This is my understanding.
As I have said in many posts before The tree of Life has 2 names, Good And Evil
First up to lay a foundation ...the biggest miracle which happened to me thru Rays writings, taught me ...To hear and understand the word Carnally is BAD (our own interpretation /understanding is DEATH)many of us walk in this state.
The good part of tree in the garden is Spirit and Life the Evil part of the tree is Death or carnality.
Ian, there were 2 trees represented in the garden.
Gen 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The "Tree of Life" represents Christ and the Holy Spirit and there is absolutely no evil in that what so ever.
The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" represents our partaking of this physical/carnal life, the good and the evil of it.
so if Jesus is becoming my all, he is in me and I am in him (we become one). Physically the 2 become 1 flesh; spiritually I and Christ become 1 in spirit.
The elect have not physical or spiritual join and become one with Christ yet, not until the first resurrection. Yes there is the begettal/earnest/promise now with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but this is not born/joined/one with Christ now in this life, that is yet to come.
John 3:3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born (begotten CLV) again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
John 3:5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
v. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
v. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
1Peter 1:3 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,
v. 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away,
reserved in heaven for you,
v. 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1John 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1Cor 13:12 for we see now through a mirror obscurely, and then face to face; now I know in part, and then I shall fully know, as also I was known;
Here is a couple places where Ray spoke about this.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,4472.0.html ----------
You got to be careful, when Christ said, “except you be born again” we are not born again. But we are begotten anew, from on high. Some of these words are left out of the KJ. It should be “we are begotten anew, from on high.” You are begotten once in the flesh from our parents. Now we are begotten anew, a new begettal from on high. When we are born into the kingdom of God, then we are made where our flesh and blood is turned into spiritual bodies. We will be like God, brother of Christ, like God. So which of the of the sons did He ever say that? Well He said that to His Son, but He never said it to the angels.
http://bible-truths.com/lake16-D5.htm ------------------------
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection" (Rom. 6:4).
But we are not literally resurrected to immortality as Jesus was, when we are raised from the dead after being baptized into JESUS, are we? No, not literally, that is why Paul says we are to, "reckon you also yourselves to be dead."
"Likewise r-e-c-k-o-n you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:11).
The Greek word for "reckon" means "to estimate, conclude, impute, reason, reckon, suppose, think." It is not necessary to "reckon" something that is literally a present reality. In the future we will literally be free from all sin and literally have immortality in resurrection, but for now we can just "reckon" it.
This death is not a literal, physical death, but it is a REAL death, and it is most important:
"Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him" (Rom. 6:08).
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mercy, peace and love
Kat