Biblical Generosity, Part 6

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…” –Romans 8:16-17

Every follower of Jesus Christ is eternally rich. And I truly mean eternally, because there is literally no end to your riches.

It’s an amazing thing that the Bible calls you a child of God. And it’s not in some metaphorical sense. According to this verse we are fully accepted, wholly welcomed, totally embraced, children of God, co-heirs with our older Brother Jesus Christ.  Implication? You are now the beneficiary of the Triune fortune.

What’s the nature of this fortune? Peter gives us a clue when he calls our inheritance, “…imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” Sadly what we typically prize is perishable, defiled, and fading, but this promised inheritance is the opposite. What’s the one thing that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading? God Himself.

Our inheritance from God is God. The best God has to offer is Himself, and so that is His promise to us. We inherit God. We are somehow invited into the perfect fellowship that exists within the very Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, forever existing together in a communion of perfect love and joy, and this fellowship is the storehouse of all that we long for. To say that we are inheritors of God, co-heirs with Christ, is to say that we receive unhindered welcome into that fellowship.  This is our true and ultimate reward, and it’s waiting for every follower of Jesus.

Now what happens when wealth is redefined like this? Suddenly the old definition loses its hold on us. Let’s just be honest; giving is hard because we have equated money with wealth. That is why if you don’t redefine wealth, you will never become a generous person. Generosity is rooted in a conviction that I could give all my earthly riches away, and my riches remain untouched.

God is infinitely more valuable than any amount of money, and He is the ultimate source of everything you are trying to buy with your money. The Bible never asks you to give up your true wealth, and the Bible promises your true wealth can never be taken away from you. Indeed, your inheritance is secure, because God is yours forevermore. 

-Rev. Robert Cunningham