We Have Obtained An Inheritance

Ephesians 1:11 ESV “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”

The verse above states, "we have obtained an inheritance," is truly remarkable. It refers to the blessings that we now share with Jesus Christ as we have become partakers with Him. Due to the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we inherited Adam's sin which brought death into the world. However, Jesus became sin for us and took the punishment for our sins, triumphing over sin and death. As a result, He has provided us with the gift of His sacrifice, which is life forever in Christ. We are the true prodigal sons, not by choice, but by the fall of Adam and Eve, and Jesus, being the unique Son of God, was able to accomplish what we could not; He reconciled us to our heavenly Father once and for all time.

The phrase "have attained" refers to something that has already happened in the past. It's an inheritance that we don't have to work for, but simply receive. Jesus has already paid for it in full. What's more, our inheritance is Jesus Christ himself. When we put on Christ, we become the righteousness of God. This is not something we accomplish on our own, but rather it is a gift from God. One of my fellow believers discovered something amazing while studying a Greek passage about putting on Christ. One of the words used for “putting on Christ” is "sinking" in Christ. This analogy compares it to sinking into a pool of water and becoming fully immersed from head to foot. In other words, putting on Christ means being entirely engulfed by Him.

Our inheritance goes beyond just having an audience with our Heavenly Father or playing a harp in heaven for eternity. It is much more practical and comprehensive. As children of God, we are given a status and position, that of being priests of our God. A priest is someone who carries out the desires of their God. Being a priest does not mean being holier than others, but rather being fully consumed by the love of God, and demonstrating it through our daily lives by putting on Christ and becoming immersed in His reality. The love of Christ is most readily demonstrated by interacting with others. Although it puts us in the hot seat sometimes, it allows Christ to interact with us through other believers.

As we grow in our relationship with Christ, we should be aware of another aspect of our inheritance, which is the transformative nature of being in Christ. We become more like Christ daily as we immerse ourselves in Him and His word. However, we should also be aware that there is a rising tide of opposition against Christ and His kingdom. There are specific enemies of God who seek to engage us in spiritual warfare to distract us from our true calling, which is to become more Christlike in every way. The enemy is a thief and a liar, who seeks his prey like a hungry roaring lion. Therefore, we must remain vigilant and not fall victim to his tactics. Our role in Christ is simple - to stay connected to our source of life at all costs.

This plan was predestined since the world was formed, which means that God had planned for us to be in Christ before He created the world. It's a lot to comprehend, but God is not bound by time and space like we are, so from His perspective, He could have created the world yesterday. We are His creation, with a natural propensity to sin. God, in His mercy, knew this about us from the very beginning and made a way to redeem us. Our natural response to sin is guilt and shame, which reflects our fallen state. However, Jesus removes our sin, which gives us no grounds to hold onto guilt and shame any longer. Through Jesus, we are forgiven by our Heavenly Father, and we can forgive ourselves for living a life of shame and guilt and step into freedom. We can release ourselves into the loving arms of our Heavenly Father, who receives us as His own dear children, as we were from the very beginning, this is what we were created for.

There is an enemy that wants to derail us from serving our loving God. But why is there good and evil, light and dark, and things that go bump in the night? It is because God wants heaven and earth to be reconciled, just like we pray for in the Lord's Prayer, "...on earth as it is in heaven." God wants the natural world and the spiritual world to unite, and the fabric between them to be removed. This is similar to the moment in the Tabernacle when the curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:51 ESV) This symbolized that the presence of God, or the spiritual, was now accessible to everyone, now natural people could approach the spiritual without fear of death. In other words, two dimensions now coexist and are fully accessible to each other, two becoming one. Do those words sound familiar?

In the above verse, it is said that God works all things according to the counsel of his will. This means that everything, not just some things, are included in His will. God's purpose is for everyone to know and love Him, not out of servitude or bondage, but out of gratitude for His kindness to all of us. He created every human being to be His imager. When it says "all things," it means everything. Christ works everything for His purpose. When it says "according to the counsel of His will," it means that God has a divine council of Heavenly beings where He presents His desires and plans that He wants to accomplish. Although God does not require approval or input from any of His creations, yet He desires His created beings to be involved with His plan and offer their input on how to accomplish His will. (see 1 Kings 22:19-23)

To me that is the hallmark of a loving God, humility, kindness, grace, mercy, peace, inclusivity, and love. It sounds a lot like Galatians 5:22-23

Stephen Barnett