Making Sure My Children Are Good
- fccreative
- 4 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Walk in the Inheritance Jesus Purchased
Hebrews 9 grounds the promise of inheritance in blood, because a testament has no power until the testator dies. The text presses Jewish believers to let go of trying to hold onto the law as the final answer and to receive the new covenant that Jesus ratified through His own blood. Jesus stands superior to every shadow that came before Him: superior to Moses, superior to angels, superior to the Levitical priesthood, and superior to animal sacrifices.
The law revealed sin, but it could never remove sin. Animal blood could cover a person’s sins for a season, but Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. His sacrifice has no expiration date because He offered Himself through the eternal Spirit. His blood was sufficient then, and it is sufficient now. Jesus laid down His life, picked it up again, and made the inheritance available to all who receive Him.
Sonship becomes the center of identity for those in Christ. Creation by God gives every person value, worth, and dignity, but receiving Jesus gives the right to become a child of God. Position in Christ must shape condition in life. The reality of being seated with Christ changes what conversations can be entertained, what places can be embraced, and what old patterns can still be called home.
The legal will provides a picture of what Christ has done. Jesus is the Testator who wrote the will with His blood. Jesus is also the Executor who rose again to make sure every part of the inheritance is carried out. Jesus is the Guardian who watches over His children, intercedes for them, and remains faithful when faith feels weak. His resources are unlimited, so no child of God has been left out of what grace has purchased.
Romans 7 shows that death is necessary to be released from the law and joined to another. Baptism pictures that inward reality: burial with Christ means divorce from condemnation, and resurrection with Christ means marriage to grace. The woman with the issue of blood touched the tassel that represented the law, yet that law was attached to grace in Jesus. Law and grace clapped hands, and healing came. Christ has already died, the inheritance is already available, and the call is to die to self so that newness of life can become real.
Key Takeaways
1. Jesus’ blood never expires
Jesus did not offer a sacrifice that works only for one generation, one season, or one type of person. His blood was offered through the eternal Spirit, so its power reaches back over every debt and forward into every need. The cross did not merely create a possibility of forgiveness; it secured a sufficient payment.
2. Sonship must shape daily living
Identity as God’s child comes before identity as a spouse, parent, student, employee, or leader. Position in Christ gives direction to condition, because a person who knows whose they are begins to recognize what no longer fits. Sonship is not about gender but about being made a joint heir with Christ.
3. Salvation is worked out, not earned
Grace cannot be earned by moral effort, religious activity, or personal merit. Salvation is received by grace through faith, but the inheritance deposited in Christ must be drawn out in daily obedience. God works within His children both to will and to do His good pleasure.
4. Jesus manages the whole inheritance
Jesus is the Testator who died, the Executor who lives, and the Guardian who watches over His children. His resurrection means the will did not remain a dead document, because He lives to make sure its contents are carried out. His unlimited resources mean grace does not run short for any heir.
5. Death to self releases new life
Death with Christ breaks the old bond to the law’s condemnation and joins the believer to grace. Baptism declares that burial and resurrection are not merely religious symbols but an inward transfer of allegiance. The more self-rule dies, the more Christ’s purchased inheritance becomes visible in life.
Bible Study Guide
Bible Reading
Hebrews 9:16-22
For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Romans 7:1-4
Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives? For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.
John 1:12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
Observation questions
In Hebrews 9:16-22, what had to happen before a testament could take effect, and what role did blood have in both the first covenant and forgiveness?
What limitations did the Levitical high priest and animal sacrifices have, according to the message, and what was different about Jesus’ sacrifice?
According to John 1:12, what response to Jesus is connected with receiving the right to become a child of God?
In Romans 7:1-4, what does Paul say death releases a person from, and to whom are believers joined afterward?
Interpretation questions
Why does Hebrews use the picture of a legal will to help explain Christ’s death? What does this picture show about the inheritance believers receive through Him?
Animal sacrifices could cover sin for a time, but Jesus takes away sin. How does that difference shape a believer’s confidence when dealing with past sin, present weakness, or repeated failure?
John 1:12 says that those who receive Jesus become children of God. How is being created by God different from becoming a child of God through faith in Christ?
Romans 7 describes believers as dead to the law and joined to the risen Christ in order to bear fruit for God. How does this protect a believer from both trying to earn salvation and treating grace as permission to continue in sin?
Application questions
Jesus’ blood has no expiration date. Is there any sin, regret, or season of failure that has made you wonder whether grace can still reach you? What would it look like to bring that honestly to Jesus?
Being God’s child is meant to shape every other identity. Which identity—work, family role, success, past, struggle, or reputation—most often tries to become your main identity? How can sonship in Christ give that area its proper place?
Position in Christ should shape daily condition. Are there conversations, environments, habits, or relationships that no longer fit who you are in Christ? What is one wise boundary or faithful step you could take this week?
Salvation is received by grace through faith, not earned by effort. Where do you find yourself slipping into trying to prove yourself to God? How can you practice obedience from gratitude rather than striving for acceptance?
Jesus is the Testator who died, the Executor who lives, and the Guardian who watches over His children. What current concern would be easier to carry if you remembered that Jesus is actively interceding for you?
Baptism pictures burial with Christ and resurrection into new life. Whether you have been baptized or not, what does “dying to self” look like in one specific part of your life right now?
The inheritance has already been made available through Christ, yet believers are called to receive it and walk in newness of life. What part of God’s grace—freedom, peace, forgiveness, courage, wisdom, or obedience—do you most need to draw on this week?
Day 1: The Signed Will That Demands Death to Activate
The ancient practice of sealing covenants with blood finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. A legal will only takes effect after the testator dies—Jesus’ death wasn’t tragic oversight but divine necessity. His blood, unlike temporary animal sacrifices, carries eternal weight. This covenant isn’t a vague promise but a binding document signed in crimson, demanding death to unlock its blessings. The inheritance waits, but only the testator’s sacrifice makes it accessible.
“For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.”
(Hebrews 9:16-17, NKJV)
Reflection: What earthly legacy have you prioritized that pales compared to the eternal inheritance Jesus’ death secured? How does His “signed will” shift your view of daily struggles?
Day 2: Blood Without Expiration Date
Temple rituals required repeated sacrifices—calves, goats, hyssop—but their blood only covered sin. Jesus’ sacrifice breaks the cycle. His blood doesn’t merely mask failure; it obliterates guilt. Unlike perishable offerings, His payment stays potent across centuries, cultures, and failures. The crimson thread from Eden to Calvary never fades, always accessible to the repentant heart.
“Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
(1 Peter 1:18-19, NKJV)
Reflection: Where have you acted like Jesus’ blood has a “best by” date? What shame are you carrying that His timeless sacrifice already addressed?
Day 3: Divorced From Law to Marry Grace
The law condemns; grace adopts. Just as death frees a widow to remarry, our death with Christ severs legalism’s grip. Baptism isn’t ritual—it’s a funeral for the old self and a wedding to new life. Like the woman with the issue of blood, we touch grace through the tassels of Christ’s righteousness, not our own merit.
“Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God.”
(Romans 7:4, NKJV)
Reflection: What “legalistic marriage” do you still flirt with? How might embracing your union with Christ’s grace transform a current struggle?
Day 4: The Go-Between Who Knows Spit and Slaps
Job longed for a mediator who understood human pain. Jesus didn’t just observe suffering—He wore spit, betrayal, and nails. As High Priest, He intercedes not from distant glory but scarred familiarity. Our trials pass through hands that still bear crucifixion marks, ensuring Heaven hears our cries through a voice that whispered “Father, forgive them.”
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
(1 Timothy 2:5, NKJV)
Reflection: What hardship feels too “human” to bring to Jesus? How does His experience with betrayal and pain reshape your honesty in prayer?
Day 5: Withdrawing From the Death-Paid Account
Salvation isn’t earned—it’s drawn. Christ’s will deposits righteousness, authority, and purpose, but we must actively withdraw these gifts. Like a child learning to access a trust fund, believers grow in claiming their inheritance through obedience and faith. The Executor lives to guide every withdrawal.
“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
(Philippians 2:12-13, NKJV)
Reflection: What specific “inheritance check” (healing, courage, forgiveness) have you hesitated to cash? How can you partner with the Executor this week to claim it?
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