Proceso de la Auditoría Integral

While it is the nature of God is to seek invite and care for the sinners who come to him in faith, he remains the God of retributive judgment.

God judges those who reject his gracious offer of salvation. His love for sinners does not stop him from judging and condemning them. The fact that God seeks, invite and love throws man into a predicament. Those who refuse to respond to the seeking, invitation and love face condemnation.

Self-Assessment Exercise 4

What will God use as the bases of his judgment? Rev. 20:11-15 3.5 The God of Gifts

The God of the kingdom is the God of gifts. After seeking and bringing people into the Kingdom, he gives them various gifts to enable them stay and enjoy the kingdom. It is important to remember that the kingdom itself is a gift of God to humanity. Man cannot work to bring the kingdom. The kingdom comes with many other gifts and blessings and they include:

3:5:1 The kingdom as a Present Realm of Blessing

The New Testament speaks of the kingdom as a present reality. In many passages, Jesus spoke against preventing or hindering someone to enter the kingdom. He pronounced woe against the Scribes and the Pharisees saying “you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would go in” (Mt. 23:13). In Luke

11:52 he says “woe to you lawyers! You have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourself; and you have hindered those who were entering.” On another occasion, while he was addressing the religious leaders he said “The tax-collectors and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you” Mt.21:31). It was possible for someone to go to the kingdom at the time of Christ’s ministry on earth and enjoy the blessing of the kingdom. In answering the messengers of John the Baptist, Christ pointed to those who were already enjoying the blessing of the kingdom. “The blind receives sight, the good news is preached to the poor” (Mt.11:5). In the same passage, Christ said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Mt. 11:12). People were taking hold of heaven at the time of Christ. The kingdom comes with force breaking into this world and believers are given the power to receive it. The devil has taken strong grip of the world and of men. Men have to force themselves out of his grip. In other words, those who enter the kingdom must take a radical stand against the old self. Christ gave an illustration of the radical reaction when he said “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off…And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off…And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell” (Mark 9:43-48). The kingdom is the dynamic rule of God and the present realm of blessings. Those who enter receive the good news and its accompanying blessing.

Self-Assessment Exercise 5

List the blessing that people who accepted the kingdom at the time of Christ received.

3:5:2 The Kingdom as a Present Gift

Here we are dealing with the content of the blessing of the kingdom.

The kingdom comes with all its blessings and those who receive it receive all its blessings. The New Testament is clear that the righteous will inherit the kingdom freely. In Matthew 25; 34, the king will say

“come, you who are blessed by the father; take your inheritance; the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world”. In many other passages Christ said those who enter the kingdom will inherit eternal life. The rich young man who came to Christ knew this (Mk.

10:17-30). In this passage the kingdom of God and eternal life are used interchangeably as synonymous.

The blessing and the gifts of the kingdom begin in this present age. It is in the preliminary form but it starts here and now. The New Testament teaches that the riches of the kingdom must be possessed now (Mt.

13:44-46); the blessing sought now and here (Mt. 6:36); and be received as children receive a gift (Mk. 10:15; Lk. 18:16-17).

Self-Assessment Exercise 6

What is the relationship between eternal life and the Kingdom of God?

3: 5:3 The Kingdom as a Gift of Salvation

The greatest gift of the kingdom is the gift of salvation. The New Testament uses the word salvation to refer to both a present and future possession.

In the New Testament salvation is primarily a future eschatological gift.

In the conversation with the rich young man, Christ used salvation, eternal life and entrance into the kingdom as synonyms (Mk. 10:17-30).

This future salvation is described as entering into eternal life, and into the joy of the father (Mk. 9:43; Mt. 25:21, 23). This salvation means deliverance from mortality and enjoyment of a perfect and everlasting fellowship with God.

Eschatological salvation means redemption of the body- i.e. the perishable inheriting the imperishable, mortal inheriting the immortality (1Cor. 15:53-54), and restoration of perfect union between God and man. Salvation is described also in negative terms. To be lost is not to be saved. Those who are lost are under destruction, cast into darkness, or fire of Gehenna, lose their lives and perish (Mt. 7:13; Luke 9:24-27; Mk.

9:42-48).

Christ is sent to the lost sheep of Israel (Mt. 10:6; 15:14). This implies a present salvation but also anticipates an eschatological one. When Christ entered the house of Zacchaeus, he declared, “Today salvation has come to this house…For the son of man came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:9-10). Christ also told people that they were saved by their faith (Luke 17:50).

Salvation in the NT includes physical deliverance as well. Those who received healing from various problems were said to be saved (Lk.

17:14-25).

Self-Assessment Exercise 7

Summarize the two aspects of salvation.

4.0 CONCLUSION

In the last unit, we discussed God’s action against the evil forces that oppose the establishment of the kingdom and torment humanity. In Christ, God disarmed and destroyed these forces and established his kingdom. This unit has led you to see God’s activities towards man. The coming and establishment of the kingdom is for good of man. God wants man to enjoy the kingdom and so God takes many steps and employs different ways of bringing and keeping man in the kingdom.

This unit indirectly leads you to understand the nature of man. Man is resistant to the will of God. Strongly, God’s love for sinners does not stop them from disobeying him.

5.0 SUMMARY

In this unit we discussed the nature of God who brought and established his kingdom. He is a loving God and through his love, he goes on extra mile to provide redemption. The aspect of God’s nature we discussed includes.

1. Seeking – God takes the initiative to restore us back to fellowship with him.

2. Inviting – This is done through the preaching of the gospel

3. Fatherly – This includes God’s care, protection and providential love.

4. Judging – This is the justice of God. His judgment is also a way of inviting sinners.

6.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment

1) What has God done to be called a seeking God?

2) Discuss the fatherly nature of God.

3) Attempt to summarize the things that people who accept the kingdom receive.

7.0 References/Further Readings

Guthriel, Donald. (1981). New Testament Theology. Leicester: Inter Varsity Press.

Ladd, George Eldon (1974) A Theology of the New Testament. Grand Rapid: William Eerdmans Publishing Company.

UNIT 4: THE MYSTERY AND ETHICS OF THE KINGDOM