The language of the Bible is that which the Holy Spirit puts into the mouths of men. Wherever we find an expression of hope and confidence in God, or the acknowledgment of any gifts from God, no matter by whom it is written, it is an inspired statement of what it is the privilege of every man to say. It is with this fact in mind that we should read the Scriptures. With it before us, let us read: "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; you maintain my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." (Psalm 16:5-6)
Think of those words, "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance." Truly, that is "a goodly heritage." Do you realize what it means? Surely it means nothing less than what the words say: that God himself is our inheritance. "My heart and my flesh fails; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." (Psalm 73:26)
Our Saviour has taught us to call God "Our Father." Of course no one will do this unless he believes the Lord; but it is the privilege of every one who believes the Lord to call God his Father, and to know that he is a son of God. "He [Christ] came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John 1:11-12)
In place of the word "power," in this text, we have the marginal rendering, "right or privilege." Those who believe on the name of Christ have the privilege to become the sons of God. It is not simply the right to be called the sons, but the power actually to become sons. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God; And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." (Romans 8:14-17)
As stated above, we have not simply the privilege to be called the sons of God, but the right and power actually to be sons. The words "Father" and "son," applied to God and us, are not simply empty terms, but expressions of actual fact. The relationship between believers in God is as real as that between children and earthly parents. Let us read a few texts on this point. "Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." (1 John 5:1) "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which lives and abides for ever." (1 Peter 1:23)
Again we are told that the Divine power of Jesus our Lord has "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue; Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these you might be partakers of the Divine nature." (2 Peter 1:3-4) "[We are] by nature the children of wrath," (Ephesians 2:3) because as children of Adam we are partakers of fallen human nature. Every one may truly say, with the Apostle Paul, "For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing," (Romans 7:18) and with David, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm 51:5) "By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12)
We find ourselves in this world with impulses to sin, which we are not able to resist. "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that you cannot do the things that you would." (Galatians 5:17) "For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin." (Romans 7:14)
To many it seems unjust that God should hold men accountable for their deeds, and should threaten punishment to the ungodly, since we are not responsible for being brought into the world, nor for the sin and weakness which we inherited from our ancestors.
But such do not take into account the better inheritance which we have through the grace of God. The Word of God brings to us exceeding great and precious promises. Faith in that Word effects a new birth for us, and we thus become sons of God, and partakers of the Divine nature.
That is, just as by our natural birth we inherit the weakness and sin of human nature, so by our spiritual birth through the promises of God we inherit the righteousness and strength of the Divine nature. God is our Father indeed, and the new birth is a reality, and not a figure of speech.
As by nature we inherit the tendencies and characteristics of our earthly parents, even so by grace we inherit the ways and nature of our heavenly Father. Is not that indeed "a goodly heritage"?
Think of the expression, "heirs of God." That is, as the Psalmist said, "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance." (Psalm 16:5)
Not merely do we inherit His property, but we inherit himself. He himself is our portion. We receive God himself. We draw our life from Him, and through faith partake of His Divine nature. God himself is our portion and our inheritance, and that includes everything that is worth having here or hereafter.
See how plainly this blessed truth is stated in the Scriptures. We know that we are born sinful, and have often felt discouraged because of it, and sometimes even inclined to reproach God for it; but let us instead thank God and take courage as we read: "As by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19)
And again: "As you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness." (Romans 6:19)
That is to say, when we yield to God, His power works in us in just the same way that the power of sin worked in us by nature, only to a greater degree, "For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:17) "[God does] exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." (Ephesians 3:20)
His plan is to give us "an abundant entrance into the kingdom." (2 Peter 1:11)
He does nothing by halves. As God is more powerful than Satan, so His righteousness is more powerful than sin, and so when we yield to Him the power that works good in us is stronger than the power that formerly worked evil in us. Surely we have no reason to waste time mourning over inherited tendencies to evil.
And God is no respecter of persons. Jesus Christ tasted death for every man. The grace of God brings this salvation to all men. "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Revelation 22:17) "[Christ is] the true Light, that lights every man that comes into the world." (John 1:9)
He has not left a soul without excuse, because His grace is manifested in every soul. Although there is "no good thing" (Romans 7:18) in the flesh, there is no man who is totally depraved, because the Spirit of God works in every heart. Generous and noble traits are seen in even the worst characters,--evidences of what God is anxious to do in them all the time if they will only let Him.
The inheritance of righteousness is ours while we say further with the Psalmist, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." (Psalm 16:8)
We are made partakers of the Divine nature, and changed into the Divine image, only while we steadfastly behold the glory of God; and this glory we find in His Word.
A glory in the Word we find
When grace restores our sight.
--Unknown Hymn: The Glory of the Word. First appeared in J. Campbell's Comprehensive Hymn Book, 1837.
Jesus Christ is "the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18)
But in Him, "We have obtained an inheritance." (Ephesians 1:11)
The Father has bestowed the wonderful love upon us, "that we should be called the sons of God," (1 John 3:1) just the same as Christ himself, so that we are "joint-heirs with Jesus Christ." (Romans 8:17)
We may be in this world even as He is, (1 John 4:17) and we may know that God loves us even as He loves Christ.
Finally, we have our assurance made doubly sure when we remember that the language of the 16th Psalm applies to Christ. We know this from the last verses, which are quoted and commented on in Acts 2:25-31. It is the language of Christ himself, put by the Holy Spirit into the mouth of David. And so it is also the language of David, and if of David, then of every other man who has a mind to make it his own.
In this we see that although Christ is the only begotten Son of God, before all things, and the Creator of all things, yet He identifies himself with us, and us with Him. "As He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)
He became man, being "in all things made like unto His brethren," (Hebrews 2:17) so that by the grace of God we have all the advantages that He has. Everything that Christ as the Son of God inherits from the Father, is ours in like measure, if we but receive Him by faith. "Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ." (Ephesians 4:7) "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." (2 Corinthians 9:15)--Present Truth, May 9, 1895--Psalm 16:5,6,8.