The Two Elements of Biblical Inheritance

 The Two Elements of Biblical Inheritance         01-07-25

The first aspect of Biblical inheritance which is guaranteed, is granted because of birthright.Look at Jesus's words in John 3.

John 3:4

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

In verse 5 Jesus uses the word "enter" instead of see.Entrance,not possession of the Kingdom is granted through birthright.This birthright is obtained through belief or it's synonym, faith in the Son of God,the Messiah,Jesus.As stated above, this aspect of inheritance is guaranteed and secured.Not only that, this inheritance is guaranteed by all three persons of the trinity. Father,Son,and Spirit.Look.

John 6:39-40

"And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and *I will raise him up on the last day.”*(Italics mine)

John 10:27-28

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."

Ephesians 1:13-14

"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."

A question for you to kick around.If God is guaranteeing this inheritance of entrance into His Kingdom,that makes Him responsible for your safekeeping doesn't it? It exalts the Work of the Cross..yes? 

God gets all the glory...right? If that be so, then how can we,as fallen creatures, endeavor to claim responsibility for our salvation? Are any of the various requirements(works)either before we believe(repentance)or after we believe(obedience)sufficient?Think about that.What is the mentality that assumes we can offer anything of ourselves to a perfect God,ANYTHING that would be considered worthy in His courtroom?Because according to His Word,that is exactly where we stand outside the shed blood of Jesus.In a courtroom, before a perfect,just Judge.Just sayin"

This inheritance, obtained through spiritual birth by faith,is guaranteed by God and God alone.We must approach Him on His terms,for no other approach will be accepted.One last verse on this guarantee.

1Peter 1:4-5

"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 ready to be revealed in the last time."

This is the Good News,the Gospel.It,being salvation,is absolutely free;and it is absolutely eternal.All we must do is believe. However,there is a second element to this inheritance.This guaranteed, secure inheritance isn't all God has for us.A second aspect awaits us and indeed it will require some work.The good news is God's willingness to pay or reward us for all our labor in carrying out His directives.This inheritance is available to every believer entering the Kingdom. Vine's Expository Dictionary explains this element this way.

"It is conditional on obedience to precepts and faithfulness to God 'amidst opposition'" It is a reward in the coming age.It is an offer to share in the Messiah's glory.

A conditional aspect is found in the 8th Chapter of Romans.Look at this.

Romans 8:3-5.A choice is given to believers.We can live our lives according to "the flesh',or according to "the Spirit.'One empowered by the Spirit,the other,by the "flesh" or the old nature, like an unbeliever.We all have that choice;and,either choice will have consequences in this life and the life to come.Before we look at the 17th verse, we must be mindful of the fact that Paul in this chapter is speaking to believers.These folk have believed in Jesus,have eternal life, and have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.Let's look at verse 17.

Romans 8:17

"The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

Both inheritances are seen in these verses.In this text,Paul has two forms of heirship in mind.In the Greek construction an acceptable English rendering could be,......heirs,on the one hand-of God,and on the other hand,co-heirs with Christ if we suffer...."

Guaranteed because we are children-heirs of God first, however a second heirship offered to those children who co-suffer with Christ as co-heirs.

This brings up an important truth to be examined.Is there a distinction made here and elsewhere between children, based on the quality of their lives here on earth.I turn your attention to Psalm 45.This Psalm,very high, exalted language.It is a marriage-love song.A king awaiting his princess bride.One verse is especially relevant to our discussion.Look at verse 7.

Psalm 45:7

"you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;"

Because this King loved righteousness and hated wickedness,....God anointed Him beyond that of His companions.See the distinction? The anointing was of greater value or it was an anointing that was not given to His companions. Have you ever wondered why Peter,James,and John were the only apostles to witness the glory of Jesus at the transfiguration? Why were Peter,James and John being pulled aside from time to time to witness great events?(Transfiguration,Jairus's daughter)They were also called out in some of His darkest times.(Gethsamane)The Bible does not give the answer.But,there is no doubt that these three apostles formed an inner circle.They seemed to have been given a special privilege of relationship with Jesus that the other Apostles were not given.That being said, look at 2 Timothy for a sec.

2Timothy 2:11-13

"The saying is trustworthy, for:

If we have died with him, we will also live

with him;

if we endure, we will also reign with him;

if we deny him, he also will deny us;

if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself."

Contextually,in chapter 2 Paul is talking about walking the walk.Living the Christian life.Not too much about salvation here.Look closely at vs.12

"IF(caps mine)we endure, we will also reign with Him;if we deny...."

There is a reward awaiting those who endure. a co-heirship which amounts to at least a position of authority in Jesus's Kingdom.Those who endure are also going to reign.Not just live in or occupy, but reign in this coming kingdom.There is going to be honor,authority,and special privilege for those whose lives on this earth are judged worthy of such.We have seen two such examples of elements of a "worthy" life;Suffering and endurance, there are more.A distinction indeed between the children of God. Now,we can go on ad infinitum,in speculation about how this all works out.Not our purpose.All we need know for our purposes is this.There is a reward(s)awaiting believers at the Bema seat judgment.The details are not really described.There are different levels of reward, authority, opportunity based on our obedience and accomplishments for God's Kingdom and Glory.But,there is a negative side to this picture.According to the Word of God,these rewards,inheritaces can be forfeited.To be sure, lest there be confusion, the inheritance of entrance into God's Kingdom cannot,I repeat,CANNOT be forfeited or lost.It is eternal in nature and forever free of charge,for anyone who will believe or have faith in Jesus as THE giver of eternal life.Remember this please, this study is meant to show a differences distinction if you will, between what the Bible calls justification(salvation from hell)and sanctification(living the Christian life).The aim is to help recognize the difference between the two, when reading God's word.It is also of utmost importance, that when God gives us the opportunity to share the Gospel with an unbeliever,if it is only once!That we share with that unsaved one the accurate Good News of what God has done for man and woman.That being said, in our study, we will take a look at the negative aspect of possible loss of reward next time out.

Brothers and sisters,All we must do is believe.

God Bless.