The program of redemption will not continue forever. It is not that we are to press forward forever with the thought that there is no finish line. There is a finish line. There is a mark. There is a goal. The finish line, the mark, the goal, is that we may be found entirely in Christ, being crucified with Him and living by His life.

We are in the pursuit of eternal life in spirit, in soul, and in body.

It comes as a surprise, even to seasoned believers, to learn that the purpose of resurrection is not to bring us to Heaven but to bring us back to life on the earth. If we are a true servant of the Lord we will go to be with Him when we die physically. When the Lord returns we shall return with Him and bring up our body from the place of death. Then we shall be able to live and rule with Him during the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

The reason we Gentiles have misunderstood Paul so grievously, referring now to the lawless-grace-rapture teaching, is that we are not coming to Christ for the same reason that Paul did. We must bring to mind that Saul of Tarsus was an Orthodox Jew. The one consuming passion of Paul's life was to acquire righteousness and life in the Presence of God. Righteousness and life go together in both the old covenant and the new covenant.

Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. (Deuteronomy 4:1)

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)

There is no eternal life apart from righteousness of personality and behavior. It is true that when we first come to the Lord Jesus for salvation we receive an assigned righteousness, even though there has not as yet been a change in our personality. But the Lord sets about immediately to develop actual righteousness in us. The atoning blood keeps us without condemnation during the time the new creation is being formed.

It often is true that we Gentiles give little thought to righteous behavior either before or after we receive Christ. We have been taught we are sinners, that all have sinned, that we cannot save ourselves but must have a Redeemer, and that we stand in danger of going to Hell if we do not come to the Redeemer to have our sins forgiven. We are told the blood of the Lord Jesus is our ticket to Heaven. Our task is to not lose our ticket and to tell as many people as possible about the gift of deliverance from Hell through the blood of Christ.

Paul would not even recognize the current "gospel."

To be continued.