Introduction

Inheritance is not merely the transference of possessions upon the occasion of one's demise. It is a profound endeavor dedicated to the perpetuation of that most cardinal creation: the household. Not the mere bricks and mortar of an abode but the living, breathing entity that constitutes the very essence of a home.

This word, "inheritance," derives from the Middle English "enherite," signifying the act of receiving by a rightful claim. And its lineage extends further, to the Old French "enheriter" and the late Latin "inhereditare," both imparting the notion of designating an heir and bestowing a legacy. Legally, inheritance governs the distribution of material possessions from one generation to the next. But there is a deeper dimension, one that encompasses the spiritual, cultural, and moral treasures that cry out for bestowal upon the succeeding ages.

A child may come to inherit his parents' physical dwelling, their box of bricks and beams. Yet, should this be the sole extent of his inheritance, it is a paltry and hollow bequest. True inheritance extends far beyond the boundaries of real estate. It encompasses the virtues, the wisdom, and the ethos that guided the forebears in shaping that very house. Without these values, the household remains a mere shell, an edifice bereft of its soul.

On the other hand, should the child inherit the virtues of his ancestors but lack the tangible framework of the house itself, there exists a peculiar disarray, a want of structure and order. A household, therefore, is a matter of inheritance that necessitates the harmonious merger of the material and the ethereal, a blend of the concrete and the spiritual.

It is not merely the passing down of possessions but the entrusting of the keys to the kingdom, the sacred duty of maintaining a legacy, both in the visible and invisible realms. Only when this dual inheritance is achieved—the material and the moral—does the household stand as an enduring monument to its progenitors, defying the ravages of time and following in the rich meaning of the expansive cosmic inheritance God has planned for those who are serving the Lord Christ (Col. 3:24).  

Old Testament Inheritance

In the corporate case, inheritance is part of the land promised in the Abrahamic covenant (Ex. 32:3; Lev. 20:24; Num. 26:3-56; Dt. 3:28). From the covenant Yahweh cut with Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 13:14–17), the tract bestowed upon the patriarch eventually became the collective birthright of God’s people. The Almighty’s celestial largesse ordained that the people of Israel received the land not as a deed in perpetuity, but as a trust, guided by the Mosaic code (Josh. 1:2-9; Jer. 3:19). The bequeathment was contingent upon Israel’s obeisance and fidelity to God (Dt 4:1–14). God dictated the division of the land amongst the tribes, each receiving a portion commensurate with their size, an equitable dispersion as prescribed in Numbers 26:52–56. In Joshua 13–19, each tribe's allocation of the land was determined by the casting of lots, ensuring impartiality in the apportionment.

In the individual case, the father dispersed his earthly bounty among his offspring as their legacy. The foremost among these progeny, the eldest, was anointed as guardian of the father's name, intertwined with the ancestral domain. If sons were scarce, the daughters were permitted a stake in the inheritance, provided they married within their father’s tribe (Num. 27:1–8; Job 42:15). The grand purpose was to guard and perpetuate the territorial inheritance, ensconced within the tribe's assigned boundaries (Num. 36:1–9). If a man had no heir, his possessions went to his brothers, assuming he was fortunate enough to have such a kith. But if he found himself destitute of brothers, then the torch of inheritance would pass to the next nearest of kin (Num 27:9–11). The purpose of this inheritance saga is not only to tie the family to the tribe and the tribe to Yahweh but also to meld the holy and the temporal into the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promises.

Deuteronomy 21:15-17 requires a double portion inheritance to the firstborn son. This is part of the Mosaic law, given after Abraham gave all to Isaac, the second-born son (Gen. 25:5-6) and after Isaac gave everything to Jacob, the second-born son (Gen. 27:36-37). The inheritance law of Dt. 21:15-17 is uniquely part of the Mosaic Covenant. God claimed the firstborn, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn” (Ex. 13:1). This was a matter of sovereign election that had future typological significance. There is also future typological significance that the firstborn received a double portion. In the Mosaic law, the firstborn was preeminent among his brethren because he owned twice as much as them. Jesus, the firstborn of all creation, is preeminent because he stands with the rights of the firstborn (Col. 1:15-20). The Mosaic double portion law is fulfilled in Christ, which means, as Jim Jordan explains, that the double portion requirement of Dt. 21:15 – 17, “does not require new creation believers to give a double portion to their firstborn sons.”[1]

The Priest’s inheritance is described in Numbers 18:19, “All the heave offerings of the holy things which the children of Israel shall offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee, to be a duty forever: it is a perpetual covenant of salt before the Lord, to thee, and to thy seed with thee” (Geneva Bible). The Priest did not inherit the Land. The Lord is their inheritance (Dt. 18:1-2). When God gives himself, he graciously gives all things (Rom. 8:32). So in Numbers 19, Yahweh gives further gifts to the priest: the Levites (Num. 18:6), the priesthood (Num. 18:7), charge of the contributions (Num. 18:8), the wave offerings (Num. 18:11), the firstfruits (Num. 18:12), and the holy contributions (Num. 18:19).

Why does God give such good gifts to his children? Israel is God’s special possession (Ex 19:5; Dt 7:6). God is Father to Israel (Dt. 32:6). He takes special interest in their inheritance (Dt. 32:8). “But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage” (Dt. 32:9, see also Dt. 9:26–29; 1 Kings 8:51–53; Ps. 28:9; 33:12; 74:2; Is. 19:25; Jer. 10:16; Zec. 2:12).

Christ’s Inheritance

Christ is the Heir and Guardian of the inheritance (Mt. 21:38; Mk. 12:7; Lk. 20:14). He inherited the name above every name (Phil. 2:9; Heb. 1:4) and is heir of all things (Heb. 1:2; Mt. 28:18). The prophecy of Psalm 2:7—“You are my son, today I have begotten you”—is about Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 13:32-34), which means at Jesus’ resurrection he inaugurated his kingly inheritance. Jesus inherits the earth, which means Jesus inherits Adamic kingship. Christ earns the ruling position Adam lost. The context of Christ’s inheritance is “the nations” and “the very ends of the earth as your possession” (Ps. 2:8). The King inherits and possesses the nations (Num. 24:14-20). Hebrews 2:10 says it like this, “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” The sons of glory will co-inherit what Christ achieved. The whole world will become the Kingdom of Christ (Rev. 11:15). The resurrected Jesus inherits the whole world in fulfillment of the original Promised Land. Israel’s inheritance of the Promised Land is what God would have given Adam had he obeyed—full possession of the garden and the ends of the earth.  Put simply, Christ inherits the promises made to Israel, who inherit the gifts God gave to Adam.

The Church’s Inheritance

Three facts overlap. Christians are sons of God, seed of Abraham, and heirs with Christ (Gal. 3:26, 29). In this intricate dance of spiritual lineage, the notion of heirship finds its roots entwined with belonging to the lineage of Abraham (Gal. 3:6). Christ is the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16, 18) through whom the promise is inherited. Heirship is part of sonship and is the future glory of the sons of glory (Rom. 8:17; Eph. 1:18; Heb. 2:10). It is the portion for the people of God (Eph. 1:14, 18; 5:5; Col. 3:24). The Kingdom of Heaven is a son’s inheritance rather than a servant’s wage (Eph. 1:18; Gal. 4:30), which means its all of grace, given to the sheep as a reward (Mt. 25:34-37). The all-embracing significance of the church’s inheritance doesn’t wait for a future millennium. Heirship touches the deepest motives of daily life now, bearing on the inner and outer life of the individual believer. Indeed, it includes the redemption of the whole cosmos, which also spans the present and the future.

The Meaning of Inheritance

Israel’s inheritance was a foretaste of the church’s inheritance (Heb. 9:15; 11:39f). Israel was heir to the land (Ps. 37:11) and the church is the heir of the world (Rom. 4:13). Peter encourages the suffering church with the inheritance promises (1 Pt. 1:3-4). The people of God will inherit the earth (Mt. 5:5), eternal life (Mt. 19:29), the Kingdom (Mt. 25:34), the imperishable (1 Cor. 15:50), and the promises (Heb. 6:12). This inheritance is the church’s salvation (Heb. 1:14; 11:7; 1 Pt. 1:5) and includes at least three things.

First, Reward

Reward is the result of faithfulness (Rom. 8:18; Eph. 1:9f; Heb. 13:14) and inheritance is a reward (Col. 3:24). The Lord qualifies his people (Col. 1:12) to receive the crown when they entrust their souls to the faithful Creator (1 Pt. 1:4; 4:19; 5:4). The Holy Spirit is the down payment of the inheritance fully given at Christ’s return (Eph. 1:13f). In the Old Testament, inheritance and possession often go together in reference to the Promised Land (Num. 22:7; 32:32; 35:2, 8; 36:3; Dt. 25:19; Judg. 2:6; Ezek. 44:28; 46:16, 18). The saints will possess the regenerated earth (Rom. 4:13). When Romans 8:32 says, “The Father will graciously give you all things,” that refers to the physical inheritance of the earth by those who are fellow heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). Its an inheritance with the responsibility of rulership (Eph. 2:6), “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world” (1 Cor. 6:2)?

Second, Restoration

The resurrected Jesus is the embodiment of the new creation. The time of inheritance is the time of restoration (Acts 3:19-21). When God made the world it was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). There was no original chaos or warfare among the gods. There was universal peace in heaven and on earth. Hard to imagine, right? The original peace and harmony of Genesis 1:31 was perfect. It was full of Trinitarian love and wonder. But this peace and harmony has been corrupted in three parts—spiritual forces, human beings, and physical creation—which means reconciliation restores peace in three parts (Col. 2:13-15; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Rom. 8:19-21).

Third, Rest

God eternally restores, confirms, and strengthens the church as part of his perfect dominion (1 Pt. 5:10f). Life in the new world is different from life in the old world. There shall no longer be death, mourning, crying, or pain (Rev. 21:1-4). It is an existence full of the grace of life (1 Pt. 3:7), which is the blessing believers are called to inherit (1 Pt. 3:9). It is where people can fully love life and see good days (1 Pt. 3:10). This is the promised resurrection life (Rev. 21:27) where the elect are satisfied in God and all his benefits (Rev. 21:2-7). The inheritance of rest means living the good life with resurrected bodies in the new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).

Conclusion

Part of building a household is building an inheritance for the next generation. Inheritance need not be large and elaborate. The widow’s mite is a sharp reminder about the type of giving that pleases the Lord, a lesson proven anew when applied to the topic of inheritance. But social engineers tell us that passing along an inheritance is systemic unfairness. For instance, Will Hutton has written “Children are not deserving because they got lucky and came from a rich womb.”[2] The immense misunderstanding that prevails on this subject is one piece of an aerumnous ideology that argues against the unfair advantage children receive when they come from intact families. The repudiation of inheritance and home is a political goal only in a world defined by a fictitious notion of “equity.”

A father who gives an inheritance to his child is the careful custodian of the biblical pattern. A father who withholds an inheritance to his child has lost sight of the final cause. Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” Inheritance is a social expectation for any society with a multi-generational perspective. Parents who leave an inheritance for their children are not privileged monsters disrupting socialistic bliss. They are buying real estate, stewarding resources, and caring for their possessions with the same logic of the heavenly Father who leaves an inheritance for his children (Ps. 37:22-26).

[1] https://theopolisinstitute.com/the-firstborn-sons-double-portion/

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/01/passing-on-great-wealth-to-children-spells-end-of-society-will-hutton