FIRST QUARTER 2026
SABBATH SCHOOL INSIGHT #7
FEBRUARY 14, 2026
"A HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP".

 

 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

I don’t know about you, but over the last few years and especially lately the news has been very difficult to watch, seeing the situations unfolding in our country. On all sides there seems to be a vitriol, animosity and disgust for those on the “other” team. The topic of immigration especially has been a hot button issue and one that seems to have no end in sight as our political leaders are locked in their corners with their demands. Fundamental to this contentious topic is the question about citizenship, who deserves it, when, and what are the benefits this gives to those that have it. I praise God that in the Bible He promises to grant citizenship into Heaven not based on legal status, political affiliation, place of birth nor any other earthly condition. This is a gift He has promised to all humanity and those who believe will partake of this eternal blessing. Let’s take a brief look into our Heavenly citizenship through the eyes of God.  

  God’s purpose for humanity goes beyond anything any country in this world can offer. In His Everlasting Covenant God promises extend beyond the forgiveness of sins and power over those sins, as wonderful and glorious as they are. Since the fall in Genesis the promise was also to eradicate and eliminate sin from this world forever, and prepare for us a new earth as another gift in our inheritance. From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals Himself as One who gives: not sparingly, not conditionally, but abundantly. The story of redemption is the story of an inheritance prepared, lost, promised again, and finally restored through Jesus Christ. The inheritance God gives us is not merely future security, but the complete restoration of life, righteousness, and fellowship with Himself on this earth restored and new.

This is beautifully explained in the story of Abraham. When God called Abraham, He was not merely selecting a single person or family to bless; He was revealing His everlasting plan for the entire human race. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance….By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:8-10). This verse helps us to see the promise beyond geography, and even ethnicity, since it was only by faith in God’s promises. The inheritance promised to Abraham was the world itself—renewed, purified, and filled with the righteousness of Christ. Ellen White explained this: “The gift of God is eternal life. The inheritance promised to Abraham and his seed was not merely the land of Canaan, but the whole earth.” —Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 170. This understanding places the Gospel within the larger framework of God’s creative and redemptive purpose. Salvation is not simply the removal of guilt, condemnation, and sin but is the restoration of everything sin has damaged, including the earth.

From the beginning God created the earth as humanity’s home. Genesis tells us that after creating man and woman, God gave them dominion over the earth and declared His creation “very good” (Genesis 1:31), a place for humanity and divinity to dwell together in perfect harmony. The original inheritance was perfect fellowship with God in a perfect world. Yet sin shattered that harmony, bringing pain, suffering, and death. The loss of Eden was not merely the loss this planet; it was the loss of humanity’s inheritance and the special location for the special relationship God wanted to have with us.

Yet God did not abandon the original purpose. The promise given to Abraham revealed that what was lost would be restored. The Apostle Peter later expressed this hope, writing, “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). The inheritance promised to believers is nothing less than earth itself renewed and made eternal. This inheritance is inseparable from the gift of eternal life. God does not prepare for Himself a holy people without also preparing a holy home. The two are part of one complete work of salvation. This inheritance, however, cannot be earned, bargained, nor obtained through human effort or obedience to the law.

Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that it comes only through faith. “If the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise” (Galatians 3:18). The inheritance is secured not by human performance, but by God’s faithfulness. This understanding removes the burden of attempting to earn salvation and places the focus where Scripture places it—on the unchanging reliability of God’s word. Faith does make us worthy of the inheritance; through faith we receive what God has already promised to give us in Christ. The inheritance is not separate from Christ; it is contained within Him. To receive Christ is to receive everything God has promised. This is why Scripture declares, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Every blessing, every promise, every hope of eternity is secured in Jesus. Outside of Him there is nothing. In Him there is everything. 

Thus, the necessity of Christ’s sacrifice becomes clear when we consider what we lost and the curse brought by sin. Humanity forfeited our inheritance through disobedience, and therefore the earth itself fell under corruption. Romans 8:19-22 describes creation as groaning under bondage, waiting for liberation alongside God’s children. 

“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”

Scripture declares, “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us… that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:13-14). Christ entered fully into taking upon Himself humanity’s fallen condition, bearing sin’s consequences in order to save us from the penalty and power of sin, but also from the presence of sin and restore what was lost. Thus, the inheritance becomes possible only because Christ took all of humanity’s sins upon Himself. By bearing the curse of sin and paying the penalty of the curse, He could begin the process of securing for us the promised blessing of complete restoration. This promise is made certain by the covenant God established with and in Christ. Unlike human covenants, which involve negotiation and mutual obligation, God’s covenant is a unilateral, unconditional gift of love. The books of Galatians & Hebrews teach that the Everlasting Covenant was confirmed before by God in Christ (Galatians 3:16) and cannot be annulled once the testator has passed (Hebrews 9:17) nor by any new developments in human history. The security of humanity’s inheritance rests on God’s promise to fulfill all things in Christ, and is not dependent on human plans and efforts. Salvation cannot coexist with self-reliance. The inheritance is received only through trust in the promises of God’s Word in Christ’s completed work. “There is not a point that needs to be dwelt upon more earnestly than the impossibility of fallen man meriting anything by his own best good works.”—Ellen G. White, Faith and Works, p. 19.

God strengthened the certainty of His promise by confirming it with an oath. The book of Hebrews explains that God did this so believers might possess strong consolation, resting in the assurance that it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:17-19). The inheritance is therefore doubly secure since it was guaranteed by God’s promise and confirmed by His oath.

Jesus Himself stands as the living guarantor of this covenant. Scripture declares, “By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant” (Hebrews 7:22). Because Christ overcame in human flesh and lives forever, the promise of the inheritance for all humanity can never fail. The believer’s confidence rests not in personal spiritual improvements, but in the ministry of our living Savior in the Heavenly Sanctuary. His High Priest ministry provides all we need to persevere and overcome in this life. The book of Hebrews 4:14-16 states:

 “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Our inheritance is not merely a future hope; it is present assurance rooted in Christ’s ongoing work. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ dwells in the believer’s heart, and sustains us through the trials and tribulations of this world while also giving a foretaste of the joys in our full inheritance to come. The Bible states that the Holy Spirit is “the guarantee of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13-14). The Spirit does not merely promise future glory; He brings the reality of Christ’s life into the present experience of believers. This indwelling presence transforms our character and prepares us live in the present, and eventually to inhabit the restored creation. The inheritance is therefore both legal and relational—secured and experienced through Christ’s righteousness. The final vision in Revelation declares that when redemption is finished, “There shall be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3). Humanity will once again dwell in the presence of God on the recreated New Earth. The inheritance lost in Eden will be fully restored and guaranteed that sin will never rise again. (Nahum 1:9)

The Gospel therefore invites believers to know and rest in the certainty of God’s promise. Faith is not striving to secure the inheritance. Faith is trusting that in Christ the inheritance has already been guaranteed. Through Christ the believer has His righteousness and eternal life. Through Christ the believer has a restored world in which righteousness will dwell forever. The inheritance of the saints is not dependent upon human strength but rests entirely upon the faithfulness of God, the ministry of Christ, and the living presence of the Holy Spirit. And because God’s promise rests upon His own Word, it will not fail. Accordingly we have no need to worry or become weary seeing the difficult situations our present country and world face, since this will all pass. But if we have a hope beyond what this world can provide and our focus is on this hope, we will rejoice in it by sharing it with others so they can rejoice with us. Amen! 

 

~ Carlos Munoz