The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Resurrection and Eternal Judgment, #16

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7,8)

There is no way in which a glorified outward man can be placed on a corrupt inner man; neither is there any manner in which the inner man can be transformed instantly or made acceptable by imputed (ascribed) righteousness such that it is possible for God to clothe him with a glorified outward man. The resurrection to glory must be attained, it cannot be imputed.

The role of mercy and grace is to lead the sinner to repentance, to forgive his sins, and to transform him so he may inherit eternal life. It is not the place of mercy and grace to clothe a sinful inner man with eternal life on the basis of imputed (ascribed) righteousness. Unless the Christian understands this clearly he may behave in a manner that will cause him to lose his inheritance.

The house from Heaven is our reward that the Lord Jesus will bring with Him when He returns. After our inner man has returned from the spirit realm and has entered our flesh and bone body, we are ready to be clothed with what has been laid up in Heaven as the consequence of our behavior on the earth. We shall be clothed with our own behavior.

Our house from Heaven is an eternal weight of glory that comes into existence as we respond in Christ to our afflictions.

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 saint who is living in victory has an ever-increasing desire to be clothed with incorruptible resurrection life.

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (II Corinthians 5:2)

The believers who continue to live according to the appetites of their body and soul will have no house of incorruptible life with which to be clothed.

The victorious saint prays that his house from Heaven may clothe his mortal body so he can be free to serve God more fully.

For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (II Corinthians 5:4)

But we must be transformed in order to be able to receive the marvelous inheritance of the house from Heaven.

Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest [pledge] of the Spirit. (II Corinthians 5:5)

One can see that the hope of the Apostle was not to die and go to Heaven or to be caught up to Heaven in a "rapture." The expressed hope of the Apostle Paul was to attain the resurrection of the dead, to receive an immortal outward man.

To be continued.