As we understand it, there is a great difference between the post-death experience of the nominal Christian and the post-death experience of the Christian who has been crucified and now is living in and by Christ. By the expression "has been crucified" we mean the Spirit of God has brought him through death to the world, death to sin, and death to his self-will and self-centeredness.

These spiritual principles are made invalid when we view the goal of redemption as our going to a place. If eternal life is a place, then the personal spiritual growth of the believer is of little consequence. The fleshly and the diligent both go to the same place "by grace." The concept of all believers going to the same reward in the same place has contributed strongly to the destruction of the moral and spiritual life of the churches of Christ in the world of today.

Would some believers live differently if they truly believed that their personal spiritual growth was their salvation?

The entering of the Hebrews into Canaan is the major Old Testament type of the Christian entering eternal life, entering the Kingdom of God.

Because there are two principal stages in the gaining of the Kingdom of God, Canaan has a double application as a type:

Canaan is a type of the believer entering into eternal life in his own personality.

Canaan is a type of the believer entering into his inheritance as a king and priest over the creation of God.

The story of Israel's entrance into the land of promise can be used as a portrayal of the Christian entering his unique inheritance in God. This is a highly personalized experience, some aspects of which will be known only to the recipient. It is a private understanding between him or her and the Lord. No one else knows the new name written in the stone.

Overcoming and the receiving of rewards is a personal matter between God and the individual saint. However, the general boundaries of the land of promise of the Christian are pointed out in the Scriptures and serve as a guide so we do not fall into the snare of the devil.

The major boundaries of the land of promise of the Israelites are set forth in the Book of Joshua, as are the areas assigned to each tribe. However, the individual farms and fig trees of each family are not described but were a matter of individual faith, determination, and fighting on the part of the Hebrew invaders.

The events of the Book of Joshua are a type of our attaining eternal life in our personality, and also of our entering dominion over the creation of God. Now we have come to a time of moving forward in the Kingdom of God. Many of the passages of Scripture that have been sealed throughout the centuries of the Christian Era will be made plain to us.

To be continued.