A Guaranteed Inheritance

BY William L. Hogan

Ephesians 1:11-14
Some time ago a cartoon appeared which showed a lawyer reading a client's last will and testament to a group of greedy relatives. The caption read, "I, John Jones, being of sound mind and body, spent it all."

Instead of spending it all, Jesus paid it all for His heirs. He wrote His will and then He died so that the will would be in force. He then rose again to be the Executor of that will, ensuring that the terms of His bequest are carried out perfectly. We read about this inheritance in Ephesians 1:11-14:

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvationhaving also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.
As we seek to open up the theme of our inheritance, these will be our emphases: the identity of the heirs, the cause of the inheritance, and the certainty of it.

The Identity of the Heirs

The most obvious thing that is said about the heirs is that they are believers. In verse 12 Paul identifies them as those who "hope in Christ,"
that is, who put their trust in Him; in verse 13 he characterizes them as those who listened to the gospel of salvation and believed it; and in verse 15 he specifically says that the Holy Spirit has been given to us "as a pledge of our inheritance."

Also noteworthy is that the heirs are people who have come from very different backgrounds. That is brought out by the pronouns he uses. Verse 11 says, "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance." Verse 12 identifies the "we" as those "who were the first to hope in Christ," that is, the early Jewish believers. Then verse 13 says, "In Him, you also..." The "you" refers to the Gentile believers in Ephesus to whom the letter is being sent. "We" and "you," then, means Jews and Gentiles, and Paul is saying that they share equally in the benefits of the gospel.

This truth is at the very heart of what God is doing in the world today. He is creating in the midst of a divided world a new society in which rivals become brothers and harmony replaces discord. That is the central theme of the Book of Ephesians.

The Cause of the Inheritance

Why have we obtained this inheritance? On one level the answer is, because we have believed the gospel. But Paul traces the cause of our inheritance back beyond our response of faith to the eternal purpose and irresistible power of God. Our inheritance, he says, was predestined according to God's purpose. It was not an afterthought; God conceived it in His own mind in eternity past.

Furthermore, the outcome of His purpose was not left to the uncertainties of human volition. Rather, the inheritance was conferred upon us as the result of the working of the power of God, who, he says, "works all things after the counsel of His will." He is accomplishing His purpose in every realmin heaven and on earth, among men and angels, at all times and in all places.

Make no mistake, God's sovereign working does not set aside our responsibility. We are held accountable for our response to the gospel. God commands all men everywhere to repent, Paul said, and we will be held accountable if we don't. The sad fact is, sin has so distorted our perception and so deadened our spiritual sensitivity that left to ourselves not one of us would ever choose to believe. We are by nature hostile toward God. It takes the miraculous touch of God to overcome that natural inclination in the heart.

Does God touch every heart in that way? Obviously not, for not all become believers. Does that mean that those whom He does not touch are not to blame for their unbelief? No. Those who refuse to believe have no one to blame but themselves. They persist in disobedience on their own without coercion, so they must suffer the consequences.

On the other hand, those who believe are those in whom God has done His work. They cannot congratulate themselves. They have only God to thank for their having believed.

The Certainty of the Inheritance

Paul says in verses 13 and 14 that the Holy Spirit guarantees the eventual enjoyment of those eternal, heavenly riches God has promised us. We are given the Holy Spirit at the moment of our salvation. Thus, Paul writes in Romans 8:9, "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." The point Paul is making in Ephesians 1 is that, by giving us His Spirit, God guarantees to us the full enjoyment of the promised inheritance. He makes that point with two metaphors:

Seal. First, he says in verse 13: "You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise." In the ancient world, a seal was a device that bore a design or inscription of some sort, made in such a way that it would leave an impression when pressed against a soft substance like clay or wax. We still use seals today, though only rarely do we use wax. More often, seals are embossed or glued on. And they still serve essentially the same purposes.

A seal, for instance, may be used as an evidence of authenticity. The seal of the United States embossed on your passport is an example. A seal may also be used as a mark of ownership. A name plate in the front of a book serves this purpose. A seal is sometimes used also to make somethingsecure. An envelope containing confidential documents is sometimes sealed to keep unauthorized persons from opening it.

Pledge. Not only is the Holy Spirit God's seal, He is also the first installment of our inheritance. He is given, says verse 14, "as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession."

If you have ever bought a home you understand what a pledge is. At the time you signed the purchase agreement, in all likelihood you put down some earnest money to show that you were signing in good faith and had every intention of paying the remainder of the purchase price. The Holy Spirit is God's earnest, His deposit. It is thus His pledge that the entire inheritance will eventually be bestowed.

The pledge is made, says Paul, "with a view to the redemption of God's own possession." That is to say, its aim is to guarantee the consummation of our salvation. What a great cause of encouragement this is. Every blessing you have ever received from the Holy Spirit is evidence that there is more, much more, to come.

Do you know something of the love the Spirit produces in the heart? Have you experienced any joy in the Spirit? Has He given you peace in the midst of turmoil? Has He made you long-suffering under pressure? Has He made you a softer, gentler person? Has He strengthened you to be faithful to Him in the face of temptation and difficulty? Every evidence of the Spirit at work in your life is just the first installment of what God has in store for you throughout eternity.

The presence of these things in our lives makes us restless for more, doesn't it? Mixed with all the good things the Spirit produces in our lives, there is still so much of self and sin that clings to us. Yes, there is a new quality of love, but there is still so much bitterness and hostility. Yes, there is a new measure of joy, but the times of pure, unmixed joy are still few and far between. Yes, there is peace, patience, and self-control, but there is still so much residue of anxiety and fretfulness and edginess. What we have experienced makes us long for more.

Listen, the Spirit's presence is an earnest. Whatever you experience now of the Spirit's blessing, you will experience in fuller measure one day.

Self-examination. I cannot conclude without saying that the truth of this passage cuts two ways. Not only is there encouragement in knowing that what the Spirit is doing now in your life He will do fully and perfectly in the life to come. There is also cause for self-examination here, for whatever the Spirit will do in you in the life to come must have begun now. Many have been led to believe that heaven is theirs because they have joined a church, or been baptized, or raised their hand or walked the aisle in an evangelistic meeting, or had some sort of religious experience. But if there is no evidence of the realities of heaven spilling over into present experience, then theirs is a false assurance.

Mark this principle: Heaven begins nothing new. Rather, it brings to perfection that which has started already. So, ask yourself these questions. Is the vision of the glory of Christ in the life to come all-absorbing? If so, then your heart must already have been captured by that vision. In the life to come, will the likeness to Christ be complete in you? If so, then the work of conforming you to the image of Christ must already be underway.

But if there is no evidence of newness of life in you, then humble yourself before the Savior now and ask Him to be your Savior and your Master. Heaven will be the continuation of what has begun here, the eternal unfolding of that new life which is imparted to those who believe.

As the passage ends, Paul comes full circle. He began in verse 3 with words of praise. Now he draws the paragraph to a close by reminding us that the ultimate aim of our salvation is "the praise of His glory." The ultimate purpose for which He has saved and sealed us is that He Himself might be adored, praised, and honored for His amazing love, His great mercy, His abounding power, and His infinite wisdom. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has conceived our salvation, and has conferred it, and who will not fail to bring it to a glorious consummation. o

Dr. William L. Hogan is Professor of Preaching at Reformed Theological Seminary, 5422 Clinton Road, Jackson, MS 39209.


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