resurrected glorified body. There is much more to it than this.

Our entire first personality, the descendant of Adam and Eve, cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

There are many good traits in our first personality, varying from one individual to the next: honor, truthfulness, faithfulness, integrity, moral purity, and so forth. God is not saving any of these.

In the beginning God took a handful of red clay and fashioned a prototype of His image. It wasn't until two thousand years ago that the true, eternal image of God set foot on the earth.

Our good traits are not eternal. And they will fail if pushed hard enough.

You can only make so much out of dust!

When the Lord Jesus died on the cross He exclaimed, "It has been finished!" Not only had the blood atonement been finished, the whole first creation had been finished.

When the Lord Jesus came out of the cave He was the Firstborn of an entirely new creation.

Water baptism demonstrates we are nailing our first personality to the cross with Jesus and are rising with Him into new life, into the Kingdom of God. Baptism means nothing less than this!

Now we are crucified and risen—by faith!

What's next?

God makes our crucifixion and resurrection a fact.

How does He do that?

By crucifying and resurrecting us.

Moment by moment, day by day, God brings our first personality to death by frustrating, sometimes painful, experiences. If we look to God instead of complaining and blaming people, God raises us into Christ each time we "die." Death and life. Death and life. This is the only true Christian walk.

The philosophy of humanism has inundated the United States. Humanism will never agree to pursuing life through death. In humanistic thinking the individual must always get what he or she wants, even if it destroys society.

(Kind of stupid when you think about it.)

A remnant is being drawn from the churches today, something like Gideon's army. The majority of Christians will attempt to save their life. They will never bear eternal Kingdom fruit if they labor in Christian work all their life. They will bring forth religious people in their own image.

The remnant will accept God's plan of death and resurrection. The fruit they bear comes out of their death and will stand in God's Presence for eternity.

How about you? Will you seek to save your life or will you give it up to God so He can bring forth His Kingdom in you?

Are you tired of trying to be a Christian? If you will accept the death He brings you through He will accomplish in your personality what you desire.

Fear not little flock!