For where there is a will and [d]testament involved, the death of the one who made it must be established, 17 for a will and testament takes effect [only] at death, since it is never in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
Hebrews 9:16 Amplified
A last will and Testament is a legal document in which an individual records their last wishes as to how their property, possessions and affairs should be handled after their death.
The word Testament comes from the Latin word “Testamentum” meaning Covenant with God and from the word “Testari” meaning, to be a witness, call to witness or make a will.
The New Covenant, which replaces the Old Covenant, is called the New Testament because it is God’s legal document in which He declares His final will for all of His children and the inheritance He leaves for us in Christ.
Jesus came to fulfill God’s will, and to leave our Heavenly Father’s will and inheritance to all who have faith to receive it.
The writer of Hebrews highlights that God’s last will and testament came into place only when Christ died. A will-maker must die in order for the beneficiaries to receive their inheritance.
A will must be written and read for the beneficiaries to know what their inheritance is and to claim it. The New Testament is God’s written will, and in order for us to know God’s will we must read it, believe it and claim it as our own.
Paul writes about the importance of knowing what our inheritance is and that every believer has access to the inheritance that is ours in Christ.
“If you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance” Galatians 4:7 Message
“Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God” Ephesians 1:11 NLT
He goes on to say that his prayer is that we might all know the glorious riches of the inheritance that is ours in Christ.
If we were to become an heir and receive an inheritance but did not know what the inheritance was or how to claim it, we would never benefit from what was left to us.
God’s will is written in His word, Jesus died so that His will would come into effect and the Holy Spirit is the executor and guarantee of His will.
Let’s be diligent to know and claim the inheritance and riches that our ours in Christ, so that we can fulfill God’s will for our lives, with all of the resources God has made available to each one of us.