Pondering

Bible Stuff [For those interested in matters from a biblical worldview.]

Ever wonder why so much of the Bible includes lineages—who “begat” who, from what patriarch or tribe this or that person descended, the number and names of ancient relatives, etc.

Biblical genealogies and the Book of Numbers can’t simply be boring nods to Ancestry.com.

God is intentional, and therefore His every word carries with it a divine purpose:

  • He declared, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), for a reason.
  • To Abram, a pagan, He pronounced, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you” (Genesis 12:1-2), for a reason.
  • “…Amminadab begat Nahshon, and Nahshon begat Salmon, and Salmon begat Boaz, and Boaz begat Obed, and Obed begat Jesse, and Jesse begat David…” (Ruth 4:20-22), for a reason.
  • At Jesus’ baptism, God spoke from Heaven, “This is My Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17), for a reason.
  • God saved me in 1979, and my wife to be in 1973, for a reason.

Discovering our heritage in Him is one of the joys of being a biblical Christian. It impacts how we see and live life for generations. This discovery is built on several foundational “layers” of Divine purpose, beginning with the reality of God’s sovereignty. He chooses whom He chooses, for the purposes He chooses. Without this essential knowledge, it’s difficult to see, let alone pursue, a spiritual legacy. But once on this journey, the unfolding revelations are profound!

In this Divine purpose, human spiritual inheritance begins with a call to salvation in Christ:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:28-30).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16-17).

“Repent [change your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2 Amplified Version).

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:3)

The debate over whether God predetermines some to salvation, and others not, is moot. In the Bible we have evidence of predestination and free-will working in harmony, so the focus of this blog post is for those who have given their life to Christ—and here we see a glimpse of something important.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are rescued from prison by the Lord. The jailer is frightened, both at the earthquake that freed the disciples and the prospect of being punished for any prisoners escaping. Paul assures the jailer that no harm will come to him, to which the jailer pleads, “What must I do to be saved” (v. 30). Whether he meant “saved” as in saved from his bosses, or saved spiritually, is unknown. Paul responds, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (v. 31).

“…you, and your household.”

Paul and Silas proceeded to the jailer’s home, where the Gospel was proclaimed, and he and his family believed and were baptized (v. 32-34). The jailer was then responsible to nurture this Divine calling in accordance with God’s kingdom, the Divine call upon the jailer’s family, and the Divine call of everyone in that family. Not that every family member is saved by reason of one individual in that family, for each is responsible for their own decisions, and Jesus told us that the Gospel can even divide families (Matthew 10:34-36). But for those who believe God has moved upon you and your household, we proceed to understand more fully that spiritual inheritance.

The three “layers” of spiritual heritage that work in harmony toward a Divine purpose are:

  • The Kingdom of God
  • Our Earthly Family Within that Kingdom
  • Our Individual Role in our Earthly Family within God’s Kingdom

And within these layers there is a process comprised of Divine:

  • Consecration (Being Set Apart by God)
  • Maturation (Becoming Christlike by God)
  • Destination (Fulfilling God’s Purposes)

The endgame is an eternal kingdom family, with God as Father, Jesus as King, and His people fulfilling their purposes in Him.

Let’s look at God’s original design in fashioning an eternal kingdom family. Having created the entire universe for His people, He begins with Adam and Eve. To understand the importance of spiritual inheritance, we must comprehend the value God places on humanity. This is expressedsimply by the fact that in the vast expanse of the cosmos God fashioned only humanity to be imago Dei—“in His image.” He then reinforced this preeminence by giving humanity dominion over all other creatures (Genesis 1:26), further fortifing the value of human life by establishing rules by which we should live; to love God first (a capacity only humans can possess), and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Leviticus 19:17-18, quoted by Jesus in Matthew 22:36-40). Anything that devalues human life as God created it, from sexual impurity to murder, devalues, and therefore is detestable to, God.

Our progenitors, Adam and Eve, were designed and instructed by God to procreate, to fill the earth with His people (Genesis 1:28). Tragically, in the free will they possessed as an important aspect of being imago Dei, they rebelled against God and severed their spiritual relationship with Him. Their rebellion compelled God to establish a means by which His people could redeem a relationship with, and fulfill His plans for, them (Genesis 3:8-24).

That’s the essence of the Gospel message. Wishing that none would perish without Him (2 Peter 3:9), God patiently offers a path of redemption through Jesus Christ.  

For roughly 1,700 years following Adam and Eve’s rebellion, God allowed their offspring to find their way back to Him. Unfortunately, they didn’t. God chose to wipe the slate clean with a worldwide flood and begin again with Noah and his family (Genesis 6:1-8), descendants of Adam and Eve’s son Seth (Genesis 5). Theologically this is known as a remnant. It you look closely at the history of humanity, even in our darkest times God establishes a remnant to fulfill His purposes.

Through Noah the kingdom family lineage continued, chronicled in Genesis 9-11, on through to the Jewish Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and importantly to David—upon whose throne Jesus, the final King, would ultimately reign. From there we see in Matthew 1:1-17 the family tree of Jesus through His earthly father Joseph, and through His mother Mary in Luke 3:23-38.

Through the Adam came death, but through Christ came life (Romans 5:12-21), the consummation of God’s spiritual inheritance.

In Christ, the Church (His Body—the renewed kingdom family of God) is being established, with everyone playing an important role (Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 4:16). Here we see another dimension of the Consecration, Maturation, and Destination process of God, as He sets some apart for His glory and work, matures them in accordance with His word, and then fulfills His ultimate purposes in and through them.

In other words, we who have surrendered our lives to Christ, putting our trust in Him completely for salvation, are not only members of His eternal family but stewards of a spiritual heritage, with all parts (Kingdom of God, Earthly Family, and Individuals) working together for good (Romans 8:28). To be good stewards of a spiritual legacy, we must discern the qualities that set us apart at each level and passionately attend to them as unto the Lord.

First, the values and qualities of God’s kingdom.

In addition to the faith required to be part of God’s kingdom, some of the qualities and values are explained in Ephesians 5:22-23:

  • Love
  • Joy
  • Peace
  • Patience
  • Kindness
  • Goodness
  • Faithfulness
  • Gentleness
  • Self-Control

Other qualities and values include:

  • Obedience (John 14:15)
  • Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9)
  • Mercy (Luke 6:36)
  • Forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32)
  • Submission to Authority (Romans 13:1-7)
  • Integrity (Proverbs 20:7)
  • Diligence (Proverbs 13:4)
  • Service (Mark 10:43-45)

The list goes on, exemplified through Christ Himself, which is why we are told that those who claim to be in Christ must live as He lived (1 John 2:6). A tall order, yes, but accomplished by grace, through faith, in God’s ongoing work of Consecration, Maturation, and Destination. Without these qualities and values, it’s impossible to realize the next layer of spiritual heritage—earthly families within God’s kingdom, rooted in biblical marriage and parenting:

  • A man leaving his mother and father to become “one” with his wife (Genesis 2:24).
  • Not being unequally yoked with unbelievers in marriage (2 Corinthians 6:14).
  • Husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).
  • Wives submitting to the authority of their godly husband as unto the Lord (Ephesians 5:22-33).
  • Avoiding divorce except in cases of sexual immorality (Matthew 5:32)[1]
  • Raising children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, who in turn honor their parents (Ephesians 6:14).
  • Pursuing, promoting, and walking in biblical love in all family relationships (1 Corinthians 13:1-13).

For the unmarried, or divorced on biblical terms, the same familial callings prevail! (Romans 11:29; consider also the apostle Paul’s life as a single man, who through his calling established many spiritual sons and daughters).

Finally, within the kingdom of God and earthly families in that kingdom, there is the individual layer—the personal calling of each in Christ. For example:

  • “He [God] appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11).
  • “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).
  • “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Corinthians12:12).
  • “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
  • Spiritual gifts: “For one is given the gift of…”
    • Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)
    • Service, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, mercy (Romans 12:6-8)

Those in Christ have a foundation and purpose that transcends mere human ancestry and skills. How then do we discover these layers of spiritual legacy and pass them on to the next generation?

  • Ask God to illuminate these qualities and values (Matthew 7:7, 21:22; John 14:13-14; James 1:5).
  • Chronicle and communicate these qualities and values regularly, in various ways, to the next generation (Numbers 33:2; Habakkuk 2:2-3; Jeremiah 30:2-3).
  • Be a diligent steward of these values and qualities (1 Corinthians 4:2; Colossians 3:23; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Timothy 5:8).
  • Pray without ceasing that these values and qualities and values prevail (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Christ declared, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12), and in turn said to His people, “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). As members of His kingdom, as ambassadors of Christ, in our multi-layered calling we shine forth in a dark world. What joy there is in knowing that those in Christ are part of a Divine, eternal, transcendent plan—that we are not meant merely to exist, but to thrive and influence others for His glory!

May the Lord bless you as you find and follow this path of spiritual inheritance.

[1] Like many, I believe emotional or physical abuse is also biblical grounds for divorce, as it conveys a complete lack of “loving your wife and Christ loved the Church” or “submitting to you husband as unto the Lord.”2:38; Ezekiel 37:27, et al.

Topics for Future Blogs?

Email Me: richardaallenjr@pondering.blog

Don’t Forget to subscribe!