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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
My Inheritance
The letter was from an attorney. It stated my great-aunt Lena had left a portion of her estate to me in the amount of $500. The letter stated that, in order to meet the terms of the will, I must go to the office of a certain attorney to sign a release. I did not know why she would leave me any money, but I signed the release, met all the conditions and received the $500.
This incident is not really unusual, though not experienced by everyone. The $500 bought us a washer and dryer back when we were first married, and we were grateful for the bequest. As I was growing up, my family traditionally had a Christmas supper at Aunt Lena’s house, and she was very kind to my parents, my brother and me. Even so, I was surprised when I got that letter. I knew I had not earned that money. If anyone earned it, my mother would have been the one, not me.
What does that ancient event have to do with anyone today?
Controversy has raged in the religious world for years—even centuries, over a related question. Is man under obligation to “obey” God in order to obtain salvation? Is heaven promised to all who merely give their assent to Jesus’ deity without regard to the need for a changed life? Can man earn heaven? Is salvation by “grace alone”? or “faith alone”? Or is salvation promised only to those who “obey him,” Hebrews 5:9?
We immediately recognize that no one can place God in his or her debt to the extent that heaven has been earned. But we also see that certain conditions are demanded of any candidate for residence in that heavenly realm.
There is a Bible principle that speaks of an “inheritance” for God’s people, God’s “children.” That principle is found over forty times in the New Testament alone, and it may help us see how God’s grace, our faith and God’s conditions all combine to provide an “inheritance among them which are sanctified,” Acts 26:18.
Salvation, heaven, the blessings of God—these are not earned or deserved, but inherited. God is not indebted to us, but He gives a bequest to us who are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ,” Romans 8:17.
Are there conditions that must be met in order to receive the inheritance? Yes. Just as I had to go to the attorney’s office and sign a release before I received mine, we must meet the terms of Jesus’ “will” before we can “inherit eternal life,” Mark 10:17, Hebrews 9:15-17.
Note that in Hebrews 9:15, this very terminology is used of Christ:
“He is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator,” Hebrews 9:15-16.
Yes, while Jesus lived on earth, He could distribute His “estate” as He wished (see Luke 23:43, the “thief” on the cross). But upon His death, inheritance can be received only by meeting the terms of His will, or “testament.”
Look up the full texts referenced in the following verses:
- “...Every one that has forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake…shall inherit everlasting life,” Matthew 19:29.
- “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18.
- “Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
- “If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise,” Galatians 3:29.
- “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope…To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you,” 1 Peter 1:3-4.
- “He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son,” Revelation 21:7.
It was not because I had done anything to deserve or earn my Aunt’s legacy. It was her favor, her “grace” if you please, that prompted her to leave it to me. Similarly, God’s grace makes it possible for me to “inherit eternal life” without being perfect, without deserving it, without being worthy of it. If heaven is my eternal home, it will be because of God’s mercy and grace…and because I met the conditions found in Jesus’ “last will and testament,” the Gospel, the New Testament.
Those conditions include hearing the Gospel, believing in Jesus as God’s Son, repenting of my sins, confessing my faith in Him, being baptized for the remission of my sins, and being “faithful unto death” (see Mark 16:16, Romans 10:17, Acts 2:38, 8:35-38, Revelation 2:10.) What a beautiful inheritance! Don’t miss it!
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“The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world,”
“Of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ,”
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Answers to 30 Book Bible Puzzle
(the puzzle was featured in the 3-28-04 bulletin)
There are thirty books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much; he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his johnboat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving; she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam; especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new sales record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "the books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found.
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