Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:
17and if children, also heirs, heirs of God and fellow-heirs of Christ, if indeed we are suffering together that also we might be glorified together.
Heirs. Fellow-heirs. As I have been studying this, I have to confess, I find myself struggling to feel any excitement over these words. Heirs. Joint-heirs. Inheritance. “That’s nice,” my soul wants to say, then move on to something important. Maybe those words mean more to someone else reading them, but I am finding I need to ponder them to sense their value.
Why is that? If I could run with the gross assumption I’m not much different than anyone else, I suspect it’s because “inheritances” simply aren’t a big deal in 21st century America. What I mean is, I suspect that the whole idea of “inheritance” was a much greater deal in the largely agrarian cultures of the world prior to this century. Even as late as the 1950’s, it was reported that 85% of Americans lived on farms. I don’t know what that figure would be today, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was down to the other 15%!
If your whole life, your livelihood, your sustenance derived from farming ground, then it became a HUGE deal to inherit land from your parents. As we read especially the Old Testament, we see constant references to the matter of inheritances, particularly of land, and how there were well-established and sometimes intricate customs and rules for how land was passed down to the children. The whole complicated business of levirate marriages was driven by this question of land inheritance. And, again, in an agrarian culture, one can see how this could have been so monumentally important.
Fast-forward to 21st century America and few of us depend on farming. We basically go to work every day and count on the few farmers there still are to keep our grocery stores stocked with the food we’re content to simply buy. I would add to that, most of us don’t have rich parents who’ll be leaving us some vast fortune to inherit at their passing. In fact, it’s probably the exact opposite. In today’s world, it’s likely there will be little or nothing. In today’s world, if there is any “inheritance” at all, it will probably be a relatively small amount, and basically just comes to us as a pleasant “surprise.”
I’m saying all of this simply to explain to myself why these words, heir, joint-heir, inheritance, don’t jump off the page and make me want to shout. I’m thinking they simply don’t occupy any place of importance in my present world. However, then, it is obvious from the text, they are intended to do just that – make me shout! So … I need to ponder on them a bit and try to develop the sense of wonder I’ve lost in my 21st century culture.
All that said, as I’ve studied, one can’t help but notice the subject is a big deal in the Bible. Heb. 1:2 describes Jesus as “heir of all things.” In His Sermon on the Mount, He said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5). James asked, “Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised to those who love Him?” (2:5). Rev. 21:7 says, “He who overcomes will inherit all this…”
In Col. 1:12 we are told that the Father “has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” Then in 3:24, part of our motivation to work hard here on earth is knowing, “you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” In Heb. 9:15 we read that “Christ is the Mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called might receive the promised eternal inheritance…”
A great passage on this subject would
be I Peter 1:3,4: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In
His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can
never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you…
As I’m studying, it strikes me the real problem is just that I am too “worldly” minded. What I mean is that, yes, inheritances in general don’t occupy much of our attention in today’s world, but neither does anything else which is ours by faith. I fear that spiritually speaking we have become (and myself included) an entire culture of Esau’s – people who “despise their birthright,” who trade their inheritance for “a bowl of porridge.” Not without reason are we admonished, “Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory…” (Col. 3:1-4).
For myself, I would say the Lord has been teaching me much about living in His presence, about acknowledging His infinite greatness as I labor through my days. However, this idea that I am an heir of all things and a joint-heir with Christ, that I have this glorious inheritance awaiting me, has probably never really figured as anything too important in my mind. Some fellows I read noted things like, “…the Christian is going to a rich home and a glorious future. Therefore, he ought not to be too much elated or depressed by the pleasures or privations of the journey. An eye to the rest and glory at the end should keep him from getting weary of the way.” Another said, “…whatever be their outward lot, they are all the while richer than the richest, and greater than the greatest.”
These fellows are right. The fact of my being made a son, and therefore an heir, ought to occupy a far higher place in my heart. Another motivation would be to see it all from God’s perspective. If I were an extremely wealthy man and if I made clear arrangements for my children to inherit all my wealth upon my death, I would be very disappointed to find out it was “no big deal” in their minds. Even worse would be if the heir wasn’t even my natural child but rather one I had adopted. It would be only natural to think they would be very appreciative of what I am providing for them. In that case, the “no big deal” would be the pits of ingratitude. Yet, here I am, saying in essence, “It’s just not that big a deal to me.” Yikes! Maybe my world has lost its estimation of inheritances, but that is no excuse for me.
By faith, I need to start giving
more thought to this matter, to deliberately thank and praise God for it, and hopefully
let it affect how I view things eternal. I am an heir. I am a joint heir with
Christ. And the inheritance which is ours is nothing less than God Himself
Wow.
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