I am amazed by the transition that has taken place in our teachings that have changed the mystery of the hope of glory from “Christ in you” to our meager accomplishments after our fleshly mind. We have exchanged the hope of glory for our own purpose-driven life built upon our fleshly passions and desires. “Have we become so foolish that having begun in the Spirit that we now believe we will be made perfect by the flesh?” “Have we suffered so many things in vain? That it yet be in vain.” Have we suffered so many temptations to gain the riches of Christ in glory that after having suffered so much with Christ we now count them meaningless? Have we forgotten that it is through our suffering with Christ that we gain the knowledge of Christ in us the hope of glory? It is the fullness of Christ in us and teaching us that is the only hope of experiencing the glory of God. It is Christ working in us not our working in Him that will bring us to a perfect man in Christ. Our hope must be to be found in Christ “not having established our own righteousness from the Law” through fleshly desires.
Our striving must be according to His power working in me mightily to conform me to His express image. Christ will never be conformed to our fleshly image. That is why the Word says we are to be found in His righteousness which is through our pursuing in the measure of faith. If we are going to be found in Christ “just” then our righteousness must be attained by faith. Now, to remain just we must live our life by this measure of faith. We can no longer walk according to the god of this world and be just. As a steward I must be found faithful to the requirements of this faith. Phil 3:8-9 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul gave up seeking all things pertaining to his righteousness under the Law to gain the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ. We must seek righteousness through the measure of faith to be found in Christ not having established our own righteousness. This righteousness through faith is unattainable by obedience to the law. This righteousness in Christ is the character or quality of being right or just before God. It is a judicial act of God, by which we are declared innocent as pertaining to the Law. The means by which we “apprehend having been justified” is faith. We were justified by faith and we maintain being just by walking in faith. When we look at the joy of tribulation we find that it begins with perseverance. Perseverance builds godly character. Godly character produces hope. This hope makes us not ashamed. Romans 5:1-4 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
The word character is also translated experience. So without the perseverance the experience needed to be skillful in the word of righteousness we will not become part of our new nature. To become approved in the character of Christ we must be tried in the fire. By appropriating the strength of grace through our faith we are[able to stand in this condition of having been justified while being proven to be faithful. It is in the fire that we begin to see what we have built our belief system upon. If we can not stand “just” in our heart or mind while we are being proven then we must admit our righteousness is yet to be seen. This is the mystery of the riches of Christ in you. God said “you are just or maintained in this judiciary act by believing in the power of grace through faith.” Now God sends us into the fire to prove to us if we believe that we are just under grace. In the test we understand whether the Word has taken root in our heart. Matt 13:18-23 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. When we become offended by our trials because of the Word we have yet to believe God. Taking offence proves that the word has not been written on the tables of our heart or renewed us in the spirit of our mind. This is the love and mercy of God to prove this now so that we don’t take this disobedience to the judgment seat of Christ.
This is why we must believe in hope for the righteousness by faith that is not yet seen. When we become offended this is the proof that we are not skilled in the word of righteousness by faith. This is the glory that God wants us to see. God is giving us the opportunity to become skillful in the experience/character of Christ so that we will be found in Christ. It is through the proving in the fire that determines whether we are being found residing under the Law or residing under grace accessed by faith to be just. Gal 2:16-18 16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. 18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
The question here is why would we be seeking to be justified? The answer is that on our way to be found in Christ’s character we have frustrated or set grace aside by our believing to be just outside of Christ. If we seek anything outside of Christ to be right before God grace is of no affect in our life. When I say, for example, I have done everything I know to do, but I still can’t seem to get out of this trial. This belief shows our HOPE is in what we are doing not in our faith in Christ. We frustrate or set aside saving grace because we believe to be righteous in our own doing. Grace is the strength of our hope and faith is how we enter into grace to be righteous. Faith says Christ has placed all things pertaining to life and godliness in glory for us. Christ must be our hope not our having done all we know to do. God doesn’t want us to rely on all we know to do. “He wants us to rely on the Spirit leading us into the knowledge of Christ glory by faith. We must see that in our flesh we are nothing and in faith He is everything so that we are found in His character. Phil 3:7-8 7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, It isn’t my knowledge that will allow me to be found in Christ or my doing all that I know to do. It is in receiving the knowledge of Christ and living by this knowledge in faith.
If we believe we are going to arrive in glory just because we SAY we “believe” without persevering to prove our belief, our belief is in vain. We must have a desire to understand what this statement of “I believe” really requires of us. True belief surrenders to the will of God from glory to glory to be conformed into the image of Christ by faith. Our life is a journey of seeking to be skillful in the word of His righteousness that makes us into His image. We overcome the unrighteousness that our failing in our temptations have previously formed us into the image of the world, the flesh and the devil. It is by the Word taking root that we are found in His righteousness. Col 1:27-29 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
What would be the purpose for believing in hope to become a perfect man in Christ if it is not the perfect will of God? Isn’t Christ in you the hope of understanding the fullness of the riches in glory by Christ? To be conformed to the image of Christ is our ministry unto the Father. Having begun in the Spirit to gain Christ, are we going to win Christ if our hope has become our fleshly manipulations? Our believing in hope must be that Christ in us to sup with us and teach us what dwells within us that is not His word of righteousness. This is why having begun in the Spirit we must continue after the leading of the Spirit to be conformed to His image. It is only the knowledge of Christ being imparted to us that will create this perfect man in us. 2 Cor 10:4-6 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. Why do I have to believe in hope to arrive in the glory of Christ? The greatest reason to believe in hope is that faith is the substance of the things hoped for and the evidence of the thing not yet seen. If we have arrived at this perfect man at the “born again” experience then why are we to yet hope for it? We believe in hope for it because we are in pursuit of becoming skillful in that which is the fullness of Christ’s glory by faith. Phil 3:12-14 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Taking the posture that we have already arrived at perfection without persevering in temptation rejects Christ in us as the hope of glory. Our hope in tribulation is to have an encounter with Christ revealing to us where our knowledge exalts against the knowledge of God for righteous thought and behavior. We believe in hope (confidence) that God will be in our trials with us to teach us His truth. Romans 15:13 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to be abounding in hope in our trials because we know that God is at work in us to do His good pleasure of brining us to the glory of Christ. God said that “He has glorified those whom He has predestined.” On the way to being glorified God is teaching us how to arrive in Christ by our believing in hope against hope. We are transitioning from our carnal knowledge to the knowledge of Christ from faith to faith. Without gaining the full knowledge of Christ how can we possibly be found in Him?
Even though we have not arrived at this perfect man our hope is in Christ to bring us to this perfect man. We have a choice in our training to become what God has promised or to resist. We can choose to take it all with joy for the promises set before us or we can prolong the agony by rebelling in thought and deed. When we fear that God will not meet us in our trials it could be that we have lost hope in earlier trials by yielding to the temptation to sin. As we disobeyed in the request to follow faith we were proven not faithful. Faith, hope and love now abide in the Holy Spirit. If we are going to abide in faith, hope and love we must abide in Christ by obeying the Holy Spirit. As He reveals to us our true belief that is outside of Christ we must repent and return to Christ to be just.
Sometimes to obey is just to believe in hope for the promise to be fulfilled as we stand still and wait for God. Our part in this instance is to believe in hope against hope and rejoice in the hope of the glory that is to come unto us. At the appointed time faith will bring about the thing that we have believed in hope for. We must remember that our thought and desires must be obedient to faith that says we are just to inherit a promise. If we begin to doubt we will lose hope and will not be found in faith in our test. The fire is to prove to us are we glorying or murmuring in our tribulation which proves our faith. If we are not glorying in our proving how will we become skillful in the words of righteousness? Romans 5:2-5 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
We are supposed to be rejoicing and glorying in our trials to prove the genuineness of our faith. Why, because God is teaching us by fire perseverance and perseverance produces godly character and our godly character produces abounding hope to be found in faith. The more we grow in Christ’s knowledge the more we experience abiding hope. The more hope is fulfilled the greater we grow into the measure of faith we have been given. Through believing in hope in our testing by fire we experience the riches that are in the glory of Christ. This experience produces the hope that believes against hope so that in Christ everything pertaining to our life and godliness becomes a reality in us. As we believe in hope and take joy in our temptations faith produces this glory of Christ within us. As we go from glory to glory we begin to find that everything pertaining to our life and godliness really awaits us in Him. The end result of our proving in the fire is that we will lack nothing in the riches in glory by Christ. We will be found in Christ not having our own righteousness but the righteousness that comes by tested faith. James 1:2-6 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Somehow the glory of the gospel was exchanged for another gospel. Now we have been led to believe that the temptations of our faith are a negative instead of seeing them as the glory of God leading us into the revealed glory of Christ. We have been ashamed of our temptations, instead of taking them in joy for the glory that has been set before us. What is that joy that when Christ returns we will be glorified with Him? We are to be despising the shame itself not the temptations that prove our standing just or righteous by the measure of faith. 1 Peter 1:3-9 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls.
This says that we are kept faithful in my temptations by the power of God through our faith. If we are not rejoicing and hoping in the proving of our faith are we still going to be kept by the power of God? No, because our faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of the things not yet seen. How can we be kept in faith by the power of God if we don’t understand the joy and glory of being proven? Or how can we be kept by the power of God if the Word of God has not taken root? What we must grasp is that what we have not yet arrived at “is not yet seen” therefore we must hope for it. If it is not yet seen then we must believe in hope to arrive at what is not yet seen through the testing of our faith. We must be proven faithful so that what we are hoping for will become a reality for us by persevering in faith to receive it. God is saying to us “you will not be found in Christ unless you joyfully allow Me to prove you so that you know whose righteousness you are presently being found in.” It is only as we are found in faith that we are righteous in Christ. Gal 2:20-21 20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Paul said “I live yet not I but Christ lives in me.” The fullness of Christ lives in us through this new creation and that is why it is not I but Christ who lives. We are kept in this new creation life by the power of God through faith to gain the things not yet seen. It is our new creation that God is transforming us into Christ from the inside out so we become this perfect man. This is why the word says “to them that believe.” Believe what, that we will arrive at this perfect man in Christ by God proving that we are in faith. It is Christ in us in this new creation that is leading us into the full knowledge of Christ. Christ in us is to be our hope of glory. That is why all our attempts to be righteous outside of faith are in vain. This is what Paul was alluding to when he said “have you suffered so many things in vain, that it yet be in vain.” Have we suffered so many trials to prove our faith that they were in vain? It is in our suffering in our temptations that brings us to the unity of the faith and of the full knowledge of the son of God.
First we must learn what we have not gained in righteousness through our faith. In His knowledge and in the fire we experience what is true righteousness from faith. To prove that His knowledge has become our faith within us we must be tempted to sin by fire to show that we have been approved in the faith by not sinning. This is how we are found in Christ not having our own righteousness by learning what Christ’s knowledge is for faith. As we grow in His knowledge we become more skillful in the word of righteousness that comes by faith. James 1:12 12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Blessed is the man who does not apostatize or rebel against faith while being tempted to sin in the testing by fire. If Christ is righteous because He did not sin and we are to hope for His righteousness to come unto us to be like Him. How does our refusal to acknowledge un-repented sin fit hoping for the righteousness of faith?
We can teach that we must do this or do that from our flesh to unlock God’s heart. But you see, what we are teaching is another gospel because doing this and doing from the fleshthat takes our hope off of Christ who said “it is finished.” If “it is finished” why do we insist that we must do anything but obey the commands of Christ to be found righteous in Christ apart from the Law? How can God grant us according to His riches in glory when we are seeking in our own un-righteousness of the flesh (Law)? When we do this we do not believe that we are just or righteous by grace through faith. If we did believe to be just we wouldn’t need to seek righteousness outside of Christ. Without God proving us we could not arrive at the promises of God. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly of all that we think or ask. But, aren’t we supposed to be thinking and asking from the mind of Christ that is in us? Eph 3:16-20 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
We can rejoice in our trials because we know that we are kept or given the ability to be faithful by His power working in us mightily. Our trials shouldn’t move us away from our hope in Christ because He authored and finished the faith that is now being proven genuine in us. Our part in this proving is to be found faithful to the obedience of Christ so that we become approved in Him. For me to gain Christ I must believe in hope for the things I have not yet seen or understood in Christ. The more we understand the riches in glory the more powerful the new creation becomes for us to live by our faith. 2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 1 Cor 2:14-16 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Our new creation is either led by our carnal mind or by the renewed mind in the knowledge of Christ. If we live by our carnal mind we are not being found in the righteousness of faith. We live our life below the standards of the riches in glory because we have not allowed the full transformation into a renewed mind.
Because “faith now abides” it really isn’t our faith that is being proven it is the measure of faith. It is called our faith but it abides because it is Christ’s proven faith. This is what I have come to believe is that God is proving to me that the faith of Christ will always see me through if I make a decision to be faithful to it. I believe that God is trying to prove to us who our trust really abides in. God is proving to us because of Christ faithfulness in every temptation that through faith we must be faithful by not yielding to sin to be found in His glory. This is what we must believe in hope for that we will be found in Christ not having our own righteousness which is from the Law. We are righteous because we believe God and we obey in our trials strengthened by grace so that we can be found righteous in our faith. If I place my belief in anything except Christ for God’s intervention into my life then Christ died in vain. If everything pertaining to life and godliness are provided in glory by Christ then we must be found in Christ by faith to receive them. How are we found faithful? By obeying the commands that brings us into the righteousness of Christ that is our new creation? This is the difference between saying we believe and proving our belief by obeying to resist the temptations to sin that would lead us to forsake Christ’s glory for a little sin.
That which we do outside of the Spirit leading us is from our carnal mind not from the mind of Christ. If we believe in hope in our carnal behavior than we are placing our hope in our carnal behavior and faith will not be the substance of that. Faith is the substance of the hope of what is to be found in Christ. This is the danger of making tithing a means to be blessed when we are to be receiving through faith the riches in glory by Christ. Because our hope is being placed in what we are doing by our flesh not in what Christ has provided therefore it is not faith. If we say God is going to bless us because we tithe then our hope is in our tithing not in the finished work of Christ. Tithing places our hope in the Law which Christ fulfilled in His life, death, burial and resurrection. If we seek to receive anything from God outside of Christ, than we are not being found in Christ. Because we are seeking to be blessed in a manner that is not in Christ’s righteous accomplishments by faith. We must believe in hope to receive all things pertaining to life and godliness in Christ. God has said that in Christ’s faithfulness everything has been placed in glory for us to receive His life. Phil 4:16-19 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Paul said “my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.” Where are our needs to be met from? They are to be met from His riches in glory. Christ placed these riches in GLORY by being faithful. This is why we are to believe in hope against hope. God has every need met no matter what it is. He has met every one of our needs already in glory by Christ. When we start manipulating to receive from God we lose sight of what we are to believe in hope for. Faith has no place to produce the substance. It is our fleshly attempts to please God that are displeasing to Him because they are not of faith. 1 John 3:12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. In this covenant with Christ the only requirement to be found righteous or just is to live by faith. It is living by faith if I am living in sin? Anything that is not of faith is sin. This is why the Holy Spirit must teach us what the righteousness of faith is so we can live by faith. Yes, in this process the blood of Christ is there to cleanse us of our sins. But, the Word of God says 1 John 1:8-10 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Because we have not established our hope in Christ we have fear and so we seek different methods to be blessed by God. All of our manipulation will fail the test of faith by fire. They are our carnal attempts to be blessed and we are not being found in the glory of Christ. Our carnal attempts are in our ability to stand just and faithful in the test by fire. God has given us grace, faith and hope that are needed to rejoice in our proving.
This is why our hope must be only in Christ and as we are rejoicing we are kept by His power when we are faithful to resist the temptation to sin. We are found approved not on what we have done such as tithing but on believing the truth and forsaking our sinful nature. The Law does not lead us into God’s glory because God’s glory is now in Christ. Obeying the Spirit is not our good works to be righteous. It is our obeying faith into the transforming of my mind. Without obeying the Holy Spirit we can not believe in hope to be conformed into the express image of Christ. Why, because the Spirit is leading us into the righteousness of faith as we obey Him. We are found righteous as we obey the Spirit because believing in hope “our obedience” has become our righteousness by faith. Heb 5:8-9 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, What is the foremost command Christ wants us to obey? That we learn by the Spirit what is sin and we shun it. That in the riches of Christ we become the righteousness of Christ without being burden down by sins.
There is a real danger for us to believe that we are already a perfect man in Christ without our having to persevere. This rejects the need for us to attain to the righteousness of Christ’s character by our faith. It is in our attaining His character the gives us the abounding hope into the righteousness by faith. When we believe that tribulation is evil instead of good we must find someone else to blame for our chastisement. We do not believe God that the only way into His Glory is by fully hoping in Christ within us. This glory experience is reached through much trial and tribulation in a fiery furnace. As our faith is proven we are found in Christ sinless. We reject the truth and believe a lie when we say our trials are not for our good. When our hope is in a lie we are rejecting God’s truth and lack the knowledge to experience our salvation in Christ. The Word of God says that we will perish if we do not love His truth. 2 Thess 2:10-12 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. What I think is important here is to understand who Paul was writing to. He was writing this warning to the body of Christ who had refused to love the truth as God has spoken it.
The word says we are saved by hope so if we are “saved” by hope, why do we not believe in hope to be yet “saved”? We believe in hope against hope because the fullness of “saved” is not yet seen? We say we are saved now, yet the word says we are saved by hope. Have we taken saved by grace through faith and made a doctrine that is not really God’s truth? If what we have received is the first fruits of the Spirit doesn’t this indicate that there is more to come? Romans 8:23-25 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
If we are already in the fullness of righteousness why do we yet hope for the righteousness that will come unto us by our faith? If we a

We have exchanged the hope of glory for our own purpose-driven life built upon our fleshly passions and desires. “Have we become so foolish that having begun in the Spirit that we now believe we will be made perfect by the flesh?”
 

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