“[God] caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3)
Everyone receives an eternal inheritance — either Heaven or Hell.
We read in the bible aspects of the believer’s inheritance in Christ, we also realize that unbelievers also will receive an inheritance, for Jesus will say to them, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels … And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:41, 46).
Only Christians have eternal life and a royal inheritance. When you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you became a new creation in Christ and your life began to center on Him rather than yourself. The Holy Spirit indwelt you and began to transform your attitudes and actions. That’s the new birth! It’s like starting all over again, only this time you’re pursuing God’s glory rather than worldly pleasures or goals.
Also, when you were saved you became an heir of God and a fellow heir with Christ (Romans 8:17). So the new birth was the means of your salvation and your eternal inheritance.
Having said that, I must admonish you, just as Paul admonished the Corinthians, to “test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you — unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). You never want to be deluded about your relationship with Christ. When you trust in the living Lord, you have a living hope and a glorious eternal inheritance. Anything less results in an inheritance of eternal damnation.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies” (John 11:25). Be sure your faith is firmly fixed on Him.
Pray for family and friends who don’t know Christ. Ask the Lord to redeem them so He will be glorified, and they will become joint heirs with Christ.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I thank you for the gifts of mercy and redemption You have given Your children. I ask that Your Holy Spirit touch the lives of those who don’t know You and fill their lives with the same love and grace You have shown Your children. Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
