Hebrews speaks of certain Christ-followers persecuted for their faith who, instead of forsaking that faith, suffer great pains because of it, "that they may be happening upon a better resurrection" (11:35).

1982 was the first time I'd heard of such a thing as "a better resurrection." I thought resurrection was resurrection.

Then, in 1986, when I discovered the two gospels, I noticed that Paul taught the same truth to the nations in 1 Corinthians 15, speaking of the various glories of the sun, the moon, the stars—noting that even star differed from star in glory. He followed this with the startling statement, "thus also is the resurrection of the dead" (11:42).

We are now discovering that within the body of Christ there is a (thankfully) small sect believing that resurrection is resurrection and that no member of the body of Christ, upon gaining immortality, receives anything more than any other member. I have dubbed this strange disposition "spiritual communism." It is a soulish and ultimately selfish effort to force equality upon a God Who—by all accounts—hates the very thing.

That some body members receive a greater glory presupposes, of course, that others do not. Not only that, but Paul speaks of works being burned up at the dais of Christ and allotments being granted to some but not all. The spiritual communists hate this, naturally (they wish it weren't in Scripture), as it suggest to them a sort of "free market" where glory is up for the taking in exchange for suffering evil for the evangel.

Because the "equality brigade" cannot appreciate the difference between the absolute and the relative perspectives, or between salvation and service, or between being reckoned righteous and constituted righteous, they assume that any efforts in this life to serve Christ or be pleasing to God MUST entail either free will, self-righteousness, or both.

Educating this camp, I have discovered, is futile. And so one must look at the bright side: at least the "reds" have idled themselves in the "competing-together-in-the-faith-of-the-evangel" department, clearing the field (making more room) for those in whom God has planted the desire to race for the tape.