Thinking on Ephesians 1:11-12 Part 1

"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, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory."

-Ephesians 1:11-12. (ESV)

"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined"

Whenever I hear about people receiving an inheritance, my mind seems to gravitate towards stories of loved ones passing and leaving their children a big fat check.

I remember when my grandmother passed away. She left all the grand-kids $5,000.00 each. At the time, I was in college and I was driving a reposed Ford Probe. It was a nice car, but my parents felt like I needed something more reliable for college, so we went out and they bought me a Mazda MX3. I loved that car. It had a hatchback and a sunroof, what more could a guy ask for in 1998.

While I thought I was pretty cool (I assure you, I wasn't), it's extremely important to understand that nothing in this world can completely satisfy us other than Christ. You have most likely heard John Piper say, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

I say all that because fundamental to this passage, is the idea that as a Christian you get something from God, an inheritance. In our culture, the first thing that pops into our minds when we hear the word, "inheritance" is money.

Please take note: this passage is not saying you were predestined to be rich. While our "health & wealth" heretics would like you to believe that when you "sow your seed of faith into their ministry" God will bless you with material blessing, you cannot come away with that from this passage.

Just read the Book of Job or James and you will see very plainly that Christians go through very low times in our lives, and we are not guaranteed any amount of wealth.

What's really interesting about this phrase, "we have obtained an inheritance" is that it is all ONE Greek word: ἐκληρώθημεν. This word can be translated, "we were made a heritage" or "we have received an inheritance."

One meaning points us toward the understanding that we are the possessions of Christ, while the latter points us toward a view of eternal blessings. I actually think that Paul had both of these perspectives in mind when he wrote this one Greek word.

You see, Paul again is trying to communicate God's very high plan for his children. There is no mistake in God's choice of you. You might not understand why he chose you and redeemed you, but He did, and He did it for a reason.

I have been reading through the OT and as I read through the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I can't help but notice what scumbags they were. What kind of guy lies about his wife's identity, knowing that his lie might lead her to be raped? Answer: a scumbag. Abraham did that twice, and Issac did it once. Jacob on the other hand was just a lying, manipulative, little jerk, and through their lives, God just continued to pour down his grace and bless them.

Sometimes God's reasons are just that...God's!

The other really cool thing about this word, ἐκληρώθημεν, used in this verse is that Paul uses a Greek tense that communicates to us the idea of something that is future, yet so certain there is no way it will fail or not come to pass. It's like he's saying it already happened. 

Before time began, you were chosen to be a son or daughter of God and he also pre-determined to lavish on you an uncomprehensible inheritance. Our minds want to quickly gravitate toward the idea of heaven. What can be greater than inheriting eternal life with Christ in heaven?

The truth is that this inheritance if far more than just heaven, it's His unstoppable, undeniable, continuous GRACE that he saturates his children with daily. He doesn't hold it back based on our failures, but rather richly pours it down on us even more when we seem to be at our lowest of places. 

Our inheritance includes all the promises of God. 1 Peter 1:3-4 tells us, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire."

Paul also tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:22-23, "For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's."

As a child of God, your inheritance is GUARANTEED! 

All we can do in response is to give Him our allegiance. Give him our obedience. Make Him the center of what we live for.

Be Edified.