The Eternal Purpose

God's purpose is to bring us out of an earthbound existence to live in another realm. "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory (Col. 3:1-4). As our lives become merged with His, we become sharers in all that He is. This is God's eternal purpose in creating us.

We become sharers in Christ's life and glory through the Spirit. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Learning to forsake the limitations of the earthbound soul realm to live in God's world, the realm of spirit, enables us to become partakers with Christ in all the Father's fullness. As long as we live a religious, earthbound existence we will never know the glories that God has prepared for us.

The sufferings of Christ manifested in us lifts us out of the dullness of religion and opens our eyes and ears to function in a higher realm. The writer of Hebrews put it this way: "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." It's through this division of soul and spirit that takes place within us that we begin to discern the spiritual forces around us.

The wisdom of God is made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places through the church. Throughout the Scriptures God emphasizes His desire for a people for His own possession. We can never be wholly His until all the influences of the spirit realm are eliminated from our lives. He alone is to be Lord over us.