If we as a believer continue in sin, not pressing forward in Christ, we will not share in Christ at His coming. This is stated so clearly that those who insist redemption is not dependent on our behavior, or that once we believe in Jesus we never can be disowned by Him, are close to willful perversion of the Scriptures.

We are part of Christ on the condition we bear the fruit of His image in our personality.

Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)

We are to live by Jesus as He lives by the Father.

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. (John 6:57)

The end of our quest is the crucifixion of our adamic nature and the fullness of Christ in our personality.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

When the Father gives us to Jesus, and we come to Him, the Lord will not reject us. We receive Christ freely. The remainder of our life must be occupied with maintaining, developing, and perfecting the forming of Christ in us and total union with Christ.

We are to become one with Him as He is one with the Father. This is what it means to "win Christ." Anything short of perfect oneness with Christ is unacceptable to the Lord.

The first of the seven goals is the winning of Christ. We receive Him as a gift. Then we journey through the wilderness until we arrive at our land of promise, which is Christ.

Christ is the beginning, the journey, and the land of promise.

One may ask, "How can the occupying of Canaan be a type of winning Christ when Canaan was occupied by the enemy?

The moment we set out to win Christ we will discover that the enemy is resisting us fiercely. The world, Satan, the fleshly churches, our relatives, the lusts of our flesh, and our self-centeredness and self-love never cease endeavoring to prevent our making the transition from self-life to Christ-life.

The closer we get to our goal the more intense the conflict becomes, the hotter the flames of Divine judgment burn, the more subtle the enemy's deceptions grow. Satan understands that a human being who has become one with Christ is a terrible threat to his position.

Satan has little fear of all the Christian churches and activities in the entire world. But one person who is becoming filled with Christ is a kingdom against which Satan is helpless.

To be continued.