Trying to identify the differences between two closely related principles can be confusing.
If a correct definition of either isn’t identified, any contrast between the two can be blurred. This could create an illusion of similarity rather than distinction.
It’s no different when it comes to understanding the differences between certain Biblical terms. And the inductive study process revealed to me what the New Testament apostolic authors actually meant by the words they used, and why they considered their redemption [or what we often call being “saved” today] to be a different issue than their inheritance.
To try to equate the two is like comparing apples to oranges. While both terms define separate concepts, they are related, like fruit being of a common genus. However, they’re not synonymous.
The introduction of the apostle Paul’s letter to the saints who [were] at Ephesus and who [were] faithful in Christ Jesus is a good example of how he understood these two words to be different things:
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Whom we have redemption [ἀπολύτρωσις: setting free, deliverance, release] through His blood, the forgiveness [ἄφεσις: forgiveness, cancellation, release] of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” [vss. 1:1-8] [my emphasis]
The context here clearly defines Paul’s perception of redemption. God’s quitting authority is what pardons sin and is wholly the result of His good will and nothing else. His Supreme Prerogative to cancel the debt of a man’s specific sin releases him from its liability only because of Christ’s blood having been shed.
In the verses that follow, the readers at Ephesus were able to understand that the two different terms were indeed connected by a process but weren’t the same thing:
“In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Whom also we were assigned by lot [or chosen to inherit], having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that, we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed [σφραγίζω: seal, secure with a seal; mark with a seal, set apart by a seal] in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the pledge [ἀρραβών: pledge, guarantee, down payment] of our inheritance [κληρονομία: property, possession(s), what is promised or given by God to his people, God’s blessings, share, part] for the intention of the deliverance [ἀπολύτρωσις: setting free, deliverance, release] of that possession, to the praise of His glory.” [vss. 1:8-14] [my emphasis]
As a result of their belief, the saints at Ephesus had been set apart and “sealed” in Christ. This concept was also understood as having been “purchased” by God. [see: Acts 20:28, Rev. 5:9] The pledge [or promise] was the sole means of their redemption through the Holy Spirit, the Messiah Himself having fulfilled the promise. [see: Gal. 3:13-14]
It seems God’s redemptive measures described here are unique, as nothing in the text suggests there to be a provision for the Buyer to renege, thereby forfeiting His pledge.
So what God redeems for Himself and seals with His name stays that way.
His “purchases” shall be “delivered” to the Buyer and paid back based on productivity. [see: Matt. 25:14-30] God’s redeeming authority was a current reality for the saints at Ephesus. In that sense, they were indeed “saved” from any obligation to consider themselves powerless to the influence of sin.
It was easy for them to see that both redemption and inheritance were based on faith.
Redemption was accomplished by believing in Jesus Christ’s authority to compensate for one’s transgressions against the Lord. But the hope of receiving an inheritance was also conditional to belief, that is, belief validated by a redeemed individual’s desire to demonstrate that belief through obedience to Christ’s commands.
The result of being redeemed by belief is to belong to Christ.
The reward of inheriting with Christ would result in emerging from this present age with sufficient spiritual maturity and forbearance to accomplish the necessary role of sharing in His reign of the coming kingdom on Earth.
Different fruit?
Yeah, but they’re both sweet.
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Last Updated: October 16, 2024 by cjournalme
Different fruit, Same Good News.
Trying to identify the differences between two closely related principles can be confusing.
If a correct definition of either isn’t identified, any contrast between the two can be blurred. This could create an illusion of similarity rather than distinction.
It’s no different when it comes to understanding the differences between certain Biblical terms. And the inductive study process revealed to me what the New Testament apostolic authors actually meant by the words they used, and why they considered their redemption [or what we often call being “saved” today] to be a different issue than their inheritance.
To try to equate the two is like comparing apples to oranges. While both terms define separate concepts, they are related, like fruit being of a common genus. However, they’re not synonymous.
The introduction of the apostle Paul’s letter to the saints who [were] at Ephesus and who [were] faithful in Christ Jesus is a good example of how he understood these two words to be different things:
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Whom we have redemption [ἀπολύτρωσις: setting free, deliverance, release] through His blood, the forgiveness [ἄφεσις: forgiveness, cancellation, release] of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.” [vss. 1:1-8] [my emphasis]
The context here clearly defines Paul’s perception of redemption. God’s quitting authority is what pardons sin and is wholly the result of His good will and nothing else. His Supreme Prerogative to cancel the debt of a man’s specific sin releases him from its liability only because of Christ’s blood having been shed.
In the verses that follow, the readers at Ephesus were able to understand that the two different terms were indeed connected by a process but weren’t the same thing:
“In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Whom also we were assigned by lot [or chosen to inherit], having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that, we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed [σφραγίζω: seal, secure with a seal; mark with a seal, set apart by a seal] in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the pledge [ἀρραβών: pledge, guarantee, down payment] of our inheritance [κληρονομία: property, possession(s), what is promised or given by God to his people, God’s blessings, share, part] for the intention of the deliverance [ἀπολύτρωσις: setting free, deliverance, release] of that possession, to the praise of His glory.” [vss. 1:8-14] [my emphasis]
As a result of their belief, the saints at Ephesus had been set apart and “sealed” in Christ. This concept was also understood as having been “purchased” by God. [see: Acts 20:28, Rev. 5:9] The pledge [or promise] was the sole means of their redemption through the Holy Spirit, the Messiah Himself having fulfilled the promise. [see: Gal. 3:13-14]
It seems God’s redemptive measures described here are unique, as nothing in the text suggests there to be a provision for the Buyer to renege, thereby forfeiting His pledge.
So what God redeems for Himself and seals with His name stays that way.
His “purchases” shall be “delivered” to the Buyer and paid back based on productivity. [see: Matt. 25:14-30] God’s redeeming authority was a current reality for the saints at Ephesus. In that sense, they were indeed “saved” from any obligation to consider themselves powerless to the influence of sin.
It was easy for them to see that both redemption and inheritance were based on faith.
Redemption was accomplished by believing in Jesus Christ’s authority to compensate for one’s transgressions against the Lord. But the hope of receiving an inheritance was also conditional to belief, that is, belief validated by a redeemed individual’s desire to demonstrate that belief through obedience to Christ’s commands.
The result of being redeemed by belief is to belong to Christ.
The reward of inheriting with Christ would result in emerging from this present age with sufficient spiritual maturity and forbearance to accomplish the necessary role of sharing in His reign of the coming kingdom on Earth.
Different fruit?
Yeah, but they’re both sweet.
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