Understanding and Owning Christian Theology
Week 12 (Oct 23): The Kingdom of God, The Church and the World/Society
The Church ought to be understood in terms of its many different biblical descriptions. She is the Bride of Christ, His body in the world and for the world. It is the assembly of the saints from all ages; the “called out” (ekklesia) ones. It is the new thing that began at Pentecost, but is as old as the world, corresponding to God’s covenant people throughout history. It is the true worshipping community; it is known historically and will be fully manifested on the last day. The church is the chosen people of God; and it is an institution with an orderly life. The church is a family, and is made up of families.
What does the Bible mean when it talks about the Kingdom?
The Kingdom
God has always been King over the world, and most especially His people (Ps. 10:16; 22:27-31; Dan. 2:44; Heb. 1:8-13). God always intended His rule to be, at least in part, administered by men. Adam was commanded to rule and have dominion over all the creation. Not even sin changed this. Men would take dominion, either in obedience or disobedience to God. The kingdom in Israel (1 Sam. 
was an early manifestation of how God would rule through His people, and promised the Davidic Messianic King to sit on the throne forever.
27All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. 28For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations. 29All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. 30A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this. Psalm 22:27–31 (NKJV)
44And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Daniel 2:44 (NKJV)
8But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” 10And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.” 13But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? Hebrews 1:8–13 (NKJV)
With the coming of Jesus, there was something new that was good news that need to be proclaimed. John & Jesus both said the Kingdom was “at hand” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17, 23). Our prayer is that God’s Kingdom would come, and His will would be done “on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10), and the disciples were sent to preach the coming of the Kingdom (Matt. 10:7). The miracles of Jesus (and the disciples) were evidence that the kingdom was coming. The new thing is that God will rule through the man Jesus – forever.
Kingdom of God…Christ…heaven – the same thing.
In what sense was it coming?
20Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20–21 (NKJV
36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” John 18:36–37 (NKJV)
When did it come? (Matt 16:28; Mk. 9:1; Lk. 21:10, 31 – His Ascension & 70 AD)
10Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 31So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Luke 21:10, 31 (NKJV)
The Kingdom can be defined as: “The new world order that Christ established in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension; a new order of things that will be fully revealed and established on at Christ’s return.” (Peter Leithart, The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church)
Jesus is King and rules from His throne at the right hand of the Father (Eph. 1:19-23; 2:6; Rev. 11:15); it is a real throne and it is actual (not just future) rule – now. He is not being thwarted in His rule; He cannot be defeated; and His will is being realized in time and history. The Kingdom is an existing reality, since the coming of Christ. Revelation 11:15 (NKJV)
15Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
Are the Church and the Kingdom the same thing? No. We pray and work to see the Kingdom come and God’s will done throughout the world, not just in the church.
The Church is the first form of the Kingdom of God. She forms the pattern for all other manifestations of the Kingdom: The word (law), government, and sacraments (defining who is in, and ongoing peaceful relationships). These are what the world needs. It is a pattern, example and leader for the rest of the Kingdom’s manifestations.
Kingdom manifested progressively through history (It is a present reality, but not fully manifest until the second coming of Christ: “Already and not yet” character of the Kingdom)
Conflict, holy war with the kingdoms of this world. How does the kingdom progress? What is the conflict?
Is everything conflict between us and the world? No. Often we are beneficiaries of contributions made by unbelievers to our wellbeing. We can cooperate together for the common good of all.
Interactions between the world/society and the Church – Common Grace (what it is and isn’t).
Tags: bible study, Church, Kingdom, society, Sunday School
Understanding and Owning Christian Theology
Week 10 (Oct 9): Christian Baptism – Why It Matters
The Sunday School Class was recorded and can be heard here: Christian Baptism – Why It Matters
What is Baptism? Why do we baptize?
Tags: Baptism, Bible Classes, Covenant, Infant Baptism, Paedo-baptism, Paedofaith, RCC, Reformation Covenant Church, Sunday School, The Westminster Confession of Faith
The gargoyles on Notre Dame in Paris
I have been asked over the years what I think about people letting their children “Trick-or-Treat” on Halloween. I think this comes up because our church has provided every year an alternative to Halloween, known as Reformation Day. For more information about this, and how you can get some excellent help for putting on a Reformation Day celebration, you can go to Doorposts.
Below I have provided an excellent article by James Jordan about this subject that I have given to people who are wondering about Christians participating in Halloween.
As for me, I tend to be in two minds about the subject. On the one half of my mind, I sometimes think that it is not all that healthy for Christians to be involved in. First, because in some cases, kids tend to get selfish attitudes about it all because they are out to get as much candy as they can (although this is a minor reason for me because children can be taught to be thankful – and because getting candy is so much fun that its hard not to want your kids to enjoy that part of it). Second, and more important to me, it is a distraction from the wonderful Christian tradition of celebrating what God has for His people throughout the ages. Third, and the most troubling aspect of Halloween is the way that it seems to glorify and celebrate outright evil and debauchery. For most people today, the good rational provided by Jordan (below) is nowhere in their minds.
On the other side of my mind, I generally think that parents that like to give out candy, and enjoy allowing their children dress up (appropriately) and go around to their neighbors and family for an evening of fun can do so with a clear conscience. Having said that, all things in our lives should be done in biblical decency and order – and with the goal of teaching our children to have godly fun. If your church provides something like a Reformation Day celebration, why not also take part in it?
“Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:22–23, NKJV)
Concerning Halloween
by James B. Jordan
August, 1996
It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter.
“Halloween” is simply a contraction for All Hallows’ Eve. The word “hallow” means “saint,” in that “hallow” is just an alternative form of the word “holy” (“hallowed be Thy name”). All Saints’ Day is November 1. It is the celebration of the victory of the saints in union with Christ. The observance of various celebrations of All Saints arose in the late 300s, and these were united and fixed on November 1 in the late 700s. The origin of All Saints Day and of All Saints Eve in Mediterranean Christianity had nothing to do with Celtic Druidism or the Church’s fight against Druidism (assuming there ever even was any such thing as Druidism, which is actually a myth concocted in the 19th century by neo-pagans.)
Tags: All Hallows’ Eve, Doorposts, Gargoyles, Halloween, Reformation Day
Understanding and Owning Christian Theology
Week 8 (Sept 25): The Sovereignty of God & Responsibility of Man – Why It Matters
The Sunday School Class was recorded and can be heard here: The Sovereignty of God & Responsibility of Man
For most Christians today – the very idea that God is sovereign in anything (salvation, or in the world generally) is not something that would get a “Like” for – more probably a “Dislike.” Do you agree? Why do you think that is? I bring up the question of “liking” the sovereignty of God because I’ve had many people tell me that they don’t – and they don’t want to believe in that kind of God. It is quite understandable that people have struggled with this for 1000’s of years – and it is good for us to feel the weight of it.
Let take a few minutes to reason together from the scriptures.
Tags: Bible Classes, Free Will, Reformation Covenant Church, Salvation, Sovereignty of God, Sunday School
Joshua Harris.com
My dear wife forwarded to me a link to an article (posted by Josh Harish, by Reb Bradley in the Virginia Home Educator Magazine ) that is getting a lot of well deserved attention, even by the likes of Doug Wilson and Nancy Wilson. In this article we are given a number of thought provoking cautions about homeschooling that ring very true in my experience, both in my own family and in my ministry. May God use this fine article to help us think deeply and biblically about our families!
Tags: Education, Family, Homeschooling, Josh Harris, Reb Bradley
For those who know me very well at all, you know that I consider the Christian view of Creation (in six ordinary days) to be a necessary component of the Christian worldview. I know that such an opinion is largely unpopular today (both outside, and sadly, inside the Church). But without the doctrine of Creation firmly placed in our hearts and minds, we have little to offer the world around us. For without it, we have no transcendent God whose word is reliable, and no firm basis upon which to build a true understanding of the world around us (including the sciences). Moreover, by it we have a basis for a universal and beneficial ethics for all of life.
David Berlinski was interviewed by Peter Robinson of the Hoover Institute. He is an astonishing presenter of the foolishness of those who say “There is no God” (Ps. 14), and the plausibility of the biblical creation account. Although Berlinski comes across as agnostic in the above clip, his clear and careful logic form a compelling philosophical basis to argue for biblical creation – and to seriously mistrust the prevailing popular beliefs in both atheistic evolution and the infallibility of science and scientific confidence in Naturalism.
“ The fool has said in his heart,“There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lord? There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous. You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.” (Psalm 147, NKJV)
Tags: atheism, Creation, Creationism, David Berlinski
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