View source for Jerusalem 8

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Romans 8:10)

We see, therefore, that God has devised a plan of redemption that is effective in restoring to man the immortality lost in the garden of Eden.

God begins the work of redemption by sprinkling the blood of Jesus on us. Then God raises our spiritual nature to His very throne and, through the Virtue of Christ, feeds our new nature with eternal life.

Meanwhile our body remains on earth-dead because of the sin dwelling in it.

The sources of sin in our body are in hiding at this time.

As our spiritual nature grows in life we keep the commandments of God. As we keep the commandments of God we are given to eat of the Tree of Life.

If we continue eating of the Tree of Life, an hour arrives when we are strong enough for God to bring out the kings of wickedness in us and slay them.

It may be difficult for those of us who are Christians of many years experience to realize that there is worldliness in us; there are lusts and passions that affect our flesh and soul; that King Self is sitting on the throne of our personality instead of King Jesus. We may be of the opinion that sin was cleansed from our personality many years ago.

Then the Lord leads us into a situation in which the worldliness, or the lust, or the self-will drives us to behave in a manner we know is not Christlike. What do we do now? We can apply our doctrines in such a manner that the sin is excused. Or we can do what the Bible commands: confess our sin and turn away from it.

If we persist in covering our sin after the Holy Spirit has brought it to our attention we will come under judgment. The result may be sickness or even death. But if we confess and renounce our sin, the Lord is faithful and righteous to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish Day of Atonement.

The killing of the monsters of lawlessness that dwell in our personality may prove to be a crisis for us. It is then, as we wrestle with the angel so to speak, that we either pass from the ranks of the called to the ranks of the chosen, becoming a member of the Wife of the Lamb, or else turn back and wait until Christ decides what to do with us.

The rewards we normally associate with being a Christian are in fact the rewards given only to those who, when faced with the "kings" of their personality, permit the Spirit of God to put their very soul to death. It is not easy to say yes to God during our Gethsemanes, but it is absolutely necessary if we desire to be part of the Body of Christ. The Bride of the Lamb is called, chosen, and terribly faithful-unto death to all the adamic nature holds dear.

After following the Lord through the agony of death to the soul there is a quietness of spirit. The soul never again will go through such an agony, at least not concerning that particular issue, because the source of the pain has been removed. We die to the adamic nature and come alive as a life-giving spirit.

(from Entering Through the Gates)