The Church (Assembly) and the Kingdom of God

Part 6 of a study - by Bob Allgood

    What is the “INHERITANCE among all them which are sanctified by faith” IN Christ? Do God’s elect inherit membership in a New Testament Gospel Church or do they inherit an eternal home in the Kingdom of God?

   The word “inheritance” appears in 203 verses in both the Old and New Testament. It appears in 18 verses in the New. The word “inherit” appears 14 or 15 times in 13 verses in the New Testament. The words “heir” and “heirs” appear about 20 times in 18 verses. In almost ALL cases, the words “inheritance, inherit, heir and heirs” are translated from the same Greek word, so the meaning of these words is uniform.

    The word inheritance means:

1) an inheritance, property received (or to be received) by inheritance

2) what is given to one as a possession

2a) the eternal blessedness of the consummated kingdom of God which is to be expected after the visible return of Christ

2b) the share which an individual will have in that eternal blessedness

    To “inherit” means:

1) to receive a lot, receive by lot

1a) esp. to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance

1b) to be an heir, to inherit

2) to receive the portion assigned to one, receive an allotted portion, receive as one’s own or as a possession

3) to become partaker of, to obtain

  These definitions seem to agree with all dictionary definitions which are:

1. To receive (property or a title, for example) from an ancestor by legal succession or will. To receive by bequest or as a legacy. 2. To receive or take over from a predecessor: The new administration inherited the economic problems of the last four years. 3. Biology. To receive (a characteristic) from one's parents by genetic transmission. 4. To gain (something) as one's right or portion.

  As a verb, the word “inherit” means “To hold or take possession of an inheritance”. As a noun, an “heir” is one who receives an inheritance one who has obtained the portion allotted to him.

  The land of Canaan was GIVEN to the Israelites by God as an inheritance. According to Numbers 26:53-43 God said, “Unto these the land shall be divided for an inheritance according to the number of names. To many thou shalt GIVE the more inheritance, and to few thou shalt GIVE the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be GIVEN according to those that were numbered of him” (caps mine – ba). This land was promised to Abraham, but according to Stephen in Acts 7:5  “And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would GIVE it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child”.  This “inheritance” was not GIVEN due to obedience, but by PROMISE. Paul says in Gal. 3:18 “18  For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise”. Earthly inheritances, coupled with duties and obligations, as was the land of Canaan, can be taken from the “heirs” by the BENEFACTOR.    

    AS I understand the scriptures, the elect of God, both Jews and Gentiles have “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you”.  As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time”.

  If this inheritance is IN the local, visible NT church (assembly) then we must conclude that the local, visible NT church is incorruptible and fades not away. How many local, visible NT churches have “faded away”? How many have become corrupt? But Peter tells us this inheritance is reserved in heaven.  

    When Paul spoke to the Elders of the Church (assembly) at Ephesus in Acts 20:28, a passage I have already discussed, he used the expression “the church of God, which He hath purchased with his own blood”.  I have pointed out how this statement applies not only to the true visible church at Ephesus, but to ALL true NT churches and to ALL of God’s redeemed. Paul concluded his remarks to these Elders in Acts 20:32 with these words, “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified”. Notice the inheritance is “among ALL them which are sanctified” which would include ALL of God’s elect, not just those in the church or churches. In Hebrews 10:14 we read, “For by one offering he (Christ) hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified”.

   In Acts 26 Paul is rehearsing before Agrippa how the Lord called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles. After seeing the Lord and falling to the ground, according to Paul, the Lord said to him, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:16-18). PLEASE NOTICE that the Lord said the “inheritance” under consideration is the “inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”. This is the same eternal inheritance that is under consideration in 1 Peter 1:3-5 and Acts 20:32. 

  In the epistle to the church at Ephesus Paul talks about the “inheritance” of the elect. In Ephesians 1:11 he says, “In whom (Christ) also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him (God) who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will”.  In Ephesians 1:14  he speaks of the Holy Spirit, “Which is the earnest (security deposit) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory”. In Ephesians 1:18 Paul said he prayed that “The 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”. And in Ephesians 5:5 he said “For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God”.

   I think evidence has been submitted that shows the “the kingdom of Christ and of God” is the kingdom into which ALL of God’s elect are born or translated as Paul wrote in Col. 1:12-14, “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”. Surely all of God’s elect who have been quickened by God have been made “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light” and have been “delivered us from the power of darkness”.

  In Col. 3:24 Paul wrote, “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ”. As I understand this, the “the reward of the inheritance” is not something earned but rather the eternal inheritance. Paul is encouraging the servants of the Lord and using language suitable for a servant who received little or no reward from his earth masters. The context of the passage deals not with the local visible NT church as a reward, but with servants serving their masters. Verses 22-24 read, “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ”.

    Finally in Hebrews 9:15 I read,  “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance”.  With all honesty, I have yet to find any scripture that teaches me the local, visible NT church (assembly) is an inheritance for the saints. I am still searching. IMHO, the NT church is a blessing from the Lord, and a refuge for God’s people who have been blessed to hear and understand the gospel of Christ.  More of God’s elect are in the “kingdom of Christ” than in the visible NT church (assembly) of Christ.

   Therefore I conclude that it is WRONG to use passages that speak of inheriting the kingdom of God to refer to the local visible NT church. When Paul said to the Corinthians “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” he was referring to the eternal kingdom of God and not the local church.  Otherwise, we must conclude that regeneration, sanctification and justification comes by church membership, for he added, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Later in chapter 15 Paul said, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption”. If the “kingdom of God” in chapter 6 is the local visible NT church, then so is the “kingdom of God” in chapter 15 the local visible NT church. But how then would we reconcile the words “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”. To make the “kingdom of God” to be “the gospel church” would not only be bad interpretation, it would be laughable.