Let us think for a moment about what happens to us when we die.

First of all, our physical body is removed from us. Our body goes into the earth or sea, there to await the day of resurrection.

Since the lusts that guide us into sin reside in our flesh, it is possible that after death we are free from them: from gluttony, immorality, drunkenness, occult practices, murder, and so forth.

Yet, this may or may not be true. After all, these sins are spiritual in nature and origin. We have no Scripture to prove that we leave our sins in the grave with our flesh. In fact, Sundar Singh, Dr. Ritchie and others have written that the sins that drive people follow them into the realm of spirits. The adulterer is driven mad by his lust. The thief attempts to steal the valuables of the spirit realm. The murderer is ready to attack those who come near him. A chilling thought!

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. (Revelation 22:14,15)

From the Book of Genesis through to the last chapter of the Book of Revelation the emphasis is on righteousness of conduct. By no means does the grace of God that is in Christ alter in any manner the fact that it is the righteous who will dwell in glory with God while the wicked are assigned, with others of their kind, to eternal torment.

There is a wall around the new Jerusalem. The purpose of a wall is to keep out of a city what is not desirable. If sin were not possible in the world to come there would be no need for a wall around the new Jerusalem. Sin always is a possibility among creatures who possess a will of their own. The glory of the new covenant is not only or primarily that it forgives our sins but that it re-creates us through Christ so we choose not to sin.

We see, then, it is not enough for God to forgive our sins, He also must transform us so we will choose not to sin. Otherwise we might rebel against God in future ages, as Satan and his followers, who also were in Paradise, rebelled against God in past ages.

As we have stated, we put off our flesh when we die physically. We pass into the spirit realm. Except for the loss of our body, our personality is intact. What we are, we are. We have not lost our will. We have not gained faith, or trust in God, or patience, or courage, or righteousness, or obedience. If we are lukewarm toward Christ we still are lukewarm toward Christ. If we do not trust God we still do not trust God. If we prefer the glitter and glamour of the places where sinners assemble, that preference still is in our personality. Nothing has happened to remove it.

To be continued.