[sunday meditations]

Ephesians 1:11-14

"Having praised God for the grace of election in Christ (1:3-6), which comes from eternity past, and having praised Him for the forgiveness of our sins, which we have in the present (1:7-10), Paul looks to the future and rejoices in our inheritance (1:11-14). It belongs to the Gentiles, not only the Jews, who were 'the first to hope in Christ.' Therefore, this inheritance is common to all Christians. It is also a secure inheritance. It was planned by God, purchased by Christ, and is protected by His providence. We, the heirs, are even sealed with the Holy Spirit, marking us out as God's holy possession. At the heart of this inheritance is the lavish riches of finding fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit. He is poured out to us as a 'down payment' right now, granting access to the Father through Christ (2:18). And we will receive the rest of these riches, the fullness of God's grace, when He grants life to our bodies and bestows us a communion with God that operates by sight instead of faith."

In [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

In the ancient world, sons claimed the family inheritance by virtue of family membership. In the same way, we who are God's children via divine adoption have an inheritance in Him by virtue of our membership in His family.

This inheritance is a COMMON inheritance. In verses 12-13, Paul makes a distinction between "we" and "you also." He's referring to the Jews in Christ and the "you also" of the Gentiles in Christ. Both Jew and Gentile are reconciled to God by Christ. Gentiles share in the inheritance originally preserved for the Jews but which has now been "opened up" unto the world by Christ.

This inheritance is a SECURE inheritance. From eternity past, God has predestined us for this inheritance. All things have been created by the counsel of His will, and He has the power to bring His plans for the world, including our inheritance, to fruition. We are in the present "sealed" by the Holy Spirit; the Spirit is like a divine cattle-brand burned into our hide. The Holy Spirit is both a guarantee of our election and of our inheritance, a "down-payment" on what is to come. He is part of our inheritance coming-to-roost within us in the present. A down-payment is an initial sum of money given, reassuring that more money will be given in the future; in the same way, the Holy Spirit is a foretaste of our inheritance and a promise of that full and final inheritance in the future. Right now we have communion with God through the Spirit, by faith; but when we enter into our inheritance, we will have full communion and fullness of communion (in both body and spirit) with God.

Our inheritance is a DIVINE inheritance. What is the main attraction of our inheritance? At the very center of it is GOD. Our greatest anticipation ought to be the communion with God we will experience. If we fail to anticipate that, it's because we lack the faculties to perceive what such unhindered communion will really be like. God is our life source, and right now we are, in a sense, only partway plugged in. When we step into our inheritance, we will be fully "plugged in," and God's life will flood through us like electricity through an outlet. Right now we are weighed down by hearts that are sinful, hearts that fail to comprehend anything greater than "purified versions" of what this world offers. We do indeed have communion with God in the present, but this communion is like "looking dimly, through glass." We can feel the fruits of the Spirit and experience spiritual transformation, but we're still weighted down by the remnants of our corrupt natures. When we step into our inheritance, those sinful dispositions, and our sinful nearsightedness, will be eradicated, and we will experience a thrilling, euphoric, and satisfying communion with God that we never imagined to be possible.