The key word - Inheritance.
From St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians: And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light (Colossians 1:9-12).
A reflection on this by Thomas Guthrie (1803-1873). “Volumes of theology have been written, and long controversies have waxed hot, about the question – whether heaven is, or is not, in part, the reward of our own good works? Now it appears to me that there is one word in my text, whose voice authoritatively and summarily settles that matte; and would have always settled it, had not men’s hearts been fired with angry passions, and their ears confused with the din of battle. That word is – inheritance. What is inheritance? The pay of a soldier is not inheritance; neither are the fees of a lawyer or of a physician; nor the gains of trade; nor the wages of labor. Rewards of toil or skill, these are earned by the hands that receive them. What is inherited, on the other hand, may be the property of a new-born babe; and so you may see the coronet, which was won by the stout arm of valor, and first blazoned on a battered shield, standing above the cradle of a wailing infant. True, the ample estate, the noble rank, the hereditary honors were won. But they that won them are long dead… “(Christ and the Inheritance of the Saints).
The difference for us in Christ is that the One Who won the forgiveness and life everlasting which we inherit by faith is not long dead. No, indeed, Christ Jesus is risen from the dead and He reigns for all eternity!
As we have just celebrated the Baptism of our Lord, we rejoice that we have been the new-born babe, mentioned above, receiving the gifts Jesus won in His passion, death, and resurrection. Such is the legacy of Baptism, the Spirit calling us to faith and giving us gifts beyond all value.