“For you know the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might be rich” (II Corinthians 8:9).

It is an amazing wonder when we contemplate the mind of God in Christ in sharing His glorious riches with us through Christ Jesus, the Son.

The richness of the glory of God is hidden in the story of the Rich Young Ruler who had his encounter with Jesus, when Jesus said to the young man, “sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come follow Me” (Luke 18:22). There is no hypocrisy in Christ, no demand or request beyond what He did when he emptied Himself of His pre-incarnate glory with the Father to come and pour out everything of Himself even unto death, the death of the Cross; and then to raise us to be co-heirs with Him in the Resurrection (cf. Romans 8:17).

The Equality of God is an equality based in the Father’s Heart to raise up sons unto Himself and bring these sons into His Glory:

“For it became Him for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things in bringing many sons unto Glory, to make the Captain of their Salvation perfect through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10).

Follow Me. There are numerous passages in the Gospels when Jesus said those words to individuals, and to groups of His disciples. Indeed, it is as Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). We follow Him into His death and burial. We follow Him into His resurrection. We follow Him in sacrifice, in laying down our lives for His sake. We follow Him in obedience and in doing the will of the Father. Yes, we follow Him even to being seated with Him in the Heavens (cf. Ephesians 2:6).

“These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb” (Revelation 14:4b).

The equality of God does that. He makes all things equal in Himself. This is the way it has been from the beginning, when God said,

“Let us make Man in Our Image, after Our Likeness; and let them have dominion. . .” (Genesis 1:26a).

This is the difference between the equality in the mind of men and equality in the mind of God. Man’s equality is to bring everyone down, the great leveling among men. God’s equality is to raise everyone up to share in the riches of His Glory in His Son. These are the true riches of which Christ has spoken repeatedly:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

That is the key, isn’t it? Where is my treasure? What am I after? What is in my heart?

Jesus told us the story of the Lord of the Vineyard who gave everyone what he had committed to give them, one penny for the day. And that is what everyone received, regardless of when they started to work, whether early in the day or later in the afternoon. Then Jesus said to them:

“So, the last shall be first, and the first last. . .” (Matthew 20:16).

That is the equality of God. God is good to all and gives Eternal Life to all who believe. That is what He promised us in His Son Who has redeemed us to God by His blood, and given us all the same Holy Spirit and made us One in Christ, as Brethren where:

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all One in Christ Jesus. And if you be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s Seed, and Heirs according to the Promise” (Galatians 3:28-29).

The Equality of God is an equality of Glory, of Honor, of Immortality, Eternal Life in Jesus, the Son, for all those who follow Him whithersoever He may lead. That was His Promise and that is what He has been faithful to deliver.

“For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all who call upon Him” (Romans 10:12).

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