The Goal of Our Inheritance
God wants to be glorified through you.
For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him, Ephesians 1:4.
Ephesians 1 is all about your spiritual identity. Who are you? You are God’s. What an enormous privilege we’ve been given! Through Jesus, we’ve been adopted as his own (1:5). Now, with the Spirit’s testimony, we see God not as a commander — but as our Father in the deepest way (8:15). We are in Christ and heirs of a great inheritance, (Galatians 4:7; Romans 8:17). We wear a new name. Since this is the case:
You no longer define yourself by what you have or don’t have in this life.
You no longer define yourself by your talents, abilities, shortcomings, or failures.
You no longer define yourself by how much money you have.
You no longer define yourself by your circumstances. You don’t define yourself as someone who has been divorced. You don’t define yourself by your looks or weight.
You no longer define yourself by your performance because you know that, ultimately, your salvation rests on Jesus.
You are His. You are forgiven. You are a new creation. This is your status. You can rest on this fact. Do you trust God?
In Love, God has Committed to You
Paul wrote: The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance until the redemption of the possession, (Ephesians 1:14a). Here, God is saying he will give us all his promises, and so we’ll know for sure: He gave us the Spirit. See how invested he is. He is in deep.
“Down payment” in verse 14 also can refer to an engagement ring. God is telling us he has a promise for us. And more than that, he says he loves us with all his heart and has an inheritance waiting for us. “Here’s my engagement ring. Here’s my Spirit of promise.”
New Life, New Responsibilities
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Since we are sons and daughters, we must never neglect the responsibility that comes with our new status. God has recreated you to be holy and blameless in love before him (1:4). This is our daily pursuit for the rest of our lives here on earth.
Let’s look at 2 Corinthians 7:1. First, Paul says we have been given promises. Go back to 6:16. Here, we have the promise of a close and meaningful relationship with God and status. The Christian belongs to God. We are his people. This is an act of grace. In response, we are called to come out from among them and be separate (6:17). Our work (obedient response) should always be seen in response to what has or continues to do for us by grace. Since belong to Him, I need to draw a line with the world and no longer participate in its deeds.
Then Paul repeats the pattern. Verse 18: I will be a father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me. God did this for you. You did not save yourself. Since you are saved, you cleanse yourself from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God (7:1b). Fear here simply means reverence and respect. You don’t cower in fear because your status (adopted, forgiven, and holy) is uncertain or tenuous; you demonstrate the greatest respect (and love) for God by living inside the new responsibilities you’ve been given. Again, you work from salvation — not for it.
Why God Will Give You the Inheritance
God has done all of this for the praise of his glory (1:14b). This is the third time1 Paul has mentioned the glory of God in the opening of Ephesians. You are his workmanship (2:10). You are his masterpiece. God wants to be glorified through you. He is glorified when we live for him. And as we walk with him daily, the spirit bears with our spirit that we are children of God.
We should all be humbled by what God has done. Because of his work, let us lift Jesus up every day in every way we can. God is awesome and amazing. Praise Him for his marvelous grace!
See also Ephesians 1:6, 12.