What must be true of each person who becomes a Christian?...

He must commit himself to obey from his heart the teachings of the Apostles of Christ.

Today there are numerous people who "get saved," according to the current formula, but who do not repent. They are attempting to receive Christ as their personal Saviour without accepting Him as their personal Lord. They have no intention of changing their course of life and allowing Christ to exercise rulership over their conduct.

They have mentally assented to the facts of redemption but have not embraced the teachings of the Apostles.

Their water baptism does not indicate they have been grafted into union with the death of Christ and the resurrection of Christ. Their water baptism is a religious rite by means of which they have (so they hope) completed the ceremony that guarantees their entrance into Heaven when they die.

In many churches the mental assent that is apart from a genuine repentance is associated with the so-called "rapture" of the "Gentile Church." Those who have expressed belief in Jesus hope to escape the troubles of the world by becoming invisible and being caught up to Heaven to live in a mansion.

Such thinking has no apparent relationship to the sixth chapter of Romans or with the passages of Scripture that describe the coming of the Lord and the first resurrection from the dead.

The first resurrection from the dead is the promised salvation, the salvation that is to be revealed to the Lord’s faithful disciples when He returns to earth. First there must be an inner spiritual resurrection—that which is presented in the sixth chapter of the Book of Romans and the third chapter of Philippians. Then there will be a physical resurrection based on the inner spiritual resurrection. The physical resurrection is described in the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians.

The coming of the Lord and the first resurrection from the dead will not be an unscriptural secret "rapture" in which the believers become invisible but rather a worldwide manifestation of the Glory of Christ.

Apart from an inner spiritual resurrection there can be no physical resurrection. The first resurrection from the dead will be an open manifestation of the inner spiritual resurrection the Church has attained in the Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:2; Philippians 3:11; Revelation 20:4-6).

Therefore we say to God’s faithful saints, in the name of our Lord Jesus, the emphasis of the Holy Spirit today is on our coming to know the power of the resurrection of Jesus and on sharing His sufferings. It is time for the Bride to awaken and enter union with the Bridegroom.

If we will allow Him to do so the Lord Jesus shall press us into His death and His resurrection.

Christ cannot return until the firstfruits of His Bride have been pressed into His death and into His resurrection. Why is this?

It is because He is going to return both in and with us. His coming is not merely an external event as far as the members of His Body are concerned. His coming is bound together with our spiritual development.

When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. (Psalms 102:16)

The return of the Lord Jesus from Heaven is that of an individual who today is seated at the right hand of God Almighty. But at the same time Christ is being formed in us and is dwelling in us.

The Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead nearly two thousand years ago. Every act of righteousness flowing from Christ’s Life within a believer is part of that one resurrection. Christ’s resurrection is continuing in us. It is one vast resurrection spread over two thousand years.

We are an eternally inseparable part of the one resurrection. When the Lord Jesus returns, the same resurrection will enter our body.

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power [authority], but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

The first resurrection from the dead is not a departure to Heaven. It is the open demonstration to the world of that which began in the cave of Joseph of Arimathea. The radiant Life that Is Christ is the only righteousness available to mankind.

The coming of Christ cannot be separated spiritually from His development in us. He will appear in the clouds and we shall appear with Him as an inseparable, integral part of His Presence.

When the Light from Heaven returns and illumines the darkness of the world, all the lesser lights also will shine—those who return with Him and those who yet remain alive on the earth. His coming will be as the lightning appearing from the east (the morning of the Day of the Lord) and shining to the west (to every place where there is a member of the Body of Christ). The Divine Glory will be revealed wherever there is a member of the Body.

Like the torches held high during the ancient feast of Tabernacles, the great Light and the lesser lights will overcome all the darkness oppressing the world.

Physical resurrection will take place instantly. The inner spiritual resurrection cannot take place instantly. Inner resurrection can take place only as the Holy Spirit brings us into circumstances that cleanse and crucify a part of our personality, and then raises the slain part into newness of life in Christ.

We cooperate in the program of death and resurrection by choosing to present the parts of our body as instruments of righteousness. We choose to obey God rather than to obey sin. Meanwhile sin keeps on seeking our worship.

Given the fact that we are being created an integral part of the resurrection and revelation of Christ, it is unthinkable that we should choose to yield to the demands of sin.

We are to obey the writings of the Apostles. They gave us many commandments. There is a teaching today that states there is nothing we can do to obey the commandments of the New Testament. Rather, we are to wait until Christ obeys the commandments in us and through us.

While there are a few passages that could be construed to mean we are to do nothing but wait until Jesus obeys the Word in us, there are an abundance of passages that command us to take action.

For example:

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.' (Ephesians 5:2-4) Walk in love.

Do not fornicate or practice unclean or covetous behaviour.

Do not say filthy or foolish words. Do not jest.

Give thanks to God.

There are numerous such commandments from Matthew through to Revelation.

How do we keep the commandments of the Lord? We keep them by doing what the Word says to do. If we cannot refrain from fornication, or covetousness, or uncleanness, or foolish talking, then we are bound by Satan. We need in this instance to go to the church and ask for help from the elders.

If we will pray, read our Bible, gather with fervent saints, obey the Lord when He tells us to do something, serve, give of our money, we then will find that by making an effort we can achieve the changes in our conduct that are commanded by the Apostles of Christ.

To forgive our enemies is difficult, but if we will come boldly before the throne of God we can obtain enough Divine grace to enable us to forgive someone who has harmed us.

If we wait for the Lord to move us to righteousness we will be treated as a disobedient child. We must do what the Scriptures command. If we do not, if we continue to practice sin, we will die spiritually. We will slay the eternal Life that was given to us when we accepted the atonement made by Christ.

Any teaching contrary to this will result only in moral chaos.

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