We read in Joshua 11:23: "So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war."
The important word in this verse is "inheritance." Joshua gave Israel the land for an inheritance.
But in chapter 13:1 we see, "Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed."
This appears on the surface to be a contradiction with what chapter 11 says. God had given all the land to the Israelites, but they were responsible to go in and possess it.
They were promised, according to Joshua 1:3, "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you."
We also know now that God gave them the land for an inheritance. It was divided among the tribes as is outlined for us in the Book of Joshua. Nevertheless, each tribe had to go in and possess the land in order to enjoy its benefits.
So is it with our possessions in Christ. These must be appropriated on an individual basis. The Church as a whole is blessed only as we individuals possess what is ours in Christ.
Our inheritance is in Him. In fact, He is our inheritance. A good illustration is given us in 2 Samuel 3:17,18: "Now then do it" (v. 18). See also Colossians 3:1-3.
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Rom. 8:17).
By Theodore Epp, taken from "Strength for the Journey"
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