The Apostle Paul speaks about the Glory Road indirectly in 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1.  I ended part 1 of this series by quoting the last verse of that passage in which he states in no uncertain terms how one must walk (live) in order to receive God’s promises, including eternal life.  Paul tells us that we must cleanse ourselves of ALL sin and manifest HOLINESS in the FEAR OF GOD.  Note that these are things we ourselves must do.  In order to cleanse ourselves of all sin, we must know the Lord’s definition of sin–the breaking of His Law (1 Jn. 3:4)–the same Law that was supposedly “nailed to the cross.”  Having been delivered from (not in) sin we must continuously “purify ourselves” (1 Jn. 3:3) by “washing with the water of the Word” (of God)–Eph. 5:26.  By continuously ingesting the cleansing Word of God we will remain pure, provided we believe and obey that purifying Word.  By remaining clean we will “walk as He (Jesus) walked” as a man while on the earth (1 Jn. 2:6).  Those who do so will be saved upon His return (Mat. 10:22).

Jesus characterizes the Glory Road walk as overcoming Satan “as I overcame” him.  As Jesus said, only those who overcome as He did will sit with Him on His throne in the Kingdom of God (Rev. 3:21).  Overcoming Satan’s temptations is hard enough.  But there is another aspect to the Glory Road walk that must be addressed.  One must face the reaction of those who not only refuse to walk that road, but are hostile toward those who do.  In the vast majority of cases, this includes one’s family, friends and former church-mates.  The true saint’s reaction to their rejection is the subject of this posting.

In the spiritual realm, those who walk in darkness hate those who walk in light.  Jesus told His disciples that He and they were the “light of the world.”  One ultimately important thing they had in common was God’s Word–the “light” they taught and lived, which was the “water” they spiritually ingested which enabled them to remain pure.  Light came into the world and was manifested to the world in the form of a man–Jesus of Nazareth.  The religious people who saw and heard believed IN Him and embraced Him as a person.  However, they rejected His Words.  These are the same Words that will judge everyone who has ever lived (Jn. 12:44-50).  As He prophesied, it is the most religious among us who despise God’s Word, and therefore God Himself, the most.  Their hatred also extends to those who speak His Words and obey them.

In Acts 14:19 we find that some super-religious Jews have stoned the Apostle Paul for preaching God’s word.  Having miraculously survived the stoning, he journeyed to Antioch where he preached God’s Word and warned those who would obey It, telling them that they must, through much tribulation, enter the Kingdom of God (vs 22).  Note the worlds “must,” “much” and “tribulation.”

As noted earlier, Jesus warns all who would follow in His spiritual footsteps that they must “count the cost” of discipleship (Lk. 14:28).  As the Scriptures reveal, that cost can be deadly.  He warns that anyone who commits himself to following Him, then changes his mind, is unfit for the Kingdom of God.  Fear of persecution by family and friends is one of the main reasons church people will not embrace God’s Word when they are introduced to It.  Their fear of man is greater than their fear of God.

In Matthew 5:10-12 Jesus says that blessed are those who are persecuted, reviled and have all manner of evil spoken against them for His name’s sake.  Such saints are to rejoice in their tribulations for great will be their reward.  In Matthew 10:21,22 Jesus is warning the disciples, as well as those who would believe and obey their Words, that a time would come when sinning family members would cause their holy brethren to be put to death.  Those in the light would be hated by all men for His sake, but those who maintained their holiness until death would be saved upon the return of Christ to earth.

In Hebrews 10:32,33 Paul reminds the Israelite Christians about their past treatment when they had been made a gazing stock, reproached and afflicted by those who hated them because they walked in the light of God’s Word.  In 1 Peter 2:9 the apostle tells true Christians that they are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation who are called out of the darkness of false religion and into God’s light so that, when Christ returns, those who persecuted them will remember how they reacted to the treatment they received.  We are told not to be surprised when the world hates us (1 Jn. 3:13).  Rather, we are to expect it and rejoice because of it for it is a sign that we are one with the Lord, who received the same treatment for the same reason.  If a professing Christian is not rejected by church friends and family on a spiritual basis, one is not a child of God.  We know this because “ALL WHO WILL LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS WILL SUFFER PERSECUTION” (2 Tim. 3:12).  We also know that ONLY those who LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS will be SAVED (1 Pet. 4:17,18).

In Romans 8:17,18 we find what is perhaps the crowning passage relative to the persecution those who truly serve God WILL receive while walking God’s Glory Road.  Here they are called heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ “IF WE SUFFER WITH HIM.”  Those who suffer for their walk along God’s Glory Road will follow it straight into the Kingdom of God.

In today’s world being physically attacked and killed for believing and obeying God’s Word is prohibited by law within the civilized world.  This is prophesied to change.  There will come a day when “those who kill you will think they are serving God” (Jn. 16:2).  Only those who believe they are God’s people believe that they are serving Him.  These are those who call Him “Lord, Lord” but refuse to obey Him, who “worship Me in vain,” to whom He will say at judgment: “I never knew you.  Depart from Me ye workers of iniquity (Lawlessness).”   Such people call themselves “Sinners Saved By Grace.”  L.J.