Heirs according to the Promise
A Sermon on Romans 8:17
Originally preached March 10, 1961
Scripture
17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Sermon Description
Does the Christian rejoice that they are a child of God and an heir to the coming glory? Through his sermon on Romans 8:17 titled “Heirs According to the Promise,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones joyfully proclaims that every time that Paul references the Spirit being a seal, he also mentions that the Spirit is the guarantor of the fact that believers are heirs with Christ. This fact is great assurance and certainty of the Christian faith: if Christians are children of God, then they are also His heirs. Paul once again demonstrates that believers have union with Christ; it is absolute and cannot end. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expresses that only Christians have this kind of hope. The inheritance of glory for Christians was set before the beginning of time in God. This is a great promise and is shown often throughout Scripture. All believers are joint heirs with Christ and should be looking toward the coming of their Savior.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is continuing his thought from verse 16 in Romans 8 about the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.
- Paul amplifies on this point to give assurance and certainty of our salvation and relationship to God.
- The mention of the Holy Spirit as our seal reminds Paul that the Spirit is also the guarantee of our inheritance. Paul links sealing and guarantee together.
- Paul mentions our inheritance to show that sonship means inheriting. The two are inseparably linked.
- Paul is writing to Romans who were familiar with Roman law where all children inherit equally from their father. So all Christians inherit from God equally.
- The inheritance is a major biblical theme from Genesis 3:15 onwards, promised clearly to Abraham and his seed. The whole Bible points to this future inheritance.
- The inheritance was promised only to Israel originally, not the Gentiles who had no hope. But now in Christ, Gentiles are brought in and are fellow heirs.
- Many verses show that the inheritance is the Christian's hope and promise of eternal life in God's kingdom. Our life now is a foretaste and earnest of this.
- We should live now as strangers and pilgrims looking forward to this inheritance, not loving this world. This should govern our evangelism and pastoral ministry.
- We should test ourselves as to whether we really live in light of this promised inheritance. Do we look forward to Christ's return and the new heavens and earth?
- We should study this truth and pray that God opens our eyes to this hope and inheritance. We are but strangers here - heaven is our home.
Sermon Q&A
Understanding Our Inheritance in Christ: Insights from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
What does it mean to be "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" according to Romans 8:17?
According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans 8:17 reveals that all Christians are heirs of God by virtue of being His children. He emphasizes, "Because we are children, we are therefore heirs." This inheritance isn't limited to select believers but belongs to all Christians. Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains: "It isn't only some Christians who are the heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, it is all Christians. There are some who would say that this is only true of some Christians, that you can be saved, but that if you don't live a good life and if you're not entirely sanctified and so on, that you don't become an heir. That isn't the apostle's teaching."
Why does Paul emphasize inheritance immediately after discussing the Spirit's witness?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones observes that Paul naturally connects the Spirit's seal with the Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance. He states: "The very mention of the Holy Spirit as the one who seals us immediately reminded him of the fact that the Spirit also gives us an earnest of the inheritance, of which he assures us." This pattern appears consistently in Paul's writings, as Lloyd-Jones points out: "The apostle doesn't mention the spirit as a seal without mentioning at the same time the Spirit as the earnest of our inheritance," citing 2 Corinthians 1:22 and Ephesians 1:13-14 as additional examples.
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe what it means to be "partakers of the divine nature"?
When discussing our identity as God's children, Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christians are not merely forgiven sinners but "partakers of the divine nature" as Peter states in 2 Peter 1:4. He explains: "We mustn't think of ourselves merely as forgiven. I say we mustn't think of ourselves only as adopted, either. We are adopted into the family of God. But there's more than that. We are partakers of the divine nature." However, he clarifies this doesn't mean we become gods: "It doesn't mean that we are gods. It doesn't mean that. But in this marvelous sense, it does mean that we are partakers of the divine nature. It's a great mystery."
How should the concept of inheritance shape Christian evangelism according to Lloyd-Jones?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones criticizes modern evangelism that primarily offers immediate benefits in this life. He states: "Far too often evangelism takes this form. The message is that, are you in trouble? Are you unhappy? Are you failing somewhere? Do you need some help? Very well. Come to Christ and you'll get it." Instead, he argues that biblical evangelism points primarily to our future inheritance while being honest about present difficulties: "The Bible, unlike the cults you know, doesn't seem to promise us very much in this life and in this world. What it does promise us is something which lies in the future."
How does understanding our inheritance help Christians face suffering?
Lloyd-Jones explains that understanding our inheritance provides the only true comfort in suffering. He states: "If we suffer with him, says the gospel, we shall also reign with him. The sufferings of this present time? Yes, I know they're there, and I can't promise you that they're going to be less. But what I can tell you is this, that they're not worthy to be compared with the glory which is coming." This perspective helps Christians avoid disillusionment when they face troubles, as Lloyd-Jones notes: "In the world, ye shall have tribulations, but fear not, I have overcome the world. It's the promise. It's this inheritance. It's the future."
How does Lloyd-Jones describe the difference between believers and non-believers regarding hope?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies a stark contrast between believers who have an inheritance and non-believers who have no ultimate hope. Citing Ephesians 2:11-12, he states: "It is only Christian people who've got the hope. It is true of all unbelievers in the world tonight to say that they're without hope, without God in the world." He continues with compassion: "I don't know how they live. They live, of course, by not facing facts. That's why they spend their time looking at television, listening to radio, running to football matches, drinking, taking drugs, anything to get away from it. Why, they have no hope."
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.