Sunday, July 5, 2015

our inheritance in Christ...

photograph by Rita Moenck
Rita Moenck’s photograph of these rocks inspired me as I was listening to Bethel Music’s new hymn, One Thing Remains… higher than the mountains that I face, stronger than the power of the grave, constant in the trial and the change, this one thing remains…in death, in life, I'm confident and covered by, the power of Your great love, my debt is paid, there's nothing that can separate my heart from Your great love… Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me…

How grateful we are for the Cross, the finished work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our daily relationship with Him, the guarantee of our inheritance...my heart is drawn back to Ephesians Chapter One for a word study of the word, “inheritance,” from Ephesians 1:11-12. Jesus Christ is the ground or source of our divine inheritance. These truths are life changing…


Ephesians 1:11-12...

Amplified: In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will, so that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!

NET: In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of Him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of His will so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of His glory.

Phillips: And here is the staggering thing—that in all which will one day belong to Him we have been promised a share (since we were long ago destined for this by the One Who achieves His purposes by His sovereign will), so that we, as the first to put our confidence in Christ, may bring praise to his glory! And you too trusted Him, when you heard the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. And after you gave your confidence to Him you were, so to speak, stamped with the promised Holy Spirit as a guarantee of purchase, until the day when God completes the redemption of what He has paid for as His own; and that will again be to the praise of His glory.

Wuest: In Whom also we were made an inheritance, having been previously marked out according to the purpose of the One Who operates all things according to the counsel of His will with a view to our being to the praise of His glory who had previously placed our hope in the Christ.

Young’s Literal: In Whom also we did obtain an inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him who the all things is working according to the counsel of His will, for our being to the praise of His glory, [even] those who did first hope in the Christ.

Inheritance (kleroo) means to choose or determine by lot. In the passive sense (as in this use—passive voice) it means to obtain an inheritance or be appointed an heir. Believers became heirs of God because He predestined us according to His purpose. The “lot” in a sense then fell to believers, not by chance, but solely because of His gracious, sovereign choice. The Apostle Paul uses the aorist tense to refer to a definite action in the past. When something in the future was so certain that it could not possibly fail to happen, the Greek language often spoke as if it had already occurred. To be sure, to an extent all believers have already received an inheritance, but there is a certain future inheritance awaiting every believer.

Pastor Ray Stedman clarifies the meaning of kleroo, “The question is, are you enjoying your inheritance? Do you wake in the morning and remind yourself at the beginning of the day... I'm a child of the Father. I've been chosen by Him to be a member of His family. He imparts to me all the richness of His life. His peace, His joy, His love are my legacy, my inheritance, from which I can draw every moment of life, and have them no matter what my circumstances may be. Do you reckon on these unseen things which are real and true? -- because, if you do, when you trust in God's grace to be your present experience, you can know of yourself what the Father said three times about His Son Jesus. God the Father, looking down at you can say, This fellow here, this girl there, this man, this woman -- this is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased. That is our inheritance."

Commentator John MacArthur explains the passive form of the verb kleroo as “the believers who receive the inheritance. Throughout Scripture believers are spoken of as belonging to God, and He is spoken of as belonging to them. The New Testament speaks of our being in Christ and of His being in us, of our being in the Spirit and of His being in us. The practical side of that truth is that, because we are identified with Christ, our lives should be identified with His life. We are to love as He loved, help as He helped, care as He cared, share as He shared, and sacrifice our own interests and welfare for the sake of others just as He did. Like our Lord, we are in the world to lose our lives for others.”

Theologian Henry A. Ironside describes klero this way…”On the entrance into the narrow way that leads to life eternal is plainly depicted the text, "Whosoever will, let him come." Every man is invited, no one need hesitate. God's invitation is absolutely sincere; it is addressed to every man, "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” The door could be entered by all, but many refused to come and perished in their sins. Such men can never blame God for their eternal destruction. The door was open, the invitation was given, they refused, and He says to them sorrowfully, "Ye will not come unto Me, that ye might have life." [But some will say], "I am going inside: I will accept the invitation; I will enter that door," and he presses his way in and it shuts behind him. As he turns about he finds written on the inside of the door the words, "Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.”

Evangelist and teacher Oswald Chambers loved the poetry of Robert Browning and often quoted a phrase from the poem Rabbi Ben Ezra: The best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made. Our times are in His hand. As the principal of the Bible Training College in London from 1911 to 1915, Chambers often said that the school's initials, B.T.C., also stood for "Better To Come." He believed that the future was always bright with possibility because of Christ. In a letter to former students written during the dark days of World War I, Chambers said, "Whatever transpires, it is ever 'the best is yet to be.'" 

No matter what our circumstances are in this life, in Christ, we know and believe that we can wake in the morning and remind ourselves at the beginning of our day...I'm a child of the Father. I've been chosen by Him to be a member of His family. He imparts to me all the richness of His life. His peace, His joy, His love are my legacy, my inheritance, from which I can draw every moment of life, and have them no matter what my circumstances may be...and the best is yet to be. That is our inheritance.

Previous posts from Ephesians Chapter One…

Ephesians 1:1-2

Ephesians 1:3-4

Ephesians 1:5-6

Ephesians 1:7

Ephesians 1:8

Ephesians1:9-10

Ephesians 1:13-14

Ephesians1:15-17

Ephesians 1:18-19

Ephesians 1:20-21

Ephesians 1:22-23

Weekly LinkUps…
 

26 comments:

  1. So encouraging to read .... "The best is yet to come!" Grateful we were neighbors this morning at Sharing His Beauty. You truly did. Thank you!

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  2. as always dear Beth, I learn and grow through the way you teach from various sources which give us all a deeper understanding.
    If only those who have not accepted the invitation knew what they were missing !!!
    So glad to be with you, counted among those whose names are written in the book of life.

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    1. Thank you, Mary! Your kind words are always an encouragement to me...many blessings to you ❤️

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  3. Amen! The best is yet to come, Beth. God's word and His promises are my inheritance. You're making me smile today because I LOVE Ephesians chapter 1. In fact I memorized it last year, but need to work on it again. (And I LOVE that One Thing Remains Song. The verses are so beautiful and encouraging.)

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    1. Betsy, thank you for your comments...what a great achievement to memorize Ephesians Chapter One...what a blessing it is ❤️

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  4. Beautiful! I love the last part of your post today. Your words speak to my heart as a beautiful reminder that I am God's child chosen by Him. I cannot hear those words enough. Thank you for your scripture and song connection. I love this about your posts. Have a blessed week!

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    1. Thank you, Mary. You are a wonderful encourager...when I'm writing my posts I often think of your kind and specific comments in response...they are very motivating for me. Many blessings to you!

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    2. I truly love reading your words and always learn so much. Blessed that you shared this at The Weekend Brew.

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  5. Love this! Ephesians 1 is one of my "go to" chapters -- memorized and in need of review along with chapter three. I love the majestic way that Paul talks about God and our relationship with Him -- such privilege!

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    1. Michele, I love that you memorized Ephesians 1, and your description of the majestic way Paul talks about our Lord so true! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  6. A wonderful reminder to me today Beth. Leaning in on that inheritance and promise today. Thankyou for you words and inspiration.

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind comments! I enjoyed your blog post today also...many blessings to you ❤️

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  7. Isn't this a beautifully amazing Truth? God loves us more than we can fathom.

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    1. Amen! I so agree with you...we can rest in the deep, deep love of our Good, Good Father. Many blessings to you ❤️

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  8. Thank you for sharing His Word and linking up on Three Word Wednesday.

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    1. Katie, thank you so much for stopping by. Many blessings to you ❤️

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  9. Beth,
    I'm linked up next to you on three occasions...I believe God really wanted me to read and digest your post. How reassuring that we, as believers, were pre-ordained to receive a wonderful, life-giving inheritance. I take hope in the fact that the lot has already been cast and nothing can take my inheritance away from me. What a beautiful truth with which to begin my day!! Blessings to you Beth!
    Bev xx

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    1. Bev, I so appreciate you taking tIme to write such an encouraging comment! I have also enjoyed your posts and have been greatly blessed by them ❤️

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  10. Beth,
    ps. to my previous post...After reading your blog post, I went for a long walk and was listening to Christy Nockels latest cd. The song, "Everything Is Mine In You" came on and it spoke of the inheritance we have in Christ. The one chorus line says, "You are my inheritance and in You, I have everything I need." Amen!!
    Bev xo

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    1. Bev, thank you for this precious "p.s."... I love Christy Nockels, and the lyrics to this new song are so filled with Scripture...what a great way to reinforce God's Word in our minds and hearts...many blessings to you ❤️

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  11. Thank you so much Beth for sharing this encouraging post with us at Good Morning Mondays. What a wonderful inheritance we have. Blessings to you.

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    1. Terri, thank you so much for your kind comments, you are a wonderful encourager to me and so many others. Many blessings to you ❤️

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  12. Beth...You leave me with the reminder that as a child of God I am blessed beyond measure. Thank you for sharing at Monday's Musings. :-)

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    1. Naomi, thank you so much for your kind words...many blessings to you ❤️

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