When we are born again of the Spirit we are immediately moved into
eternity because we have been restored to the One and only source of
Eternal Life, God the Creator. We are not required to work to get there
or to remain there. Our salvation is not based on works or perfect obedience because we
all fail. It is based on having faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone.
As believers we all have our weaknesses. Scripture makes it clear that Moses was a great man of faith yet even he had a weak moment when he disobeyed God and struck the rock in anger. He saw the Promised Land but never was able to enter it in his life here on earth. All sin is lack of faith. It's lack of trusting God and falling back into doing things our own way. There is only one good way and that is God's way.
God doesn't just spring us out of the jail that we put ourselves in when we sin so that we can go out and keep sinning more. His desire is for us to do Life with Him in His Kingdom of perfection and goodness. He sets us free from sin for one reason and that is so that we can once again be in a personal relationship with Him. He didn't create us to live life apart from Him. He created us to be His partners in life. He gives us rules and instructions on how to do life in His Kingdom so that we will flourish no matter what our circumstances are in this life.
Make no mistake. Even though the consequences of sin have been dealt with sin can still cause problems for believers. But God did more than just take care of the punishment for our sin. He did a remarkable thing when he sent His Son into the world to remedy the problem of the sin that separates us from Him. He set us free from the power that it had over us so that when we walk in His Spirit it no longer has the same kind of power it once had. When we are born into His family and His Kingdom we get a whole new fresh start in life only this time we have the indwelling power of God in us to do it not only a better way but the BEST way.
When we are in Christ by faith we never walk independently again. I believe the Promised Land is a picture of our Faith walk in Christ. Some Christians live victoriously and have an abundant Life because they grow in faith and do not wander from it, some fail in life miserably and the rest are somewhere in between. Where we are on this spectrum all hinges on where we are in our relationship with Christ.
Forty years represents a generation. Every human is from a generation so I believe it represents all mankind. Everyone longs for a good life, a better life. I believe the Promised Land is a picture of that better life that anyone can have when they walk and do life with God. It's a picture of the Kingdom of God on earth. We don't automatically enjoy a rich spiritual prosperous life when we are born into God's Kingdom. We have to grow and learn how to walk out our lives by faith. Many people never get there because their faith never grows. Israel is a picture of this. They could have gotten to the Promised Land very quickly but instead they were kept in the desert of wandering because of their lack of faith in God. It is a picture of people that keep wandering around in the world never letting go of old habits. As long as we wander around clinging to our old ways and the things of this world we will never enter into the rich fullness of God's Kingdom here on earth. Do you want the abundant life that God created you to have while you live out your life on this Earth? It's yours to have if you walk in the Spirit.
