Mark 1.14-15
“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.”
Through Christ, we are heirs of the kingdom of God. A strategic look at scripture reveals that from the beginning, God created mankind to be the earthly stewards of the kingdom.
Let’s be clear. The kingdom of God is the central focus of the Christian faith. It is the central focus of the gospel. 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 evident 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.
Many people tend to think 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 ministry of Jesus. Salvation is an integral and essential element of the gospel, but there are other elements of the gospel that must be understood and embraced. The central focus of the gospel is the kingdom of God.
Here is a very important principle that I repeatedly emphasize in these devotionals: 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 on living new life in Christ, that is, life in response to the love and lordship of Jesus. 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 a watching 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.
To help you see this great truth, here is a big picture view of how the kingdom plays a central role in God’s purpose and plan.
Creation
This is where life was given. This is when the kingdom was established on earth. God’s plan was to establish his kingdom on planet earth by living in and ruling through man. God created man in his image and gave man dominion over the earth. Another way of saying this is that God gave man responsibility and stewardship over his estate (the inheritance). God created man to live and work on earth in a way that reflects his character and represents his rule. We were created to be earthly agents of God’s kingdom. Keep in mind that our ability to have dominion and represent God’s kingdom is dependent on the presence of his image and life in us. (Gen.1.26-28; Psalm 8)
The Fall
This is were life was lost. This is when the kingdom was rejected. Satan deceived Adam and Eve, and they rebelled against God’s authority. Man chose self-rule. Therefore, man’s relationship with God was broken, and man moved from a condition of life to a condition of death. The image of God in man was distorted, and that distortion of the image of God in man resulted in the distortion of the rule of God through man. Man continued to have dominion over the planet, but his actions were now directed by a broken character. Man no longer reflected God’s character and no longer represented God’s kingdom. Life was out of focus. (Gen. 3.1-19; Romans 3.23; Romans 5.12)
Redemption
This is where life is restored. This is when the kingdom is re-established. This is when we once again become heirs and regain the inheritance that was lost at the fall. The good news is that God loves us and has sent Jesus Christ to redeem us and restore his life in us. When we repent of our sin and receive forgiveness in Christ, we are regenerated. We are moved from a condition of death to a condition of new life. In Christ, we get back the life that was lost in Genesis 3. Through Jesus Christ life is brought back into focus.
However, the critical message here is that in Christ we not only receive the blessings of the kingdom, we also receive the responsibility of being stewards of the kingdom. Remember: salvation isn’t the goal. Salvation is the means by which we are reconciled and re-connected to God so that we can fulfill the purpose for which we were created: to be bearers of God’s image and agents of God’s kingdom on earth. (John 3.16; John 5.24; 2 Cor. 5.21)
“He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1.13-14)
“…we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (I Thessalonians 2.12-13)
Transformation
This is where life is lived and work is done. This is the kingdom of God at work in the world. We were saved and called to be agents of transformation in the midst of the fallen world. Redemption in Christ means that we are delivered from the bondage of Satan’s kingdom and transferred to the forgiveness and freedom of God’s kingdom. When we are saved, the rule of God is restored in us and through us, and God returns us to the place for which he created us: bearers of his image and agents of his kingdom.
Here is a simple way to think about it: God does something for you in order to do something in you in order to do something through you. Therefore, it is very important that Christians live and work in a way that reflects the love and lordship of Jesus. (John 8.32; Gal. 1.3-4; Col. 1.13-14: I Peter 2.9-10)
* Kingdoms in Conflict. One of the unique things about the presence of the kingdom is that Jesus re-established the kingdom of God without eliminating the present evil age. Jesus instituted the kingdom of God in the midst of the kingdom of Satan. Therefore, we are engaged in a battle, a cosmic struggle. We are embroiled in a war between the two kingdoms. (2 Cor.10.3-5: Eph. 6.10-18)
