The Gospel of the Kingdom

[james1523]

Christianity as a whole, since the time of the end of the Roman Empire has taught that we repent of our sins, are saved and forgiven of our sins and receive the Holy Spirit so we may enter a place called Heaven.
However Biblical Christianity teaches that we repent of our sins because of the kingdom of God (Matt 3:2), and we are saved and forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit so that we may enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3-5).

For the past 1500 years the preaching of Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant, has fallen short of God's main interest - the kingdom of God.

Jesus and the early Christians preached the kingdom of God.
In Matt 24:14 Jesus said the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole earth.
The kingdom of God was something Christ preached about for 40 days after his resurrection (Acts 1:3).
We repent because of the kingdom (Matt 3:2)
The Holy Spirit is given so that we can enter and live in the kingdom. (John 3:3-5).
In Acts 14:22 they were concerned with entering the kingdom.
In Acts 28:31 they proclaimed the kingdom.
James 2:5 says we are chosen to be heirs of the kingdom.

Every kingdom has its laws and the laws of the kingdom are the laws of God.
1 Cor 6:9-10 says those who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom.
We cannot sow to the flesh and reap eternal life.
We cannot live in unrepentant sin and enter the kingdom.

 

[Jehonadab]

I like most of what you are saying but the comment, "We repent because of the kingdom", raises a few red flags for me.

Personally, I repent because, Romans 6:20-21 "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death." (KJV)

What drew me to repent was God's love. As I came to know more of God's love I also came to feel shame for my violations of his love. That falls in line with what John told us, "We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

I see it as dangerous for us to repent by reason of perceived gain if we do repent. I believe our attitude should be, "Lord, create in me a clean heart, a heart which does right because it is right. Make your wisdom my wisdom. Teach me your wisdom, for my wisdom has brought shame."

I would want to do his will even if he deems that I am fit for nothing but to die. I am fully convinced in myself that whatever he judges concerning me or anything else, is as it should be.

 

[james1523]

I like most of what you are saying but the comment, "We repent because of the kingdom", raises a few red flags for me.

Personally, I repent because, Romans 6:20-21 "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death." (KJV)

What drew me to repent was God's love. As I came to know more of God's love I also came to feel shame for my violations of his love. That falls in line with what John told us, "We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

I see it as dangerous for us to repent by reason of perceived gain if we do repent. I believe our attitude should be, "Lord, create in me a clean heart, a heart which does right because it is right. Make your wisdom my wisdom. Teach me your wisdom, for my wisdom has brought shame."

I would want to do his will even if he deems that I am fit for nothing but to die. I am fully convinced in myself that whatever he judges concerning me or anything else, is as it should be.

I understand what you are saying and I believe my comment encompasses your experience. Repenting because of the kingdom is what Jesus was saying in Matt 3:2. The Kingdom of Heaven is near, so repent.

"As I came to know more of God's love I also came to feel shame for my violations of his love." - This is your experience of the kingdom being near. The kingdom is God's rule and reign. You had the consciousness that you were not under one aspect of God's rule and reign which is His love, and this led to your repentance.

Repentance should not be out of self-pity because of our own sinful condition, this is a self-centered repentance, it is because we see and recognize we lack God's rule and reign in our lives, and we repentant so that we may enter the kingdom of God.

 

[Jehonadab]

I understand what you are saying and I believe my comment encompasses your experience. Repenting because of the kingdom is what Jesus was saying in Matt 3:2. The Kingdom of Heaven is near, so repent.

"As I came to know more of God's love I also came to feel shame for my violations of his love." - This is your experience of the kingdom being near. The kingdom is God's rule and reign. You had the consciousness that you were not under one aspect of God's rule and reign which is His love, and this led to your repentance.

Repentance should not be out of self-pity because of our own sinful condition, this is a self-centered repentance, it is because we see and recognize we lack God's rule and reign in our lives, and we repentant so that we may enter the kingdom of God.

That's right.

And when I pray, "Make your wisdom my wisdom. Teach me your wisdom, for my wisdom has brought shame", I don't mean shame upon myself only but unjust shame on God's name, in whose image I was created to honor. The shame I feel is not before men but before God.

One of my perhaps greatest faults, and something people that know me intimately can tell you about me, is that I could care less what people think about me. I say perhaps greatest faults because I have to draw a reasonable balance on that knowing that my conduct is judged by others, whether or not they should judge it, and this can bring shame to God's name.

It is not about me. It is not about you. It is not about them. God is the center of the universe. And we must live to his glory as for all things are for his glory.

It is a case like that of what saves us is not faith alone. We repent because of the kingdom but not alone because of the kingdom. Our first and most important duty in life is to live in his image in a manner which brings glory to his name just as all his wonderful creations do. Psalms 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."

Now, tell me more about what you perceive the scriptures to say that kingdom is.

 

[james1523]

That's right.

And when I pray, "Make your wisdom my wisdom. Teach me your wisdom, for my wisdom has brought shame", I don't mean shame upon myself only but unjust shame on God's name, in whose image I was created to honor. The shame I feel is not before men but before God.

One of my perhaps greatest faults, and something people that know me intimately can tell you about me, is that I could care less what people think about me. I say perhaps greatest faults because I have to draw a reasonable balance on that knowing that my conduct is judged by others, whether or not they should judge it, and this can bring shame to God's name.

It is not about me. It is not about you. It is not about them. God is the center of the universe. And we must live to his glory as for all things are for his glory.

It is a case like that of what saves us is not faith alone. We repent because of the kingdom but not alone because of the kingdom. Our first and most important duty in life is to live in his image in a manner which brings glory to his name just as all his wonderful creations do. Psalms 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."

Now, tell me more about what you perceive the scriptures to say that kingdom is.

I can give the little that I know regarding the Kingdom of God.

God's kingdom is God's ruling and is not a specific location or of physical form:
Luke 17:20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed,21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.

The kingdom of God is not earthly but heavenly and spiritual.
God's kingdom is the rule of God's heavenly and spiritual kingdom among His creation.

Romans 14 tells us what are the results of living under God's heavenly and spiritual rule:
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit

This righteousness is towards ourselves, of living right and having a high degree of moral righteousness, where we must be strict and exercise self-control, peace is towards our fellow man, where we must pursue peaceful relationships with others, and joy in the Holy Spirit of having a right relationship with God and living under His ruling.

Regarding what you said here:
"It is not about me. It is not about you. It is not about them. God is the center of the universe. And we must live to his glory as for all things are for his glory."

I actually disagree to an extent. God Himself does not have a center, because God is omnipresent, and "all in all". God created the earth on the first day, before the sun or stars were created. The earth has the most central place in God's universe. God created the earth for man, therefore mankind is the center of the universe. In Genesis 2:9 in the middle of the garden was the tree of life signifying the (crucified) Christ. To be more specific, Christ is the center of the universe, and Christ in us and us in Christ, or us conformed to the image of Christ, is the center of the universe. Therefore we do not only live to and for His glory as His creation, but as Col 1:27 says the indwelling Christ will transfigure and conform us to the body of His glory (Phil 3:21).

 

[Jehonadab]

Regarding what you said here:
"It is not about me. It is not about you. It is not about them. God is the center of the universe. And we must live to his glory as for all things are for his glory."

I actually disagree to an extent. God Himself does not have a center, because God is omnipresent, and "all in all". God created the earth on the first day, before the sun or stars were created. The earth has the most central place in God's universe. God created the earth for man, therefore mankind is the center of the universe. In Genesis 2:9 in the middle of the garden was the tree of life signifying the (crucified) Christ. To be more specific, Christ is the center of the universe, and Christ in us and us in Christ, or us conformed to the image of Christ, is the center of the universe. Therefore we do not only live to and for His glory as His creation, but as Col 1:27 says the indwelling Christ will transfigure and conform us to the body of His glory (Phil 3:21).

When I say God is the center of the universe, that means simply that from our perspective we should not see ourselves as gods for whom all things revolve around us and our will. We are supposed to orbit around his will. That expression is a common metaphor. Metaphorically speaking, we are not the center of the universe but God is. That has nothing to do with where God is located by some physical idea of location.

That is why he is all and in all. He is supposed to be every persons core and fulness of life.

What you say has proved useful to me as it turned my attention to contemplating a better way to express what takes place when different people view such metaphors.

What may be viewed physically as location is spiritually viewed as relationship. In other words, how things relate to one another and not at all about where they in a physical sense are located.

As for the rest of what you have said, I will meditate on it. It begins to get into doctrinally sensitive territory which is charged by emotion for many. Therefore I must proceed with love that contemplates how to answer in a way which prizes the peace of God for the best interests of all. I can see that my comments on Isaiah 9:6 have already set that sensitivity in motion.

I am one that believes men make too much out of whether Jesus was the capital Father, or the Almighty God, or God's Son, and so forth. Because the importance of Jesus the man was to demonstrate a man like other men but one living by God's righteousness instead of depending upon wisdom derived of his own will as is seen being done by those who seek after God by their own righteousness and thus never find him.

He came to demonstrate how a man can walk in God's image and all of these other arguments detract the attention away from that.

That he came to demonstrate to man how to walk in God's image as a man is shown in that we can be his brother.

Hebrews 2:17 "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."

Romans 8:29 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Matthew 12:50 "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Mark 3:35 "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother."

John 20:17 "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."

Luke 8:21 "And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it."

Mark 3:34 "And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!"

Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Jesus clearly came to show us how a man could be faithful to the image of God even unto death. And that is why we must be transformed to his image.

2 Corinthians 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."