Our Inheritance - Assured



Ephesians 1:11-14
11 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,
12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

While I have never been listed in someone’s will as the recipient of a great inheritance, I have had a few things passed down to me from relatives who have died. Cool things, like first edition books and antique clocks. I even have a handmade doll that my grandmother constructed for my mom out of rags. These treasures I consider part of my heritage and my inheritance from the past. In today’s reading, Paul discusses an even great and eternal inheritance that we have as believers in Jesus. As we discussed yesterday, God has always had a perfect plan for our salvation. His love has demanded that He create us and save us from ourselves. That plan began with Abraham and the Jewish people. They were the first to be able to hope in the fulfillment of God’s will for those who love Him. Then, as the plan was unrolled, the Gentiles (that’s us) were also included in that group of those who were able to hope in the salvation that comes through Jesus. The proof of our salvation comes in the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. He is our guarantee that what God has promised will happen is truth. He sealed us (in our Baptisms) with His presence. Thus we belong to the living God and are able to carry that hope throughout our lives.

That seal is spoken of in Revelation 9:4 also. “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” That seal protects us from the ravages of destruction that is planned for those who choose not to believe in the Lord and His power to save them. In ancient times a seal was the sign of ownership. For a Christian to bear the seal of the Holy Spirit is an indicator that he or she belongs to God. That is a present blessing. So each of us has an inheritance that cannot be taken away or destroyed for it has been guaranteed by God Himself.

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