Conquest: The Third Area of Redemption

Salvation from Divine wrath is the first area of redemption. Salvation requires that we leave the spirit of the world, and includes the birth of Christ in us.

Sanctification is the second area of redemption and has to do with learning to follow the Life of the Holy Spirit rather than the life of the natural man. The natural man is the human, soulish, flesh-and-blood personality that was born of our human parents. The natural personality has a strong tendency toward the lusts of the flesh, covetousness, and self-exaltation.

One of the results of the process of sanctification is the elimination of unclean spirits from our personality.

Conquest is the third area of redemption. Conquest is the level at which we gain victory over every enemy of God and man, particularly over self-love and self-seeking. Such victory begins with salvation, is developed during sanctification, and attains its fullest expression as we follow Christ into obedience to the Father.

Such victory in our lives is made possible by the blood of the Lamb, by the testimony that the Holy Spirit works in us, and by our willingness to love not our own life to the death (Revelation 12:11).

Initial salvation, the first area of redemption, makes it possible for us to enter the plan of redemption.

Sanctification, the second area, is a school. It is the place where we make the transition from the life of flesh to the life of the Spirit.

Conquest, the third area, is the final result, the goal of the first two areas. In the realm of conquest we enjoy the fruitfulness and dominion promised to the heirs of the Kingdom of God.

Conquest comes in a third death and resurrection. The blood of Jesus leads the way toward conquest. The Holy Spirit testifies to us, in us, and through us, moving us along toward the rest of God—the place of total victory in Christ. The final victory depends on our willingness to allow God to slay our will. We must be willing to deny our self. Death to our will is the deepest of the deaths that we die. It leads to the fullness of resurrection glory.

In initial salvation we are assigned to the death of Christ and we share with Him in His stupendous resurrection from the dead.

In sanctification we die to the desires of our flesh and mind and are raised into life lived in the Life of the Holy Spirit of God.

In conquest, the third area of redemption, we die to the deepest level of self —the origin of our identity. God has His own methods of touching the center of our being, often using suffering as a tool.

Death of the self-will. If we allow the Lord to enter the source of our individuality we will be raised into the fullness of fruitfulness and rulership in God the Father as one of His eternal servants (Revelation 22:3; Philippians 2:5-9).

All living creatures, whether physical or spiritual, have wills of their own. Mules, men, and angels all have wills of their own. In bringing us to the fullness of conquest God does not take away or destroy our will; rather, He transforms it until our will corresponds to His will.

It is difficult to die to the deepest levels of the will, even for the most devout Christian. We are glad to be saved from wrath and to be accepted of the Father. We are thankful to be delivered from the sins of the flesh and the other bondages that Satan places on human beings.

The re-creation of the will, the death to what in many instances is lawful, is not easy to accept. However, death to our self-will and self-exaltation leads to the highest realms of fruitfulness and service to God.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. (Mark 8:35)

It is not easy or pleasant to lose one's life.

There are many flaws in the human will. These flaws must be corrected by the grace of God working through the Lord Jesus Christ before we can serve as kings, priests, and prophets in the Presence of the Lord God of Heaven. Christ was probed for these flaws during His three temptations (Luke, Chapter Four). Christ passed the tests with honors.

Some of the more prominent of the flaws of the will include: presumption, personal ambition, disobedience, double-mindedness, suggestibility, man-pleasing, self-aggrandizement, stubbornness, pride, self-pity, self-destruction, self-preservation.

We Christians are to walk in the way that Christ directs us and not attempt to force spiritual results before the Lord prepares the time and place. There is a significant difference between presumption and aggressive faith, although sometimes we must be prayerful in order to distinguish between the two.

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. (Psalms 19:13)

Presumption leads to sin and defeat. Faith leads to victory in the Lord.

No person can serve the Lord and personal ambition at the same time. He will end up hating one and cleaving to the other.

Some of the principal motives behind the desire of the elders of Israel to crucify the innocent Christ were their envy, personal ambition, pride of station, desire for self-glorification, and instinct for self-preservation. They were fearful that Christ was threatening their position as the leaders of the Jews.

An uncrucified will can lead to tragedy. Jonah was a disobedient prophet. The nation of Israel, from the time that the people demanded a king until the carrying away into Babylon, witnessed few periods in its history when God was able to bless the nation because of obedience to His ways.

It requires the resources of Heaven and earth in order for the Holy Spirit to create obedience to the Lord in the will of a human being. We by nature are disobedient to the will of God. We must learn obedience, and it is a difficult curriculum.

A double-minded person is unstable in all his ways and cannot proceed in the plan of redemption because he cannot make decisions. Double-mindedness is a flaw in the will.

The Christian who is suggestible is unable to proceed straight on in God's will because he is open to all voices. Do you recall the prophet who was led into disobedience by the suggestion of an older prophet? (I Kings, Chapter 13).

It is well that we "salute no man by the way," so to speak, but steadfastly go about our business in the Lord without being led astray by the suggestions of others. We are not recommending that we refuse to heed the advice and counsel of other Christians, because it is a fact that there is wisdom in the multitude of counselors. Rather, we are speaking of being led off course by suggestions and by not bringing each decision that we make into careful prayer before the Lord.

It is impossible to be a true prophet of the Lord if we are given to man-pleasing. Jesus never went out of His way to "sell" the Gospel or to please His listeners. "The fear of man brings a snare."

If we fear the faces of clay that are looking at us we never will be free to declare the whole counsel of God. We must prepare the Divine food and make it palatable so the sheep will be inclined to eat. However, we never are to hold back what the Holy Spirit is speaking in order to gain the approval of our audience.

Neither self-pity nor harsh criticism of ourselves is pleasing to the Lord or has any place in the Kingdom of God.

We have so much to be thankful for that self-pity is inappropriate. It is impossible for one to be God's prophet, priest, and king—God's servant, in other words—while being subject to presumption or personal ambition or disobedience or double-mindedness or suggestibility or man-pleasing or self-pity. Christ is able to correct these flaws in our will so that our will begins to correspond to the will of God.

From self-centeredness to God-centeredness.

In the first death and resurrection, that of salvation, we pass from spiritual death into spiritual life in the Presence of God.

In the second death and resurrection, that of sanctification, we pass from sinful behavior to holy behavior—behavior free from the lusts of the flesh.

In the third death and resurrection, that of conquest, we pass from self-will to God's will, from self-centeredness to God-centeredness, from self-love to the love of God, from self-seeking to the serving of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As soon as we possess the fullness of Divine Life in body, soul, and spirit, perfect liberty in body, soul, and spirit, and perfect obedience to the Divine will in body, soul, and spirit, having been joined perfectly to God through Christ, then we have been redeemed fully. We are able to receive the fullness of the abiding of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit.

The product of all three deaths and resurrections is our acceptance by the Lord God and our rest in Him. In the third death and resurrection we die to the imperfections of our will and are raised into the Presence and fellowship of the Father. It is a reaping to the Father. It includes the crucifixion of our self-will.

How blessed to be released from the bondage of having to have our own way! God strikes down our youthful glee, our striving for position and preeminence, our impulsive enthusiasms. We rest in His will.

The means to the righteousness of the first resurrection is the blood of Christ. We overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb of God.

The means to the liberty of the second resurrection is the Holy Spirit, who brings us into accord with the written Word of God. We become and we declare the Word of God, and this testimony overcomes the accuser.

The means to the fruitfulness and rulership of the third resurrection are the power of Christ's resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. We overcome the accuser by loving not our own life to the death. This is the path to the throne of Christ.

We see that the third death requires a period of time for its accomplishment. It is a protracted death to our tendencies toward presumption, toward the desire to be pleasing to our hearers, to gain the admiration and support of people. The third resurrection is a protracted entering into rulership with God and into restful service to Him in our land of promise.

As soon as we have been saved from wrath, set free from the bondages of sin, and transformed from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness, we are ready for the making alive of our mortal body. This will occur "in the twinkling of an eye" for those who have prepared themselves, at the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The fullness of the inheritance will be assigned to those who are faithful to God in each of the three areas of redemption.

The third death and resurrection is typified by the crossing of the Jordan River. It is a change from Christ as Moses, the shepherd, to Christ as Joshua, the commander of battle. It is the throne phase of Christianity.

The Body of Christ, which is the Body of the Anointed Servant of the Lord depicted in Isaiah, Chapter 42, must be in the image of the Head, of the Divine Substance and Nature of the Head, and in union with the Head. Such maturity will be achieved in us by the three areas of redemption proceeding from the grace of God working through the Lord Jesus Christ.

As soon as God has brought His sons through the three areas of redemption it will be time for the Lord Jesus to appear, the hour of the revealing of the sons of God (Romans 8:19). The entrance of Christ and His brothers into the earth will cause the Battle of Armageddon, the confrontation between Christ and Antichrist.

Prior to Armageddon the sons of God must come to know Christ, to know the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. Then they will be prepared to put down all opposition to the rule of Christ. Christ is King of all kings and Lord of all lords. The creation, whether of the heavens, the earth, or the spirit realms in the interior of the earth, must bow the knee to Him.

Are we willing to have the "sentence of death" in ourselves until we do not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead? Are we willing to be troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted, cast down, as we attempt to follow the Lord? Are we ready to say yes to the death of the "I will"?

If we consent to die the death God requires of us as an individual we will cross the Jordan, speaking figuratively, and begin to conquer our land of promise. We will enter the Most Holy Place and abide there. We soon will be eating the "old corn of the land" with the Lord Jesus. Eventually we will know and understand as we are known and understood.

We have termed the third area the conquest phase of redemption. Every believer who would rule with Christ must appear here. We must learn to depend on the power of His resurrection, and that power will be wrought in us as we are willing to share in His sufferings. This is the route to becoming part of the Servant of the Lord and to fighting alongside of the Lord in His war against His enemies.

We must accept the sentence of death in ourselves and learn to trust in God who raises the dead. We must never attempt to serve God out of ambition or presumption or neglect to serve Him because of fear, double-mindedness, or disobedience.

Experience teaches us to serve from our position on the cross and to bear our own cross behind Jesus. Our personal cross converts us from the rule of self to the rule of Christ. The cross is the wisdom of God.

Until a disciple consents to serve Christ after this fashion he may be alive to God and he may have victory over many of the sins of the flesh. However, he still is in bondage to his own will. Now he is to allow Christ to bring him over Jordan until he can testify: "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: . . . ." (Galatians 2:20).

The material creation is waiting in the chains of corruption and futility until God's sons have died to their self-centeredness, until King Jesus rather than King Self is sitting on the throne of their personality (Romans 8:19-21).

Death to self is the third area of redemption. From this vantage point the sons of God will be revealed.

Redemption includes the establishing of a relationship with God such that freedom from the guilt, bondage, and effects of sin is obtained along with release from the bondage of self-will.

The person who is wise, whether he or she is young or old, will turn away from everything else in life, if need be, in order to more perfectly lay hold on the fullness of redemption. It is the Father's good pleasure to bring many sons through every aspect of redemption—all the way to the full measure of the Glory of God.

There is no route to complete redemption other than by battle against the adversary. Satan is our enemy. He will utilize every device to block our attempts to escape from his influence. But Christ is greater than Satan.

One of God's greatest joys arises from beholding His son or daughter lay hold on the grace and virtue He has provided through Christ and by them escape from every unclean influence. God anoints us with the Holy Spirit when we love righteousness and hate lawlessness, and when we are perfectly obedient to Him.

The three areas of the heavenlies. It seems to be true that each of the three areas of redemption has its counterpart in the heavenlies. We live spiritually in the heavenlies and physically on earth at the same time. The saved begin to experience the joy and peace of Heaven while they yet are on the earth. However, the material creation and the spirit realm are not joined together at the present time.

Before Adam and Eve rebelled against the Word of God the material creation was alive through the union of the spirit realm with the natural realm—the condition that would be true today if the earth had not been placed under the curse of God.

Satan entered the Garden of Eden, and Adam and Eve were not spiritually mature enough to resist his wiles. Heaven withdrew from the earth. The union of God's Spirit with the material realm was dissolved. God placed cherubim to guard the way of the Tree of Life so that Adam and Eve would not be able to receive eternal life into their personalities while their flesh and souls were in rebellion against God.

When we Christians die we enter realms of spiritual light, if we have been faithful to Christ. We are placed among people and angels who are received of the Lord God. The realms of spiritual light will serve as a place of rest for us until it is time for the restoration of the union of God's Spirit with the material realm. Then we will be reunited with our body.

The first level of Heaven is the place where we are accepted of God and enjoy the love, joy, and peace that follow acceptance by Him.

The second level of Heaven seems to be the realm where we minister before God as prophets and priests by the ministries and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The second realm appears also to be that of spiritual activity and battle. Some passages of the Scriptures give us insight into the turbulence and conflict of the second area (Job 1:6; Daniel 10:13; I Thessalonians 2:18, Revelation 12:7; for example).

The third level of Heaven, that which Paul visited either in vision or physically is the area of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. Paul refers to the third Heaven as Paradise (II Corinthians 12:4). God's will is performed at this highest level of government and authority. Christ abides at the third level, as do the most holy, glorious, and powerful of the angelic creatures (Psalms 103:19,20).

The third level is the domain in which we rule in Christ with fullness of authority and power. It is the third area of redemption. Jesus has promised us that if we are faithful in overcoming we will be raised to sit with Him in the throne of glory.

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

Every Christian, through the blood of his Redeemer, has access to the Throne of God, there to offer adoration and to make his needs known to the Father. The extent to which the believer is able to abide in the Presence of God in every situation depends on his willingness to allow the grace of God to work full redemption in him.

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