THE KINGDOM OF GOD: PART 1, THE LOST GOSPEL*

 I wonder how many church people know the first words out of Jesus’ mouth in the Gospel of Mark?  Those words are a summary of what Jesus travelled around preaching:

And after John had been handed over [into custody], Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel [great proclamation] of God, and saying, "The appointed time is fulfilled [by God is implied] and the kingdom of God has approached!  Repent and believe in the gospel!" (Mk. 1:14-15)

Also, most Christians pray every Sunday the one prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray.  Still, I wonder how many church people know for what are we praying?

“Our Father in heaven [that is, sovereign, above all]:
    Your name [divine character] be venerated!
    Your kingdom [sovereign rule] come!
    Your will, as it is in heaven, be done on earth!”… (Matt. 6:9-10)

Development:
So, what is the Kingdom of God?  The Kingdom of God is a Jewish (Old Testament) concept.  This Jewish belief which Jesus and the NT taught, is an acknowledgement that our present age/creation is corrupt, but that God will bring about a new, incorruptible age/creation.  (See Isaiah 65:17-25 and Revelation 21:1-4.)  God’s kingdom/rule will be perfected in this future creation.  However, and most importantly, Jesus modified this understanding through his preaching and by his deeds, that is through the totality of his incarnation, life, death and resurrection.  Jesus taught that although God’s perfect rule will come to completion in the future at Jesus’ Second Coming, God’s Kingdom had irrupted into the present age/creation with Jesus’ Presence in the world.  For this reason, those who entrust themselves to Jesus become participants in God’s Kingdom now and have eternal life now.  (See devotional post of Oct. 11, 2023, “The When of Eternal Life: It Matters”).  Those who die in Christ before his Second Coming “wait” for the resurrection of the dead and this new age/creation.
    Pop-cultural Christianity overlooks this biblical teaching when it talks about dying and then “going to heaven” to get eternal life.  (See post of Oct. 14, 2023, “Where is Paradise?  Does the Criminal on the Cross Go to Heaven?”)  Ironically, many Christians every week unknowingly affirm the correct biblical teaching when they recite the Nicene Creed where it states in reference to the new age/creation:

He [Jesus] will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end….
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.

Application:
Absorbing this teaching of the Kingdom of God transforms the Christian’s life away from the pop-cultural expectations to real life in Christ.  My life now is not about someday going to heaven to get eternal life.  I have eternal life now.  My life now is that I am called as a disciple of Jesus to participate in Jesus’ Kingdom now.  (Using another biblical analogy, this is what it means to live as a member of the Body of Christ.)  My ultimate purpose in life is to be available to Jesus now.  I am to open my eyes to see how Jesus is at work around me and to raise my hand every morning and say, “Here am I, send me!”  (Isaiah 6:8).  I am to recognize the abilities and spiritual gifts God has given me and ask Jesus to use them in my daily life, whatever my circumstances and vocation might be.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD: PART 2, THE PRESENT STRUGGLE

Having stated the glorious truth above, I was thinking this morning how I get disappointed with unrighteousness in the world and with life’s daily struggles.  Just as those with poor theology cannot wait “to get to heaven,” I get discouraged about not seeing God’s Kingdom growing fruitfully in the present.  But, Jesus anticipated this kind of discouragement, and Matthew’s Gospel structures his message to highlight Jesus’ response of encouragement.

Development:
Jesus’ disciples would have expected that when God’s Messiah came, he would proclaim the entry of the new age/creation and change would immediately happen.  Instead, as mentioned above, Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God coming now with his Presence, but not being fully consummated until his Second Coming.  In Matthew, Jesus “Parable of the Weeds” presents this teaching.  Even though a farmer has sowed good seeds, an enemy has sowed weed in the same field.  We must wait until the harvest (the Second Coming) to separate the two and put an end to evil.  (See the telling of the parable in Matt 13:24-30, and Jesus’ explanation of it to his disciples in Matt 13:36-43.)  When the disciples heard this parable, they must have been confused and discouraged.  Waiting is hard.  They (and I) would want all chaos and evil eliminated now.  However, Matthew’s Gospel has placed two other parables of Jesus between Jesus’ telling and explanation of the disappointing “Parable of the Weeds.”  These two short parables make all the difference, the “Parable of the Mustard Seed” and the “Parable of the Yeast” (Matt 13:31-33).  Both parables address the role of the Kingdom of God in the present age.  The Kingdom now is like a tiny seed that seems insignificant but will grow into a pleasant shade tree in one’s garden.  The Kingdom now is like yeast, which one cannot see, but which transforms a lump of dough into the bread of life.

Application:
I was reminded of two things that addressed my discouragement this morning.  First, I do not and never will see as God sees.  I cannot see that tiny mustard seed growing underground.  I cannot see yeast working its way through the dough.  I do not see what God is doing in people’s hearts.  Yet, Jesus is presently at work in this world and transformation is taking place in people’s lives.  Second, I recalled the grace of God that I have experienced in the past:

This I recall to my heart; upon this I rest:
The acts of loving faithfulness of the LORD -- that they are never finished, that His tender mercies never end!  New [they are] every morning!  Abundant is Your steadfastness!
(Lam 3:22-23.  Note: I love the poetic exuberance in the Hebrew.)

Lord, grant that I might live today and everyday as a faithful member of your Kingdom.  May your rule, as it is in heaven, be manifest in my life today to your glory.  May the “yeast” of your Holy Spirit be at work in and through me and your Body.  Amen.
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*I started a devotional thought on one aspect of the Kingdom of God, but had to supply so much background, I divided it into two parts.  Part 1 is foundational background.  Part 2 is about my current struggle and application.

CONFESSION IS IMPERATIVE: WHY?

 I read the following statement in a devotion today, “Nothing new happens without apology and forgiveness.”#  The subject was confession.  (“Confession” both in the OT and NT has the basic sense of acknowledging something.)  I suppose most Christians are familiar with, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1John 1:9).  Why is confession imperative?  It is necessary for cleansing/forgiveness.

I was reminded of a mystery of the OT atonement system, about which I wrote earlier.*  In that system, the symbolic pollution of non-high-handed” (inadvertent) sins that impedes relationship with God may be purified and the relationship restored through God’s forgiveness.  “High-handed” (deliberate) sins cannot be addressed.  Technically, a purification offering cannot be made for them, so there is no forgiveness.  However, once the people confess their sins, then a purification offering becomes acceptable!  (See Lev 5:5-6a).  The mechanism of confession is not discussed.  (Numbers and Leviticus often relate what is done in a ritual but not why, probably because the actions were grounded in a cultural symbolism system that was apparent to the Israelites.)  The amazing implication, though, is that confession “reduces” the level of sin so that it can be addressed through the atonement system.  The above observation lends itself to speculate on the theology of confession. 

From my experience, the psychological aspect of confession sheds light on the theological.  I recall an experience as a young Christian.  I was a passenger in a car trip with a friend whom I knew I had offended.  I knew I needed to apologize and ask for forgiveness, but I just could not get the words out.  The drive went on and on in silence.  Each time I was determined to speak, it was too hard.  It felt almost self-destructive.  Finally, when I did speak up, there was an immense sense of relief, and a healing of our relationship.  That effort actually was self-destructive – in a good sense.  I would propose this analogy.  My “heart” (the OT sense includes self-awareness, conscience, reflection, and volition) was “hardened” by layers of accreted callouses.  My act of confession, in which I acknowledge my sin and asked for forgiveness, was an act of tearing away a layer of the callouses of a hardened heart.  It hurt; but, this act opened my heart a little more to the Presence of God.

The theological implication to me is that the unrepentant heart of the person who commits deliberate sins is not in a state that allows for relationship with God.  God is full of grace and mercy and willing to restore relationship, but it takes two people in accord for a healthy relationship to take place.  The person who is truly repentant, a state present when confession is sincere, has the kind of heart that is necessary, one that submits itself in entrustment to God.  God always honors that "soft" heart and responds with forgiveness and restoration.  So, the statement that caught my attention today is correct, “Nothing new happens without apology and forgiveness.”  Confession results in something new, a new state of one’s heart and a new openness to restored relationships.

Lord, Jesus, I recognize that confession is imperative in my life to continue to walk with you.  It is hard for me to do.  I confess that I am daily prone to wander from you and at times deliberately do what is contrary to your will.  Expose all of those times by the light of the Holy Spirit.  Make me as uneasy as the time I spent in the car with my friend.  I want to see and acknowledge all of those transgressions before you.  I want to stay close to you. Amen.

TEMPTATION, THE MIND, AND SPIRITUAL WARFARE

 I wish all new Christians had a basic lesson on temptation.  The NT puts temptation in the realm of spiritual warfare.  That topic reminds me of an irony.  On the one hand, I have an atheistic-leaning philosophy colleague who once mentioned that he believed in the reality of an evil dimension and wondered if he should then believe in a dimension of good, of God.  On the other hand, many Christians reject the notion of a spiritual reality of darkness.  I worry that it is dangerous for the Church to neglect this issue when teaching about temptation.  (Below: I do not like to string “proof texts” together, but the following ones will make my main point and hopefully will encourage further study.)

The “Battlefield” of the Mind
Our movement into sinful behavior starts with our inner, thought-life.  That is where Christians are to confront their own sinful tendency.  James gives us the process by which sin is birthed.  It starts with our own "natural" human desires:

… but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (James 1:14-15, NIV)

Moreover, Paul lets us know that the thought-life is the location of spiritual warfare:

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor 10:3-5, NIV)

To be fair to the context of 2 Corinthians, Paul is initially speaking of the teachings and arguments of his opposition (strongholds and arguments); however, as he moves toward “we take captive every thought” (noama), his focus shifts to the inner thought-life of each person, because it is in the mind that we are led astray.  For example, in a few verses following, he mentions:

But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. (2 Cor 11:3, NIV).

Or one might refer to:

They [Gentiles] are darkened in their understanding [dianoia – from same semantic range as noama] and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (Eph 4:18 NIV)

Christians are to guard and renew their minds in Christ:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed* by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom 12:2 NIV)

The temptations we face are quite normal:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1Cor 10:13, NIV)

Yet, when we live in Christ (participatory theology), we are empowered to overcome temptations:

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Heb 2:18, NIV)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-- yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Heb 4:15-16, NIV)

Application
We live in a culture that blithely accepts that who we are is what we think and feel.  Moreover, in terms of neurology, it is true that the brain is “addictive.”  That is to say, our mental processes easily become thought patterns into which we become “locked.”  However, biblical teaching is consistent about holding us responsible for our inner thought-life ("heart" and "mind"), because that is where deception and sin are birthed.  An early lesson in Christian living should teach us that we are to engage and “battle” ungodly thoughts and desires so that our minds might be transformed in Christ.
    This inner life is also the realm of spiritual “warfare.”  I think the following statement I once heard is on the right track: “As an infection is to a cut, so is the spiritual realm of darkness to our normal pathologies.”  That is to say, just as we all get cuts and scrapes, we all have normal weaknesses and temptations; but, there is a spiritual dimension in life that can destructively exacerbate our weaknesses.  For example, “the Satan” in Hebrew means “the adversary” to God.  The notion is that there is some real adversarial activity that we experience.
    So, how do we “battle” for the mind?  We are to take our thoughts captive for Christ.  I will give a personal example.  It is not atypical for me as a male to see a woman and have a lustful thought.  Temptation is normal.  However, it is my responsibility to make sure that such temptation does not germinate.  The pattern I have tried to develop is to turn the temptation around into something good.  To myself, I pray, “Lord, bless this woman, and cleanse my thought-life.”  I find that blessing someone personalizes them and changes my thinking about them.  My main point is that who I am is not simply a matter of what thoughts and desires come to mind, but how I allow Christ to transform my heart and mind.
    Moreover, besides stopping thoughts that are contrary to God, we are also to nurture positive thoughts:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things. (Phi 4:8, NIV)

 Lord, you know that I am frail and weak in myself.  Help me in Christ to guard my thoughts and nurture them that they might be pleasing to you.  Amen.
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*Re: "be transformed."  English cannot quite capture the sense here of what is called the “middle voice” in Greek.  The idea is that the subject “you” acts in cooperation with the agency of God to effect transformation.

THE BIBLE AND ABORTION

 I confess that it is unusual to write a "devotion" on the topic of abortion, but trying to understand what the Bible does and does not clarify sometimes leads me to greater humility and prayerfulness.

Issue
Most people who value the authority of the Bible seek for guidance on the issue of human life and abortion. An early Jewish interpretation of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) was that ensoulment/personhood began when the birthed child first drew breath. That is because the Hebrew word that we translate as "soul" (nephesh) refers to breathing beings. (This understanding makes sense but is not based on any clear biblical text addressing abortion.) Another understanding followed by Christians for several centuries was that ensoulment began at "quickening" (the first movement felt in the womb) at about 15 weeks after conception. (This position is based on there being dualistic separation of body and soul that is not in accord with Genesis 2.)
    Today, however, there is a movement that believes personhood begins at conception. Those who defend it point to verses that speak of God's involvement in the womb. The problem is that they are reading a modern concept into the Bible. Proper biblical interpretation first starts with understanding what such texts communicated to the original people of faith and then seeks to apply them to today. The form of most of those texts is poetry using hyperbole. They were intended to make a point that would not have been understood literally. The main contextual content was generally an expression of wonderment at God's personal involvement in one's life "from the beginning." The communicative intention was not to teach biology.

Sample Texts Cited*
Here are some biblical examples regarding the womb:
    Figuratively expressed, the Israelites understood that God could “open” or “close” a womb to fulfill his promises (Gen 20:18: 29:31). They could see any “fruitful womb” as a blessing. However, the Bible nowhere teaches a divine determinism about all wombs. (As we know, many zygotes never successfully lead to births.)
    Job’s language of God “making” and “forming” people in the womb (Job 31:15) is not teaching that embryonic development is a hands-on activity by God, but was expressing the principle that all human life comes from God. Job was poetically giving his reason for treating his servants justly (Job 31:13-15).
    Psalm 139:13-14, speaks of the wonder of being formed in the womb by God, but the thrust of the psalm is about how nothing is unknown or hidden from God who is beyond our sense of time and space.  Although this is beautiful theology, it was not intended as a science lesson.
    The prophet Jeremiah expresses how God told him he had set him aside and called him to be a prophet from the womb (Jer 1:4-5). The language here is poetic and is a way to say, “from as early as possible.” Jeremiah even plays off this language later when he complains that he would have chosen not to come out of the womb, if he had known what trouble his prophetic role would bring him (20:18). The main point is that Jeremiah was called by God. We should note, too, how Paul uses Jeremiah’s language. Paul, who as an adult was responsible for putting Christians to death, could still refer to himself as set apart by God in his mother’s womb for the purpose he later was fulfilling (Gal 1:15).
    Therefore, these texts taught such things as divine involvement going well back in time in one's life to call people to fulfill God’s promises, to promote the value of all people, to express awe and wonder about human formation, to project one’s sense of belonging to God, etc. It is important to note that these texts are neither teaching universal determinism beginning in the womb nor modern biological science about human development. Moreover, they are not addressing the modern understanding of conception. (It was not even known to modern people until the 1800's that women contributed genetic material to the process.) The ancient Israelites thought of procreation agriculturally in terms of a seed being planted in the womb and eventually growing into the "fruit" of a birthed person.

Science
If we turn to modern science for help, we find that the zygote is a stem cell that can keep multiplying and dividing theoretically into any number of human beings. When, then is it a person? When stem cells reach a certain cluster? When they begin to specialize? When organs are formed? When there is a rudimentary nervous system? When the fetus is viable? When there is consciousness? (Who knows when one can become aware of the presence of God?)

Reflection and Application
I wish I had THE answer to when the “fruit of the womb” is a “person” before God, but neither the Bible nor current science provides a definitive answer. What I do know is that neither supports personhood beginning at conception. Science also leads me to push inward from the other side of the birth spectrum to value the unborn child before birth. My ignorance leads me toward a humility to be gracious toward the mothers faced with difficult decisions and for me to be slow to judge. I understand how honest, deeply thoughtful, and prayerful people may well come to different conclusions. I will have to trust such people to do the best that they can do before God, as I am trying to do.

Lord, guide those who face pressing circumstances about whether or not to bring a pregnancy to term. Bless them. Take care of them, and may as many of those unborn be brought into fruition as possible within your will. Amen.
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*Exodus 21:22-23, a text that has been appealed to by those both for and against abortion, further complicates the issue by its difficult textual and exegetical problems. At best it can be said that it is not about intentional abortion. Whether or not it clarifies the legal value of a fetus is understandably debated.