When we receive Christ, the Life of Christ is conceived in us. The Seed of Christ in us cannot sin because it has come from God. Our outer man indeed can sin, and the Holy Spirit enables us to obey God's moral laws until the Seed of Christ grows to the extent that we begin practicing righteousness and holiness by nature.

The exhortations of the Old and New Testaments guide our conduct until the Divine Nature begins to exercise its influence from within us. This is what Peter meant:

We have also a more sure word of prophecy [the Scriptures]; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (II Peter 1:19)

Of course, we do not continue performing the animal sacrifices of the old covenant now that the Lamb of God has been offered on the cross of Calvary. As far as the covenantal and ceremonial laws, statutes, and regulations, such as circumcision, the Sabbath day, dietary regulations, feast days and so forth, let every believer be persuaded in his heart. All these are a shadow of the reality that is in Christ.

The moral law that governs fornication, adultery, false witness, stealing, covetousness, pride, occult practices, and murder never changes. It never changes because the moral Nature of God does not change. The moral law is eternal—it always has been and always will be in force.

The new covenant is not God's blessing on our evasion of the moral law. The new covenant provides for our transformation into God's image so we keep the moral law by nature; for the moral law is of the Personality and Nature of God.

God does not lie. God does not bear false witness. God does not murder. God does not lust. God does not steal. When we are in the image of God we do not do these things. It does not matter whether we are on the earth, under the surface of the earth, in the sea, or in the heavens above.

If we are abiding in Christ we do not act in a manner contrary to the moral Nature of God. If we are of Satan we always will act in a manner contrary to God's Nature, whether we are on the earth, under the earth, in the sea, or in the heavens above.

God acts like God and Satan acts like Satan. We know we are being saved when we act like God, like Christ.

In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (I John 3:10)

Those who are of Satan are known by their conduct. Those who are of Christ are known by their conduct. A true Christian acts like a Christian. We know the Holy Spirit is abiding in us when the fruit of the Spirit can be seen in our behavior.

Any attempt to make the Christian Gospel something other than a conversion of our personality from the works of Satan to the works of Christ does not come from the God of Heaven. It is deception and false doctrine.

To be continued.