Heaven Our Inheritance

Heaven – Our Inheritance

By Mark Mayberry 1/11/2014

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Thomas defines the noun klēronomia as “an inheritance” [2817].

BDAG say it refers to “(1) inheritance; (2) possession, property; (3) common in Christian usage (corresponding to the LXX) (the possession of) transcendent salvation (as the inheritance of God’s children); (4) abstract for concrete= the heirs.”

This word occurs 14x in the NT (Matt. 21:38; Mark 12:7; Luke 12:13; 20:14; Acts 7:5; 20:32; Gal.

3:18; Eph. 1:14, 18; 5:5; Col. 3:24; Heb. 9:15; 11:8; 1 Pet. 1:4).

Matthew 21:38 (NASB95) — 38 “But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his *inheritance.’

Mark 12:7 (NASB95) — 7 “But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir;

come, let us kill him, and the *inheritance will be ours!’

Luke 12:13 (NASB95) — 13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family *inheritance with me.”

Luke 20:14 (NASB95) — 14 “But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the *inheritance will be ours.’

Acts 7:5 (NASB95) — 5 “But He gave him no *inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him.

Acts 20:32 (NASB95) — 32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the *inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Galatians 3:18 (NASB95) — 18 For if the *inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

Ephesians 1:14 (NASB95) — 14 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.

Ephesians 1:18 (NASB95) — 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His

*inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 5:5 (NASB95) — 5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an *inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Colossians 3:24 (NASB95) — 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the *inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

Hebrews 9:15 (NASB95) — 15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal *inheritance.

Hebrews 11:8 (NASB95) — 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an *inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.

1 Peter 1:4 (NASB95) — 4 to obtain an *inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

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Some men obsess over the promise of a physical inheritance (Luke 12:13-21, esp. vs. 13).

Luke 12:13-21 (NASB95) — 13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family *inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 20 “But God said to him,

‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

In contrast, Christians should focus upon their spiritual inheritance (Eph. 1:18-23, esp. vs. 18; 1 Pet. 1:3-5, esp. vs. 4).

Ephesians 1:18-23 (NASB95) — 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His *inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NASB95) — 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an *inheritance which is

imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

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Our inheritance is based upon the promises of God (Acts 7:2-5; Gal. 3:15-18).

Acts 7:2-5 (NASB95) — 2 And he said, “Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4 “Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5 “But He gave him no *inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and yet, even when he had no child, He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him.

Galatians 3:15-18 (NASB95) — 15 Brethren, I speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or adds conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. 17 What I am saying is this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the *inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.

Our inheritance is based upon the working of the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:32; Eph. 1:13-14).

Acts 20:32 (NASB95) — 32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the *inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (NASB95) — 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 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.

Our inheritance is based upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:11-15).

Hebrews 9:11-15 (NASB95) — 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having

obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal

*inheritance.

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The promise of an inheritance is available only to rightful heirs (Matt. 21:33-44, esp. vs. 38; cf.

also Mark 12:1-12, esp. vs. 7; Luke 20:9-18, esp. vs. 14).

Matthew 21:33-44 (NASB95) — 33 “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 34 “When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35 “The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. 36

“Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37 “But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38

“But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir;

come, let us kill him and seize his *inheritance.’ 39 “They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 “Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone;

This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I say to

you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. 44 “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on

whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

Mark 12:1-12 (NASB95) — 1 And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. 2 “At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers. 3 “They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 “Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5 “And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. 6 “He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 “But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the

*inheritance will be ours!’ 8 “They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine- growers, and will give the vineyard to others. 10 “Have you not even read this Scripture:

‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone; 11 This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the people, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him and went away.

Luke 20:9-18 (NASB95) — 9 And He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to vine-growers, and went on a journey for a long time. 10 “At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, so that they would give him some of the produce of the vineyard; but the vine-growers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 “And he proceeded to send another slave; and they beat him also and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. 12 “And he

proceeded to send a third; and this one also they wounded and cast out. 13 “The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 “But when the vine-growers saw him, they reasoned with one another, saying, ‘This is the heir; let us kill him so that the *inheritance will be ours.’ 15 “So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 “He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard it, they said, “May it never be!” 17 But Jesus looked at them and said, “What then is this that is written: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone’? 18 “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”

The reception of God’s promises is based upon reverential obedience (Col. 3:22-25).

Colossians 3:22-25 (NASB95) — 22 Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather

than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the

*inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

Obedient faith is essential (Heb. 11:8-10).

Hebrews 11:8-10 (NASB95) — 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an *inheritance; and he went out, not

knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;

10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Worldliness will jeopardize our hope (Eph. 5:3-7).

Ephesians 5:3-7 (NASB95) — 3 But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an *inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them;

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Are you an heir? Do you trust in God? Have you obeyed His Word? Are you living a faithful life?