We have been “justified by His grace” so that “we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
This is God’s ultimate goal and purpose in saving us, this is the outcome of our salvation. We are not just saved for the here and now, we are saved for eternity. We are not just saved from our sin but we are saved to a glorious inheritance.
To be an heir in Bible times, you had to be part of the family. If you weren’t a natural child, you had to be adopted. So, by calling Christians heirs, God is saying, “you are part of My family.”
To be an heir means to inherit the riches of the family. All of the riches of heaven are the believer’s inheritance. Revelation describes this (which we will cover in future meditations). We will see the glory of God face to face, we will be in the heavenly city, we will be satisfied beyond measure.
Romans 8:17 even says that Christians are “co-heirs with Christ.” While we will never be God, we will share in the glory of heaven with Jesus.
It is an eternal inheritance – “the hope of eternal life.” It will not fade away, we will not get bored. In fact, it will get better and better. As we spend longer in heaven, we will see more and more of the glory of God.
It is a certain inheritance. The “hope” of eternal life. Hope in the Bible means certainty. If you have put your trust in Christ, you can be totally sure that this inheritance is yours.
Hope is powerful, to quote Calvin:
when fear prevails in our hearts we are as it were lifeless, so that we cannot raise even a finger to do anything: but when hope animates us, there is a vigour in the whole body, so that alacrity [cheerful eagerness] appears everywhere.
John Calvin and John Owen, Commentaries on the Twelve Minor Prophets, vol. 4 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 303.
When we see this inheritance by faith, it transforms the way we think right now. Troubles are real, but the inheritance is so great that it weakens the power of trouble in our lives today. We see that these struggles are worth it. We are strengthened to keep going. We are so assured of the future that we don’t fear suffering.
We walk through life confident that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:17).
May the Lord encourage you today with these things.
The best is yet to come 