“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.” (Ephesians 1:18)
My parents are on borrowed time. They have enjoyed long, healthy lives far beyond the allotted three score and ten. But given their humanness, they will eventually have to go the way of their fathers. Since my dad is not a wealthy man, I do not anticipate receiving a large inheritance. Still, his possessions, meager though they may be, will be passed on to my brother and me. His property becomes our property when he dies because we are his descendants. It’s one of the privileges of being children.
This right of inheritance is assumed in most cultures, present and past. In the story of the prodigal son, for example, there was no question about whether the younger son had a share in his father’s estate. In fact, the father was able to determine its worth while still living and give it to the young fool. Like wildflowers in springtime, a son’s inheritance is not a matter of if, but of what and when.
God’s Son also expects to inherit something. And, like the prodigal, He does not have to wait until His Father’s death to receive it. Jesus inherits everything. He gets it all, literally. We have already seen from Colossians 1:15 that everything in the heavens and earth, visible or invisible (which pretty much sums up the possibilities), was created for Jesus. Similarly, the second verse of Hebrews calls Jesus the “heir of all things.” I urge you to let this sink in all the way to the bone. The implications could not be more significant. Every particle—every atom down to the most microscopic level and all of the minuscule things the human eye may never be able to perceive—all of it belongs to Jesus Christ and was created for Him. The millions of stars, planets, and galaxies, all of it to the very end of the universe, far beyond what man’s eye will ever reach, has Christ as its Lord and its purpose for existence. The cosmological and telic answers to each and every “Why?” is “for Him!”
Another way to understand this would be to say that all things exist for the sake of the Son of God and in order for the Father to bequeath them to His Son. The cosmos is Christ’s estate, created specifically for Him. Angels do not exist for their own sakes. Even their ministry to those who are being saved is, in the final analysis, a service to the One who saved them. Aaron’s priesthood was a temporary, typical ministry to Israel. Its greater purpose was like that of John the Baptist—proclaim Christ and then get out of the way. Moses was a servant in God’s house, but Jesus, the heir, owns it. The Old Covenant was not the eternal covenant. It existed to provoke and reveal sin so that the co-heirs with Christ would believe in Him and thereby be adopted into His family. The promises of land, children, and the nations, which God made to Abraham, were given to his Seed. He is the final heir of everything. It all belongs to Jesus.
It’s been said that there is not a single square inch in all the universe over which Jesus Christ does not say, “Mine!” This is the constant refrain of the New Testament (and the Old Testament, for that matter). If it exists, the Father has given it to His Son. The answer, then, to the question, “What’s it all for?” is “Jesus.” He gets the entire universe as His inheritance.
You Are God’s Gift to Jesus
Consider it! You were given as a gift from the Father to the Son. Your chief objective, therefore, throughout the next hour, and the one after that, and the one after that ad infinitum (literally) is to be an appropriate gift. You do not exist for your sake, but for His. Your time, family, friends, job, possessions, indeed your very life in toto is not ultimately yours, but His.
I like to address this with my kids by saying something like, “Son, it’s time for another astronomy lesson. Here is the center of the universe. Guess what? It’s not you.” We need to be reminded of that frequently, even as adults. The world does not revolve around me or you. But it does revolve around Jesus. He is the center of the universe. It all exists for Him. All of the multifarious aspects of God’s wonderful work of creation are bequeathed by the Father to His Son for His everlasting enjoyment.
Someday, all things will be made new, all things will be re-generated, all things will be purified into a universe worthy of the Son of God. The new heavens and new earth will be devoid of all degradation and decay because such things don’t belong in God’s heritage. Only gold streets, diamond gates, and righteous citizens are proper for a divine heir. Even death is ruled out of order where the giver of life dwells. Every vestige of sin and its corruptions will be removed when the time comes for Jesus to take possession of His grand estate.
This is why the New Testament repeatedly teaches the “become who you are” principle. We have been made new, therefore we should live as new creatures. We have put on the new man, therefore we should put on the new man. We have been sanctified, therefore we should behave distinctly. We are Christ’s inheritance and we should live worthy of the calling. A person worthy of the Light of the world will not walk in darkness. A person worthy of life-giving Water will not swim in bitter, lukewarm streams. A person worthy of the Great Shepherd will not hang out with the wolves. Christ has inherited you. He purchased you with His own blood. Your greatest ambition in life ought to be to become the most excellent inheritance possible for God’s Son. All who love and long for His appearing will purify themselves, wanting to be found faithful, pleasing, and acceptable to Him. We want Him to rejoice in His inheritance.
So, Christian, are you using His money for your glory? Are you fornicating with His body? Are you wasting His time and talents? Are you defacing His landscapes? Are you slandering and dividing His people? Are you acting as though time, people, and events should focus on what makes you happy rather than what makes Him happy? If so, I urge you to remember that you were created for Him, not the other way around.
Your Country Is God’s Gift to Jesus
What is true of people individually is true of us collectively. The nations exist for Christ to inherit. Have you ever thought about that? Let me help you think for a moment:
People are fascinating to look at. We come in different shapes and sizes. Our features are featured diversely. Our shading varies. Our faces display degrees of roundness or flatness. Some noses protrude more than others, as do some chins. Some are tall, others small. Some are thin, others not so much. There are dark people, fair-skinned people, and all versions in between. And although emigration, intermarriage, and time prevent clear boundaries from maintaining, we can generally categorize the looks of people according to their ethnic heritage. God created distinct nations with physically distinguishing characteristics. And we haven’t mentioned differences in language, culture, customs, recreation, arts, and the many other interesting traits that make us fascinating to watch.
Why the diversity in nations, languages, traditions, and appearances? Why has God scattered humanity across the globe?
In Psalm 2:8, God says to His Son, “Ask of me, and I will give the nations as Your inheritance and the ends of the earth as Your possession.” There’s our answer. People groups and civilizations exist for Christ’s sake.
The opening words of Psalm 2 find God laughing at the kings of the earth. Why? Because they are devising a plan to take Him out. Global peace has finally come as the world unites to make war against its Maker. They are enraged at His audacity in thinking that He has the right to rule over them. They have had enough. They will cast off His chains once and for all and be done with Him. Then they will be free! And finally everything will be left in the hands of almighty man to do whatever is right in his own eyes. This peon rebellion makes God chuckle. It’s like when my six year-old son charges Mount Dad with foam darts. You know, the kind with the plastic suction cups on the end? It’s cute. Laughable. Silly. Fun even.
If you read the Psalm, you will notice that their ire is directed not only at the Lord, but also against His Anointed. They are furious with Christ. They refuse to submit to Him as their king. This, in turn, makes God furious. Suddenly, He is no longer laughing. He is irate at their insurrection. He has established His King and commanded all nations to bow before Him. That’s their reason for being. He made them to be His inheritance. He said to His Son, “Ask, and I will make the nations Your heritage.” The Son asked. The nations belong to Him now. Failure to bow before His lordship is cause for capital punishment of the most capital kind. He will handle these insubordinate imps like they were clay pots, dashing them against the rocks and scattering their pieces in the ocean waves. There is only one way to avoid this disaster. The nations must repent. They must kiss the Son. They must flee to His grace for refuge, kneel before His majesty, and love Him, or else face His wrath.
We who live in the U.S. tend to get all bent out of shape over our government’s economic decisions, or its foreign policies, or any number of other issues. They matter to us because they impact our lives and take our money. But I wonder whether we react more as American citizens than as kingdom citizens. The truth is that many of our fellow citizens and leaders have thrown off the shackles of King Jesus. They refuse to bow the knee to Him. They will suffer the consequences in due time. In the meantime, does congressional spending bother us more than their rejection of Christ? Are we more concerned with our 401(k) than with His honor? What do our words, emotions, and actions say?
The same is true of Canada, France, Mexico, India, Russia, China, and all other countries. There is no single nation whose leaders avowedly rule in allegiance to God’s Son. Why would anyone think that their nation is safe from His wrath? Every day in which the Owner of the vineyard allows His rebellious stewards to drink wine rather than blood is a day of divine patience. Someday it will run out. And who is tasked to sound the alarm? His witnesses. You and me. But we will never do it if we don’t really believe it, if we’re really more American (or German or whatever) than Christian.
Most Christians I know would readily agree that Jesus is Lord now. But I’m not sure that most believe that He is actually doing much with His lordship. Maybe in individual lives He does some things like picking us up when we fall or comforting us through a difficult situation or helping us get a better shift at work. But beyond that, He’s just sort of hanging around Heaven waiting to come get us. That’s when the real action starts. We become functional deists.
The biblical testimony is that He is sovereignly reigning over everything that happens. He is actively placing His feet upon the backs of His enemies. He is calling the nations to fulfill their mandate of being His inheritance. He is seeking those who willingly pay homage to His glory, and preparing to destroy those who don’t. He is receiving and expurgating His heritage. Those of us who know this truth must be open in our allegiance to Him and warn others of His coming wrath.