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By means of a “last will and testament,” men indicate the desired disposition of their property at death. The title page of the latter section of our Bibles is called “The New Testament of Jesus Christ.” While uninspired publishers supplied this title page, the inspired text refers to itself as the will or testament of the Lord:
For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death of him that made it. For a testament is of force where there hath been death: for it doth never avail while he that made it liveth (Heb. 9:16–17, ASV).
Several parallels exist between the making and execution of human wills and the making and execution of Jesus’ last will and testament:
- While living, one may dispose of his property as he desires. However, when he dies, if he has a will, his estate will be dispersed only to those named in the will and according to its conditions, if any. So Jesus gave many blessings, including forgiveness of sins, on various conditions during His earthly life, but since He died, His written will prevails.
- A will takes effect only when its maker dies. This fact is no less true of the Divine will of Jesus than of human wills (Heb. 9:16–17). Jesus referred to the blood He shed on Calvary as “my blood of the new testament” (Mat. 26:28, KJV), signaling that it would go into effect at His death. It will be in effect as long as the world stands (Mat. 28:18–20).
- A person must be qualified to write a will. Human testators must have attained majority, be of sound mind, and not be influenced by coercion or by a chemical substance. Jesus was qualified in every respect, possessing Divine wisdom and knowledge (John 12:49). He was not subject to coercion (John 10:17–18). None can invalidate His will (Mat. 24:35).
- A new will voids all previous wills. A man might make or revise a will several times, but at death, only the last one he made has legal standing. God gave a testament/covenant through Moses to Israel fifteen centuries before Jesus was born. However, God made a new covenant/testament for all mankind through His Son. He “took away” the first one in His death (Heb. 10:8–9). The first testament was “nailed to the cross” with Jesus (Col. 2:14). One finds true religion only in the New Testament, not in the old (Heb. 1:1–3).
- One must meet the conditions of the will to be an heir. One does not inherit merely on the basis of feelings or belief that he should, but upon meeting the will’s provisions (Mat. 7:21–23). Only God’s children are heirs (Rom. 8:17).
Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Lighthouse, weekly bulletin of Northpoint Church of Christ, Denton, TX, February 6, 2014, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
