How Do I Know If I Will Inherit The Kingdom Of God?
Understanding Inheriting the Kingdom of God
The question of inheriting the Kingdom of God is one of the most profound and urgent concerns for every believer. Scripture teaches that God’s Kingdom is both a present reality and a future hope, and inheriting it means entering into eternal life with God through Jesus Christ. But how can we be assured that we will inherit this Kingdom? Let’s explore what the Bible says.
1. The Necessity of a New Birth
Jesus made it clear that entrance into the Kingdom of God is not based on heritage, religious activity, or good works, but on a spiritual transformation. He told Nicodemus:
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God. - John 3:3 ASV
This “new birth” is the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a person who believes in Jesus Christ, resulting in forgiveness of sins and a new life.
2. Salvation by Grace Through Faith
The consistent message of the New Testament is that salvation—and thus inheritance of the Kingdom—is by grace through faith in Christ, not by human effort:
For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. - Ephesians 2:8-9 ASV
Assurance comes from trusting God’s promise, not our performance. When we confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised Him from the dead, we are saved:
because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. - Romans 10:9 ASV
3. Evidence of the Spirit’s Work
While salvation is by faith alone, the evidence of genuine faith is seen in a transformed life. The Bible describes those who will not inherit the Kingdom—those whose lives are characterized by unrepentant sin:
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousies, wraths, factions, divisions, parties, envyings, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I forewarn you, even as I did forewarn you, that they who practise such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. - Galatians 5:19-21 ASV
However, those led by the Spirit display the “fruit of the Spirit”:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23 ASV
This does not mean perfection, but a new direction of life and a desire to please God.
4. The Assurance of God’s Promise
God wants believers to have assurance. John writes:
These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God. - 1 John 5:13 ASV
Our confidence is grounded in the finished work of Christ, not our feelings or failures. The Holy Spirit also bears witness with our spirit:
The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ... - Romans 8:16-17 ASV
5. Perseverance in Faith
Genuine believers will persevere in faith. This is not to say that true believers never struggle or fall, but that God keeps His own and brings them to completion:
Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ. - Philippians 1:6 ASV
We are called to examine ourselves, not to create doubt, but to seek genuine faith:
Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate. - 2 Corinthians 13:5 ASV
Summary and Encouragement
You can know you will inherit the Kingdom of God if you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, experiencing the new birth by the Holy Spirit. The evidence of this faith is a changed life, a growing love for God, and perseverance in faith. Our hope rests not in ourselves, but in God’s unchanging promise in Christ.