Numerous "believers" in our day are living in the flesh, confident they have their pass out of Hell. But they are going to reap corruption in the day of the Lord!

Can you see now why the great issue of salvation is not escape from Hell but entrance into Divine Life? How many individuals have been handed their ticket that releases them from Hell and admits them to Paradise (they believe), only to find in the Day of the Lord that they will be given back precisely what they have done while living in the world? Whether or not they have received Christ as their Savior, if they have lived in sin and self-will, in spiritual death, they shall reap corruption in the Day of Resurrection.

This precisely is what is destructive about presenting the Christian Gospel as escape from Hell—it misleads the convert into believing that how he behaves after "accepting Christ" is not critical because now he need have no fear of Hell. The truth is, however, he shall reap precisely what he has sown. If he has practiced the deeds that belong in Hell he will be placed in Hell. God is not mocked!

The Christian salvation is not a device whereby those who belong in Hell find themselves in the Paradise of God!

We have to seek life each day. There is more abundant life for us if we will seek the Lord. We must lay hold on eternal life. To walk in the Spirit of God results in eternal life but to continue in the flesh is to kill our Divine Life.

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

The above verse was written to Christians.

If we have lived in the Life of the Spirit of God, then, when we die physically, we will continue in eternal life in the Presence of the Father. But if we have lived in the death of the flesh, then, when we die physically, we will continue to exist in separation from the Presence of the Father.

The Father is seeking fellowship with us. Fellowship with the Father is eternal life. There is joy in the Presence of God when the prodigal changes his behavior and returns home, not when an individual "accepts Christ" so he will not (as he believes) be tormented after death. There is no joy in the Father's heart when a person "accepts Christ" and then continues in his or her worldly ways, in spiritual death, the lusts of the flesh, and self-will!

If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another [with God], and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:6,7)

What does it mean to be lost? It means to be lost as a child of God—lost to fellowship with the Father. We have judged ourselves unworthy of eternal life, of becoming part of Christ, of being made a new creation. To be saved is to be restored to fellowship with God. The "lost sheep" of the house of Israel are those Jews (and elect Gentiles) who, because of worldliness, sin, and self-will have lost their fellowship with God. They are prodigal sons.

Whoever is willing to place his trust in the Lord Jesus, turning away from sin and praying for grace to live a righteous, holy life, will be delivered from the power of sin and will be spared in the Day of Wrath.

To be continued.