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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Heaven, or the Kingdom of God?, #5
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. (Isaiah 8:20—NIV)
Because of the moral corruption the spiritual atmosphere is growing dark and oppressive. The only word, the only truth that is dependable, to which we can cling, is the Bible. And if we are not adhering closely to the Bible we are going to stumble and fall. We shall not survive spiritually because of the abundance of spiritual darkness and evil.
We Christians claim to be fundamentalists. But a fundamentalist is someone who believes the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
We are not teaching the Bible. We are teaching our traditions, such as our destiny is to go to Heaven to live in a mansion. A careful study of the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of John reveals that the second verse, supposedly having to do with mansions in Heaven, is actually referring to our living in Christ in God.
We are teaching that we go to Heaven by being born again. This is not scriptural.
The goal is not eternal residence in the spirit Paradise. This is not scriptural.
Why then is it necessary for us to be transformed? We are transformed so we can have fellowship with God and so we can participate in our predestined role in the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom that soon is to come to the earth.
Why is it true, as Paul insists, that if we as a Christian walk in the flesh we will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Paul did not say we would not go to Heaven if we continue to sin, he maintained that we would not inherit the Kingdom.
The reason for Paul's statement is, there is no sin in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the doing of God's will in the earth as it is in Heaven.
There is no fornication, no lying, no slander, no rage, no witchcraft, no drunkenness, no strife, no backbiting, no malice, in the Kingdom of God. The part of our personality that is doing these things is not in the Kingdom of God.
When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ into our personality we receive the Divine Nature into our personality. This is the Kingdom of God.
The part of our personality that is of Christ does not sin. It cannot sin because it has been born of God.
Meanwhile our sinful nature continues to desire expression. Isn't this true?
God sends both glory and suffering upon us so we will be able to put off the sinful nature and put on the new Christ-Nature. This is a moment by moment transformation. This is the manner in which the new covenant operates.
There never is a moment in our Christian discipleship when the transition is not taking place. Christ is growing in us and our wicked inward nature is being cast off as we keep on deciding, with the help of the Lord, to do what we believe to be God's will concerning us.
Suffering greatly aids this process. As Peter said, suffering helps us to stop sinning.
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. (I Peter 4:1,2—NIV)
To be continued.