Down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:2—NIV)

The Christian fight is against spiritual death. We are in a never-ending (in this world) struggle against the spiritual death that is in our personality and our environment. The overcomer is given the right to eat of the Tree of Life, of Jesus Christ.

It is God's will that we attain the first resurrection from the dead, that is, the fullness of eternal life in our inward nature and—at the coming of the Lord—in our body as well.

But there is a destiny beyond this. It is that we dwell for eternity in the midst of the Holy Fire and thus serve as a tree of life for God's children.

The present essay is a continuation of a previous essay, titled "Problems and Pain." In that writing we discussed the manner in which our tribulations in the present world:

Purify us from sin.

Teach us obedience to God.

Change our blood-life to resurrection-life.

Enable us to minister and bear fruit by resurrection-life.

The present essay continues the concept of our struggle to pass from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ. One of the chief agents that God employs to change us from living souls to life-giving spirits is tribulation—the fiery trials, the problems and pains we experience throughout our discipleship.

The last two effects of tribulation of the four just above, changing our blood-life to resurrection-life, and enabling us to minister and bear fruit by resurrection-life, come together in practice. As we pass from the adamic blood-life to the resurrection-life of Jesus Christ we minister eternal life to those around us.

This is God's eternal purpose in Christ—to raise up sons who live by His Spirit to such an extent they are able to give eternal life to all of God's children. God is making trees of life—all springing forth from the one great Tree of Life, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is God's will that all who place their faith in Jesus Christ might not perish in their adamic corruption but receive eternal, incorruptible resurrection life.

In the following passage we see that God made certain the Apostle Paul was not living and ministering in his own conceit and strength but by the Lord's Spirit.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so Christ's power may rest on me. (II Corinthians 12:7-9—NIV)

The fruit borne from the ministry of Paul passes all reckoning. To the present hour Paul is ministering eternal life to us. But in order that Paul's service might proceed from God's grace and not Paul's native ability and ambition, God allowed Satan to put affliction upon Paul. The result was the diminishing of Paul's ability and the increase of the Presence of Jesus Christ.

To be continued.