The Gospel of the Kingdom, Part 18

There is a prerequisite to entering the Kingdom of Heaven (God) in addition to being born again (John 3:3,5); it is the requirement of righteousness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:20). A qualification for entrance into the future Kingdom is a present righteousness - that exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees. What kind of righteousness is this?

It is the righteousness that results from God's reign in our lives. Through faith in Jesus Christ, His death, burial and resurrection in our behalf, resulting in the new birth, the Kingdom of God gives us that which it demands; otherwise we could not attain it. The Scribes, as professional students of religion, and their disciples - the Pharisees - were motivated by the sole concern of achieving righteousness. A whole body of law and tradition had been developed to define right and wrong. If men should not work on the Sabbath, then what is work? They went on and on, with every matter of the Law, as if conformity to God's will is defined in all the smallest nuances of the Law. We would need to know that if salvation depended on obeying the Law, an impossible task. Yet the righteousness required of the Kingdom is greater.

Old Testament Law, rabbinic tradition, and even modern law recognize that there are different kinds of homicide, resulting in different degrees of guilt and punishment. Yet Jesus goes beyond that when He said, "...that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire" (Matthew 5:22). The oldest texts do not even qualify the anger as "being without cause." The oldest texts make it clear that Jesus was saying that anger is sin, even as murder is sin. The only difference is that anger is the baby, while murder is the full-grown monster.

Jesus went beyond the Scribe's and Pharisee's emphasis on outward actions and focused on the attitude of the heart. Most of us can say, "I've never murdered someone," but can we say (in honesty), "I've never harbored bitterness, hatred or anger toward anyone?" When we answer truthfully, Jesus then says that we are condemned before God as a sinner. You see, Kingdom righteousness says, "What you are is more important than what you do." Only God can change what someone is; only the gift of God can give what He requires.

Jesus illustrates this principle again with the "Law of Purity." The Law forbade illicit sexual relationships. If one stayed away from such relationships, by conduct they were righteous. But the standard of the Kingdom is higher, demanding that there be no lust in a person's heart. Righteousness with regards to sexual purity begins in the heart, and the proliferation of pornography, first in magazines and films, now on the Internet, has proven that time and again.

I once knew a man who struggled with these matters, and who, in ignorance, took seriously this and following verses. "If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than your whole body be thrown into hell" (Matthew 5:29). He literally plucked out his eye and cut off his hand. Though he suffered much pain, that did not set him free. A man with one blind eye and one amputated limb is not free from lust, for sin lodges in the heart and not in the eye or the hand. Only Christ can create in a man a new heart. The righteousness which God demands of us, He must give to us, or we are lost. As desperate as a man must be to cut off his hand, so desperate must be the sinner to search out the grace of God. Apart from the grace of God there is no salvation, only condemnation.

Be encouraged - that grace is available to anyone who would cry out for it. A way has been provided to enter into the Kingdom, both the present aspect of it, and the future. The way is Jesus! "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man can come to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 17

In the event that we might have forgotten, if, when we say "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" we mean the gospel which Jesus preached, we are talking about The Gospel of the Kingdom! Last time we talked briefly about eternal life as being an integral part of God's Kingdom. Jesus said, "This is eternal life, that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). So eternal life begins by being brought into a personal knowledge of and relationship with Almighty God, through faith in His Son, Jesus the Christ.

A second meaning of eternal life is the life of God's Spirit dwelling within us. This happens in the Present Age and prepares us for the Age to Come. Jesus said, "...unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of god....he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3, 5). This happens while we yet inhabit these bodies of flesh and blood which cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50). Thus, inhabited by, filled with, led by the Spirit of god, we await the transformation of our mortal bodies into glorified spiritual bodies (Romans 8:17, 24; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44). This body is real, in the sense that we understand matter. Jesus, when His body had been thus glorified was able to walk right through a locked door, and then say, "...Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have" (Luke 24:39). A spiritual body is not spirit, but real, tangible and objective, yet completely and perfectly energized and empowered by the holy Spirit.


This spiritual body is a promised inheritance, and the Holy Spirit is the seal of that promise (2 Corinthians 5:4-5; Ephesians 1:14). While we do not yet possess this inheritance (it belongs to the Age to Come) we have a guarantee of it in this Present Age. A partial understanding of this is gained when you look at earnest money being paid as a deposit on the purchase of a house. That deposit guarantees future possession of the house, assuming other conditions of the contract are met. Thus the Holy Spirit is our guarantee that a redeemed and glorified body will be our possession at the proper time. So what can we conclude from this? The new birth is the beginning-partial but real-of the life of The Age to Come. We already have within us the life of heaven. It means we already participate in the life that belongs to God's future Kingdom; not its fullness, but nevertheless its reality. As Romans 8:23 says, the Holy Spirit has been given us as the firstfruits of the life to come in the resurrection. When Christ comes, we will receive the harvest - the fullness of life from God's Spirit!


Yes, the very best is yet to be; and yet we are not to live just waiting for the future. The future has already begun. It's like the words spoken by Jesus to the woman at the well in Samaria, "But the hour is coming, and now is..." (John 4:23). Because of the Holy Spirit it is now possible to worship God in spirit and in truth. This worship is far superior to the old manner of just form and function, but is just a glimpse of that which is yet to be revealed. Life in the Spirit (eternal life) is far superior to life lived just in the flesh. It means we can live in the present evil Age living the life of heaven, at least in part, while we await the Age to Come. This is the Gospel of the Kingdom!

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 16

In the last installment of this series, the spectre of death was hanging in the air. Since then my father-in-law went home to be with the Lord as did a former ministry colleague of mine in CT. These personal experiences as well as many others reported in the various media serve as proof that Christian and pagan, believer and unbeliever, all die. Yet the Word of God says, He who believes in the Son has everlasting life." Obviously this life is both present and future, but how?

Eternal life belongs to the Kingdom of God, to the Age to Come; but it too, has entered into the present evil Age that men may experience eternal life in the midst of death and decay. We enter into this experience of life by the new birth, by being born again. So what is this eternal life? First, it means the knowledge of God. "And this is eternal life, that they know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). This is far more than intellectual apprehension; it means experience, personal relationship; it means fellowship. The verse says that we know Him, not just know about Him! That is eternal life!

In the Age to Come, that eternal life is wonderfully described in the last chapter in the Bible. "The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads" (Revelation 22:3-4). Before the new birth, we knew Him not; born again we now know in part. But in that day of further grace, we'll be like Him as we gaze upon His face. (1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 13:12) Thus the knowledge of God will be fully established in the Age to Come and Jeremiah's prophecy will be fulfilled "...for they shall know me, from the least to the greatest, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 31: 31). No more Sunday Schools or Bible Colleges.

The blessing of the Age to Come has been made available to men now, yet not in its perfection or fullness. Don't be deceived by the TV preaching which promises that it is all available in this present Age ("Your Best Life Now". For sure the promise of John 17:3 is realized now, but it will be wonderfully enlarged and perfected in the Age to Come. What limitations and disappointments are you willing to endure in this present Age, knowing what will be yours in the Age to Come?

Knowledge of God includes an apprehension of God's truth. This goes beyond the intellectual as the Scripture speaks of "doing the truth" (John 3:21). In the Age to Come there shall be no Presbyterian or Baptist, no Calvinist or Arminian understanding of the truth, but a shared perfect understanding of the truth of God, for we shall be taught of God. How wonderful is the truth that has been revealed, for it brings man into fellowship with God; a truth expressed by the hymn writer...."Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; O what a foretaste of glory divine." In the meantime the Scriptures make it clear that our present knowledge is partial.

Because we know in part, the Holy Spirit has imparted gifts to us, such as prophecy, words of wisdom and knowledge, healings and the working of miracles. But when that which is perfect (the Lord Jesus) has come, and we see Him face to face, we will have no more need of these gifts. They will pass away and only faith, hope and love will remain...the greatest being love. Love will forever characterize our perfected fellowship, with God and with one another in the Age to Come.

This love will be tested and perfected in the days ahead like never before in history. This love is much more than the hearts and flowers of Valentine's Day. Scripture tells us that a day is coming when "...many will betray one another and hate one another...the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:10-11). So today's admonition is: "Beloved, let us love one another, for [this kind of] love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love" (1 John 4:7-8).

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 15

There is, in virtually every human heart, a great hunger for life. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God," and Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" (John 2:3, 5). God offers to every man a life that is so much higher than the physical life which men attempt to enjoy through all manner of means, and to which men tend to cling tenaciously, even at the end. This is the "abundant life" which Christ came to give us - the life of God's Kingdom. (John 10:10) Old Testament saints had been expecting Messiah to bring about a manifestation of the Kingdom by changing the political order and displacing all human rule and authority (Isaiah 2:1-4). This has not yet happened, but when it does, there will also come to pass a transformation of the very physical order of things on planet Earth (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Yet the Mystery of the Kingdom has occurred, and it is this: The Kingdom that will change the entire external order has entered This Age now to bring the blessings of God's Kingdom to men and women without changing the external order. The Old Age continues, yet men may already experience and enjoy some of the powers of the Age to Come, mainly a vital relationship with God as Father, through the New Birth. When the New Birth occurs, Kingdom life (life eternal and abundant) become available, although they belong, in unrestricted fullness, to the Age to Come. Eternal life, which we looked at in the context of Matthew 19:16 is the same eternal life into which the righteous will go at the separation of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:46). This is all future.

Yes, much of salvation and eternal life is future. Today we have a hope (confidence) that when Christ returns, then we shall enter the Kingdom. We look forward to a day when we shall receive "a building from God, a house not made with hands" while in our present mortal bodies, we sigh with anxiety" (2 Corinthians 5:1, 4). We all, along with the Apostle Paul, long to be "clothed upon" i.e., to put on our resurrection bodies, so "that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life" (2 Corinthians 5:4). Eternal life has to do with the total man, spirit, soul and body. When we finally inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:50) our bodies will be redeemed, no longer consisting of flesh and blood. Until then, we are all dying creatures....whether slowly and painfully, of enjoying a large measure of vigour until the end. Either way, God has something better when that which is mortal (our physical bodies) shall be swallowed up in life.

The future aspect of eternal life is again taught in Revelation. The "river of the water of life...flowing from the throne of God" and "the tree of life" are mentioned in Revelation 22:1-2. The revelation goes beyond this, as glorious as the salvation of the body is, to the greater reality that in our midst shall be "the throne of God and of the Lamb.....and His servants shall worship Him.....they shall see His face" (Revelation 22:3-4). All barriers of the flesh and sin will be swept away. We shall enjoy unhindered and untroubled fellowship with God. This is life; this is life eternal; this is life of the Kingdom of God.

In the next installment of this study, we will discover that there is a "now" aspect to life of the Kingdom of God. Somehow, God has managed to deliver some of the first installments of life in the Age to Come to us here and now, while we are living in this Present Evil Age, in our mortal bodies. Jesus said, "He who believes in the Son HAS eternal life" (John 3:36) and "He who hears my word and believes Him who sent Me, HAS eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but HAS passed from death to life" (John 5:24). These words are more true and powerful to me today than ever before, as I consider my father-in-laws frail body - lungs filled with fluid from pneumonia and kidneys that are working at about 30% efficiency. He is still living in his earthly tent, which is just a shadow of its former self when it could carry 2 bags of cement at a time.....but he is preparing to leave. I shared these Scriptures with him today, along with others which reminded us both of his simple faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, exercised about 27 years ago. Because of that he can leave this life for that life, with confidence. Can you?

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 14

The Kingdom of God has come in insignificant form, like that of a mustard seed, but it is the Kingdom of God and is therefore of inestimable value. It is like a treasure whose value transcends all other treasures; it is like a pearl whose acquisition merits the loss of all other goods. (Matthew 13:44-46). The fact that both of these items are purchased has nothing to do with the basic truth of the parables. We cannot buy salvation (it's cost is beyond our ability to pay), it is a gift from God and must be received by faith (see Matthew 20:1-16). Yet as a gracious gift, it may cost one his earthly possessions (Mark 10:21), his friends, family or even his life (Luke 14:26). It merits any cost yet the one who receives it is cautioned to count the cost (Luke 14:28).

Although the Kingdom of God has come in an unexpected manner, it will nevertheless usher in the final judgment - the separation of the good from the wicked and the destruction of evil. This day is not yet; it belongs to the end of the age (Matthew 13:49). The parables of the wheat and tares and of the draw-net indicate that both in the world at large and in the visible aspects of the Kingdom there will be both good and evil living side by side. In the Kingdom, they are the false teachers about which there are so many warnings, in both the Gospels and the Epistles. "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves." (Acts 20:29-30) This explains how, now matter how hard a church may try to preserve a Biblical purity of membership, people will nevertheless be found in its midst who have interests contrary to the Kingdom.

The mystery of the Kingdom is also found in Mark 4:26-29. Just as in the parable of the mustard seed, the element of growth is not the main point, rather the fact that once sown, the earth bears fruit of itself. The Kingdom of God is a miracle, a supernatural act of God. It remains man's G0d-appointed duty to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, but the actual working of the Kingdom belongs to God. From the time of Christ's humble entrance in the earth, the Gospel of the Kingdom has come (the miracles of Christ and the signs and wonders accompanying the Word not withstanding) quietly, without fire from heaven, without a blaze of glory. It comes like a seed sown in the earth. While it may be rejected by hard hearts, withered by pressure and persecution, or choked out by cares and deceit, it is the Kingdom of God. And it brings the miracle of divine life among men. The blessings of divine rule begin to manifest in new hearts of flesh as the sons and daughters of Almighty God await the revelation of the Kingdom in power and glory, forever and ever......Amen!

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 13

Just as the message of universal or ultimate reconciliation is a perversion of Scripture, so is the composite message of T.U.L.I.P. (Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints). The doctrine, known as the five points of Calvinism (but whose roots go all the way back to Augustine) is very complicated. To try and unravel it would be way beyond the scope of this blog project. In summary it states that because of the fall, man is totally depraved, possessing not one bit of desire or ability to seek God. This seems to make God a liar in that He acknowledged the righteousness of several people (The seed of Seth, Enoch, Abraham, Job, et al), not declaring that they were perfect or sinless, but they were men who sought after God.

The witness of God in the creation (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-23, et al) would be invalidated if there were none capable of responding. Supposedly, out of this total wreck of humanity, God elected some to be saved (conditioned upon nothing - all God's sovereign election), while all others were condemned from birth. This would be the same God who takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11), and who would that all men would repent, come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

Coupled with this is the "LIP" part of the doctrine. Limited atonement would mean that Jesus did not die for everyone, but only for a limited number (the elect). While Isaiah says that Jesus bore the sins of "many" (Isaiah 53:12), he also says that the Lord "has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). John says, "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2). Irresistible grace would mean that God has overwhelmed the elect with His grace and they have thus responded to the Gospel, with no action on their part since their depravity made them incapable of such action. This flies up in the face of more Scripture than I could quote in a day. There are a number of Old Testament passages containing the conditional word "if" (such as Ezekiel 33:1-9), which are pregnant with the concept of man choosing. Choice is stressed in passages like Deuteronomy 30:19-20, as well as in a myriad of New Testament passages utilizing the inspired words "whosoever", or "whoever" (John 3:16, et al).

Finally, the perseverance of the saints has been capsulized in the statement, "Once saved, always saved." The entire T.U.L.I.P. theology would have to end with this point, because it has always been God from the beginning and will continue to be God forever. Now wait! Don't hang me just yet. I actually believe that last statement myself, but not in the way Calvinists have summarized it. I believe this statement in the context of a plain sense, face value hermeneutic. This approach seeks to discover the author's intended meaning. If the plain sense makes sense, you have the right sense but not necessarily the whole sense. This approach recognizes the importance of context and relies heavily upon Scripture interpreting Scripture. What the "P" in Calvinism ignores are all the warnings in both the Old Testament and the New Testament concerning backsliding and ultimately apostasy and the need to persevere (Matthew 24:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Hebrews 6:4-6, et al).

So, why this little foray into a dangerous, yet popular doctrine? It is because to fall under the influence of such doctrine is to make it extremely difficult to understand the Kingdom of God. The chief parable concerning the Kingdom, referenced in the last installment, is the Parable of the Sower. We saw that the Kingdom has come, but not with irresistible power. Until the Son of Man returns, the wicked and the righteous will live together. The parable of the sower reveals that the Gospel of the kingdom is received by many different soil types (heart conditions). The reception varies from shallow and unfruitful in the face of persecution to deep and fertile, producing various levels of fruit in return. People make decisions in these illustrations. There is no inference that the people represented by the good soil never face persecution or are never tempted by the deceitfulness of riches and the things of the world. (Just look at the church described in 1 Thessalonians and that will be clear).

The two parables of the mustard seed and of the leaven (Matthew 13:31-33) illustrate this unforeseen character of the Kingdom among men in this Age. The parables have nothing to do with the growth of the Kingdom, but rather the fact that it appears small and insignificant. Nevertheless, it is not to be despised. These are parables, and we must be careful not to look for significance in every single detail. A parable is neither a fabricated story, nor is it an allegory. It is a story fashioned form daily experience which necessarily contains details which, while part of the story, don't contain spiritual truth. It's like the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus told this story to answer one question: "Who is my neighbor?" (Luke 10:30-37). Another is the parable of the unrighteous steward (Luke 16:1-13). Was Jesus teaching that the end justifies the means? Of course not. He was teaching that we should be wise with our substance, investing it so that it will be of help in the day of our spiritual need. Everything else in the parables is local color.

So, and we will conclude here, the Kingdom of God has come, in insignificant form (such as a mustard seed or leaven) in One who is meek and mild. From the world's point of view, His person and mission could be ignored. But we should not be deceived; someday the whole earth will be filled with the Kingdom of God. The means by which this end is accomplished is not a part of these parables. Even though its form is insignificant, it is the Kingdom of God and is therefore of inestimable value. God's purposes will not be frustrated. And that is the really important point of this installment. It was not to ping on people of the Calvinistic or reformed traditions, although that little detour should serve to show that in these last days, many will come in Christ's name, deceiving many (Matthew 24:15). Jesus' words just before He said that were, "Take heed that no one deceives you." "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman who need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 12

The most important parable Jesus ever spoke concerning the Kingdom of God is the parable of the sower, as recorded in Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8. Jesus said, concerning this parable, "...Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?" (Mark 4:13). I won't reiterate here the passages, or their immediate meaning. Jesus did a most excellent job of this. Preceding His explanation of the parable, He said to His disciples, "...The secret of the Kingdom of God has been given to you..." (Mark 4:11a).

What secret is revealed here? The Kingdom of God is here but not with irresistible power. It is not now destroying wickedness, but to the contrary it is like a man sowing seed. Seed does not force itself on the soil; neither does the Gospel (Good News) of the Kingdom force itself on the hearts of men. Jesus goes on to use the imagery of soil types to illustrate the various conditions of men's hearts to whom the Gospel is preached. Some never receive the message at all, allowing Satan to snatch it away immediately. Some receive it, but with no depth. Perhaps intellect or emotions have been stirred, but there is no real life. Consequently, when the inevitable trouble or persecution arise for the very reason that they received the message of the Kingdom, they wither and die because there is no life.

Others, like the thorny ground, appear to have received the word of the Kingdom, even evidencing a sort of life. However, they are not prepared to accept the humble form of the God's Kingdom, and the cares of the world, materialism, the desire for worldly riches and the pressures to conform choke the Word and it becomes unfruitful. So the mystery (revealed secret) of the Kingdom is that it has come among men and yet men can reject it. Please don't get me wrong - it's a wonderful thing when the Kingdom of God shows up with power. However, let us give pause for a moment: Jesus demonstrated the power of the Kingdom more than any other, yet He was despised and rejected by men (Acts 10:38 and Isaiah 53:3); the apostles whose words were confirmed by signs (Mark 16:20), according to tradition all died a martyrs death, except John.

Those who knew of the Kingdom of God only through Old Testament revelation believed the Kingdom of God would come with power. Who would be able to withstand God? Yet the mystery is precisely that the Kingdom has come yet men can reject it. There is a power at work now - power to witness and to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, yet God will not compel (in this Age) men to bow before it. They must receive it in a willing heart of faith with a submissive will. Now we proclaim the Kingdom as emissaries of God, pleading, not demanding; persuading, not driving. Until harvest time, the weeds and the wheat must grow together, in the world (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43). The ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of God over the kingdom of the evil one will be at the end of the Age. Until then the sons of the Kingdom - those who have received the Gospel of the Kingdom - and the sons of the evil one will live together in the world.

Until then, as long as one is drawing a breath, reconciliation unto God is possible by exercising faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. After death, and certainly after the final harvest, reconciliation is no longer possible. So much for those who preach the heretical message of universal or ultimate reconciliation. As the Scriptures declare: "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation [meaning the fullness of our salvation, even the redemption of our bodies c.f Romans 8:23] to those who are waiting for Him" (Hebrews 9:27-28). Don't put off receiving the Gospel of the Kingdom. By the time the Kingdom manifests itself in irresistible power, it will be too late.

Be encouraged while it is yet today. As one of God's fellow workers, I urge you to not receive God's grace in vain. "...I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).

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