379. The Inheritance

Christ is the heir. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge dwell in Him bodily. He has been victorious and inherits all things, because everything is created by Him and for Him. An heir must have wisdom and understanding to administrate and manage that which he inherits, and Christ has exactly that. “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” Rom. 8:17. “For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.” Heb. 9:17. Jesus Christ was God’s only begotten Son. In order to be able to transfer the inheritance to us, He had to suffer death, and by the resurrection from the dead He received the Holy Spirit from the Father. He poured out the Holy Spirit over the children who are born from above of incorruptible seed. This Spirit “is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Eph. 1:14. It is this Spirit of whom Jesus said, “He will guide you into all truth.” What does it mean to be guided into all truth? Well, it is simply to be given the knowledge of the inheritance with all its contents. The inheritance encompasses not only the heavenly things, but also the earthly things. For those who lose their life will find it. We can also see it when we see the bride, “the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Rev. 21:2. And the nations shall walk in the light of the city. These nations are located on the new earth. The nations are of the earth, but the bride is heavenly. Here God unites the earthly with the heavenly, and it becomes true what is written, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things.” Verse 7. “The kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.” Verse 24. When Paul thought about the inheritance, he wrote to the Corinthians: “Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death or things present or things to come—all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” 1 Cor. 3:21-23.

But some will ask, Do the abundant riches of the seas belong to the inheritance? Is the earth with all of its fullness included? Certainly, we see that in the words “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” Psalm 24:1. It belongs to the heir, and subsequently, it is for His joint heirs too. Likewise it is written, “Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.” Isa. 60:5-6. What more belongs to the inheritance? To be sure, all the characteristics of Christ: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, etc. In other words, the fruits of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22. In order to inherit all things, Jesus Christ had to descend into the lower depths of the earth so He could bring salvation and liberation, starting from the very bottom. After He had suffered death in His flesh, in the Spirit He had to go and preach to the spirits held captive since the days of Noah. 1 Pet. 3:18-20. These spirits should also be included in the inheritance. He was the stronger man who entered the strong man’s house and bound him. Not only that, but He crushed the serpent’s head and took hold of the keys of death and the kingdom of death. We can see by this that the heir, Jesus Christ, is a powerful individual. And we, as His bride, have become one flesh with Him. We can understand from the relationship between an earthly bride and bridegroom that our joint commitment in the inheritance with Him must be exceedingly great. Yet it is actually not on account of the inheritance that we fear and love God, but out of a pure love for the Son, Jesus Christ. We must, therefore, in simple faithfulness devote ourselves completely to obedience to Him, who will conform us to the image of His Son. Rom. 8:29.