The Present Kingdom of God, Part 2

Yesterday I wrote a basic definition of the Kingdom of God present. Now I want to turn attention to the nature of the present Kingdom.

The present kingdom is a redemptive order, involving God’s once for all provision to save humanity from sin. Entrance to the kingdom comes by stepping out of our kingdoms where we rule and reign and stepping into God’s kingdom where he rules and reigns. This is made possible through the cross and resurrection event. The cross breaks the powers that bind us to our own kingdoms.

Here’s how it works. Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a hula hoop. Let’s say you represent the “king” of a kingdom, and the range of your influence is your kingdom represented by the hula hoop. Within your kingdom, what you want done is done. Your will and influence are perfectly conducted. On the surface, that sounds pretty appealing. Who doesn’t want to have a little part of the world where their will is perfectly done? The problem is that what we evaluate as freedom is really bondage. We are kings of our little kingdoms, yet we are stuck inside the hula hoop. Sin and self bind us to those little “kingdoms.”

Jesus has come to liberate us from the bondage of sin and self which bind us to those “hula hoops.” Through the power of the cross and the resurrection of Christ, we are free to leave our kingdoms where we rule and reign and are able to step into the Kingdom of God where he rules and reigns. Jesus’ offer of grace and redemption is the foremost work of the present Kingdom.