Inheritance
1:11-14
The next spiritual blessing we receive in Christ is an inheritance.
We know from the Old Testament that God chose a people for his inheritance. Israel was his portion, or inheritance. Deuteronomy 4:20 says “But the LORD has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day.” Out of all the nations on the earth, the Lord chose Israel to be his people, and so they were his portion on the earth.
God then gave Israel an inheritance, the land of Canaan. (Deuteronomy 4:28) Then, the land was divided by tribes and then by clans or families. The plot of land allotted to you was your inheritance. It could not be permanently taken away from you. So, an Israelite father could tell his child, someday this land will be yours as your inheritance. You do not own it today, but in the future you will and no one can take it from you.
In verse 11, then, Paul presents the church as God’s chosen people. He says we, meaning believers, have obtained an inheritance. (ESV) The NIV captures the thought by saying “in him we were also chosen”, but it does not specifically refer to an inheritance, as does the ESV, NASB, and KJV. But, the inheritance concept ties into verse 14, which is the conclusion of this thought.
So, when we come to Christ, and are “in Christ”, we receive an inheritance. It is our place in the kingdom of God. (Acts 20:32) And it is our permanent place in heaven and then in the New Earth. In a sense, you have a place reserved for you in eternity. Jesus alluded to this in John 14:2-3. He said “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, the where I am you may be also.”
The Book of Revelation describes the ultimate fulfillment of our promise of inheritance as God makes everything new and there is a beautiful new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. It has the river of the water of life running down the middle of it, with the trees of life growing on either side. The throne of God and the Lamb are also in it. (Revelation 21-22)
This is predestined by God, who works all things according to the counsel of his will. If God predestines it, it will happen.
Isaiah 46:9-11 says “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying ‘my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose…I have spoken and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed and I will do it”.
The end, or goal, of these things is the praise of God’s glory. (12) So, it is really not all about us. It is about him.
This inheritance is our hope. “Hope” in the Bible does not mean “wish”, rather it is a certain thing that gives us assurance. Our eternal salvation and place in eternity with the Lord is our certain hope. There are denominations that believe and teach that you may lose your salvation. But, here, Paul writes that we we came to faith in Christ, we received the Holy Spirit and were sealed with him. He is actually the guarantee of our inheritance until we receive it. He is God dwelling with us as believers until we live in the presence of God in eternity. (13-14) Calvin wrote: The whole comes to this, that the Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectually binds us to himself.” (Institutes, Book 3, Chapter 1, section 1) Again, all of this is to the praise of his glory.
Peter also voices this truth of inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-5 says “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation read to be revealed in the last time”.
There are denominations that believe and teach that you may lose your salvation. But, here, Paul writes that when we came to faith in Christ, we received the Holy Spirit and were sealed with him. He is actually the guarantee of our inheritance until we receive it. He is God dwelling with us as believers until we live in the presence of God in eternity. (13-14)
Calvin wrote: The whole comes to this, that the Holy Spirit is the bond by which Christ effectually binds us to himself.” (Institutes, Book 3, Chapter 1, section 1)
Again, all of this is to the praise of God’s glory.
So, the idea of a sure inheritance leads us to the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, which might better be stated as God’s preservation of the saints. Baptists have called this “once saved\always saved”. Those who have been chosen by God and redeemed by Christ are eternally saved. You do not lose your salvation. God holds it, not you.
The fact that God says we have an inheritance and that he predestined it gives us assurance.
The Baptist Faith and Message, section V says:
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.
The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith states:
Those whom God has accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved,
Article III, Chapter 8 of the Westminster Confession says:
The doctrine of this high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending to the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election. So shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God; and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.
Certainly there are false confessions. There are people who “walk the aisle” because of peer or family pressure or to look good. Those folks will likely fall away, or realize later in life that they are not saved and will come to genuine faith in Christ.
Certainly, there are also those who fall into sin for a period of time. But the true believer will not persist in sin, but will come to repentance and return to a life of commitment to Christ.
But, to believe that we lose our salvation is to deny the sufficiency of Christ’s death on the cross for us. Christ died for all of our sins, past and future.
“Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:28)
“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:14)
“It is finished.” (John 19:30) Jesus declared that all the work that needed to be done to pay for our sins had been completed.
So, why do Christians confess their sins? Christians sin. (1 John 1:8) We fight sin to become more like Christ as we grow in him.
We have fellowship with God as believers, but that fellowship is damaged when we sin. (1 John 1:6) We confess, God forgives, and fellowship is restored\maintained. (1 John 1:9)
I pray that you will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And that you will have assurance of your salvation and your inheritance in Christ that brings you peace and joy.
May you sing with the hymn writer, Fanny Crosby:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood.
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