Joint Heirs Who Live Like Beggars
"And if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." — Romans 8:17
What Was Lost and What Was Regained
To understand your position, go back to the beginning.
"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion…' So God created man in His own image… Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion.'" (Genesis 1:26–28)
Dominion was the original assignment. Then Adam and Eve sinned and handed that dominion over.
But God did not abandon the plan. Even while pronouncing judgment, He promised a Messiah who would come and re-establish the dominion of men over the enemy (Genesis 3:15). He raised up a people through whom that Messiah came.
David summarized the original design:
"What is man that You are mindful of him… For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet." (Psalm 8:4–6)
Note carefully: Satan was created by God. He is part of the works of God's hands. Therefore he falls within the sphere over which humanity was given dominion.
The Second Adam
In the fullness of time Jesus Christ came — called the last Adam in 1 Corinthians 15:45 because He was the second sinless man to walk the earth.
Adam was sinless for a time and then fell. Jesus never fell. He went to the cross to pay for our sin and to win the final victory.
And afterward He said: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)
What man could never do, God did for us. Jesus Christ regained what was lost in the Garden. And then He gave the authority to us in His name.
Royalty, Not Merely Servants
The New Testament will not let us settle for a smaller identity than the one we have been given.
"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people." (1 Peter 2:9)
"If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." (2 Timothy 2:12)
"To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father." (Revelation 1:5–6)
And Paul says the purpose of this is to be displayed:
"To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 3:10)
God's eternal plan is made known to the kingdom of darkness through the church — through servants who have become joint heirs. You are the exhibit.
Point to Ponder
Satan is part of the works of God's hands. Humanity was given dominion over those works.
Verse to Remember
"And if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." — Romans 8:17
Question to Consider
Do I actually believe I am royalty in the kingdom of God — or do I only say so?
Today's Practice
Read these passages aloud in one sitting, slowly: Genesis 1:26–28, Psalm 8:4–6, Matthew 28:18, Luke 10:19, Romans 8:16–17, Ephesians 3:8–10, 1 Peter 2:9, and Revelation 1:5–6.
Write down every statement made about your position and identity. You will have a substantial list.
Then compare it against how you actually pray. Do your prayers sound like an heir, or like a beggar hoping to be noticed?
There is a place for pleading — Scripture is full of it. But an heir who does not know he is an heir will never claim what belongs to him, and will spend his life asking for what he already possesses.
Prayer
Father, thank You that I am Your child. Thank You that if I am a child, I am an heir — a joint heir with Christ.
I confess that I have not believed this functionally. I have prayed like a stranger at the gate rather than a son in the house.
Open my eyes to my position. Not for pride — everything I have is Yours and was given at the cost of Your Son's blood. But do not let me live beneath what You purchased for me.
Teach me to reign with Christ as You intended. Let the manifold wisdom of God be made known through my life to principalities and powers.
I am not a beggar. I am Your child. Help me live like it. In Jesus' name. Amen.
An heir who does not know he is an heir spends his life asking for what he already owns.