By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #189 ~
“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17a). That Christians are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Jesus Christ seems too good to be true. But it is true! In the book of Romans your entire salvation is explained in detail. Rom. 1:18 – 8:16 speaks about the past, your justification, how you became positionally holy, and about the present, your sanctification, how you can be practically holy. But Rom. 8:17-30 talks about your hope, that you are an heir of God, and that you will be perfectly holy and gloriously blessed in the future.
“… if children, heirs also, heirs of God” (Rom. 8:17a). One of the incredibly great blessings of being a child of God is that you are an heir of God. An earthly heir receives from his parents or relatives an earthly inheritance, whether its money, property, or some personal or prized possessions. But we are talking about you being an heir of God, the One who is Creator, Lord, and now your heavenly Father. This means that God Himself is your portion (Ps. 119:57), that He is your Father and you are His child (Rev. 21:7), that He wants to have intimate fellowship with you, that He loves you personally, intensely, and eternally, and wants to bless your life far more than you could ever imagine. How exciting and wonderful to be a child of God and an heir of God!
“… if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17a). You are not just an heir of God, but a fellow heir with Jesus Christ. And Christ is an “heir of all things” (Heb. 1:2), and all things means everything in this world. The Father said to Jesus, “I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession” (Ps. 2:8). As a child of God, you will receive not just a fraction but a full share of Christ’s inheritance. To think that Christ will fully share with every believer His inheritance is beyond belief, but it’s the truth! As Christians we will be like Christ (1 John 3:2). We will reign with Christ (Rev. 5:10). We will share in the glory that Christ received – “The glory which Thou has given Me I have given to them” (John 17:22). Like Christ, we will inherit the earth – “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:3). And we will inherit “a new heaven and a new earth” – “He who overcomes will inherit all these things, and I will be His God and he will be My son” (Rev. 21:1, 8).
“We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:10). The Greek construction of “we have obtained an inheritance” does not mean you have already received this inheritance, but that it’s guaranteed, it’s certain to happen. Being an heir of God is what your heavenly Father predestined and planned out for you a long time ago. “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). You cannot fathom how much your heavenly Father loves you – and He shows you His love by greatly blessing you in this age, but even more so, in the kingdom ages to come.
“… the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:14). When you became a Christian, you received the Holy Spirit – and He’s the down payment of your inheritance. A major aspect of this inheritance is that you will be redeemed, you will be given a powerful, immortal, spiritual, and glorified body (1 Cor. 15:42-44), which takes place at the rapture (1 Cor. 15:51-53). Being blessed in this wonderful way brings God tremendous glory. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.” Eph. 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Once you are born again, you have a living hope, this expectation, this confidence that you will “obtain an inheritance.” This inheritance is “imperishable”, for it is eternal in nature and can never be destroyed. It is “undefiled” which means it is perfect and can never be corrupted or marred by sin. It “will not fade away”, for it will never lose its magnificence, beauty, or glory. Peter goes on to say that you “are protected by the power of God for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:5), and this is God making sure that you will be given this inheritance in the future. Even the angels serve you, further ensuring you that you will receive this inheritance. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” Heb. 1:14
“He saved us… according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit… so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy statement” (Titus 3:5-7). What can we conclude?
* An amazing result of being a child of God is that you are an heir of God, which means you have real hope, the guarantee of a perfect and fantastic future. The best is yet to come!
* Being an heir of God means you will be unbelievably rich. You will not be a random forgiven sinner sitting in some far corner of heaven, but you will be a child of God and an heir of God, and be literally reigning and living with Jesus, and sharing in His spiritual and physical blessings.
* That you are an heir of God relates directly to prophecy and His promises about the future and, in particular, His personal and special plans for you. “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” Gal. 3:29, Gen. 12:1-3
* You may suffer in this life, but remember, “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Rom. 8:18
* It’s important to ask God to reveal to you the greatness and the glory of your inheritance. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” Eph. 1:18
* Cry out to God, “Abba Father”, and thank Him for how much He has loved you, does love you, and will love you forever and ever. Rom. 8:15, Psalm 86:12-13
P.S. A personal friend of mine and a great scholar in the area of end-time’s prophecy is Alan Kurschner. You would do well to look at his website, Eschatos Ministries, and read some of the things he has written. Just recently, he produced a documentary / movie entitled “7 Pretrib Problems and the Prewrath Rapture.” I would encourage you to take the time to watch this – you will learn a lot, especially as it relates to Christ’s return and the rapture of the church.