In the next lesson, we are going to begin an examination of ten different things we receive as an inheritance, as children of God. As we study these things I hope and pray that what happened to me will happen to you. I want you to experience how much your Father loves you, to begin to see all that He has done for you, and to find some sense of deep inner joy which breaks up the clouds of depression in your life.
But today we need to understand how God qualified us to share in that inheritance since we have confirmed that we are not born physically into God’s family.
We’ve already established that the requirements that must be met in order for us to share in the inheritance of God are complete holiness, righteousness, and perfection. Jesus stated it like this, as a summary of a sermon that He gave:
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect!” (Matthew 5:38).
We have to be as perfect as God Himself, as holy as Jesus, as sinless as the Holy Trinity. Well, that is actually very bad news, at least for those of us who know we fail to meet the standard.
When a rich young ruler asked Jesus what he needed to do to “inherit” eternal life (Luke 18:18) Jesus answered this:
“You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother'" (Luke 18:20).
Jesus was reciting the Law of God, the 10 commandments, as found in Exodus 20:3-17.
Question 3. As you examine the Law of God, which is basically a statement that you must live perfectly and never sin, either in thought or in action, do you see how you have fallen short, and therefore cannot “inherit” eternal life on your own? Please share your thoughts:
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Tori writes, "I see 100% how I have fallen short. Even if I tried with all my power, without Christ, I could never follow the law. I am a lawbreaker, I am a sinner, in myself alone I have no ability to fulfill God's law. My flesh is too strong, the circumstances too strong, and without Christ, even with the best intentions, I am weak."
None of us measure up; we cannot inherit on our own merits. But there is good news. Let’s look at our passage again:
“giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance…” (Colossians 1:12).
Notice it does not say, “giving joyful thanks, since you have made yourself perfect by keeping God’s law.” No!
No, we cannot qualify ourselves, cannot live up to the standard of perfection, so God qualified us in what He did for us. Notice what God did for us:
The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. (4) He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
Romans 8:3-4 NLT
Question 4. Romans 8:3 tells us God did for us what the Law could not do. According to Romans 8:3, what did God do for us?
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Harris writes, "Human effort at obedience only brings disappointment at the end of the day. Jesus, His Word and Spirit have eternal life that transforms a life from death to life."