An inheritance which will never be lost Wednesday 8th May 2024

This was one of the many skips filled with materials which were destroyed when the River Greta flooded the town of Keswick in 2015.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you.  [1 Peter 1:3-4 ESV]

A few years ago, I was informed that in the 1930s a relative of mine had died in the U.S.A. and he had left a sum of money for members of the Neilly family. There was a clause attached to the will. The beneficiaries had to travel out to Philadelphia to stake their claim to this undisclosed amount. I am not sure if any of my father's uncles or aunts made the journey out to the States to make the claim. It did not affect my family for my grandfather had died at age 32 and his widow was not included in the will.  It seems complicated and even a bit unfair.  But the inheritance which Peter tells us about is completely different.

Peter was writing his first letter to Christians and he addresses them as 'elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia' [1 Peter 1:1 ESV]  There are two words  (exiles and dispersion) which provide a clue to the situation with those people to whom the apostle Peter is writing.  The word 'elect' suggests that they were Christians and reading through the letter they would seem to have been Jews. They had been forced to leave their homes and move to the area which is now part of Turkey. Peter does not go into details but it seems clear that there was some sort of persecution which resulted in Christian Jews leaving their homeland and travelling across the sea to another country. They must have left their possessions behind.  They would have lost out financially, socially and mentally. They might have left loved ones behind them. 

But Peter tells them that they had a future inheritance awaiting them.  That must have been good news.  Peter reminds them that they were born again and that they had a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).  They may have been dispossessed, disregarded and disenfranchised but they are precious in God's sight. This was not an earthly inheritance. Peter was promising them something far better.   Peter says that when they were born again they came into two wonderful blessings - a living hope and an inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-4).  

There are three words used to describe this inheritance - it is 'imperishable, undefiled and unfading.'  This is a lovely description of their inheritance and all of us who are born again share this inheritance.

1. Our inheritance is 'imperishable' which means that it is beyond the reach of change or decay.  (Greek word aphthartos which means 'not liable to corruption or decay.')  Before the Second World War, those living in Germany discovered that their savings were worthless due to rampant inflation.  This inheritance will not be affected by inflation or any form of decay or destruction.

2. Our inheritance is 'undefiled' or pure and unsullied. This is the Greek word amiantos which means 'undefiled or free from corruption')  In December 2015, the town of Keswick was flooded and it affected the buildings at Rawnsley which was used for the Keswick Convention. Many valuable materials were soiled by the dirty water when the River Greta burst its banks and the dirty water seeped into the building.  Many books and papers were soiled and had to be discarded. This same word is used to describe Jesus our great High Priest who is described as 'holy, innocent, unstained (Greek word amiantos) and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:27).  This inheritance will not become defiled and impure.

3. Our inheritance is 'unfading' means that it will never wither away. It is permanent. (Greek word amarantos which means unwithering or not fading away. There is a flower whose name comes from this Greek word - the "amarath". This flower is a symbol of perpetuity (See Milton's Paradise Lost iii 353).  It is a lovely flower which never wilts or fades.

So these Christians were given a word of encouragement from the former fisherman from Galilee. They had lost everything in a secular sense - their home, their security, their family connections, their way of life, their culture etc. But Peter reminds them of an "inheritance" which they will never lose.   Are we placing all our hopes on this earthly, decaying world or do we have a living hope of an inheritance which will never perish or be destroyed? It will never be corrupted unlike so much of this world's treasures and it will never lose its value.