The Scriptures reveal the history of God’s dealings with mankind. God created man to be His special friends to share in the development and oversight of His special creation called Earth. The fall of man interrupted this plan, bringing tragic consequences on both man and Earth. Now man and all living things under man’s domain must experience the death man released. However, this did not foil God’s plan for man or Earth. Instead, God used this setback to set in motion an even higher purpose for man: to call those who want to be part of God’s “new creation” to become a bridge between natural and spiritual realms and to redeem and restore man and Earth.

The fall would not have happened had the Lord not given man free will. Still, God, who knows the end from the beginning, was not surprised when man chose to disobey and release evil on earth. In fact, He had already made provision for this in His plan, to take His plans a step further. Man ate the deadly fruit because he wanted to be like God. God would later make a way for man to be like God, especially those who would love, trust, and prove themselves faithful to Him against the great onslaught of evil arrayed against them. These would be adopted as members of God’s own family and be given His divine nature.

The Apostle Paul referenced this “high calling” in Philippians 3:13-14 when he said he did not consider himself to have attained this yet, but he would press toward the high calling of God in Christ. How could the  “greatest of all apostles,” near the end of his life say he had not yet attained? Obviously, he was not talking about salvation or eternal life since he had attained these the day he believed in Jesus and His cross for his redemption. He was talking about the “high calling of God in Christ.” The highest calling ever is to be adopted into God’s own family and attain what Hebrews 11:35 refers to as a “better resurrection,” a resurrection to the divine nature.  

 So, what about all who have believed in Christ for their redemption but have not yet attained this “high calling”? The Scriptures are vague, and to draw conclusions from our own logic about what God has only revealed in part would be a mistake. What we do know is all who have trusted in Christ and His cross for their redemption have eternal life. The greatest teachers in history believed those who attained this “high calling” would be resurrected as perfect human beings, live as Adam did before the fall, and reign with Christ forever. That is reasonable, but I prefer to wait and see, knowing their place will be perfect because our God and His plans are perfect.

We see throughout Scripture there are levels of relationship with God. Some will be His bride; others will be invited to the wedding feast. For there to be “a better resurrection,” there must also be “a lesser resurrection,” but we know every resurrection will be better than what we can now imagine. 

Again, we can wonder about such things, but if they are not specifically revealed in Scripture, it is speculation at best, and we must consider it such. Many doctrines became false doctrines simply because someone became dogmatic about what is only speculation. What God has revealed in part should remain that way until the right time. We must trust that what God has revealed in Scripture is all we need to know now to do His will, including running the race and pressing toward the high calling.

Scriptures indicate there are different levels of resurrection, just as there are different ranks of angels, but for now the Lord obviously wants some things to remain a mystery, and this requires faith in Him. Such mysteries keep our lives of service to Him the adventures they are supposed to be. If the apostle Paul, near the end of his remarkable life, could not be sure he had attained the high calling, this is obviously not something we will know until the resurrection. Nevertheless, this should bring us to the great focus of Paul’s life expressed in Philippians 3:13-14:     

      I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

      I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

         There is a high calling in Christ that is far beyond any other human attainment. What, in this life, is more important than running the race for this crown? Even if it was not for such an unfathomable prize, our King deserves such devotion.

© 2022 Rick Joyner. All Rights Reserved.