People make and change their wills all over the earth, all the time. Some child, relative, or long term associate is included in a will but… if he/she steps out of line, the testator changes the will and the individual is penalised for offending the testator.
Sqabbles and quarrels over inheritance split families apart. Lifelong feuds happen over money or goods inherited or not inherited. Lawyers gain wealth from people’s pain… and so it will continue until the end of time.
Probably, worst of all, people who inherit vast sums of money and valuables often squander them faster than they are inherited. The temptation to spend what they did not earn by hard work is so great that they keep little or nothing for their future.
Humans have a great capacity for messing up when we get our hands on things of value.
Not so our inheritance in Christ! God is wise. He gives us a taste of our inheritance now but also keeps it safe and out of reach for us in a place no one on earth can touch.
Short as they are, Peter’s letters are littered with gems found nowhere else in the New Testament. We would be much poorer had his letters not been included in the Bible. The first chapter of his first letter begins with a jewel in our treasure hunt for these precious gems.
Peter writes of an inheritance so secure that nothing or no one can change or defile it.
1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
[3] “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, [4] and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”
New Testament letters are full of references to an inheritance we will share with Jesus. These are clues to the vast treasures waiting for us at the end of this life.
1 Peter 1:5 NLT
[5] “And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this SALVATION, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.”
Our inheritance is a parcel of treasures wrapped up in a word…
SALVATION…as many-faceted as a diamond. Salvation means many things to many people. Saved from eternal hell; saved from the ravages of a sinful life; saved from the emotional prison of hatred, bitterness, revenge, unforgiveness, anger, fear, insecurity; saved from slavery to destructive habits; saved from selfishness and greed, and much more…but saved to what?
Salvation has a greater pull towards a life of peace and security than even the things we have left behind when we entered this new life. We have been saved from… so that we can be saved for …a new life filled with God’s mercy, favour, peace, and presence.
The heart of salvation is wholeness, the restoration of everything that was lost, damaged, or broken through Adam’s decision to go his way. When Adam chose to follow the devil’s deception, he forfeited for himself and the human race to come, every privilege, honour, and blessing God intended for His human family, including life with Him under His benevolent rule forever.
Humans were damaged, broken, and lost to God’s good plan until grace stepped in, providing mercy for those undeserving humans who accept and receive pardon and restoration through His own Son.
Together with the wholeness that is already at work in those who believe is a vast array of promises, endorsed by Jesus, which empower us towards the eternal goal of being replicas of God’s Son. Only then, when we participate in the restoration to wholeness that God has provided, can we participate in the inheritance that awaits us in the life to come.
2 Peter 1:4 NLT
[4] “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”
So, God protects this salvation for us in heaven, that no one on earth can defile or change, despite those who preach a ‘different gospel’. He also protects us, who are beneficiaries of this inheritance, from failing to fulfil the conditions attached to this inheritance…faith in and faithfulness to Jesus as the testator.
Therefore, we must qualify for our inheritance in Christ, safe as it is for us in heaven. God is preparing sons and daughters to receive all the benefits of life in His kingdom. However, He cannot permit those who do not qualify, by their obedience to Him in this life, to take their place on His kingdom.
Paul warns those who make no preparation for the life to com…
Galatians 5:17-18 NLT
[17] “The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. [18] But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.”
A battle rages for mastery in our hearts. The winner gets the prize… salvation and a place in God’s kingdom, and the loser gets the penalty… eternal separation from God and His loving rule.
What happens if we fail to win over the old nature, which victory we are to pursue purposefully if not perfectly?
Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
[19] “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, [21] envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will NOT INHERIT the Kingdom of God.”
However, there is a glorious inheritance awaiting those who take God seriously, bend their energies towards obedience, and trust in God’s grace to overcome the old sinful nature.
1 Peter 1:6-9 NLT
[6]”So, be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. [7] These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. [8] You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. [9] The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.”
However, we have a promise and a hope that the one who chose us, called us, and predestined us to be like His Son, will finish what He started.
Philippians 1:6 NLT
[6]”And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Jude 1:24-25 NLT
[24] “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. [25] All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”
1 Peter 1:13-16 NLT
[13]”So, prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. [14] So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. [15] But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. [16] For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
God has promised to keep our inheritance safe for us AND He has promised to keep us safe for our inheritance.
What a treasure and a reward for those who go the distance!