Jun P. Espina 2 min read
Written on July 20, 2023
Why is it that so many bright people trust in Christ for their eternal future? The biblical answer is that they received Christ’s Spirit after believing in Him. The apostle said, “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised” (Eph. 1:13b–14a, NLT).
Christ’s Spirit in our souls confirms His ownership of us as God’s children. Hence, Paul said, “But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Rom. 8:9b).
Now, what is this “inheritance” promised to the born-again followers of Christ? The short answer is our eternal life. Observe Christ’s prayer: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me.” (John 17:24)
God wanted us to call Him “Father” (2 Cor. 6:18), and He called us His children (cf. John 1:12) by faith in Christ. From this truth, we can now claim what Paul has taught us: “[A]nd if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). That is the meaning of inheritance in its plainest sense. What Christ owns, we own, so to speak. “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Matt. 22:30) We become “members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:16) and inheritors of His kingdom (Luke 12:32-34).
On the whole, Paul’s statement adds up: “But as Scripture says: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.'” (1 Cor. 2:9, GW)
Many people call me names. But if I were to reply to them, I would say, “It’s gravely dreadful that you couldn’t see what God has prepared for you if you only trusted and believed in our Savior, Jesus Christ.” Biblically, unbelief is always synonymous with hell. #BeSavedToday