If God were to remove our first personality we would be as a swept room, an empty vessel. Evil spirits would inhabit our personality long before Christ had occupied those rooms. It requires time for Christ to be formed in us (Galatians 4:19).

God puts out those nations before us "by little and little." The transition is orderly so we will not falter along the way.

Spiritual growth that is too fast is as dangerous as spiritual growth that is too slow. Either excess causes a transition that is imperfect and faltering. There is a normal, wholesome transition from the natural man to the spiritual man that results in a mature son of God.

The Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, the body and blood of the Lord Jesus, the assembling of the saints, the gifts and ministries of the Spirit—all serve to build Christ in us.

The enticements of the world, the tribulations of the world, and even the temptations of Satan, play their role in enabling us to change from our first, natural character into the new spiritual character. Our first character is a mixture of noble, ordinary, and satanic traits—the particular mixture depending on the individual.

There is no possible way any aspect of our first personality can be preserved and brought into the Kingdom of God. The part of us that is of Satan must be judged as such by the Lord Jesus Christ and separated from us for eternity. It is an eternal judgment (Hebrews 6:2).

The part of us that is not sinful, such as a friendly nature or courage or loyalty, must die and be raised again in the Lord Jesus Christ. Such traits will break down or be warped when enough pressure is applied to them. They are good traits but not eternal traits. Only that which is of Christ can stand the Divine Fire.

Nothing of the first creation is to be saved as it is. All must be born again in Christ. All must die and be raised in His Divine, incorruptible resurrection Life, in this manner becoming new. The new creation is the eternal blend of the human and God. It is a Divine humanity.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. (Revelation 21:5)

Until we pass through judgment we cannot enter the rest of God. Our spirit must become one with the Spirit of Christ. Our natural mind must become part of the Mind of Christ. Our soul dies the hardest death of all for it is the center of our will and judgment. To crucify the soul of man is to slay what the first man is. The first man dies a hard death. We cry out in agony as God kills the self-centeredness in us.

There cannot be two separate wills in the universe. There is only one legitimate will in the universe—the will of almighty God as it is expressed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Kingdom of God is the doing of God's will in earth as it is in Heaven. It is only as we die to our own choices and judgment that we are able to enter unity and harmony with God.

To be continued.