But the eternal life has not yet been extended to our bodies. Many enemies still are confronting us. If we follow Christ faithfully He finally will bring us to victory over the last enemy. The last enemy is physical death.

Our new inner nature has been born of God but our body must be adopted by being redeemed. The Lord Jesus was declared to be the Son of God by the power of the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). We also shall be declared to be the sons of God by the power of the resurrection from the dead.

We always are to be pressing forward in order that we may attain the resurrection of victory that will be available when the Lord returns.

It is absolutely necessary that all the works of the enemy be destroyed out of us. God enables us to do this as we demonstrate our worthiness by laying hold on the grace He has provided through the Lord Jesus.

The forming and dwelling of Christ in us. Another dimension of our inner spiritual preparation is the forming of Christ in us and the coming to dwell of the Father and the Son in our transformed inner nature. The Lord Jesus is the resurrection from the dead. To the extent He is in us we have arrived at the spiritual aspect of the first resurrection from the dead.

Notice this concept in the following passage:

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)

We continually must receive into ourselves the very Life of the Son of God. As we eat His flesh and drink His blood we eat and drink eternal life. If we are filled with His Life He will raise us up at the last day.

As we have stated before, a doctrinal belief cannot possibly enable us to attain the first resurrection. If it could, Paul, a few years before his martyrdom, certainly would not have still been seeking to attain the resurrection after many epistles had been written and churches had been established (Philippians 3:11). Attainment to the out-resurrection is the result of our being filled with the body and blood of Jesus and living and walking according to that body and blood. It is Jesus in us who is the Resurrection and the Life.

Let us notice this fact in another verse:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)

John 5:24 sums up the nature of the true Christian discipleship. The true saint lives by hearing the Word of Jesus and believing in God. This is how we live. Every moment of every day we listen for His voice. We wait before Him in prayer constantly. No decision is made without being offered to Him in prayer.

Our life is conducted in faith in God. We do not rely on money or outward circumstances. We live by faith in God. We do not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways we acknowledge God. We trust in the Lord with all our heart.

To be continued.