The way we are going to examine this passage is to notice three specific things God does for us, and we’ll study them like this:
God has given us an inheritance (Colossians 1:12).
God has delivered us from the power of darkness (Colossians 1:13).
God has redeemed us: forgiven our sins (Colossians 1:14).
Oh, how my heart thrills at just the thought of these things, because they are a summary of God’s heart for us. He loves us! Oh, how He loves us! “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will never perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
God has given us an inheritance because He loves us! God has delivered us from the power of darkness because He loves us! God has redeemed us and forgiven our sins because He loves us! And so what we’re really doing in this lesson is examining God’s love for us, and how He shows it!
When I was living under the thick, dark cloud of depression I literally could not understand God’s love for me. I had no joy, was full of dark forebodings, and lived a joyless, dark, miserable existence. But my gloom and depression began melting and lifting off of me as I began seeing, and experiencing the love of God and all that He had done for me at the cross. I believe this will be your experience as well.
So let’s look at these things together, and see if the Lord might fill our hearts with His love and lift our cloud of depression as we see what He has done for us in the gospel.
God has given us an inheritance (Colossians 1:12).
What is this inheritance that God has given us? Well, it’s so big and so immense, and so glorious that I can hardly describe it all, but I’m going to try. The inheritance that all believers have will be described in 10 different ways over the next few days. Just wait until you see all that your Father has left you for an inheritance!
Now when an individual dies and they leave an inheritance for their children, there is a qualification that must be met in order for the children to receive their inheritance. The qualification is that the recipients must be children of the deceased and their names written into the will, in order to receive the inheritance. Similarly, there is a qualification that must be met in order for us to receive our eternal inheritance from God and this qualification is what we will explore today.
Now no person is qualified at their physical birth to share in God’s inheritance, as the requirement is that we be completely righteous, perfect, sinless, and as holy as God Himself. So, nobody qualifies, because we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Ephesians 2:12 NIV teaches us that we were born into this world without an inheritance: ”remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.”
So, that was our condition by birth: separate from Christ, excluded, without hope, and without God.
But there is good news: notice again what the passage we are studying says, “giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance…” (Colossians 1:12).
Question 2. Can you think of what God has done to qualify you to share in His inheritance? Please share your thoughts here:
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Harris writes, "By shedding His blood on the cross and by paying for the penalty of my sins He qualified me for the inheritance."
Carnell writes, "When I believed and got baptized into Christ I was put in God's will to share in the inheritance. Christ shed His blood and purchased my redemption and forgave all of my sins."
Tori writes, "He has freely given it to me. He gave Jesus Christ, who came down to rescue me, in order to give me this gift of His inheritance. I don't deserve this, it is truly freely given."