WE SHARE CHRIST'S BELONGINGS - PART 2

THURSDAY 24 AUGUST 2023

First of all, as you come to God, trust Him, then believe and receive all that belongs to Christ by faith, and live accordingly, so there will be fruit to His praise. More below!

Reference: Hebrews 3:14 New Living Translation (NLT) "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ."

I mentioned in part one that before we can share in all that belongs to Christ, we must be born again. Being born again is a means to inherit the Kingdom of God, which belongs to Christ, bearing in mind that Jesus noted in John 16:15 saying, "All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you" (NIV). Got it? So being born again, that is, to be made righteous before God, is the criterion for sharing in all that belongs to Christ.

Being qualified to share in all that belongs to Christ, simply means that we are called to inherit the "entire" Kingdom of God, not part of it. However, we must function as the righteous to do so because 1st Corinthians 6:9 (NLT) says, "Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God."

Beloved, some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God (1st Corinthians 6:9 NLT). Moreover, now that you are born again, you must continue to walk in righteousness, which is in accordance with the faith you profess, because we have the Lord Jesus, as our Great High Priest in heaven, who ensures that He always fulfils His priestly responsibility of seeing that we obtain every Kingdom inheritance we steadfastly confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts. To that effect, the author of the book of Hebrews noted, "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess" (Hebrews 4:14).

Now why must we remain faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed? It is so we can share in all that belongs to Christ. This is why we have received Him as "Christ in us" the hope of glory, which implies that His indwelling presence denotes a "living hope" that assures of our glorious inheritance in heaven, bearing in mind that we are joint-heirs with Him (Romans 8:17 KJV). To instantiate this verity, 1 Peter 1:3-4 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you" (NIV). Got it? If we remain faithful to the end, we shall obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for us.

Now watch this: Why must we continue to walk with the Holy Spirit till the end of time? This is because He is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance both ways: in heaven and on earth. To that effect, apostle Paul said, "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV). Through this very Scripture, I believe that you have grasped the reason you must continue to function more in tune with the guidance of the Spirit. This is because the Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He promised us as His own purchased people. Stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Psalm 33:12; Colossians 1:12-14; Ephesians 1:18; Galatians 3:29.

Exuberant Declaration: I'm found in Christ, grounded and rooted in His love; believing, depending on Him, and possessing all that belongs to Him by active faith, inspired by the Holy Spirit. Blessed be God!