Read this powerful description of who we are and what we have as sons and daughters of God:
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirits that we are the children of God, 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 with Him” (Rom. 8:16-17, MEV, author’s emphasis).
An heir is one who is entitled by law to receive the estate of another; the heir is the rightful recipient of certain properties, possessions, endowments, positions of influence or qualities of character passed on from a parent or predecessor.
In Hebrews 9:16-17, Jesus is described as a “testator” (one who draws up a will or testament to be enforced at his or her death). The New Testament (made up of 27 books of the Bible) is the will that reveals what the crucified and resurrected Lord left to His heirs.
There are a number of scriptures in this New Testament that refer to children of God as “heirs.” Each one reveals a unique aspect of our inheritance, such as the following:
— Heirs of salvation—Hebrews 1:14.
— Heirs of promise—Hebrews 6:17.
— Heirs together of the grace of life—1 Peter 3:7.
— Heirs of the righteousness which is according to faith—Hebrews 11:7.
— Heirs according to the hope of eternal life—Titus 3:7.
— Heirs of the kingdom—James 2:5.
— Heirs of the world—Romans 4:13.
Just reading this list should leave us in a state of breathless awe.
Glimpsing the Profoundness
If we are “heirs of God,” what exactly have we inherited? The answer is profound:
— We have inherited all that God is.
— We have inherited all that God has.
That means we have inherited His Word, His glory, His love, His power, His character and much more. (We never “become God” as the Eastern religions and New Age teach, but He pours His fullness into us.)
In His great intercessory prayer over the church, Jesus verified this transfer:
“For I have given them the words which You gave Me. … I have given them the glory which You gave Me, that they may be one even as We are one. … I have declared Your name to them, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:8, 22, 26).
According to this powerful passage, Jesus has even passed to us the inheritance of the oneness with the Father He enjoys. (Certainly, this must be interpreted in a qualified sense, but it is still absolutely astounding.) His peace and His joy also belong to us (see John 14:27; 15:11), as do His wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30), His knowledge (Isa. 53:11) and His power (Luke 10:19). And the list goes on.
We are also referred to as “joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17b), which means equal heirs. So one good way of determining our inheritance is to look at the inheritance of the firstborn Son of God, for His spiritual condition and His destiny reveal the grand legacy that has been passed down to every child of God.
Colossians 1:19 says concerning Jesus, “It pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell.” “For in Him lives all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,” Colossians 2:9 says. Then John 1:16a (NKJV) says, “Of His fullness we have all received.”
Hebrews 1:2 declares that God has “spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world” (Heb. 1:2, MEV). Then Revelation 21:7 gives the amazing promise, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”
The full depth of how this divine benevolence will manifest in us is a mystery only God fully comprehends. If we have made Jesus the Lord of our lives, then we are under His headship and a part of His body. This places us “in Christ” where all that He is passes down to us as a spiritual impartation.
Ephesians 1:11a declares that “in Him also we have received an inheritance.” So it is vital to search out every scripture in the New Testament containing the words “in Him,” “in whom” (in reference to Jesus) or “in Christ” because those phrases indicate an important position of birthright heritage. For instance, we have inherited:
— His righteousness: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
— His resurrection life: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2).
— Every spiritual blessing: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
— Grace: “So you, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1).
—A new-creation status: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17, NKJV).
— Access to the Father’s presence: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12).
— Completion: “You are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Col. 2:10).
— Perfection: “Whom we preach, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present them perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28, MEV).
There are many other verses revealing this “in Christ” truth. When you behold the fullness of the inheritance, it leaves you speechless—especially when you realize His greatest impartation to all of us is eternal life. {eoa}
Mike Shreve has taught on the spiritual identity of believers for over 35 years. This powerful revelation is the central theme of his Charisma House book titled WHO AM I? Dynamic Declarations of Who You Are in Christ. It is also featured on his weekly podcast on cpnshows.com titled Discover Your Spiritual Identity and seen on his YouTube channel, YouTube.com/mikeshreveministries. He has a second podcast titled Revealing the True Light, which examines comparative religion subjects. A product of the Jesus movement era, Mike has traveled evangelistically in the United States and overseas since 1970 with an emphasis on healing and the prophetic. Find him at shreveministries.org.
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