Q. What Does One Star Differing From Another Star in Glory Imply?

A. The difference between the natural and the spiritual body. It is not a question of rewards, which does not come into the chapter at all. The tendency constantly is to exaggerate the importance of what is special to the individual, and lose sight proportionately of the higher blessing which we have in common. Thus, " In my Father's house are many mansions" is taken by many as implying distinctions in the Father's house, whereas what the Lord is stating is that there is room for them all with Him there. Rewards are not in connection with the Father's house, but with the kingdom; just as in a king's family all are children, but they are designated in dignity before the world outside. The fruit of Christ's work is that which we have in common, and must be infinitely greater, therefore, than the reward of our own. In connection with the coming of the Lord for His own we get the first, the introduction to the Father's house, and there is there no sentry at the door, no challenging of what we are or what we have done. The question of rewards is always in connection with the appearing of our Lord and His kingdom. The principle too upon which they are given is important. That principle is that " the first shall be last, and the last shall be first." Supposing, for instance, the guests are at a king's table, and they take their own places according to their own estimate of themselves, placing themselves nearer or further accordingly from where they suppose the king is going to sit. When the king comes in he takes his place precisely at the other end, then the last will be first and the first last, and that will be exactly right, because the more I think of Christ the less I shall think of any work I have done for Him, and the less I think of Him the more highly I shall think of it. Thus to work for reward is the fair way to lose it, while he who works for Christ gets the reward too.
Verses 12 and 13. The grace that saves from hell saves also from the things which send men there. This is what we are bound to maintain. The holiness of God has to be manifested in connection with the salvation of the righteous. This is the meaning of 1 Peter 4:18: " If the righteous be with difficulty saved.' The discipline of God with His people has two sides. On the one side, for the saint himself; it is correction of the evil; on the other side, the holiness of His government has to be manifested-His hatred of sin, wherever found.
Verse 14. We are to discern those who are the sons of God by their being led by the Spirit of God. When we see a drunkard we are not to say "I hope he is a Christian; " that is to connect Christ with evil. If a Christian is on the wrong road God will surely chasten him and bring him back. Show me a scripture that says God ever took away a child of His unrepentant if he had fallen. In 1 Cor. 9 there is one on the road home, and he says if any one is not taking this road he will not reach there, though he may even be a-preacher.
In Heb. 6:4,5 we have simply enlightenment and tasting; but we do not like everything we taste. " Partakers of the Holy Ghost" might be companions, partakers with, not of.
Verse 15. Those led by the Spirit of God are not led by the spirit of bondage again to fear; so we must not be legal.
Verse 16. The witness of the Spirit of God and our spirit is a joint witness; co-witness, as the word is. The spirit of man is the intelligent part of him. The apostle has thus been ministering the word to the intelligence that we may be able to say that we are children of God; but it is the Spirit of God that brings it home to the soul and makes it a conscious realization.