Heirs and Joint-Heirs

by Bert Ghilardi

Upon hearing of heirship, many become interested only in the tangible blessings or benefits they might be able to obtain. Indeed, the implications of being the seed of Abraham are many and varied but let us focus on what the scriptures present us with in this passage.

The heir indeed speaks of one who has been allotted an inheritance based on justification by faith in Christ. But, being child-heirs does not give us the privilege to name and claim whatever we want from Him. As child-heirs we are mere servants and are not privileged to know what the Father doeth. (Gal.4:1; Jo.15:15) The implication is that the child-heir has not developed a relationship of intimacy with his father.

According to Galatians 4:1-7, the believer needs to progress from the child-servant relationship to the Father-son relationship. As a result of Christ’s redemptive work, He has received us as children and has sent us the very Spirit of the Son. (Gal.4:6) From there on, the Holy Spirit is at work to lead believers to their “adoption” or “son-placing” in the Father’s interests. In this level of relationship the cry for Father and His purposes becomes the main cry of our hearts. The Spirit gradually makes alive all the faculties of our spiritual man so the believer can walk “under an open heaven”, hearing the Father’s voice and seeing His works. The ultimate goal is a life fully governed or led by the Spirit fulfilling the will and works of the Father. (Ro.8:14)

Could there be in our day a deep cry from our Father’s heart for such growth in relationship unto maturity? I say yes, for much shallowness abounds! Indeed, the Lord is now calling a people to grow from the child-heir position to the Father-son relationship. This involves the chastening of children - the process of instruction, correction, discipline and child-training. Those who progress to this level will not be found looking for loaves and fishes alone but will be willing to be taught of Him.

The ultimate fruitfulness resulting from this developed relationship will be an actual and practical joint-heirship. After God’s growth and development process, joint-heirship changes from its positional aspect in the child (Ro.8:17) to the experiential aspect in the grown-up son (Gal.4:7) It will bring His sons into the long-awaited realm of fullness- full knowledge, full understanding, yes, even full authority.

What can be more wonderful than to realize that we have been predestined “unto the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will.” (Eph.1:5)

J.B. Phillips has so well portrayed this same truth in his translation of Romans 8:18: “In my opinion whatever we may have to go through now is less than nothing compared with the magnificent future God has planned for us. The whole creation is on tip-toe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God coming into their own.”