The Apostle Paul groaned inwardly, waiting for his adoption as a son of God. He was waiting and hoping for the redemption of his body. Why is such groaning and hoping not true of us today? What has gone astray in Christian teaching and preaching?

The above passage is one of several that point to the goal of redemption, of salvation. The goal of our redemption is not movement to another place, that is, to Heaven in the spirit realm. Rather our goal is the release of our body into the incorruptible resurrection life of the Holy Spirit. It makes a great difference in our Christian walk whether we regard a move to Heaven as our goal or the attaining of eternal life in our body.

It is clear in the New Testament that our goal is not movement to another place but a transformation of what we are in spirit, soul, and finally—at the Lord's coming—in body. The reason the correct goal is important is that if we view residence in Heaven as our goal, and the forgiveness of our sins as the means of getting to Heaven, then our Christian life may be mediocre as we participate in the Christian religion, waiting to die and go to Heaven.

But if we view salvation as a transformation of what we are, beginning with our inward nature and extending finally to our body, then we will begin today to fight the good fight of faith. We will each day throw off through Christ the chains of corruption that bind our inward nature as we press toward the day when the Spirit of God by which we now live will extend to our physical body.

The traditional Christian life is one of waiting to die and go to Heaven, or for an unscriptural "rapture" to lift us to Heaven, while we try to live an acceptable life.

The true Christian discipleship is one of overcoming worldliness, the lusts of our flesh, and our self-will as we press toward the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection to eternal life.

These two approaches to the Christian life are not at all the same. One is correct and the other is incorrect and destructive.

In the beginning chapters of the Book of Romans, Paul teaches us that we can no longer be justified by obeying the commandments of the Law of Moses but must place our faith in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Chapter Six of Romans, Paul declares that if we as a Christian choose to live an unrighteous life we will die spiritually, but if we choose to be the slave of God and righteousness we will enter eternal life.

In Chapter Seven of Romans, Paul addresses Jews who were clinging to the Law of Moses, telling them the Law made sin more sinful but provided no program of release from the law of sin, the tendencies toward sin that reside in the members of our body.

To be continued.