Understanding the Kingdom of God预览

Understanding the Kingdom of God

Reading through the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we often find Jesus talking about the Kingdom of God (or the Kingdom of Heaven). Understanding the Kingdom of God is important for us as Christians. The New Testament authors saw the theme of the Kingdom as central to the Gospel of Jesus and rooted their ideas of the Kingdom deep within the Old Testament Scriptures.

We often speak about “Kingdom ministry” or “building God’s Kingdom here on earth.” Popular culture often shapes modern definitions and understandings of the Kingdom more than Scripture. This leads to distortions, and many Christians are left either confused or misinformed. For many, the Kingdom of God is all about the success of a ministry. As long as the ministry grows numerically (financially and in church attendance), the Kingdom of God is truly present and established on earth. For others, the Kingdom of God becomes any act of charity (regardless of whether those participating are Christian). A wrong or inadequate understanding of the Kingdom will negatively affect how we live out our vocation as followers of Jesus.

So, what exactly is the Kingdom of God, then? Answering this question is not as easy as you might think. We must immerse ourselves in the story of the Bible to uncover its true meaning. In this devotional, we will do a brief survey through the Bible to trace the theme of the Kingdom of God.

The first thing we must understand is that the Kingdom of God refers to God’s sovereign rule over all creation. This is what we find in Psalm 97. God rules over the forces of nature. He rules over all the nations of the earth. He also rules over the heavenly realms’ spiritual forces (both good and evil) (see verses 7 and 9).

Finally, Psalm 97 tells us that God’s reign is one of righteousness and justice. In contrast to worldly governments that are more often than not corrupt, unjust, and self-serving, God’s Kingdom is a “government” of absolute righteousness. There is no corruption in God’s Kingdom because God, the sovereign King, is perfectly holy and just. Those who walk in uprightness shall be preserved and saved from the hands of the wicked (verse 10).

Spend a few minutes in prayer and ask God to reveal the depths of His Kingdom to you as you work through this devotional.