Today's study is from Ephesians 4:30-5:5
Imagine sitting in the law office of your family’s lawyer as the will of your great-grandfather – a billionaire - is read. Imagine the anticipation as it gets to the moment of each person’s inheritance being read aloud. Now imagine your name being read followed by, “no inheritance for you.” Can you feel the rejection? The devastation and questions? As horrible as it would be to be cut off from a worldly inheritance like this it’s even more devastating to consider missing out on the spiritual inheritance promised to those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit because of Jesus. So, we cannot take lightly the reality – the serious reality – of these verses. The inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God is for those who are meek, morally pure and are not idolaters. In fact, no liar, adulterer, or even cowardly are entitled to the inheritance (Rev. 21:8). Who has hope then? Aren’t we all sinners in one way or another? Yes. Those who are not “renewed in the spirit of your minds” – who have not “put on the new self in true righteousness” have not been brought near are all still foreigners and strangers. They have not been sealed by the Holy Spirit. Paul is going to go on to address the difference between those who are truly in Christ and those who are in darkness. But he’s making a clear distinction here first. Only those who are “imitators of God as beloved children” can inherit the kingdom. We do not inherit as a result of anything we’ve done (Eph. 2:8), we inherit because Christ is our righteousness, our peace, our savior. We will then demonstrate that we are a part of God’s family because, as Christ gave himself up as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God, so will we.
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