Why do you feel the need to teach about either hierarchy in heaven or one's appreciation of heaven? I refer to one of your visits to England when you taught there is a hierarchy in heaven, and that what or how well you do will determine your place there. In 2002 you seemed to revise this, but along the same lines still taught that your appreciation of your faith determines how much you will appreciate heaven. Now what concerns me is that your teaching seems to fly in God's face. When we look at the Parable of the Talents, all the men who had achieved more with what they were given were welcomed into the banquet. It was only the man who did nothing that did not receive anything at all. I want to draw your attention to the fact that those who achieve some more, with what they were given, were invited to the same banquet. People were not invited to different "levels" of banquet. Now you seem to be getting (in my opinion) on to the right track. As I think, it is wrong for you to teach that there are hierarchies in heaven or that our degrees of appreciation appear to be more than or less than another. As in a climate of legalism as we have been in the church some Christians may latch onto your teaching and wrongly think themselves worthy or unworthy, as I have in the past.—Elaine (London)
Wow! I think you're reading a lot into my teaching. Though you give me credit for softening my views, in fact my position on heaven hasn't changed for at least 10 years. Though, like you, of course I reject "hierarchy" in heaven, I do believe we will all experience it differently, and that this is somehow related to our attitudes, decisions, and lifestyles as Christians while on the earth.
When I was a young Christian (1970s and 1980s), I scoffed at the idea of "treasure in heaven." It smacked of works salvation, I thought. Later I began to wrestle with what Jesus said about this. He talks about treasure in heaven (in the gospels of Mark and Luke). This may be understood two ways: heaven is the treasure, or heaven contains the treasure. I suppose both possibilities are valid. In Matthew 6:1-6, Jesus suggests that "reward" may be received in more than one way. Perhaps the reward is simply praise—praise from men (down here), or praise from God (up there). You might appreciate C. S. Lewis' essay The Weight of Glory if you want to continue exploring this thought.
I believe that at the last day, all the saved will receive the same reward—eternity with the Lord! There is no difference. But do we all become the same person? Are there no differences in personality in heaven, or do you think these are obliterated? Because unless we are all made identical--psychologically, emotionally, spiritually--then there most certainly will be differences in perception.
If to you any distinction at all in one's experience of heaven suggests "hierarchy," I suggest you may be misunderstanding the meaning of the word. Or overreacting? I am sorry in the past you were made to feel unworthy (falsely). I do not know what you have been through; I'm not in your shoes. But I sense the pain in your writing. Through my ministry I try to bring comfort and grace to people. Wrong teaching is so damaging. On the other hand, egalitarianism sounds fine but does not always square with what the scriptures teach. Let's not overreact to legalism. Let's not allow it to dictate the agenda.
Also, you are spiritualizing the Parable of the Talents? The simple point of the parable you seem to have grasped well enough. Analyzing the details to derive further doctrines is not the way to read a parable. (See the chapter on parables in Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth; or perhaps read the Parables series by John Willis of Abilene Christian University, or C. H. Dodd's The Parables of the Kingdom, e.g., for more on this.)
I can understand your being suspicious of me for proposing a view that could be misconstrued as supporting works salvation. But if you think this is my personal position, I don't think you have read very much of what I've written through the years. I am a staunch opponent of works salvation. Though I admit I'm growing in my understanding of grace (i.e. since I haven't arrived, logically I must still have a lot of changing to do), I deny that I reject or am uncomfortable with the biblical teaching on the subject. Quite the contrary.
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