Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– John 1:12
Inheriting the Earth
In giving the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Today it seems the meek are the rug under the rich’s feet, but that will not always be so for the children of God, as the psalmist writes that “the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.” (Psalm 37:9). So our time is coming–it’s just not right now. What appears today can’t be compared with the glory that’s coming for every child of God (Romans 8:18).
Ruling With Christ
What will become of the saints or children of God in the kingdom? Jesus says in the Book of Revelation that “you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). God planned this with ancient Israel, saying they “shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel” (Exodus 19:6), but they failed. Where they failed, in Christ we won’t (Romans 8:31-39). This explains the Apostle Peter writing that the children of God “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
Forgiveness of Sins
What separates us from God? It is our sins (Isaiah 59:2). But, thankfully, Jesus Christ has ended our separation by the giving of Himself, for we “who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Colossians 1:21-22). There’s now no more condemnation for us (Romans 8:1), and we now have peace with God (Romans 5:1). But what about the other children, the children of the world or Satan? Remember that at one time we were “following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind” (Ephesians 2:2-3).
Used by God
Before the world was created, God had actually planned for us to do good works for His glory. No, it’s not about adding to or completing our salvation because we all know we’re saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), but a faith that’s not earned by works should have works as a natural byproduct. A good tree will produce good fruit (John 15:1-6). In fact, “we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). God will place before us the opportunity to do good for others. So the question is, will we “walk in them”?
Becoming the Children of God
When the time came in our lives that we humbled ourselves and confessed our sins to God and then we repented or turned away and forsook our sins and turned to Christ to place our faith in Him, it was at that exact moment we were spiritually conceived and became the children of God. A new birth was necessary for us to be saved, just as Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:3-7). The words “born again” in the Greek mean to be “born from above” or “born of God” or by His Spirit. That’s how we become the children of God and receive all the great and precious promises (Revelation 21, 22).
Conclusion
The Apostle John writes that “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12), which means they’ll be inheriting the earth and will rule with (but under) Christ, which is made possible by the removal of their sins, so that God might use them for His glory. As the children of God, we’ve been born again and had the adoption papers sealed (Ephesians 1).
