Church Series-Predestination in Relation to Adoption and the Eternal Inheritance
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday October 6, 2016
The Church Series: Predestination in Relation to Adoption and the Eternal Inheritance
Lesson # 3
In Romans 8:30, the apostle Paul teaches the Christians in Rome that they have been predestinated, called, justified and glorified by God the Father.
Romans 8:30 And these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. (NASB95)
“He predestined” is the verb proorizo (pro-owe-reezoe), which appeared in Romans 8:29 and its meaning is retained here in Romans 8:30.
Here in verse 30, it is used with reference to the predestination of church age believers in the sense that God the Father “determined beforehand” or “predestinated” the Christian in eternity past to be conformed into the image of Christ.
Therefore, Romans 8:29-30 teaches that predestination is sharing the destiny of Jesus Christ.
It is also related to the divine decree of God and describes the act of the infinite, eternal omniscience of God, which determined the certain future existence of events, which will happen in time to the believer.
As we noted in Romans 8:29, Paul teaches that God the Father first foreknew the Christian and then predestinated the Christian to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ, thus indicating that the predestination is based upon God’s foreknowledge.
Ephesians 1:5 teaches that the church age believer was predestined by the Father in eternity past for the purpose of adoption as sons.
Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. (NASB95)
“Predestined” is the verb proorizo (proe-owe-reezoe), which refers to the fact that God the Father before the foundation of the world determined beforehand or predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ in order to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
“Adoption” is the noun huiothesia (υἱοθεσία) (wee-owe-theh-seeah), which means, “placing as a son.”
It is not so much a word of relationship but of position.
In regeneration a Christian receives the new nature as a child of God.
In adoption they receive the position of a son of God at the moment of conversion through the baptism of the Spirit.
Every Christian obtains the place of a child and the right to be called a son the moment they trust in Jesus Christ for salvation (Galatians 3:25-26; 4:6; 1 John 3:1-2).
The believer’s heirship also means that the believer has an inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14, 18; Colossians 1:18), which confers upon the believer the responsibility to grow to spiritual maturity in order to receive this inheritance.
Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at located in Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus. 2 Grace to all of you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Worthy of praise and glorification is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who has blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in the Person of Christ. 4 When He elected us to privilege in Him before the foundation of the world for the purpose of being holy and blameless before Him. 5 By means of divine love He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption for Himself according to grace purpose of His will. 6 For the praise of the glory of His grace by means of which (grace) He has graced us out in the Person of the Beloved. 7 In whom (the Beloved) we have the redemption through His blood (Christ’s substitutionary spiritual death), the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. 8 From which (riches of His grace) He has directed infinite wealth toward all of us by means of all wisdom and perfect judgment. 9 When He made known to all of us the mystery of His will according to His grace purpose, which He (the Father) purposed in Him (Christ). 10 With respect to the dispensation of the fulness of the times to unite all things in the Person of Christ those in heaven and those on earth by means of Him (Christ). 11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance when we were predestined according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will. 12 For the purpose of us being for the praise of His glory, those of us who have confidently placed their trust in the Person of Christ. 13 In whom (the Person of Christ) you have confidently placed your trust after hearing the word of truth, namely, the gospel of your salvation, in the Person of whom (Christ), in fact, when you had trusted, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit who is the Promise 14 who (the Holy Spirit) is the guarantee of our inheritance until the deliverance of the purchased possession (church) for the praise of His glory. (Author’s translation)
“We have obtained an inheritance” is the verb kleroo (κληρόω) (klay-roe-owe), which is in the passive voice meaning, “to receive an inheritance.”
God the Father at the moment of conversion qualified every church age believer to receive this inheritance, which is currently on deposit in heaven with the Person of Christ and will be given to the believer if they execute the Father’s plan in time.
Every church age believer has the opportunity to receive their eternal inheritance if they fulfill the condition of being faithful till death or the rapture whichever comes first and thus executes the Father’s will for their life.
In this sense, the eternal inheritance is analogous to an escrow account in which the contents of the escrow are on deposit and are released to the grantee by the grantor when the conditions of the escrow are fulfilled.
God the Father is the grantor, the contents of the escrow are with the Person of Christ and the believer is the grantee and will receive the contents of the escrow when they fulfill the condition of the escrow, which is to execute the Father’s will.
Both the Old and New Testament’s speak of an inheritance, which could be forfeited due to unfaithfulness.
The inheritance in the Bible: (1) Related to God’s plan for the believer after justification. (2) Added blessings to the Saved (i.e. Rewards on top of salvation). (3) Possession. (4) Is meritorious ownership of the kingdom (i.e. Millennium and eternal state) (5) Conditioned on faithful obedience to the will of God. (6) Can be forfeited through habitual disobedience to the will of God. (7) Two types of inheritance (God and the possession of land in the Millennium) (Every believer receives God has His inheritance).
At the moment of his or her conversion, the church age believer was qualified to receive this eternal inheritance.
Colossians 1:9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; 12 joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. (NASB95)
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (NASB95)
In order to receive this eternal inheritance, the church age believer must do everything as unto the Lord.
Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 25 For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality. (NASB95)
Although the church age believer’s salvation cannot be merited but is received when a person expresses faith alone in Christ alone (cf. Eph 2:8-9), the believer’s inheritance on the other hand is meritorious.
It is meritorious in the sense that he or she has to fulfill the condition of being faithfully obedient to the will of God till physical death or the rapture (i.e. resurrection of the Church).
Because the church age believer can forfeit his eternal inheritance through unfaithfulness to the Lord, there are many warnings regarding being unfaithful (Hebrews 10:35-39; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 2 Timothy 2:12-13).
The believer is promised that if they fulfill the condition of being faithful till death, they will be given the privilege to reign with Christ (Romans 8:16-18).
The church age believer must be an overcomer in order to receive their eternal inheritance.
This involves perseverance, which by way of definition is steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, and a state.
Perseverance is produced by the Holy Spirit so as to exemplify this godly virtue and refers to remaining faithful to the Lord by being obedient to His Word despite the obstacles in life such as the old sin nature, self, the cosmic system of Satan.
It refers to bearing up under intense pressure and not quitting on God and depicts a Christian as enduring undeserved suffering on behalf of the communication of the gospel.
It speaks of staying disciplined and subjecting themselves to the will of God, which demands the acquiescence of their will to the Father’s will.
It conveys the idea of not permitting adverse circumstances to get one to surrender or quit on the plan of God.
It describes a triumphant confident expectation of reward and blessing in the midst of adversity.
It also involves doing what is right and never giving in to the temptation or trial.
Perseverance is the ability to deal triumphantly with anything that life can give us.
It accepts the blows of life but in accepting them transforms them into stepping stones to new achievement and spiritual growth.