The Kingdom of God is "meat that endureth to everlasting life." Everlasting life is Christ-filled life. Christ-filled life always drives out covetousness. The Kingdom of God by its irresistible power drives out all covetousness and all the other works of the flesh. No Christ-filled person is covetous. The Life of Christ and covetousness cannot dwell in the same place.

The references in the Scripture to "eating Christ" are not figurative expressions meaning we are to regard Christ's statements as true. They indicate rather that we through the Holy Spirit continually are to be receiving Christ, the Life of Christ, into our personality so we are being transformed actually and observably. The transformation is the result of the coming of the Kingdom of God into our personality.

The confusion arises over our definition of eternal life. Eternal life does not mean we go to Heaven and live forever. Eternal life is the Divine Life of the Godhead that enters us today and transforms us.

John says: "Ye know no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him" (I John 3:15). John does not mean by this that a murderer cannot receive Christ and be saved and go to Heaven. He means if we hate our brother we know we do not have the eternal Life of Christ in us.

To have eternal life does not mean to go to Heaven. Eternal life is the Substance of Christ that enters us and transforms our personality. This Substance is the Kingdom of God.

Many who make a doctrinally pure profession of Christ and His atonement possess no eternal life whatever. They are filled with Satan, not with Christ. How do we know this? From their behavior. If we have eternal Divine Life in us it will be revealed in our thinking, our speech, and our actions. If however we have the life of Satan in us it will be revealed in our thinking, our speech, and our actions. No believer who hates his brother has eternal life in himself regardless of his church affiliation or statement of belief. Unless he repents, the believer in Christ who hates his brother is a child of Satan, a tare, and will be removed from the Kingdom of God in the last days.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)

The above has been interpreted to mean if we hear and believe the Gospel of the atonement and believe in God we will go to Heaven when we die regardless of our behavior on earth.

It means rather that if we truly "hear" the Word of Christ and believe in God, the Holy Spirit will breathe incorruptible resurrection life into us. We will be born again of the Spirit of God.

If we then continue to walk in the Spirit, the blood continues to cleanse us. We grow in eternal life, gaining more Divine Life each day. Slowly but surely our personality is transformed. A new creation comes into being, a holy creation that can enter through the gates into the New Jerusalem. Meanwhile we are without condemnation because we are obeying the Gospel of God.

To be continued.