The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Path to Glory, continued

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. (John 6:54-57—NIV)

In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John the Lord Jesus spoke of the manner in which we feed our inward nature by eating His flesh and drinking His blood.

Each day a portion of evil is set before us. Each day a portion of Divine grace is given to us to overcome that evil. If we are careless and permit the evil to become part of our life, no inward growth takes place. In fact, death gains a foothold in us.

If we, however, call on the Lord, gaining the wisdom and power through Him to overcome the evil, we are fed the body and blood of Christ in the spirit realm. This is how Christ grows in us. This is how the first resurrection from the dead grows in us.

Jesus Christ is so one with the Father that all He thinks, does, and says is of the Father. He and the Father are One—not the same Person, but one in Being and Doing.

This is the goal set before us. We are to be one with Jesus Christ so all we think, do, and say is of Christ. We and He are to become One, part of the larger Oneness.

This is what it means to attain the first resurrection and become a member of the royal priesthood.

Jesus Christ Himself is the Resurrection. When He is formed in us the resurrection in formed in us. Paul was seeking to attain this fullness of incorruptible, resurrection life. Paul was counting all else as garbage that he might win Christ to this extent. This is to be our goal also. This is the heavenly mark that has been set before us.

Experiencing the Redemption of the Body

The major task is to attain the fullness of the inward, spiritual resurrection—that which we have been describing. The redemption of the body is actually an expression of the inward transformation. It is an outer transformation that will take place in the twinkling of an eye. Our ascension to meet the Head in the air is of much less significance. It is merely a movement of resurrected saints from the surface of the earth to the air to meet the Commander in Chief as He descends in the attack of Armageddon.

The Evangelical churches of our day are picturing the ascension of Christ's warriors as an escape from Antichrist, and as being the "blessed hope" of the Church. This would be funny if the effects of such warped preaching were not so destructive.

There actually are two aspects of the redemption of the body. The first is the raising of the body from its place of interment. The second is the clothing of the resurrected body with the house, the robe from Heaven.

To be continued.