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October 17, 2022
by Rick Combs<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have been looking at the heavenly inheritance for the body of Christ. Ephesians gives us keen insight into this wonderful truth, especially as it is highlighted in chapter one of Paul\u2019s epistle. The truths presented are so wonderful and glorious that it can only be mentioned. Our finite minds are not capable of grasping the reality of this wonder, beauty, and privilege. In this article, we will consider a few of the verses in chapter one that presents to us our future in the \u2018ages to come\u2019. If what we talk about in this article is difficult to comprehend, imagine what the full reality will be like for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Ephesians chapter 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We have already been told in verse 3 that the body of Christ is blessed \u201cwith all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ\u201d. Paul continues in this truth. No other group is told this. It is specific to the body of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Verse 4 \u2013 \u201cAccording as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.\u201d <\/strong>God chose the body of Christ before the foundations of the world were laid. God always had us in mind for a specific purpose. We are the special objects of the Father\u2019s delight. The body of Christ is His own private possession for all of eternity in the places of heaven. The language God uses of His Son He uses of us. We are holy and without blemish. We are so closely identified with the risen Christ that Paul uses the same terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Verse 5 \u2013 \u201cHaving predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.\u201d<\/strong> The phrase \u2018to Himself\u2019 is emphatic! Our Father is personally interested in each of His children. He has chosen the body of Christ for HIMSELF! This is a staggering thought. God is satisfied in giving all the blessings of the heavenly places to us and it gives Him good pleasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Verse 6 \u2013 \u201cTo the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved\u201d. <\/strong>Because of the glory of His Grace, God has accepted us in the Beloved Christ. We are highly favored. Have you seen that phrase before? Yes, you have. Remember the virgin Mary when the angel came to her to exclaim that she would become the mother of the Savior, Jesus. No other woman in the history of the human race was so highly favored. So, it is with the body of Christ. No other company of believers in the history of the human race have been so highly favored as the Church which is His Body. The angel gave to Mary a heavenly message. So too are we given a heavenly message through the Pauline epistles. We are God\u2019s favorite ones. The body of Christ has the highest position of all the creation in the universe. The Church is lovely and charming to Our Father. I told you this was hard to believe, and we haven\u2019t even gotten to the best part yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Verse 18 \u2013 \u201cThe eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.\u201d<\/strong> Our heavenly inheritance involves two words, riches and glory. If we break down this phrase, we get a glimpse that our future \u2018glory\u2019 of the inheritance is accompanied by great riches. It is simply beyond our grasp to understand what these riches will be. They are spiritual in nature. There is more in heaven than we realize. The riches of God are far greater than the riches of earth. This inheritance in heaven will be distributed to us following the gathering of the body unto Christ and the Judgment Seat. It is so wonderful in its\u2019 fulness that it can only be mentioned. \u201cEye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him\u201d. <\/em>1 Corinthians 2:9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Verse 20 \u2013 \u201cWhich he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him<\/em> at his own right hand in the heavenly places<\/em>.\u201d <\/strong>Imagine you sitting next to the Father of Glory on His Throne. We accept the fact that Jesus Christ is seated next to the Father, but you and me too? It almost seems blasphemes! But it is true. Ephesians 2:6 declares that the Lord is among His heavenly people in heaven, the body of Christ being seated with Him in the Throne room of God, at the Father\u2019s right hand. This is a position of authority in relation to what the Body is going to do for the Lord in eternity. The spiritual realm of heaven contains untold wonders that we cannot even think of. We accept this by faith, at face value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Verse 22 23- \u201cAnd hath put all things<\/em> under his feet, and gave him to be<\/em> the head over all things<\/em> to the church, 23<\/u> Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all\u201d<\/strong>. The promise of this verse and passage is yet future. God\u2019s plans have been laid out, but not yet fulfilled. \u2018All things\u2019 will be conquered by Christ Jesus and put under His feet. This is God\u2019s organization and the arrangement of things in creation. The first order of business will be His Body being submitted to Him as the Head. Positions of authority will then be assigned \u2018to the church\u2019 according to our doctrinal knowledge and service on the earth. Our submission begins now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Incredibly in verse 23, the body of Christ is \u2018the fulness of Him\u2019 which is referring to the Father. This is simply impossible for us to grasp! Just think, the Church is the \u201cfull measure, entire contents, to the utmost extent, complement, abundance, fulness, that which makes something complete\u201d (Ref. The Fourth Dimension by Robert C. Brock, page 104). This is a profound truth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ephesians 2:7 concludes our heavenly inheritance with this. \u201cThat in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his<\/em> kindness toward us through Christ Jesus\u201d. <\/strong>In the coming ages, the purpose will be a demonstration to all the living heavenly creatures what God\u2019s sovereign grace has accomplished during this dispensation. The grand purpose for which God has saved us is to show us off as His exhibit to all of creation. The body of Christ is going to be the featured attraction, the showcase of His matchless Grace. God is going to do this for HIMSELF! God will declare through us; \u201cThis is what my Grace did!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The future of the body of Christ is the most exciting in all the Bible. Nothing else comes close to it. Ephesians 2:7 is like a window that gives us a glimpse into eternity which God has allowed us to see. The fulness when we get there will be far more spectacular!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" October 17, 2022 by Rick Combs We have been looking at the heavenly inheritance for the body of Christ. Ephesians gives us keen insight into this wonderful truth, especially as it is highlighted in chapter one of Paul\u2019s epistle. The truths presented are so wonderful and glorious that it can only be mentioned. Our finite […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heavenly-purpose"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biblicalchristianity101.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heavenly-Inheritance.jpg?fit=700%2C248&ssl=1",700,248,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biblicalchristianity101.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heavenly-Inheritance.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biblicalchristianity101.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heavenly-Inheritance.jpg?fit=300%2C106&ssl=1",300,106,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biblicalchristianity101.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heavenly-Inheritance.jpg?fit=700%2C248&ssl=1",700,248,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biblicalchristianity101.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heavenly-Inheritance.jpg?fit=700%2C248&ssl=1",700,248,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biblicalchristianity101.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heavenly-Inheritance.jpg?fit=700%2C248&ssl=1",700,248,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/biblicalchristianity101.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Heavenly-Inheritance.jpg?fit=700%2C248&ssl=1",700,248,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Rickcombs","author_link":"https:\/\/biblicalchristianity101.com\/?author=1"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"October 17, 2022 by Rick Combs We have been looking at the heavenly inheritance for the body of Christ. 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