Learning your heritage and knowing the ancient landmarks increases your understanding of the inheritance we possess and will enter. A rich family inheritance is rooted in generations that were before and have passed. Carnal, earthly, temporary riches passed down from one generation to the next are weak and finite. They are experienced by their possessor until death do they part. Therefore, not only are such riches temporary but the experience and possession of them is also temporary. We have that which we will not enjoy forever but for a short time.

For those in Christ we have entered the flow of God’s predestination of His Son and all that is in Christ. Although we may have an abundant inheritance, building one for others, or whether we will receive nothing from our earthly parents and are unable to build one for our children – we have another inheritance altogether. An inheritance from our new Father, God the Father. This inheritance excels and exceeds in glory from that of the carnal, earthly, and temporal one. An inheritance not built upon our merit and labor, nor the merit of our forefathers, but by the merit of Jesus Christ. Access into these good pleasures of our heavenly Father has been permitted, by baptism into Christ, and accessing by faith these spiritual blessings on a day-to-day basis ought to be our joy and delight. The rich heritage of these spiritual blessings is founded in our Father’s counsel before the world began. The fruit and result of our rich heritage in Christ is that we should be “holy and without blame before Him in love.”

Oftentimes when we think about God choosing us to be holy in Christ, we think about His power to do so. It is easy to chalk up God making us holy to His incredible power. “Of course, if God is God, it wouldn’t be much for Him to make us holy before Him”. However, if we do not understand that God is holy then we will fail to appreciate the honor of being made “holy”, as well as, the degree of power is much more than just incredible. Rather, if God is holy and we understand the significance of His holiness then we would understand the almost sheer impossibility that we would be holy before Him. God is holy – there is none like Him nor can any be likened unto Him. God is incomparable and therefore all that He is and does is incomparable. He is love, not just a god that loves. He is righteous, but not as man counts righteousness. In Him there is no evil, no variableness, no shadow of turning. No darkness can be found in Him. Even His creatures that He creates are not holy for He is separate in one way or another. Therefore, in one sense we will never be “holy” as He is; however, in another sense He chooses that the creatures He will use in His plan and purpose will be holy before Him. Holy in this sense is about God’s cleanness, His separation not simply as Creator, but in righteousness. God’s abode is holiness, and His kingdom is in righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. The inheritance of our holiness is in Christ and a derivative of being in Him. He exhorts, “be holy for I am holy!” How fitting it is of our Father Who is holy, holy, holy to stipulate that His elect would be holy before Him! How blessed it is of our Father Who is holy, holy, holy to bless us by His grace and make us fit for His use – to make us holy for His heavenly kingdom. What a spiritual blessing to be made like Him in this way by the blessings of His grace in love!

Look Up,

Josh Strelecki, Pastor-Teacher