When Christians do not lead godly lives there is no testimony of Christ to the community. One reason American Christians do not lead godly lives is they have not been willing to accept II Corinthians 5:10 as written.

The truth is, every person, not only the Christians, will be revealed at the Judgment Seat of Christ and will receive at that time the things he or she has practiced while living in a body on the earth.

Remaining within the context of II Corinthians 5:10 we realize we will receive the things we have done in the form of a body that will clothe our resurrected flesh and bones. There is no escaping it—we Christians are going to reap precisely as we have sown.

But where does Divine grace fit into the picture?

Grace operates now as we confess our sins and turn from them. God is willing to give us a new start and help us. But let no individual think he or she can play games with God by waiting until he is old and then confess his sins and turn from them. It does not work this way. God is not a formula, He is a Person. If someone plans to outwit God by waiting until the last minute to take care of his or her sins, just remember that to those who are cunning God will show Himself to be more cunning. Those who play games with God will discover God always wins the game.

God is absolutely sincere and has total integrity. When we come to God we must come in absolute sincerity and integrity. If we present ourselves to God in a devious manner God will outwit us and the end will be agony for us. God will help us if we are honest and sincere, but He is not subject to trickery.

Also in context with the house from Heaven is the famous "If any man be in Christ there is a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new and are of God."

The last part of our personality to become new is our body. Every other aspect of our personality must be renewed in Christ before we are eligible for a renewed body. Physical death is the last enemy. God has no intention whatever of putting a body like that of Jesus Christ on a worldly, lustful, self-seeking, disobedient, devious believer, by grace, mercy, love, or any other means. This would be to bring more chaos into the creation than is present already. This we do not need.

So the usual Christian attitude that the resurrection will sort of take care of itself while we wait to be raptured into Heaven is dangerously misleading. The resurrection is to be the focal part of our thoughts, prayers, and efforts. The ascension will take care of itself once the inward nature has attained the resurrection.

We are building a house, presently in Heaven, that will clothe our revived flesh and bones in the day of resurrection.

We mentioned previously our opinion that the "house" and the "robe" are the same thing. Each is a covering for our inward nature. However, if it proves they are different, it will not change the relationship between our present life and our resurrection that we are discussing.

To be continued.