D. Scott Meadows

“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance.” —Ephesians 1.11

30 JANUARY PM, MORNING AND EVENING BY C. H. SPURGEON

When Jesus gave himself for us, he gave us all the rights and privileges which went with himself; so that now, although as eternal God, he has essential rights to which no creature may venture to pretend, yet as Jesus, the Mediator, the federal head of the covenant of grace, he has no heritage apart from us. All the glorious consequences of his obedience unto death are the joint riches of all who are in him, and on whose behalf he accomplished the divine will. See, he enters into glory, but not for himself alone, for it is written, “Whither the Forerunner is for us entered.” Heb. 6.20. Does he stand in the presence of God?—“He appears in the presence of God for us.” Heb. 9.24.

Consider this, believer. You have no right to heaven in yourself: your right lies in Christ. If you are pardoned, it is through his blood; if you are justified, it is through his righteousness; if you are sanctified, it is because he is made of God unto you sanctification; if you shall be kept from falling, it will be because you are preserved in Christ Jesus; and if you are perfected at the last, it will be because you are complete in him.

Thus Jesus is magnified—for all is in him and by him; thus the inheritance is made certain to us—for it is obtained in him; thus each blessing is the sweeter, and even heaven itself the brighter, because it is Jesus our Beloved “in whom” we have obtained all.

Where is the man who shall estimate our divine portion? Weigh the riches of Christ in scales, and his treasure in balances, and then think to count the treasures which belong to the saints. Reach the bottom of Christ’s sea of joy, and then hope to understand the bliss which God hath prepared for them that love him. Overleap the boundaries of Christ’s possessions, and then dream of a limit to the fair inheritance of the elect. “All things are yours, for ye are Christ’s and Christ is God’s” [1 Cor 3.21–23].

On Ephesians 1.11

The phrase starting this devotional message, “in whom also we have obtained an inheritance,” is a small but exceptionally rich part of one sentence in Ephesians 1 extending from verse three to verse fourteen. The prepositional phrase, “in whom,” has “Christ” as its antecedent (v. 10). “Also” either conveys an additional spiritual blessing (v. 3) or has the force of “indeed” in this context, elaborating upon the fullness of that blessing, or intensifying the fact that the blessing is ours “in Christ.” The plural pronoun “we” refers to those who are chosen to salvation, now believing by God’s sovereign grace (cf. vv. 4 ff.). “We have obtained an inheritance” translates a Greek verb with the sense of obtaining something as a result of the divine will (LBSL), literally, “to obtain by lot.” In this context, the inheritance seems to be what blessings believers receive in their union with Christ. Spurgeon, therefore, uses the phrase devotionally in a doctrinally-sound way.

The structure of this devotional message

I. Our joint riches with Jesus
A. His mediatorial heritage necessarily extends to us
B. Biblical proof is found in Hebrews 6.20; 9.24, “for us”

II. Christ’s indispensability to us
A. For heaven
B. For pardon
C. For justification
D. For sanctification
E. For preservation
F. For perfection

III. Spiritual implications
A. The glorification of Jesus
B. The certainty of our inheritance
C. The goodness of our blessings

IV. Our mind-boggling inheritance in Christ
A. Unimaginable riches
B. Unfathomable joy
C. Unlimited possessions

Spurgeon’s commitment to covenant theology

He mentions “the federal head of the covenant of grace” (para. 1), and all his remarks are based upon it. “It pleased the Lord to make a covenant of grace, wherein he freely offereth unto sinners life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him, that they may be saved; and promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life, his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe” (2LCF 7.2). In the eternal “covenant of redemption” between God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ is appointed to be the “federal head” or representative of all God’s elect. This is the divine arrangement whereby totally unworthy sinners are saved and blessed for Christ’s sake alone, without any contribution from them, and against their fearful demerits on account of their sins.

Especially important truths

1. Deep gospel theology is profitable for us spiritually. Spurgeon the evangelical theologian is also Spurgeon the pastoral counselor. Our soul maladies often stem from a failure to understand and appreciate glorious facets of gospel truth shining from sometimes difficult and profound passages of Scripture like Ephesians 1.

2. Christ’s sufficiency for our salvation and blessing needs to be recovered by professing Christians in our secular, worldly age. In Him, our portion as believers is incomprehensibly glorious. Ω