Bringing the Kingdom

Some truths presented in the Bible are easy to understand; others, not so much. On one level, we can comprehend that God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to save it. As humans created in God’s image, we can identify with God’s love and His desire to bring His creation back into fellowship. Because God’s image in humans also includes a sense of justice, it wouldn’t seem right to let everybody back in without a cost. We realize that because the fellowship was broken by human misbehavior, some kind of restitution had to be made. Jesus accomplished that by His substitutionary death on the cross.

If we step back from the simple concepts of love and justice, we can look deeper into why God brought humans and this universe into existence in the first place. The language in Genesis where God discusses His purpose in creation introduces the concept of a kingdom – rulership. Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image and according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of heaven, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every moving thing that moves upon the earth.’” Adam was to have been the vice-regent of the creation of God.

Genesis 2 reveals that God placed Adam in a special place called the Garden of Eden. It was Adam’s responsibility to take care of the Garden and cause it to expand, eventually covering the whole earth. Sadly, Genesis 3 recounts the disobedience of Adam and Eve as they chose to make their own terms of regency instead of following God’s directions. Because they would not do things His way, God expelled them from the perfect conditions of the Garden and left them to live with the consequences of choosing to go their own way. The consequences they inherited from their rebellion continue on earth to this day. They were forced to exist in a world of blood, sweat and tears with only glimpses of the joy they had known in the Garden.

Even though God kicked His prince and princess out of the Garden, He did not abandon them. Immediately after their expulsion, they were given a glimmer of hope that all was not lost. The evil character who incited their rebellion was told that a day would come when he would pay for his indiscretion. The Seed of the woman would one day take back the rulership of the kingdom of Earth. In Matthew 4 the evil character from the Garden, the Devil, offers to give Jesus the kingdoms of Earth if He will worship him. Of course, Jesus refuses, but He did not correct the Devil’s assertion that the kingdom of Earth was his to give.

Now we are back to the cross I mentioned earlier. When Jesus willingly gave His life for all humans, the mistake of Adam was erased, and the rulership of the kingdom of Earth was returned to God’s chosen ruler. Except it wasn’t. Here is where it gets hard for earth-bound humans to understand. The kingdom of Earth was returned to its rightful ruler at the cross of Calvary, but the enemy of God did not slink away in defeat. He continues to fight a losing battle to maintain his rulership. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul confirms this by calling Satan the god of this age. The rule of Heaven was brought to Earth by Jesus, but the battle to establish that rule continues.

This is the “already/not yet” idea made popular by George Eldon Ladd. As explained in the Faithlife Study Bible notes, “God’s kingdom has a dual dimension. Jesus initiated the kingdom on earth, and wherever God’s will is carried out, the kingdom is a reality. The kingdom, however, had not been fully manifested in Jesus’ day—nor has it in ours. We do not yet live in a world where God’s will is a complete reality. We feel the tension of experiencing God’s kingdom in our lives and communities before it is fully realized. We still see unbelief, brokenness, and sin, telling us God’s will is not yet fully expressed.”

It is our responsibility as believers, as God’s chosen representatives in Christ to bring the kingdom of Heaven to Earth. Where we see unbelief, we must share faith. Where we see brokenness, we must bring healing. Where we see sin, we must call it sin. Where we see injustice, we must advocate for justice. In all these things, we must follow the principles of righteousness revealed to us in Scripture. We can’t right a wrong with a wrong. We cannot use kingdom of Earth methods to bring Kingdom of Heaven results.

Because our human flesh rises up in the face of evil, we tend to do evil in response. However, disrespecting authority (as ordained by God) and acting violently (as condemned by Scripture) will not bring the Kingdom. If we are going to maintain fellowship with God, we must walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7); to walk in darkness is to deny the One who brought us out of the kingdom of darkness into His wonderful light (1Peter 2:9). The flames burning in our communities today are fueled by darkness; they advance the kingdom of darkness. We have to bring the light.

Because the “not yet” dimension of the Kingdom of Heaven is spiritual, our best weapons are spiritual. As Paul told the Ephesians, “Our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” His directive was to always stand in the armor of light provided by Christ and pray – especially in times like these. The promise of God to His people long ago still stands: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and will pray and will seek my face and will turn from their evil ways, then I myself shall hear from the heavens and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”

As Micah said, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does Yahweh ask from you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” That’s how we bring the Kingdom.