“in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will; to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:”Ephesians 1:11-12 ASV
Reflection: what is the difference between heritage and inheritance?
Sometimes you get a burst of light over a passage in the Bible. Perhaps something you have read and heard preached about many times. Maybe even one of your favorite verses. But then suddenly, a new thought enters your mind that brings a whole new perspective and meaning. The passage today was one of those for me this morning; until I read a commentary from MacLaren, and the Spirit gave light. So the background here is a verse which states something very beautiful, that “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,” Ephesians 1:11 ESV. Now, reading this verse, what do you conclude? I would assume, as me, that in Christ, we have obtained an inheritance, as Peter wrote about, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV. Our inheritance in Christ. And, this conclusion is exactly what I have had, and heard on Ephesians 1:11, until today.
And all the translations, but one, states about the same. But the ASV translation states “in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will;” Ephesians 1:11 ASV. I typically don’t use or quote much from ASV, but perhaps here they have it right. They certainly have a different perspective. Do you see the difference? In the ESV, and almost all other translations, it states that “we have obtained an inheritance”, something we have received because of Christ. But notice what the ASV states, that “we were made a heritage”. That is very different, right? Because here, it is not have we inherit; instead, we are the inheritance.
We, God’s people, are the heritage of Christ, to God. We are God’s inheritance.
That is absolutely an amazing thought as well! Perhaps the reason for the difference in translation is that the Greek word used, klēroō, can be looked at both ways – heritage and inheritance. And, interestingly, that word is only used once in the Bible, so we cannot use other verses for to get further insights. According to Strong (using the Blue Letter Bible app), the meaning of klēroō is 1) to cast lots, determine by lot, 2) to choose by lot, 3) to allot, assign by lot (on to another as a possession), and 4) in NT: to make a lot, i.e. a heritage, private possession. So, we can absolutely see here that a valid and proper translation of this word is that, as in ASV, we, God’s people, is His “private possession.” In fact, because of what Jesus did, the ransom (redemption) He paid for us, as Paul wrote a few verses earlier “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,” Ephesians 1:7 ESV, we can see that we are no longer a possession of the devil. We have been “purchased” for a price, and therefore
we are God’s possession. His people. We are Christ’s heritage.
We like to think that we “possess” God in Christ, which is true. But, here we are also presented with the mirror from God’s perspective, that we are also His “possession”. MacLaren wrote “We possess God; God possesses us. What does that mean? Well, it means plainly and chiefly this, a mutual love.” It also means that God is very protective of His heritage, of His people. He does not want any of His be taken or lost. We are His, we belong to Him. This gives such comfort, such courage to face the day, whatever may come. As Peter also wrote “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 ESV
What an amazing ray of light! Thank you Lord for revealing this truth to us.
