Romans 8:17


Sermon preached on October 12, 2008 by Laurence W. Veinott. © Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Other sermons can be found at http://www.cantonnewlife.org/.

In the fall of October 2002 my brother learned that his cancer had returned. At that time his statistical chances of survival went from something like 75% to less than 5%. We made a trip to see him over that Thanksgiving holiday. At the time he was feeling fairly well and one day I went on an errand with him. As he was driving he made what I thought was an unusual request. He said,

"If I die, I'd like my share of the cottage in Iona to go to Mary."



My brother and I shared a cottage in Nova Scotia with my sister. We each owned a third. I replied,

"Of course, whatever you want. You don't have to worry about it."



But he did have to worry. I didn't know it at the time, and wondered why Paul brought it up—but a few weeks later I found out that the way the ownership of the cottage was set up was that one of the co-owners died, his share would go to the other co-owners. Thus if Paul died, the cottage would go to me and my sister, not to his wife Mary. She wouldn't get anything relating to the cottage. Neither would Paul's children. Everything would have gone to me and my sister. So as far as the cottage was concerned, Paul's wife and children were not heirs and they were not co-heirs. If Paul died, they got nothing from the cottage.

Paul knew all that and that's why he brought it up that day. He also realized that merely saying that to me and my agreement wasn't enough because I wasn't the only one involved. He really wanted to make sure that Mary got his share of the cottage so over the next few months he made arrangements to take his name off the deed and put Mary's there. One of the last big things I did for Paul, just the week before he died, was to drive 250 miles to hand-deliver the papers of transfer to his lawyer so that his share of the cottage would be transferred to Mary before he died. Paul made sure that his wife got his share of the cottage. Once it was in her name she owned her share.

Now the point that the apostle Paul is making in our text is that we are heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ. We don't have anything to worry about in this regard. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote, Paul's (Roman, Sons of God, Romans 8:5-17)

"great object... is to emphasize the absolute certainty of the Christian 'hope'. He is eager to give Christians full assurance…"



You who are Christians should be rejoicing—not only because you are the children of God—but because you are heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ, because your inheritance is glorious and absolutely certain. No one can take it away from you.

That's what our text is all about. We read, (Romans 8:17)

"Now if we are children,
then we are heirs—
heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,
if indeed we share in his sufferings
in order that we may also share in his glory."

The first thing you should understand from this text is that this is a promise God wants you to take hold of.

As a Christian you should be absolutely assured that you are going are heirs of God and joint-heirs of Jesus.

Notice the ascending progression here. He says that we are children of God, then he says that we are heirs, then says that we are heirs of God, then says that we are co-heirs with Christ and that we are going to share in His glory. God is adding promise to promise and repeatedly telling us that we are going to be blessed. He doesn't want you to miss the significance of what He's tell you here. Indeed, it reminds me of the apostle Paul's prayer for the Ephesians Christian in Ephesians 1:18. He prayed,

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened in order that you may
know the hope to which he has called you,
the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,"

You Christians should realize the glory of your inheritance—the riches that will be yours in Christ. God wants you to take the promise here to heart.

You see, God's promises is that they are not like man's. Man's promises often fail. This is especially true of being in someone's will or getting what is in someone's will.

There have been countless cases where people have been promised that they will be heirs and when the time came for the will to be read—they found that they were left out. They weren't heirs at all. They went away disappointed.

It happened to one of my relatives. Many years ago he started going with a girl and after a few years they started living together. They never did get married. They lived together for something like 35 years. They way that I heard it was that they agreed to leave everything to each other—they didn't have any children so that didn't figure into the equation. Then a few years ago she died. But when the will was read he found out that she didn't leave anything to him, she left it all to her extended family. He even had to move out of the house that they shared. He thought it was his. But it wasn't. I think it was in her name and when they started living together he moved in with her and even though they shared all the expenses—it never was his.

Things like that even happens in families. One can be a son and not be an heir. Lots of people have written their children out of their will. Sometimes it happens because they're estranged. Sometimes it happens because the person thinks that the children should make it on their own. Or perhaps the inheritance will go to a favorite son or daughter.

This past summer I had an interesting conversation with the best friend I had growing up. We were talking about our families and in the course of the conversation Brad asked me which of my daughters was my favorite. I told him that I didn't have a favorite. He kept pressing me on it, saying,

"Oh, you have to have a favorite. Everyone has a favorite."



I thought it was strange because I don't have a favorite.

But in certain families there is a favorite. Joseph got the multi-colored coat. In other families some sons and daughters are left out of the will—one receives everything.

My point is that as far as earthly inheritances go, even true sons do not always share in the inheritance. So it's important that that we understand that the Holy Spirit is telling that's not going to happen to those who are in Christ. We are children, heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs of Christ.

Now let's look at these things a little more closely. What does it mean that we are heirs of God?

If you look at the context here one of the things that it shows is that being an heir of God means

you are going to be blessed with glorious things.

It means that your future is going to be filled with riches, with glory. You are going to be blessed with many things that have to do with being in a very close and intimate relationship to God.

First of all, it means that we are going to share in God's glory.

We see this in our text. Our verse reads,

"we are heirs—
heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ,
if indeed we share in his sufferings
in order that we may also share in his glory."

We are going to be made glorious. We are going to share in the glory of God. Verse 18 also speaks of the glory that is going to be yours in the future. Paul wrote,

"For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time
are not worth comparing
with the glory
that is going to be revealed to us."

You are going to share in God's glory. That's part of what being an heir of God involves.

The second thing that being an heir of God involves is ruling over God's creation in glorious freedom.

Verse 19f reads,

"The creation waits in eager expectation
for the sons of God to be revealedÖ
the creation itself will be liberated
from its bondage to decay
and brought into the glorious freedom
of the children of God."

The image brings to mind Genesis 1 and 2 about Adam and Eve being given dominion over the world and ruling it for God's glory. That's what's in view here only it will be on a much higher level. Indeed, the words here in Romans 8 also remind me of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 where he said to the Corinthian Christians,

"Do you not know that the saints
will judge the world? ...
Do you not know that we will judge angels?"

Being an heir of God means that we are going to exercise dominion over aspects of God's creation, and as God's heirs, we are going to be involved with Him in judging not only the world, but also the angels who fell. We are going to be raised up so high that we will be involved in great matters of judgment. As Jesus said in Revelation 3:21,

"To him who overcomes,
I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,
just as I overcame and sat down
with my Father on his throne."

We are heirs, heirs of God. That means that great blessings are ours.

But we are not to think of these things as being external. John Murray writes, (Romans, Vol. 1, p. 298)

"'Heirs of God' can involve nothing less than that the sons of God are heirs of the inheritance which God himself has laid up for them. But it is difficult to suppress the richer and deeper thought that God himself is the inheritance of his children."



As Asaph said to God in Psalm 73:25-26,

"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever."

C. E. B. Cranfield writes, (Romans Vol. 1, p. 407)

"Christians are men who have great expectations, that their expectations are based upon their being sons of God, that these expectations are of sharing not just in various blessings God is able to bestow but in that which is peculiarly His own, the perfect and imperishable glory of His own life…"



That's what it means to be an heir of God. To share in God's life—to share in His glory, to share in His rule.

But even more than all that, it means to be in Christ. We must not miss this.

You are a joint-heir with Christ.

John Murray writes, (Redemption, Accomplished and Applied, p. 161)

"Union with Christ is really the central truth of the whole doctrine of salvation…"



We are heirs of God, how, why? Because of our union with Christ. The name Christ refers to the anointed One—the Messiah. We are heirs with Him.

Now what's important for us to realize in this connection is that because of His work Jesus owns everything. Everything belongs to Him. This is in virtue of His work. We read about it in Philippians 2:6-11. It says,

"Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."

As a result of His work He has been made the heir of all things. We read about this in Hebrews 1:1-2. It says,

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers
through the prophets
at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days
he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he appointed heir of all things,
and through whom he made the universe."

You'll remember that in Matthew 28:18 Jesus said,

"All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me."

All authority belongs to Him. We read more about His status in Ephesians 1:19-23,

"That power is like the working
of his mighty strength,
which he exerted in Christ
when he raised him from the dead
and seated him at his right hand
in the heavenly realms,
far above all rule and authority,
power and dominion,
and every title that can be given,
not only in the present age
but also in the one to come.
And God placed all things under his feet
and appointed him to be head
over everything for the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of him
who fills everything in every way."

Jesus has been appointed to be head over everything—for the church.

John Murray writes, (Romans, Vol. 1, p. 298)

"'Joint-heirs with Christ' means that the children of God enter in jointly with Christ into the possession of the inheritance which is bestowed upon him." "Just as Christ in His sufferings, death and resurrection cannot be contemplated apart from this on whose behalf he suffered, died and rose again, so in the glory bestowed upon him as the reward of his finished work he cannot be contemplated apart from them. And they in the state of glory cannot be contemplated apart from him. Therefore the glory of their inheritance can be none other than the glory which is Christ's in the reward of his exaltation."



As Jesus said in John 17:24,

"Father, I desire those
You have given Me to be with Me where I am.
Then they will see My glory,
which You have given Me."

To be with Christ. To see His glory. To share it. To share His inheritance—what His work has accomplished. To rule with Him. He is heir of everything—and we are joint-heirs with Him. There is nothing greater than that.

Now what does all this mean for us?

First of all,

Christians, rejoice in Christ.

Without Him we had nothing. As we read in Ephesians 2:12

"remember that at that time
you were separate from Christ,
excluded from citizenship in Israel
and foreigners to the covenants of the promise,
without hope and without God in the world."

But with Christ everything has changed. We have been brought from the lowest to the highest. As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:21-23,

"All things are yours,
whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas
or the world or life or death
or the present or the future
—all are yours,
and you are of Christ,
and Christ is of God."

Rejoice in Christ. He should be everything to you.

Secondly, Christians,

take great comfort from this doctrine.

Your inheritance is absolutely certain. You are an heir, an heir of God, a joint-heir of Christ. Don't be afraid of losing this. As Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 12:32,

"Don't be afraid, little flock,
because your Father delights
to give you the kingdom."

C. E. B. Cranfield, says that this phrase, 'joint-heirs with Christ', (Romans p. 407)

"expresses the certainty of our hope. Our sonship and our heirship rest on our relation to Him, on His having claimed us for His own."



Thirdly, for Christians, realize that,

your future is going to be filled with riches.

What riches. God Himself is your inheritance. His life, His glory, His Son. You are Christ's. He is yours. All that He has accomplished—His perfect work—His reward for all that—being heir of all things—is yours. As we read from Ephesians 1,

"And God placed all things under his feet
and appointed him to be head
over everything for the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of him
who fills everything in every way."

For the church. What words! What a hope you have. As we read in 1 Corinthians 2:9,

"Scripture speaks of 'things beyond our seeing,
things beyond our hearing,
things beyond our imagining,
all prepared by God for those who love him';"

That's what is in store for those who are heirs of God, joint-heirs of Christ.

Lastly, for those of you who aren't Christians. I ask you,

as of now, what is your inheritance?

Your father is the devil. Your inheritance in him is the worst possible inheritance. It is the opposite of glory. It's one of shame. It's the opposite of happiness. It's one of utmost misery—a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Don't be foolish. The most important thing for you to do in this life is to avoid that inheritance. You need Jesus. Only He can save you from your sins. Only He can give you the life from above. Go to Him. Ask Him to save you today. You must do it. You must do it now.