If we are to attain the fullness of eternal life in our inner man we must follow the Spirit closely in putting to death the deeds of our body. As we pursue the life of victory over our sinful desires we keep on eating the flesh of Christ and drinking His blood.

As we keep on eating the flesh of Christ and drinking His blood we are dwelling in Him. We find that just as Christ lives by the Life of the Father so we now are living by the Life of Christ.

As Paul says, we now are experiencing the power of His resurrection and sharing His sufferings. As He is, so are we in this world. He lived in self-denial and we must be willing to live in self-denial if we would be part of His resurrection.

Thus far we have discussed the attaining of the resurrection in our inner man. Now we shall consider the resurrection body.

The resurrection body consists of two bodies: our flesh and bones, which will be raised from death at the coming of the Lord, and our house from Heaven.

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (II Corinthians 5:1)

The "house not made with hands" is our robe of righteousness, the Glory of Christ that will clothe our raised flesh and bones in the Day of the Lord.

The critical understanding the present-day Christian churches must come to possess is that our house from Heaven is created as a counterpart of the forming of Christ in us in the present hour. We are building a mansion in Heaven, so to speak.

Our heavenly house, which now is before the throne of God in Heaven, reflects directly the decisions we make on the earth. As Paul says:

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; (II Corinthians 4:17)

The "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" that is produced by our faithful, godly response to our afflictions is our house from Heaven.

The meaning here is that today we are determining the nature of our resurrection from the dead. The day of resurrection will reveal what we have become through Christ. This is why the rewards of the second and third chapters of the Book of Revelation are dependent on our overcoming, on our gaining victory over the forces of sin and self-will that fight against us continually as we press forward in order to attain to the first resurrection from the dead, the resurrection of the royal priesthood.

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

When the Lord appears, the flesh and bones of the Apostle Paul will be raised from where he was martyred in Rome and will be clothed with a great mountain of fire and glory. He will resemble His Lord.

To be continued.