There is a false concept found almost exclusively in Western Christianity—that everyone will be the same in heaven. The Scriptures refute this. Americans seem especially devoted to this concept, but the phrase in our Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” was a political statement, not a theological one. This was addressing equal rights under the law, which was one of the greatest and most noble concepts ever promulgated by a government, but it is not true in any other way. Some are created taller, some stronger, some smarter, and so on, but all of these should have the same rights before the law.
The Scriptures are clear that in heaven there are levels of authority, majesty, and power among the angels and all other created beings, as well as among the redeemed who inherit eternal life. Our Creator has the authority to make choices, and He has chosen that some would be vessels of honor and some would be for common use. As the Apostle Paul explained to the Romans, understanding this is basic to understanding Him as God.
As we get to know Him, we understand that He is more than just. He is merciful, and we will all receive far more than we deserve. We will be ultimately happy in our place, but as the Lord explained to the sons of Zebedee, those who will sit on His right hand or left were created for that, and the Father has appointed them.
Even so, we also must grasp a basic of the culture of the kingdom— more authority means more responsibility and being a servant to more. Authority in the kingdom is very different than human authority, and this is hard for even Christians to really understand. It is also hard for most to understand that the more comely members, or the less gifted, are the ones we bestow more honor on because they are the ones who get served by those with more authority. The Lord gives special grace to the humble, and when we become like Him, we will too.
When we hear such phrases as the husband having authority over the home, we often interpret this through our experience with human authority, which can be controlling, domineering, self-serving, and so forth, but it is not that way in Christ. In Christ, the husband is to be the greatest servant of the home. Yes, authority does mean making decisions, but it is for the security and edification of the family, not selfishness.
The American Republic was the first government on earth formed to be a servant of the people instead of having the people be subjects and therefore servants of their government. To the degree that our government has drifted from this principle, we have drifted from the kingdom principles of government. Now the main goal of most government officials seems to be to stay in power rather than to serve the people, and this has led to increasing troubles. Now we are in jeopardy of losing the Republic and falling to a terrible tyranny. This is even more true in the church where the leaders start seeing the people as existing for them rather than the other way around. This is a most basic perversion of the church, Christianity, and any government that claims to be Christian.
There is a high calling of God in Christ Jesus, and the way to attain it is the way that He attained His authority over the earth—He laid down His own life and took up His cross. The true discipleship of Christ is a life of sacrifice, not personal attainment. As the Lord said in Matthew 16:24-25:
If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.
The reason the natural mind cannot perceive the things of the Spirit is because the things of the Spirit are almost all the opposite of the way things are in the natural. In Christ, we die in order to live. We give in order to receive, and the one who would walk in the most authority must become the servant of all. Have our minds been transformed enough to really comprehend the ways of the Spirit?
