Identity and inheritance

2021-04-17
Romans 8:17 NCV

When our favourite football team wins, we say, ‘We won!’ But what do we mean when we say ‘we’? We weren’t on the pitch. We didn’t get tackled. We didn’t kick the ball. We didn’t score a single goal. How can we say ‘we won’? What we mean is that because the team we support and identify with won, we won as well.

There’s an important spiritual truth here for us as redeemed children of God. When Jesus died, we died with Him. When Jesus arose, we arose with Him to ‘live a new life’ (Romans 6:4 NCV). The difference between us and the team that won is that we’re unlikely to ever be part of it. But when Jesus won at the cross and we accepted Him as our Saviour, God positioned us ‘in Christ’. Today He sees each of us clothed in the righteousness of Christ (take a look at 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Paul explained it this way: ‘The Spirit himself joins with our spirits to say we are God’s children. If we are God’s children, we will receive blessings from God together with Christ’ (Romans 8:16-17 NCV). As redeemed children of God, we are heirs of everything our heavenly Father owns. And we ‘receive blessings…together with Christ’, meaning that whatever Jesus is entitled to, we are also entitled to.

When we understand this truth and begin to walk according to it, we can start to identify and claim the blessings God’s promised in His Word. These blessings include things like grace, forgiveness, healing, provision, guidance, strength, etc. Our identity in Christ entitles us to all these things.

Dan 3-4; Mark 2:18-22; Ps 130; Prov 10:12