It absolutely is true that as we set out on our discipleship the Holy Spirit does not deal with all of our sinful nature. Most of our worldliness, lust, and self-will is covered from God's sight, else we would be under condemnation all the time.

But there always is a growing edge of righteousness the Spirit is dealing with concerning each individual. God always judges us at this point. Either we are abiding in Christ in the challenge under consideration, and bearing the fruit of righteousness, or we are not abiding in Christ, are not obeying the Spirit, are not growing in righteousness. When this is true we come under Divine judgment. We are beginning to draw back to destruction.

Think of your own life. Isn't it true that God is dealing with you at the present time concerning some area of worldliness, bodily passion, or self-will? If He is not, may we be so bold as to say you are not a disciple?—you are not growing in Christ? You may have a head knowledge of salvation (so do the demons) but you are not experiencing it.

We are free from condemnation only as long as we are abiding in Christ, faithfully following the Spirit of God, getting the victory through Christ over every sin the Spirit points out to us.

One can see from this what a grievous error the concept of a dispensation of grace actually is. The concept of the dispensation of grace presents a new kind of Divine dealing with man such that he relates to God on a theoretical plane having little reference to the reality of his personality. God views him in Christ apart from what he is. This is terribly, terribly incorrect!

There is no such thing as a dispensation of grace!

There indeed is a new covenant. The new covenant creates in a human being much, much greater righteousness, holiness, and obedience of personality than ever could be true of the Law of Moses. Under the new covenant God writes His laws in the heart and mind. Forgiveness serves to keep the believer without condemnation while the Divine commandments are being written in the heart and mind. To conceive of the grace of forgiveness as an alternative to the program of moral transformation into Christ's image, a legal, mystical state existing only in the mind of God, rather than what it truly is, an actual, substantial re-creation of the personality, is the negating of all God has planned and hoped for in Christ.

The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom is not ascribed righteousness, ascribed peace, or ascribed joy, but actual righteousness, peace, and joy of the born-again human personality.

This is why Paul repeated that those who live according to their fleshly impulses cannot possibly inherit the Kingdom of God. Why not? Because there is no sin in the Kingdom of God. To enter the Kingdom of God is to cease from sin by the power of Christ. To enter eternal life is to cease from sin by the power of Christ. To be saved is to cease from sin by the power of Christ.

(To be continued.)