“…ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” - Eph 1:13-14 (KJV)

From these verses, it is clear that the “Holy Spirit” guarantees our “inheritance.”

Since our “inheritance” is earned, how can the “Holy Spirit” guarantee it before we earn it?

This has to do with God’s “foreknowledge.”

 “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether”. - Ps 139:1-4 (KJV)

Simply put, God knew your life choices before he created Adam and Eve. Therefore, he sent Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world and made it possible for us who repent of our sin and believe Christ, to be forgiven, born of his Spirit and receive “an inheritance.”

 “And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” - Acts 20:32 (KJV)

Notice in this verse that “the word of his grace” has the potential to “build you up.” The question we need to ask ourselves is this, “will we choose to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus in all of life’s experiences and allow the Holy Spirit make us more than conquerors, i.e. "build (us) up" qualifying us to receive an inheritance and stand sanctified?

God already knows the answer to this question and in his foreknowledge he has a “just recompense of reward” set aside for each of us, however, that “reward” is being established by our choices today, i.e. we can increase our reward by walking in faith or reduce our reward by trusting in our own strength.

God is totally awesome! The outcome is sure, our inheritance is secure, and yet we have a free will to choose what it will be!

 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” - 2 Cor 5:10 (KJV)

 “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man drawback, my soul shall have no pleasure in him”. - Heb 10:38

May God give us such a focus of faith in Jesus that he would find pleasure in us.

God bless, Orval