The Purpose of the Christian Life - The Believers Inheritance
Thought about the power of the Christian life, noted that that power is directed to a point, an end, a goal (1:4), that power is taking us somewhere.
When we first get saved, the most pressing matters are those of:
The Judgment of God against Sin - avoiding hell
The emptiness of life without Christ, the absence of purpose without God - getting in touch with God
Both of which must be subjects in our gospel preaching both formally and informally:
Sin, judgment, the righteousness of God.
The person of Christ - His all sufficiency - this is the emphasis in Johns Gospel with the 7 X 'I AM's' of Johns Gospel
Sometimes meet believers who never progress much beyond that sadly.
we are going on a journey, we are going "to an inheritance" (v4)
What is that inheritance?
What is the Believers Inheritance?
Note this at the outset: that whatever this inheritance turns out to be, it must be worth the price paid for it!
If this inheritance is what the Christian life is focused upon, if it is the goal of the Christian experience, if it is the goal for which I was saved it must be a worthy aim and object for the blood of Christ which was shed to save me and to give me this goal as the aim and object of my existence (1:18-19).
Note 3 great biblical truths concerning our inheritance:
Our Inheritance is Marked by the Character of God
Our Inheritance is Linked to the Coming of Christ
Our Inheritance is Contained within the Purpose of God
Our Inheritance is Marked by the Character of God
Note the 3 adjectives in 1:4 describing the inheritance:
"incorruptible"
"undefiled"
"fadeth not away"
"incorruptible"
"incorruptible" - 862 - "αφθαρτον" - undecaying, immortal
Used 7 X in the NT - only 7 times, cf. the use of 'dunamis' - 120 X
often with the idea of something eternal.
Perhaps of some relevance to our study it is usually used of a person:
Rom1:23 "The Glory of the incorruptible God"
1Tim1:17 "The King eternal, immortal, invisible"
1Co15:52 "The dead shall be raised incorruptible"
1Peter 3:4 "The hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible"
1Peter1:23 "incorruptible seed"
1Co9:25 "Incorruptible crown"
1Peter1:4
"Undefiled"
"Undefiled" - 283 - "αμιαντον"
Only used 4 times in the NT:
1Peter1:4
Heb13:4 "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge"
James1:27 "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
Heb7:26 "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" - used of the Person of Christ.
"Fadeth not away"
"fadeth not away" - one word in the Greek - 263 - "αμαραντον"
Used only here in the NT
Note in passing the use of the word "reserved" - 5083 - "τετηρημενην"
It is used 4 times in 2 Peter of individuals reserved to judgment: 2Peter2:4; 2:9; 2:17; 3:7
Remember there is no middle ground!
We are reserved to a Divine inheritance or we are reserved to eternal judgment!
Perhaps then there are some things we can conclude already about our inheritance:
Obviously it is nothing material, obviously it is not possessions per se.
Neither can it find its fulfillment solely in passages of scripture such as Rev20:4 - in reigning with Christ during the millennium, for this inheritance is eternal and it 'fadeth nor away'
Our Inheritance is Linked to the Coming of Christ
The believer has an inheritance (v4), through the trials and difficulties of life (1:6) the believer is being preserved by the “power of God” (1:5) to ultimately obtain that inheritance.
Therefore the believer has something to look forward to: "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1:5)
More than that the believer has something to “rejoice” (v6) : ‘jump for joy’ (Strongs).
Not only are we looking forward to our inheritance but we are looking forward to the ‘revelation’ of our inheritance (v5), assuming that the apostle is continuing to speak of the believers inheritance in verse 5 we note that we are awaiting the 'revelation' of that inheritance.
The word used for "revealed" is 601: "αποκαλυφθηναι"
In verse 5 we are awaiting the unveiling of our "salvation" of our "inheritance"
Come down the verses we find that we not only “rejoice” in something, our inheritance, but we are ‘rejoicing’ in someone (v8) – the same word as verse 6:: ‘jump for joy’
Furthermore as we rejoice in a person, we await the unveiling of a person; we are awaiting the unveiling, "the appearing" - "αποκαλυψει" of Jesus Christ!
In these 4 verses then we note:
2 things we look forward to: something and someone
2 fold revelation – of our inheritance and of Jesus Christ
2 things in which I rejoice – my inheritance and Christ
Eph1:11:
Eph1:11 - My inheritance is "in" Christ
Our inheritance lies in our relationship with Christ
Recall the importance of our relationship with the Lord in scripture:
It was our relationship with the Lord that was lost at Eden
Gods desire and mans yearning was for that communion to be restored
Gods pattern and Gods pointers were towards a day when that relationship would be finally and fully restored - pictures of it were given in the tabernacle and in the temple.
That relationship comes closer in the Church
In eternity the relationship between God and redeemed mankind is finally and fully restored: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Rev21:3)
As a pledge of this inheritance we have been given the Holy Spirit (Eph1:13-14), He is the "earnest" of our inheritance - from which comes the Greek word for engagement ring.
Note that it is our inheritance which is the object of our predestination! God has a plan, a purpose, an object in mind for my life, not only here but into eternity! He has a 'destiny' set out before hand, this is my inheritance. If I could find what that destiny is to which He has predestinated me then I will have discovered my inheritance!
Eph1:5:
Eph1:5 - "Unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ"
Here is the object of my predestination - My Destiny Lies in a Relationship!
In Romans 8:29 Paul adds details to this
Our inheritance lies in our relationship with Christ
Rom8:29:
Rom8:29 - "To be conformed to the image of His Son"
Not only does my destiny lie in a relationship but through this relationship
My Destiny Lies in a Resemblance - to be like Christ!
To be an heir of God is to be "glorified with Christ" (Rom8:17)
That is a "glory" which shall be "revealed in us" (Rom8:18)
The purpose of this relationship is resemblance and the goal of this resemblance is to bring Glory to Christ!
My Destiny and My Inheritance - we've followed it through the NT scriptures:
It is marked by the character of God: incorruptible, undefiled and it fadeth not away because my inheritance is in Gods Son it lies in Christ.
We look for the revelation of our inheritance and we look for the revelation of Christ because our inheritance is in Christ.
My inheritance is that to which God predestinates me (Eph1:11)
My inheritance is to be adopted as a son of God (Eph1:5) and thus to be like Christ (Rom8:29)
This is the same destiny which John anticipated (1John 3:2)
When that takes place Gods purpose for His Son and for His people will be fulfilled, for Christ will be glorified in His people, as Christ is seen in us for all eternity (2 Thess1:10-12)
To be like Christ will be our glory and for Christ to be glorifies in us will be His Glory!
Note the picture of it in Isaac and Rebekah, as Rebekah comes to Isaac on a journey of faith, guided by the unnamed servant but with the pledge of an inheritance, what is her occupation, what is her goal and desire? Is it what she will get or gain from Isaac? Surely her goal and occupation is Isaac himself!
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