Christ Sharing His Inheritance With Us

From: Sharing With Christ: March 2023

We all like to receive an inheritance, although we are, of course, sad that the one who leaves it to us had to die in order for us to get it. However, most of us who have lived into middle life have learned that receiving an inheritance does not always go smoothly. The world has a saying, “You do not really know someone until you have to share an inheritance with them.” All too often families quarrel with one another as to who should get what, and hard feelings develop when some feel that they were short-changed in what they received. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, a man asked Him to persuade his brother to divide the inheritance with him (Luke 12:13¹³And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. (Luke 12:13)). Also, sometimes there is less of an inheritance than the inheritor thought. I remember when my wife and I were named in a will, but when it came time to distribute the funds, the money that had been allotted to us had been spent by the individual, and there was nothing left (not that it mattered to us, as we were quite surprised even to be named in the will).

The Land Promised to Abraham

We read quite a bit about inheritance in the Word of God, and especially in the Old Testament. Israel was given an earthly inheritance, and much is said about how they possessed it, how the land was divided up, how they failed in living for God’s glory, and how they ultimately lost that inheritance. However, God has not given up His people, and in a coming day we know that He will bring them back into their land, not in unbelief, as they are doing today, but with a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 36:26²⁶A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)). At that time, they will have the full inheritance that God promised to Abraham, and not merely part of it, as they had in the Old Testament. It will be a wonderful day for Israel when this happens and when God’s blessing will rest upon them during the millennium.

However, even in that wonderful day, they will not, in that sense, share the inheritance with Christ. Yes, the land is the Lord’s, and they will receive it from His hand in that day, but they will not share the inheritance in the same way as the church. We will speak more of this later, but for the moment let us look a little at what man has thought to do with Christ’s inheritance. In Matthew 21:33-44³³Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: ³⁴And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. ³⁵And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. ³⁶Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. ³⁷But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. ³⁸But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. ³⁹And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. ⁴⁰When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? ⁴¹They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. ⁴²Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? ⁴³Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. ⁴⁴And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. (Matthew 21:33‑44), Mark 7:1-11¹Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. ²And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. ³For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. ⁴And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brazen vessels, and of tables. ⁵Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? ⁶He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. ⁷Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. ⁸For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. ⁹And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. ¹⁰For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: ¹¹But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. (Mark 7:1‑11), and Luke 20:9-18⁹Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. ¹⁰And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. ¹¹And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. ¹²And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. ¹³Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. ¹⁴But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. ¹⁵So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? ¹⁶He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. ¹⁷And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? ¹⁸Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. (Luke 20:9‑18), we have repeated three times over the parable concerning the vineyard that was let out to husbandmen. Clearly the owner of the vineyard is God the Father, and after sending out his servants a number of times to receive fruit from the vineyard, he finally sent his beloved son, who is obviously a type of the Lord Jesus. In all three cases the wicked servants said among themselves, “This is the heir: come, let us kill Him, that the inheritance may be ours.” With Satan’s power behind him, man has usurped God’s claim to this world and has disposed of it as if it were his own. But it is part of Christ’s inheritance, and one day the usurper will be taken away and Christ will be given His rightful place.

The “Master Usurper”

I say the usurper will be taken away, for while man has indeed tried to take the inheritance that belongs to Christ, Satan has been the “master usurper.” In the temptations in the wilderness, the Lord Jesus faced Satan on this very subject, and Satan dared to tempt the Lord Jesus by showing Him “all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time” (Luke 4:5⁵And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. (Luke 4:5)). Then he said, “All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will I give it” (vs. 6). His offer was, “If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine” (vs. 7). This approach had worked to some extent with every other human being since sin entered this world, for sinful man responds to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. But here was One who did not have a sinful nature to respond to such temptations and who recognized the usurper when He saw him. Satan may use small things to tempt man, but if necessary can “up the ante” to all the kingdoms of this world, in order to manipulate sinful man. It is instructive that the Lord Jesus did not argue with Satan’s claim to the kingdoms of this world, for He was content to wait until the Father gave them to Him.

Further on in the New Testament we get the inheritance mentioned in connection with Christ and our part in it. Paul could commend the Ephesian saints “to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able ... to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32³²And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)). Later, while standing before some Roman dignitaries, Paul told them how that he had been commissioned to tell the Gentiles, among other things, about the “inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me” (Acts 26:18¹⁸To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:18)).

The Inheritance Promised in the New Testament

What then is this inheritance of which Paul speaks? It is given to us in Revelation 21:7⁷He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (Revelation 21:7): “He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.” The inheritance that Christ will have is not only this world, but all created things, for God has given everything into the hand of His beloved Son. But the wonderful thing is that He is going to share it all with us. The hymn expresses it well:

That love that gives, not as the world, but shares

All it possesses with its loved co-heirs.

Aspects of the Promised Inheritance

There are several things that Scripture brings before us about this wonderful inheritance. First of all, we are predestinated to it. The earthly inheritance for the nation of Israel and others with them is “from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Matthew 25:34)), but those who will be part of the church were “chosen ... in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4⁴According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Ephesians 1:4)). We “have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11¹¹In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (Ephesians 1:11)).

Second, we have received the Holy Spirit as “the earnest of our inheritance” (Eph. 1:14¹⁴Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14)), and thus we have the complete assurance that God will fulfill His promise of giving us, with Christ, this inheritance.

Third, it is considered part of our reward, for we shall “receive the reward of the inheritance” (Col. 3:24²⁴Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:24)). This was, no doubt, a special encouragement to slaves, who were told that even in their work for their masters, they served “the Lord Christ.”

Finally, we are reminded in Hebrews 9:15¹⁵And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15) that we receive the “promise of eternal inheritance.” Israel’s inheritance in the Old Testament was never spoken of as being eternal, and we know that through disobedience they lost that inheritance, at least temporarily. But we have an eternal inheritance, and we can never lose it.

In summing up, while we may dwell on various aspects of our inheritance, and rightfully so, yet the most wonderful aspect of it is that our Lord and Savior inherits it all, yet shares it all with us, as His bride. We have no claim on that inheritance in our own right, but our blessed Savior, who loves us and died for us, has secured it for us and is pleased to share it all with us. All heavenly and earthly creation is to be put under Christ and under those who are united to Him. Do we realize this and live in the joy and anticipation of it? Yet there is something even more precious in it all, as another has said, “Even more blessed than coming glory will be the celebration of the grace that brought us there.”

W. J. Prost

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