We are studying the Book of Judges with some friends of ours – it is really quite a good study; we are learning so much. The focus of our study is our inheritance in Christ. Just as the Israelites struggled to bring their inheritance into reality, so do we. It is a battle we fight every day – choosing the victory of Christ and eradicating the flesh.
We have been thinking about the concept of inheritance for a long while… what it means in general, what it means to us. One of the most life-changing concepts has been that inheritance is not just things. It is not just a house, land, money, or that fancy ring of Grandma’s being passed down through the generations. It is more than that… it is identity.
Sons used to follow in their father’s footsteps. A farmer’s sons would become farmers, a mason’s son would become masons… all businesses were family businesses. These identities were so central to a person’s being that they became last names – Mr. Cooper made barrels as his family had for generations. Mr. Baker came from a long line of bread makers, and you knew that Mr. Brewster had a grandmother somewhere along the line that made beer the same way that he did.
When a child was born into a family, they received an inheritance of an identity, a trade, a livelihood. If a child was an orphan, that child had lost so much more than a mother and father… he lost his identity, his career, and all means for earning a living. He was more than just all alone, he was a no one. So sad!
This is the world that Christ lived in when He spoke about adoption. When we cry, “Abba, Father!” we are crying out for more than just a divine Father, or a part of the Kingdom of Heaven… we are crying out for a transformation from a no one to, well, one that is made in the image of God. We take on our Heavenly Father’s name, His identity through Christ, and we take on His trade too. We become redeemers, broken-heart menders, friends to the friendless, lovers of the unlovable. We become adopters. We follow in the footsteps of our Father.
