Genesis 1.26-28
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them,
‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion …’”
The kingdom of God is the central focus of the Christian faith. God’s kingdom is his authority. It is his rule, lordship, and sovereignty. It is the reality that God is creator and king of all things. The centrality of the kingdom of God is made clear by the fact that when Jesus announced his ministry, he proclaimed the good news that the time had arrived for God to re-establish His kingdom on planet earth.
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, saying, ‘The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1.14-150
Many Christians think (incorrectly) the gospel is primarily the message of salvation, when in reality the gospel is the message that the kingdom of God has come in the person and work of Jesus. Salvation is an integral and essential element of the gospel, but it is only part of the gospel. The central focus of the gospel is the kingdom of God and the lordship of Christ.
Here is a very important principle: Jesus did not bring the kingdom to save us; rather, he saved us so that we can serve the kingdom. As followers of Jesus, our focus should be living new life in Christ, that is, life in response to the love and lordship of Christ. Salvation is for a purpose. Jesus came to live in us and through us so that we are able to serve as heirs and agents of his kingdom. We were saved to experience his love, reflect his character, and represent his kingdom in everything we do.
Christians—individually and corporately as the church—are to live and work in a manner that makes God and his kingdom known to the world. As a supernatural community of redeemed and transformed people, the church is called to be the living example of the love and lordship of Jesus Christ. This is what it means to be an “heir of God” as Paul says in Galatians 4.
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4.4-7)
The metaphor of “inheritance” is very helpful. When children inherit the estate of their wealthy father, they are given two things: 1) The blessing of the wealth, land, possessions, and privileges that come with the estate their father built; and 2) The responsibility to oversee and manage the estate in a way that honors their father, maintains the estate, and assures its continued growth.
That is the purpose for which we were created, redeemed, and called. More tomorrow…
