This is what Adam is. Adam is malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speakings. When we look about us in the world, what do we see? Malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speakings.

Adam is commanded, by the Word of God through the Apostle Peter, to lay these aside—to lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speakings. Adam in fact can lay these aside if he will come boldly to the throne of grace and obtain help from God through Christ.

The evil of the present-day perversion of Paul's teaching of grace is that it suggests it is not vitally necessary for Adam to be successful in laying aside these abominations. Adam is saved by grace and will go to Heaven by grace whether or not he lays aside the works of the flesh.

Can you see the fatal error here? It is a complete misunderstanding of the Christian redemption, the redemption that has been given to the Jews and elect Gentiles so they may serve God without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of their life (Luke 1:74,75).

If Adam does not lay aside malice, guile, hypocrisy, envy, and evil speakings, the new man of the heart will be aborted. If the new man of the heart is aborted, how can Adam enter the Kingdom of God?

Adam cannot enter the Kingdom of God in any case. It is only as Adam is transformed into the Nature and image of Christ that he can enter the Kingdom of God. Divine grace is the authority, wisdom, and power to participate in the transformation that itself is the Kingdom of God, not a waiving of the process because of God's "mercy."

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: (I Peter 2:2)

We cannot emphasize too strongly the importance of one's daily communion with the Lord. Frequent gathering together with fervent believers also is important. The word that comes from godly elders builds up the new man of the heart. Other activities of the churches, such as musical programs, while they may inspire and bless the soul and encourage the soul to serve the Lord patiently and faithfully, do not add Divine Life to the new man of the heart.

Of supreme importance is our entering the Presence of the Lord on a daily basis. Time must be set aside for communing with the Lord, for receiving Him as He enters us and gives us to eat of His body and to drink of His blood.

The curse of today's wealthy nations is that everyone is so busy there is not enough time left for prayer and communion with the Lord. When we do not take the time to pray and to seek the Lord on a daily basis, our new Christ-life is aborted and all that is left is religious Adam.

Commanding a son of Adam to think, speak, and act in the image of God is somewhat comparable to commanding a horse to perform on a pipe organ.

To be continued.