The Heir
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs according to the promise.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3&version=EHV>
The heir and children of God. The God’s Word translation puts this section of St Paul’s letter to the Galatians very nicely:
Before Christ came, Moses’ laws served as our guardian. Christ came so that we could receive God’s approval by faith. But now that this faith has come, we are no longer under the control of a guardian. You are all God’s children by believing in Christ Jesus. Clearly, all of you who were baptized in Christ’s name have clothed yourselves with Christ. There are neither Jews nor Greeks, slaves nor free people, males nor females. You are all the same in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants and heirs, as God promised.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3&version=GW>
St Paul uses the heir metaphor in several of his letters. Here is a good one from Romans:
So, brothers and sisters, we have no obligation to live the way our corrupt nature wants us to live. If you live by your corrupt nature, you are going to die. But if you use your spiritual nature to put to death the evil activities of the body, you will live. Certainly, all who are guided by God’s Spirit are God’s children. You haven’t received the spirit of slaves that leads you into fear again. Instead, you have received the spirit of God’s adopted children by which we call out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. If we are his children, we are also God’s heirs. If we share in Christ’s suffering in order to share his glory, we are heirs together with him.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208&version=GW>
The synoptic Gospels all record this parable of Jesus about the heir, I will let St Mark tell it:
Then, using this illustration, Jesus spoke to them. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a vat for the winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip.
“At the right time he sent a servant to the workers to collect from them a share of the grapes from the vineyard. The workers took the servant, beat him, and sent him back with nothing. So the man sent another servant to them. They hit the servant on the head and treated him shamefully. The man sent another, and they killed that servant. Then he sent many other servants. Some of these they beat, and others they killed.
“He had one more person to send. That person was his son, whom he loved. Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’
“But those workers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
“What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the workers and give the vineyard to others.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012&version=GW>
Jesus here paints a picture of our fallen world. Those apart from Christ want to usurp the gifts of God. They would use those gifts for personal gain, power, and perceived glory without regard to giving the Owner what is His rightful due. The book of Judges puts it this way, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Christians hear this all the time: “That may be your truth, but it is not my truth.” They (those apart from Christ) have ignored the Owner’s servants, the prophets and apostles, and have also effectively killed the Owners Son by denying His claims of exclusivity as the Way of salvation.
Paul paint the same picture from a different perspective. “So, brothers and sisters, we have no obligation to live the way our corrupt nature wants us to live. If you live by your corrupt nature, you are going to die. Christ came so that we could receive God’s approval by faith.” This is the message that the world refuses to heed. We need to speak it anyway. And when the world beats us or treats us shamefully and sends us away with nothing, we can look to the Son and remember, “We share in Christ’s suffering in order to share his glory, we are heirs together with him.” The heir, as God has promised.
The Fire, The Water, The Earth, and now, The Heir.
Homophones. My blog, my rules 😉
Trust the Promises,
Steve Skiver