Our Greatest Inheritance

What is the greatest thing God is offering us? It is His character!

God is creating a family and has much that He plans on giving us, His children. In fact, we are promised that we will inherit “all things” (Revelation 21:7). But is the destiny of inheriting the galaxies and ruling over the nations the greatest thing God offers us? Out of all the good gifts God makes available, what is the greatest?

I believe the most exciting and wonderful inheritance that God wants all humanity to have is His character—His righteousness and His way of thinking! In Hebrews 11:7 we are told that Noah, through his obedience, “became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith”; and in 2 Peter 1:4 we see that we are to “be partakers of the divine nature.”

God’s character doesn’t come naturally

What is human thinking like without God? The Bible tells us: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9). Thinking like God doesn’t come naturally to us, and the ways of God don’t come naturally to us. We have to choose to pursue God’s righteous ways, and it takes extra help from God’s Spirit even to understand them (1 Corinthians 2:14). In Romans 8:7 we see that the carnal mind (a human mind not influenced by God) is enmity against God—hostile and antagonistic to God.

What comes of that way of thinking? The Bible shows that it results in misery and a lack of peace (Romans 3:10-18). Jeremiah 10:23 says that it’s not in man to direct his own steps; and Proverbs 14:12 elaborates that, in fact, the way that seems right actually results in death. Just as Adam and Eve took from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there would always be that thread of evil running through even good intentions.

God’s character needed!

The good news is that all the bad results of sin are avoidable! There is another path, the path of righteousness, that leads to life (Proverbs 11:19). Unlike the destruction and misery that result from sin, “the work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah 32:17). God wants us to choose this kind of good life (John 10:10).

It’s precisely His character that results in that kind of life!

Everything truly worthwhile—from healthy relationships to personal character, to peace, joy and a purposeful, flourishing life—can only be properly produced through God’s righteous character!

A world with God’s character

If only everyone understood this! The Bible actually reveals that in the future all who choose God’s way will understand and practice this way of life (2 Peter 3:13). The Bible describes what this future time—when only those who have received God’s nature remain—will be like: “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

There is so much more to learn about the righteous character of God. In fact, we need an entire lifetime to learn and practice it. We learn by studying God’s Word. The more we read it, the more we will learn about His character. We must “hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). We need to choose to apply it and put it into practice in our lives.

Now is the time to begin pursuing the greatest inheritance!

Jennifer Cox is a member of the London, Kentucky, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. She is a 2013 graduate of Foundation Institute.