Total Inheritance
Introduction
Some intense pastoral issues this week have led me to pray further into the biblical dimensions of Christian inheritance. These are far richer than popular ideas revolving around “legacy” or “succession”. (Desiring to leave a “legacy” can be nothing more than a goodwill gesture designed to enhance long term post-mortem reputation.) A revelation that God himself has “a glorious inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1:18), moves the scale of our thinking from the human to the divine (Eph 3:18). Godly “inheritance” means whole rather than part, fulness rather than lack (Eph 1:23; 3:19; 4:13; Col 2:9-10). God is the sort of Father that will do whatever it takes to make sure his children receive their full inheritance. Whilst this is ultimately evidenced in the death and resurrection of Jesus a revelation of the total inheritance that is ours in Christ can be imaged through faithful human relationships. This entails a all for a radical realignment of authority in the Body of Christ as we presently know her. It was in the context of bitter divisions and polarising over gifts and personalities that Paul prophesied, “So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. (1 Cor 3:21-23)
All There Is for Jesus
It may have been a conversion revelation for Paul (Col 1:16), but for Jesus it was always his sonly consciousness all creation was made for him as an inheritance. “All that the Father has is mine…Father…you have given your Son authority over all flesh…” (John 16:15; 17:1-2 cf. 6:37); “All things have been handed over to me by my Father…” (Luke 10:22); “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matt 28:18). Since the Son of God is, “eternally begotten of the Father God from God of one being with the Father” (Nicene Creed) this is the eternal nature of things. Father, Son and Spirit essentially share all things in common (2 Cor 13:14). In the wisdom of God’s eternal being was a plan to communicate all he has (Eph 3:9-10; Col 1:26-27) to a rebellious humanity which in its blindness has departed from such glory (Rom 3:23). The substance of this communication to us of the wealth of heaven and earth is the gift of Christ (Luke 10:21-22). In the “indescribable gift” (2 Cor 9:15) of Jesus to the Church is contained all the glories of creation for us (Rev 5:12) his Bride. Such lavishness (Eph 1:8) comes at the price of Son and Father agreeing to embrace all our derivations that they may be able to share with us their all their glory (John 17:22).
““My soul is very sorrowful, even to death….Abba, Father, all things are possible for you…Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” (Mark 14:34, 36), enacts a voluntary sacrificial suffering that perfects Jesus’ Sonship in its human form (Heb 2:10; 5:7-9). He has become the worthy “heir of all things” (Heb 1:2). Through Jesus perfect faith to “endure the cross despising the shame” the Father released a joy powerful enough to renew and sustain the whole creation forever (Heb 12:2; Neh 8:10). These are the real universal dimensions of the work of the cross (John 19:30) to which we must submit.
Agree to inherit
In seeing the glorious new creation an angel tells John, “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Rev 21:7). This leaves no room for the insecurity, miserliness, competition, rivalry and jealousy that robs the Lord of his glory in the Church. Seeing all things are ours in God through Christ we have a new revelation of the Father and long to impart his fulness to others. The great prophetic promise that Elijah “will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a curse.” (Mal 4:6) moves forward to completion. How then does so much of Western Christianity behave as if it is cursed?
Despising the Inheritance
Unholy Esau “sold his inheritance rights for a single meal” and so lost “the inheritance of the blessing” (Heb 12:16-17). Esau chose to opt out of the line of eternal election to sonship by God the Father in the power of the Spirit (Gal 3:14). In despising the inheritance Esau lost touch with the total inheritance which is the rebirth right of all God’s chosen children. It is no small thing the Lord declares, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Rom 9:13; Mal 1:2-3). Esau-like in our materialism and worldliness e.g. competing for power in the Church, we have grieved “the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14). Total inheritance is a strange notion to us because idols always spoil away the revelation of the birthright (1 John 5:21).
No Substitute
There is a “Father-shaped gap” in the heart of every person which cannot be filled by any created thing. It is designed to be filled with a revelation that “all things” have been prepared for those who love God and are called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28; 1 Cor 2:9-10). Jesus says to us, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matt 25:34). Any lesser vision than such things is a Satanic deception (Matt 4:8). “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32). The enriched prostitute (cf. Rev 17:1-6) can never compensate for the absence of her F/father’s blessing, nor can the son who religiously labours to earn paternal favour rather receiving it as pure gift (Luke 15:2-32; 1 Cor 4:7). The deep revelation that everything is our inheritance in Christ is inexpressibly joyful because it is a share in what moved Jesus from cradle to cross to empty the tomb to ascending to reign from heaven over all for us.
Application
This revelation means the end of all insecure controlling authority relationships. True spiritual authority is unidirectional, it’s “the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down” (2 Cor 13:10). One radical outworking of the realisation that “all that the Father has” is ours in Jesus will be a new enjoyment of covenant love in the Body of Christ. In loving one another deeply from the heart (1 Pet 1:22) we will follow in the way of Christ in wanting only the fullest possible for others. This great key to effective discipling requires Christian leaders to sacrifice for others so they can maximally become what the Lord has called them to be, here and hereafter. The Spirit wills to release a tidal wave of understanding across the Body of Christ that the purpose of all voluntary suffering is release an ever-greater inheritance for others. Paul says as much “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Rom 8:15-17). Let’s agree to ask our Father for such great things just as he has promised (Matt 18:19).