Heirs Of God
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; If so be that we suffer with Him that we may be glorified together." (Rom. 8:16,17.)
According to law, an heir is one who through the death of another receives possessions or wealth by inheritance. In applying this definition to our text, we can readily see its practicality. Man can obtain the glories of eternity with God through the sacrifice of Christ, the shedding of His blood for all mankind. (John 3:16.)
In studying the text, it becomes apparent that one must become a child of God in order to be an heir of God. Thus, the question is posed, "How can one become a child of God?"
In answering the question, we shall first consider an illustration. In this life, man, by being born into a family of considerable wealth, may through inheritance received a large fortune for himself. Many men, through their birth into such wealthy families, have obtained great personal riches. The application of this simple truth to our text shows clearly the necessity of man's rebirth into the family of God if he wishes to enjoy the relationship which will allow him to inherit the many spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. Christ himself teaches, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." (John 3:3.)
In order for a man to be born again, he must first of all become dead. The prerequisite of a rebirth is death. Man cannot be born again unless he puts away the first life to obtain the second. Now, of course, we are not speaking concerning physical death, but rather of spiritual death. Man must become spiritually dead to sin. He must separate himself from past sins in order to have spiritual life. (Rom. 6:10-12.)
Man can become spiritually dead to sin, cleansing his soul from sin, by coming into contact with the blood of Christ, which is the cleansing power for sin. (Heb. 10:19, 20.) The blood of Christ is reached in the church which was purchased by to blood of Christ. (Acts 20:28.) The church is referred to by the Apostle Paul as being the "house of God," thus the family of God. (I Tim. 3:15.) Hence, to be born again necessitates being in the church, becoming a child of God in the family of God.
As we have already noticed, a rebirth requires death, and the Apostle Paul speaks concerning this very thing when he declares, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (Thus, as we can see, becoming dead to sin.) And Paul further states that "if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." The final result, being born again, is to "walk in newness of life." (Rom. 6:3,5.) Now, how does a man become a child of God? By faith only? No! Paul tells us we must be baptized into Christ, and to be in Christ is to be in "the church, which is his body." (Eph. 1:22,23.)
The conclusion which follows is undeniable. For a man to become an heir of God, he must be born again. To be born again one must be baptized into Christ's "body, the church." (Col. 1:18.) Not until this point does man come into contact with the blood of Christ and thereby become a child of God; a member in the family of God; an heir, through birth, of God for eternity.
As we have readily seen, man must be baptized into Christ in order to be in a covenant relationship with God. However, we do not want to leave the impression that baptism is the only essential factor involved in the remitting of man's past sins. According to New Testament teaching, baptism must be preceded by a sincere repentance of past sins and a willingness and determination to no longer follow in the footsteps of unrighteousness. (Luke 13:3.) Furthermore, man must have an honest belief in God and His only begotten Son, confessing his faith in the divine Sonship of Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:3639.), and having a complete reliance upon the New Testament scriptures as final authority. (Heb. 11:6; II Tim. 3:16.)
Now that we have sufficiently investigated the requirements which will qualify one as an heir of God, let us notice what is held out for those who render obedience to the gospel of Christ and remain steadfast in the faith. According to divine revelation, that which is to be obtained is referred to as an "inheritance incorruptible and undefiled in heaven" (I Peter 1:4), "The promise of eternal inheritance." (Heb. 9:15.) Paul refers to it by inspiration as "eternal life" (Rom. 6:23.), and finally Christ speaks of the "eternal inheritance" as being "mansions in heaven." (John 14:2.) It is plain to see that which is promised for the faithful is truly a reward worthy of the trials and temptations of this life. Paul speaks of it as a "crown of righteousness" held out for all who "love his appearing."
Before leaving this point entirely, we would like to mention that, contrary to popular belief, the possessions to be inherited are in no wise the material things of this life. It is not an inheritance of the world or any earthly possession. That which the child of God will inherit is
"eternal" in nature, "incorruptible," prepared "in heaven." If man, today, would be willing to render complete obedience to Christ and his terms of salvation as revealed in the foregoing passages from the New Testament, the Bible teaches he would have assurance of being in covenant relationship with God, for "The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." Do you have the assurance of this relationship? If not, why not?