User:RobertC/Inheritance

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When inheritance is used in the scriptures, are we inheriting from Heavenly Father or from Christ, the father of our salvation? Seems to me the latter....

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NT scriptures

  • Eph 5:5: "For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
("of Christ and of God" in some other translations says "of Christ and God"—see NASB and NET)
  • Col 3:24: "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."
For context, see Col 3:17-24. Note the wording "God and the Father by him" in verse 17.
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BOM scriptures

  • Mosiah 27:25-26: "Marvel not that all mankind . . . must be born again; yea, born of God . . . being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."
Notice that being redeemed of God and inheriting the kingdom of God are tightly linked here.
  • Alma 5:58: "For the names of the righteous shall be written in the book of life, and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand."
Notice the legal (as opposed to biological) connotation of inheritance here implied by the names being written in the book of life.
  • Alma 41:4: "And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame—mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption—raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on one hand, the other on the other—"
Notice the contrast between inheriting the kingdom of God vs. the kingdom of the devil, depending on whom we serve. The notion of restoration alongside the notion of inheritance/adoption is somewhat surprising. At first blush, we might think about being restored to our position as children of God. But it seems that although we are children of our Heavenly Father, we are adopted by Christ and therefore receive our inheritance through Christ. If it's ultimately the same inheritance, than the term restoration does seem accurate.
  • Ether 12:34: ". . . except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father."
This is Moroni speaking to the Lord (cf. Ether 12:29). This verse suggests that the Lord is preparing the mansions that men are to inherit, but the mansion belong to the Lord's Father (cf. D&C 59:2 and D&C 72:4).
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D&C

  • D&C 78:22 seems to posit Christ as the Lord and us as the stewards.
  • D&C 88:21: "And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom."
  • D&C 93:45: "Verily, I say unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., or in other words, I will call you friends, for you are my friends, and ye shall have an inheritance with me—I called you servants for the world’s sake, and ye are their servants for my sake."
Interesting verse, though I'm not quite sure how it ties in....
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Related links

  • Related Guide to the Scriptures entries:
  • Adoption in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of biblical Theology
  • Adoption in Elwell Evangelical Dictionary. Gives some historical information about adoption:
"In Greek and Roman society adoption was, at least among the upper classes, a relatively common practice. Unlike the oriental cultures in which slaves were sometimes adopted, these people normally limited adoption to free citizens. But, at least in Roman law, the citizen so adopted became a virtual slave, for he came under the paternal authority of his adoptive father. Adoption conferred rights, but it came with a list of duties as well."
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