Many times, there is no future knowledge of what that gift entails. Some have received much at the reading of the will; others have experienced great disappointment. Regardless of the inheritance, because it is tied to the things of this earth, it is affected by adverse circumstances. Not so in the spiritual life, for the believer in Christ has an inheritance, and is an inheritance that is Divine in nature and not subject to change. The Apostle Peter, in speaking to the Jews dispersed throughout the Roman Empire, was well aware of the increasing persecution that these Jewish believers were facing. They had left Judaism and embraced Christianity through faith in Christ. Deprivation, starvation, economic failure, fractured families, and the effects of such on health and life, were taking their toll.
What would sustain them in the time of crisis? As always, it would be the Word of God, learned and applied to one’s life, which would bring inner peace and contentment amidst the storms of life. The apostle therefore reminds his fellow believers of the permanence and eternal value of their inheritance in Christ. Peter begins his discussion with the gift of eternal life at the moment of salvation. Next, he informs them of their inheritance, and then assures them that God will bring these to fruition and completion in their resurrection.
“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, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”(1 Peter 1:3-5 NASB)
This passage has great force in that Peter uses three Greek words, each beginning with the same letter and ending with the same syllable, to describe the crescendo effect of this inheritance. First, this inheritance can “never perish”, APHTHARTON. Second, this inheritance does “not spoil”, AMIANTON. Third, this inheritance does “not fade”, AMARANTON. Nothing can alter, diminish, remove, or cancel that which God has promised to those who have placed their trust in the saving work of Christ on the Cross. It is guaranteed by the integrity of God. The Apostle Paul tells us that not only do we obtain such an inheritance at salvation, but that God the Holy Spirit, Himself, is the down payment or binder, that we will receive that which was promised.
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation — having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.”(Eph 1:13-14 NASB)
In a time of much uncertainty, how wonderful that a loving God reassures us that He never changes, that He always remains faithful and will accomplish all that He has promised. For Christians, the results should be stability of soul, peace of mind, and confident expectation as we wait for the revealing of our inheritance when we see Him face to face.