introduction

New Life

The Transforming Power of the Gospel

Imagine that at the age of twelve you learned you would inherit a billion-dollar fortune on your twenty-first birthday. You’d grow up knowing you were destined to become a billionaire.

Understanding that such immense wealth awaited you would affect countless choices you’d make. No longer would you base your educational decisions on getting a degree that would generate the income you wanted. That concern would suddenly become irrelevant. You could study just to learn! And you’d study only what you were passionate about.

The promise of this coming fortune would shape the way you think about all your major decisions. With financial uncertainty out of the picture, you would be free to make choices based on the longings of your heart.

As the apostle Peter explains in 1 Peter 1:4, God has promised us an inheritance that far outstrips a billion-dollar fortune—an inheritance that can “never perish, spoil or fade,” one that can never be spent or squandered. An inheritance that is glorious, beautiful, and eternal.

If we really believe this, shouldn’t it shape our decisions? Knowing our eternal future is entirely secure, fear and anxiety-laden decision-making can be relegated to the past. Instead, we can live boldly for him.

The problem is we’re not accustomed to making decisions based on eternity. We’re impatient. We’d rather settle for junk today than wait for treasure tomorrow. Rarely do we take sufficient time even to reflect on the unfading inheritance “kept in heaven” (v. 4) for us, much less let it transform our lives.

If we truly wish to follow Christ, each day we need to fight our impatient, self-gratifying tendencies. And as Peter explains, it’s more than worth it. Let’s explore how Peter describes the incredible inheritance God has given us through Jesus’s resurrection. We’ll consider how Jesus gives believers not only a living hope but also an incredible, life-changing inheritance that will last forever. Most importantly, we’ll consider how this inheritance could change everything about how we live our lives.

Con Campbell