God makes a powerful promise to believers in Romans 8:15-17
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs– heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Since we are coheirs with Christ, I wanted to know what it is that Jesus inherits. The following is to explore just that question. The first indicator is found in the Parable of the Tenants.
Matthew 21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34 When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. 35 “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36 Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. 37 Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. 38 “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.” 45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46 They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
In this parable Jesus may be alluding to Isaiah 5 in which the LORD plants a vineyard and puts a watchtower and a winepress in it. In Isaiah 5 God looks for fruit from the vineyard but it yields only bad fruit and he decides to break down its wall and yet rid of the vineyard. The vineyard is the house of Israel (Isa 5:7). However, in the Parable of the Tenants there is a different issue. The tenants of the vineyard (Israel) do not hand over the fruit to the owner. They want to keep it for themselves.
Most pertinent to my question, in the parable the son is said to be the heir. The tenants want to take the inheritance for themselves, although it rightfully belongs to the son. Then Jesus tells his hearers that the kingdom of God will be taken away from them and given to others who will produce fruit. The inheritance, then, must be the kingdom of God. Since the son is the heir of the kingdom and the tenants cannot inherit the kingdom if they kill the son, they cannot even be tenants of the kingdom any more. This parable tells us that Jesus is heir to the kingdom of God.
The next clue is found in combining two passages about Abraham and his seed(s).
Romans 4:13 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring [seed] received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, 15 because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring– not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. 17 As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed– the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. 18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Galatians 3:16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his [offspring] seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.
The first passage tells us that Abraham and his offspring (or seed) were promised that they would be heir of the world. The second tells us that this offspring (or seed) is actually singular, that is, Christ. So I conclude that Jesus is heir of the world. The word translated as ‘world’ here is the Greek word kosmos, which has a variety of meanings, but in this instance likely means the universe or the sum of all creation.
The third passage requires a little more consideration.
Galatians 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. 4:1 What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
The Son, Jesus, was subject to the law and thus no different to a slave when he came to the earth (4:1). He did this to give us the full rights as sons by freeing us from the slavery of the law. The Son did not experience the fullness of sonship while under subjection to the law. However, now he has received the promise of Abraham on our behalf and made us sons so that we can share in the promise of Abraham. The law is not the fullness of the promise, but the full blessing of Abraham involves life in the Spirit (Gal 3:14), walking in the promises of God. Because Jesus is no longer subject to the law as he has been raised from the dead, he now experiences the fullness of Sonship in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 1:4). I conclude that Jesus has, as the heir, now received the fullness of his Sonship. His relationship with the Father is not mediated by law, but is complete in the power of the Spirit.
Finally the book of Hebrews tells us a couple of things about what Jesus inherits as the heir.
“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe” (Hebrews 1:2).
Jesus is heir of all things. Because he is the Son of God, there is nothing which does not belong to him. This is no surprise as all things were made in, through and for Jesus (Col 1:16) and all things hold together in him (Col 1:17; Heb 1:3). 1 Cor 15:28 tells us that all things will be subjected to Jesus and then he will submit himself to the Father. As joint heirs with Christ Christians are also heirs of all things (Rom 8:32; 1 Cor 3:21). All that God every intended for his creation will be given to the Son and through him to all the sons of God.
Jesus is also heir of righteousness. “By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith” (Heb 11:7). Most certainly Jesus is more faithful than Noah. Thus Jesus has inherited righteousness. Hebrews 1:8 declares that the Son’s reign is characterised by righteousness and justice. But righteousness involves more than doing what is right; it includes a right relationship with God. Jesus has the perfect relationship with the Father, something which he shares with his people (John 17:3).
Conclusion
Jesus is heir to the kingdom of God. All that God reigns over is his and all those who are subject to the Father are given to Jesus as his (John 17:2). Jesus is heir of the world. This includes the whole of the creation. Just as Adam and Eve were told to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28), Jesus as the perfected human being now has authority over all the physical creation. Jesus has inherited the full rights as Son of God. He is not subject to the law, but relates to the Father in the Spirit and has inherited all the promises of God. He is the heir of all things, that is, he is heir of everything which God ever intended for his creatures. And finally, Jesus is heir of righteousness. That is he both fully knows the Father, but also ushers in the justice and righteousness of God.
What does this mean for believers? If we are joint heirs with Christ, then we too are heirs of the kingdom of God. We will experience fully what it is to be ruled over by the Father with peace, righteousness, justice and mercy. All the glories of the world to come will be ours. We are heirs of creation. The creation will be made new and humanity will truly have dominion over it and will serve the created world. We will have fullness of creaturely sonship, knowing God through the Spirit and no longer being subject to the law. All the promises of God will be ours. All that God ever intended for human beings will be brought to fruition in Christ and all the effects of sin undone. Finally, believers are heirs of righteousness, both living just lives and living as people who fully know the Father.