You are God’s Glorious Inheritance

Scripture — Ephesians 1:27-20 (NRSV)

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.

Devotion

In his prayer for the recipients of Ephesians, Paul asks that we might know God better, in part by knowing “the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints” (1:18). Paul wants us to know that we are participants in some astounding inheritance and he prays to that end. Paul wants us to know what we truly have to look forward to in the future.

What we can expect is participation in a glorious inheritance. Paul wants us to know “the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints.” But what does this mean? Does it mean “the riches of the glorious inheritance we will receive from God”? Or does it mean “the riches of the glorious inheritance God will receive among his holy ones”? Are we the inheritors? Or the inheritance?

Elsewhere in Paul’s letters we learn that we will receive an inheritance from the Lord (see 1:14, 5:5; also Rom 8:17; 1 Cor 15:50). So it’s certainly possible that this is what Paul refers to when referring to “the riches of [God’s] glorious inheritance among the saints.” But there is another option we should consider.

The Greek original of verse 18 points to another interpretation, one that seems, at first, to be less wonderful than what we expected, but that turns out to be even more glorious. The Greek phrase under consideration reads very literally, “[that you may know] what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the holy ones” (1:18). Now, “his inheritance” could mean, “the inheritance we will receive from God.” But the more natural interpretation of the language would be “the inheritance God will receive.” And what is this inheritance? The holy ones. The saints! This means that you and I and all of God’s people are God’s glorious inheritance.

Of course, in a very real sense we already belong to God. It’s not as if we have to wait for God to inherit us in order to be claimed and beloved by God. But, when we finally stand in God’s presence, we will be fully God’s people.

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 opens up a new perspective on our hope. Not only will we receive abundantly when we are with the Lord, but we will also belong to God in a whole new way. We will be God’s glorious inheritance, God’s beautiful treasure. What a wonder! As F.F. Bruce writes in his commentary on Ephesians 1:18, “That God should set such high value on a community of sinners, rescued from perdition and still bearing too many traces of their former state, might well seem incredible were it not made clear that he sees them in Christ, as from the beginning he chose them in Christ.”

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: An Imperishable Inheritance.