Ephesians 1:11 (ESV) … “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will...”
In Christ we have a wonderful inheritance (1 Peter 1:1–4), and in Christ we are an inheritance. We are valuable to Him. Think of the price God paid to purchase us and make us part of His inheritance! God the Son is the Father’s love gift to us; and we are the Father’s love gift to His Son. Read John 17 and note how many times Christ calls us “those whom Thou hast given Me.” The church is Christ’s body (Eph. 1:22–23), building (Eph. 2:19–22), and bride (Eph. 5:22–23); Christ’s future inheritance is wrapped up in His church. We are “joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17), which means that He cannot claim His inheritance apart from us![i]
It’s great to have an inheritance, to be remembered in someone’s will. Paul said that in Christ we have obtained an inheritance. Peter said that our inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled, that it will not fade away, and that it is reserved in Heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4). Paul told the Corinthians: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
From all eternity, God has had our well-being in mind. His eternal purpose was to bring into existence human beings upon whom He could bestow all the inexhaustible riches of His grace. No small part of that “counsel of his own will” is still in the future as far as we are concerned. What God has in store for us is beyond anything we can imagine. We find ourselves yearning for it at times with deep soul-longings that are beyond all utterance. We catch occasional, fleeting glimpses of that “sweet bye and bye” in a passage or two of Scripture, such as those in the closing chapters of the Apocalypse, although the reality will be far better, as Paul put it in Philippians 1:23. In the meantime we can rest assured that God has taken care of our inheritance. That part of our salvation is included in God’s predestinating will.[ii]
[i] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 12). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[ii] Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Ephesians & Philippians: An Expository Commentary (Eph 1:11). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.
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