Canaan, the land of promise, the land of milk and honey, was the goal of Israel, of the army of God.

The spiritual, new-covenant fulfillment of Canaan is the resurrection to eternal life. Our goal as Christians is the attaining of the first resurrection, the resurrection of the victorious saints. The Christian salvation is the achieving of eternal life.

"Lay hold on eternal life."

Faith is a fight. It is fighting our way into the rest of God, into the inheritance, into eternal life. We must labor to enter rest. We must cast aside our own works in order that we may enter the works of God, into that finished inheritance. God gave the Word, and the Word is bringing about a new race, a new heaven, and a new earth. We are not to perform our own works. We are to enter Christ so we work as part of the working of God.

Some have wondered why Paul taught we are not justified (found righteous in God's sight) by works, while James insisted we are justified by works.

The answer is, there are two kinds of works. There is the wrong kind of works and then there is the right kind of works. The wrong kind of works leads to self-righteousness, not to eternal life. The right kind of works leads to eternal life.

The right works are those that proceed from Christ, from the Holy Spirit. As we labor to enter the rest of God, into what God has spoken from the beginning, the works of Christ are revealed in us. These works lead to eternal life.

There is no conflict between Paul and James. Paul is speaking of the wrong kind of works, of the dead works that proceed from the religious person. James is speaking of living works, of the works that proceed from our active, daily pressing into the will of Christ.

What is our goal? Precisely what is eternal resurrection life?

Eternal life, which is the goal of the Christian discipleship, is as follows:

The perfect, complete union of our spirit with the Holy Spirit of God.

The conversion of our mortal soul to the Substance and Virtue of Christ, and the dwelling of the Father and Christ therein in untroubled rest, making our soul the Throne of God and of the Lamb.

The clothing of our resurrected mortal frame so it becomes the chariot of God, a vehicle fashioned from resurrection life, carrying about a new creation who soars like an eagle in the spirit realm, who reigns as a king in Christ, who always serves the God of Heaven, and who is in the moral image of God.

This is the goal of the Christian discipleship. This is the spiritual counterpart of Canaan. This is eternal, incorruptible resurrection life in the Kingdom of God. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.

Our patient and cheerful confidence in the Lord through prolonged periods of suffering. Patient confidence in the Lord during periods of suffering is the mark of the victorious saint. In many instances we must suffer in order to be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God.

So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (II Thessalonians 1:4,5)

To be continued.