"Bringing Many Sons Unto Glory"
Hebrews 2:10
The ultimate destination of God's elect is
glory, eternal glory! Not one of the chosen shall fail to attain it. Not one
true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ shall fail to obtain perfect, complete
salvation at the right hand of the Majesty on high. This glory, which is the
consummate perfection of eternal life, is the gift of God. "The LORD will
give grace and glory" (Psa. 84:11). All to whom he gives grace, to them he
shall also give glory. As he does not give grace by degrees, neither will he
give glory by degrees.
The teaching that there will be degrees in
glory is utter nonsense. It is a doctrine totally without foundation in Holy
Scripture and altogether opposed to the message of salvation by grace alone.
There are no back settlements in the heavenly
Those who teach that there will be degrees
in glory teach that believers will suffer for their sins, their lack of
faithfulness, and their failures in the world to come. They are careful to say,
"they will not suffer the wrath of God, but will
suffer great loss." That doctrine still sounds a whole lot like the Roman
doctrine of purgatory to me. It makes the greatest part of salvation, heavenly
glory,a matter of works! Whoever devised that
abominable doctrine, (the doctrine that there will be degrees of heavenly
rewards given to the saints,depending upon their
earthly works),knew nothing of the gospel of the free grace of God in Christ.
It is written in the Scriptures that we
who believe are "joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom.
Don Fortner