Galatians
3: 26 - 4:3
26)
For ye are all the children of God by faith
in Christ Jesus.
27)
For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ.
28)
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus.
29)
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise.
1)
Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a
child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be
lord of all;
2)
But is under tutors and governors until the
time appointed of the father.
3)
Even so we, when we were children, were in
bondage under the elements of the world:
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he Lord in His
wisdom has chosen to confer His blessings in much the same way as an
inheritance is given. Only by knowing the stipulations and doing what He
requires can we expect to inherit those promises.
As testator (or
writer) of the will, Jesus has determined what will be necessary to receive the
"estate." Being alive, present, or willing to receive, alone does not
ensure receipt. As easy as it is assigned one's name to a will, it is even
easier to eliminate it if the individual refuses to comply with the directives.
How is one made aware of a will's contents? It must be read. No
matter how small one's inheritance might be, just knowing he stands to gain
something is enough incentive for most to investigate the particulars.
Unfortunately, the same does not seem to be true in the spiritual. We all want
whatever good is coming, but few read the Bible to investigate the particulars
of Christ's "last will and testament." Therefore, many remain
ignorant of just how vast our present inheritance is.
We are heirs by
virtue of having "put on" Christ through being baptized into His
death. Therefore, that which belongs to Him belongs now to us and anyone else
who will join the "family." Along with this explaining the necessity
of baptism, we must also remember that Peter wrote that it is baptism which saves, not by cleansing the flesh, but by showing that the
candidate possesses "a good conscience toward God." After the
introduction (through baptism) into Christ's death, it is necessary to be made
a part of His life (through the Holy Ghost).
We need not
deceive ourselves thinking we can act like spoiled, haughty or disgruntled
"relatives" and still receive our share of Christ's riches. The only
way to show oneself prepared to manage the heavenly
estate is by getting self out-of-the-way, thereby allowing the Spirit full
control.
Our text scriptures addresses the point of us being as children
receiving an inheritance. Obviously, a child would not know enough to manage an
estate. Today, trust funds are set up for children who inherit vast sums. These
funds then revert to him once he matures. In our scripture, the child is
treated as a servant and must be taught and trained until coming "of
age." In addition, he must exhibit spiritual growth or he will not be able
to receive the blessings. So, if he makes no progress, he can get no reward.
What does this
mean to us? It means we cannot have a problem every time someone says something
to us. Nor can we "wear our feelings on our sleeve." For those of you
intent upon being an adult before your time, you must be willing to follow
tutors. If you are one tired of being instructed (told what to do as a child is
told) simply show some maturity. Grow up! Only upon reaching total submission
to the Holy Ghost can we then be treated as spiritual adults.
Scripture likens
us to babies after receiving salvation. Perhaps we need to examine those
characteristics a little more closely. For a long while after birth, infants
are hungry and drink as much as they can. Why, then, are saints not the same?
After salvation, there is a hunger and thirst put within us for the Word so
that we can “grow-up” as quickly as possible. After all, we could not remain
babies and “feed” anyone else.
Not only can we
not act as children, we also must not think childishly. Children are children
largely because they cannot handle responsibility. Inability to handle
responsibility is also a sign of immaturity. Obviously, then if we think as a
child, we too will be unable to handle responsibility.
Unfortunately,
too many of us seem content not to grow up. We pout and get our feelings hurt
when we don’t get what we want or not treated how we expect. Undoubtedly, it is
hard to accept the truth about oneself, but we must if we would help others
accept truth. The Lord wants us to grow to the measure of a perfect man. He can
only help us to mature by challenging us through tests and trials.
Those who are
heirs according to the promise should have an understanding that through tests
and trials, through everything, they can praise God. This is because everything
in the kingdom is ours—whether physical, material, spiritual or
emotional—meaning our healing is already done, our “bread and water is sure,”
our peace is guaranteed and our victories are certain.
If someone asks
you if you’ve “lost your mind,” you can reply that that is exactly what you had
to do to come to the station in life where God wanted you. Everyone will know
when you have lost your mind, for you will think, look and be different. No one
may understand why you are praising Him, but you will know that it is because
of salvation, joy and peace.
The people of God
stand to inherit the vastness of Heaven and earth. How then, can would-be
recipients find themselves ever cast down about anything?