This may say something about me, but family related images in scripture don't really touch my heart. Last time I spoke about adoption, about how it was not a meaningful concept to me until one moment at work. I heard one of the children I work for basically told me that being adopted would really prove to him that staff care for him.

There is another family related concept that I did not care much about in scripture, that is the concept of inheritance. I don't really think about God giving me an inheritance. Do we really need things in the new creation? I know the Holy Spirit is thought of as an inheitance but I really did not understand why the Holy Spirit would be called an inheritance.

A way to understand inheritance is to suspend our over-spiritualization of the scriptures. The scriptures are down to earth. It is true that the most important aspect of the promise to the descendants of Abraham is being called God's people, a spiritual concept. However, we usually don't think that the giving of land is an integral part of being God's people.

The giving of the land or having an inheritance in God's land is an expression of God's care. A father leaves his possessions to his children so they can be cared for. It is a sign of the father's continued care for his children. It is the father's affirmation that his children belong to him. It is a sign to the children that their father cares for them.

Land is life. It is through the land that a person gets his livelihood. When Israel lost the land because of their sin, it was a sign of being driven out from God the father's care. Of course, God still cared and provided for Israel. However, it is not the same.

Israel was not in God's presence anymore. I know God is present everywhere, but he is especially present in the temple, where God chose to have his dwelling among his people. By losing the land, Israel has lost its place in God's presence.

So what do we make of the idea of inheritance. Jesus has replaced the temple as the place we go to be in the presence of God. Jesus is God incarnate. As believers, we are in the presence of Jesus. That is our inheritance. It is the symbol of God's care that he brought us to Jesus. We are taken care of for all eternity.

I don't know if we are all going to have our own spaces when Jesus comes to establish the new heavens and the new earth. I think what is important to know is that we, as believers, will have a place in Jesus' presence. That is our inheritance.