The Lord has called those who overcome in this present world to the highest position in all creation—to be sons and daughters of God and heirs with His Son. This is the highest calling. It is only for those who prove to creation they are worthy to rule with Him by overcoming the greatest darkness and evil in creation which is now being manifested on the earth. These are those whose obedience and endurance for Him against all opposition will cause even principalities and powers to acknowledge the Lord’s victory and truth which will ultimately prevail.
The wife of the first Adam lived in a perfect world and was perfect as created. However, when tempted by evil she chose sin over trusting God. The “last Adam,” as Jesus is called, will have a bride that will live in the worst conditions and face the worst darkness and opposition the world has ever known yet will choose to obey. By this, creation will see she is worthy to be His bride and to rule with Him. Yet she will always know she did not overcome by her own strength, righteousness, or wisdom, but by faith in Him; a faith that works by love (see Galatians 5:6).
The New Testament addresses false gospels and false brethren. Jesus said,“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:5 NKJV). There are and will be many who preach another gospel and another Jesus. Some of this perversion of truth is the result of trying to make the narrow way wider to appeal to more people. Any who would change the gospel for any reason are to some degree deceivers. Jesus made a very narrow way that few would find and that is the true path of life.
Thus, those who will not come by the narrow way but only when the way is widened to meet their conditions are “false brethren.” These are those who pervert not only the gospel but all truth beginning with the most basic truth—who God is and what He is like. Such worship a God made in their own image according to their own desires rather than knowing Him as He is. This is the ultimate pride that will cause the ultimate fall.
We are told the Lord loves all men and desires for them to be saved, which is why He will never compromise the straight and narrow way to true life. Those who try to make His way easier than He did can lead those who think they are now saved and have eternal life into an ultimate delusion. In this condition, their eternal lives are in jeopardy. Believing a compromised gospel, they can become even harder to reach with the true gospel.
The Way is easy to understand for anyone He calls, but that does not mean it will be easy to follow. He did not mean for that to be easy. By facing the difficult challenges, we are delivered from our old, fallen nature and begin to live as the new creation He has called us to be. The afflictions we face in this life are not done to us but for us.
We can imagine a young Solomon complaining to his father, King David, about why he could not get away with all the things his brothers and sisters could. Had he, no doubt David would have replied, “They are not called to be the king.”
If it seems we are receiving more discipline and greater challenges than others, it could be because of our calling. As it is written in Hebrews 12:7-8: “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.” The mature see all discipline and challenges as signs of God’s favor and love, not as rejection or punishment.
