The Kingdom of God (part 5)
For the last time, we have dealt with how the complex truth and reality of the already existing but not yet finished kingdom of God, some Christians erroneously led to triumphalism, others to quietism. In this article, we take a different approach to believing in this complex truth.
Participation in Jesus' ongoing work in the service of the Kingdom of God
Instead of clinging to triumphalism (that activism that aims to bring about the kingdom of God) or quietism (that passivity that stands for keeping out of the way, leaving everything to God), we are all called to lead a hopeful life that gives shape to the true signs of the future kingdom of God. Of course, these signs have only a limited meaning - they neither create the kingdom of God, nor do they make it present and true. However, they point beyond themselves to what is to come. They make a difference in the here and now, even if they are not able to influence everything. They just make a relative and not a decisive difference. This is in line with God's request for the Church in this present evil age. Some, who tend to cling to the triumphalistic or quietistic way of thinking, will contradict this and argue that it is hardly or not at all worth mentioning to put on signs which only refer to the future kingdom of God. In their opinion, it is not worth it if they cannot bring about sustainable change - if they cannot improve the world or at least make others believe in God. What these objections do not take into account, however, is the fact that the indicated, provisional and temporary signs that Christians can set in the here and now cannot be viewed in isolation from the future kingdom of God. Why not? Because Christian action means participation in the constant work of Jesus, by virtue of the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit we are able to join the king in his rule in the here and now also in this present, evil world time - a time that will be overcome. The Lord of the future kingdom of God can intervene in the present age and make use of the indicated, provisional and time-limited testimonies of the church. These cause a relative but noticeable difference in the here and now, even if they do not bring about the all-important change that comes with the completion of the kingdom of God.
The light of God's future kingdom reaches us and illuminates our path in this dark world. Just as starlight brightens the darkness of night, the signs of the Church, present in word and deed, point to the future kingdom of God in the full midday sunlight. These tiny points of light have an effect, even if only in suggestion, temporarily and for a limited time. Through the gracious work of the Almighty, we become instruments with our signs and testimonies, guided in action by God's Word and the Holy Spirit. In this way, we can touch people and accompany them with Christ toward his future kingdom. God himself is at work here and now, before the kingdom reaches its fullness. We are ambassadors for Christ; for God exhorts through us. (2. Kor 5,20)Through the word of the sermon, as it is made usable by the Holy Spirit, God enables people, through their faith, to already now, in spirit, become citizens of the future Kingdom of God and thus partake of this kingdom. (Röm 1,16)Every simple cup of water offered in Christ's name does not go unrewarded. (Mt 10,42)Therefore, we should not dismiss the signs or testimonies of believers in God's Church as fleeting, mere symbols or gestures that point to something not present, not yet real. Christ adds our symbolic actions to His own and uses our witness to draw people into a personal relationship with Himself. In this way, they sense the presence of His loving rule and experience joy, peace, and hope through His just and loving reign. Clearly, these signs do not reveal the whole truth of what the future holds for us, but merely point to it. They point—both to the past and are directed toward the future—thus presenting Christ, who in His life and ministry on earth became the Redeemer and King over all creation. These signs are not mere thoughts, words, ideas, or individual, purely personal spiritual experiences. The Christian signs of faith bear witness, across time and space, in flesh and blood, to who Jesus is and what His future kingdom will be like. They require time and money, effort and skill, consideration and planning, as well as individual and communal coordination. The Almighty can and does utilize them through his Holy Spirit so that they fulfill their intended purpose: leading people to God in Christ. Such a leading bears fruit in the form of a transformation that manifests itself in repentance (conversion or change of life) and faith, as well as in a life full of hope for the future Kingdom of God.
So we make our time, energy, resources, talents and free time available to our Lord for use. We fight the plight of the needy in our present world. We intervene to help with our actions and active commitment, which we share with like-minded people within and outside of our parishes. The shaping of worldly concerns also takes place in cooperation with those who do not (yet) belong to these communities. Our testimony of faith that we take with regard to So Ask can be personal and verbal, but it should also be put into practice publicly and collectively. In doing so, we should make use of all the means available to us. With everything we have, do and say, we send out the same message in all the ways accessible to us, proclaiming who God is in Christ and that his rule will be assured for all time. We live in the here and now, even in the sinful world, in communion with Christ and in the hope of the perfect consummation of his reign. We live filled with the hope of a new heaven and a new earth in the future world time. We live in this time in the knowledge that this world is passing - because thanks to Jesus Christ's word and his intervention, it really is. We live in the certainty that the kingdom of God is approaching in its perfection - because that's exactly how it is!
Thus, our testimony that we bear as Christians is so imperfect, makeshift, and limited in time, truly in the sense that it influences our present situation and all our relationships, even though it itself is the future kingdom of God in the world Here and now is not perfect, not reflected in its whole reality. It is true, in the sense that, thanks to the grace of God, we partake, as it were, of mustard seed, of what the Almighty is doing through the Holy Spirit in order to point people to Jesus Christ and his future kingdom. We can participate in the divine will, both in the personal and social framework of our life, some of the blessings of Christ's reign and kingdom.
The truthful revealed
To clarify this a little, let us point out that our actions do not justify or justify the reality of Christ's reign. God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit have already done that. The future kingdom of God is true and has already become reality. His return is assured. We can count on it. This fact does not depend on us. It is a work of God. So what do we accomplish with our testimony, the signs given by us, when the kingdom of God is neither realized nor augmented in reality? The answer is that our signs that we set are a fragmentary manifestation of the coming kingdom of God. Our present task-our privilege-is to witness, in word and deed, the reality of God's Kingdom.
Then what will the end, the return of Christ, bring about? His second coming does not give ultimate reality to the kingdom of God, as if it only contained the necessary potential until then. It is already a perfect reality today. Jesus Christ is already Lord, our Redeemer and King. He rules. But the kingdom of God is still hidden at present. The full scope of his rule does not come to fruition and to the fore in all its fullness in the present wicked world time. When Christ returns, the kingdom of God will be revealed in perfection, with all its effects. His return or reappearance (his parousia) will be accompanied by a revelation or disclosure (an apocalypse) of the truth and reality of who he is and what he has accomplished; at that time the actual truth of who Christ is and what will become he did for us, for the sake of our salvation, to be revealed to all. It will ultimately be revealed what constituted the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. The glory of all of this will shine everywhere and thus develop its full effect. The time of merely hinting, provisional and time-limited witnessing will then be over. The kingdom of God will no longer be hidden. We will enter the new heaven and the new earth. There is no longer any need for a certificate; for we will all look reality itself in the eye. All of this will happen at the return of Christ.
The life of a Christian, therefore, is not about making the potential of the Kingdom of God effective. It is not our task to bridge the gap between the reality of the sinful world and the ideal of God's Kingdom on earth. The Almighty does not, through our efforts, eliminate the reality of a broken, rebellious creation and replace it with the ideal of the new world. No, rather, Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and his Kingdom—though still hidden—truly and genuinely exists. The present, evil age will pass away. We now live, as it were, in an unreality, in a corrupt, distorted, and falsified manifestation of God's well-formed creation, which Christ has won back by triumphing over the powers of evil and restoring it to its rightful path. Thus, it can fulfill its original purpose: to realize God's ultimate plan. Thanks to Christ, all creation will be freed from its bondage, and its groaning will cease. (Röm 8,22)Christ makes all things new. This is the all-decisive reality. But this reality is yet to be fully revealed. Even now, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, we can bear witness, in all areas of life, in a tentative, preliminary, and time-limited way, with regard to that future reality. And in doing so, we bear witness not to a mere possibility, and certainly not to one that we are realizing, but to Christ and his kingship, which will one day be fully revealed. To this reality lies our justified hope—one in which we live today, as we do every day.
The Civic and Political Environment: What does this mean on a civic and political level for Christians who acknowledge Christ's lordship and live in the hope of the coming Kingdom of God? Biblical revelation does not support the idea of a Christian "takeover" of a political party, nation, or institution outside the church community. But neither does it call for non-interference—which is what the term "separatism" implies. Christ preached that we should not live detached from this sinful and corrupt world. (Joh 17,15)The Israelites, while living in exile in a foreign land, were instructed to care for the welfare of the cities they inhabited. (Jer 29,7)Daniel served God amidst a pagan culture and integrated himself into it, while remaining faithfully devoted to the God of Israel. Paul exhorts us to pray for those in authority and to respect the exercise of human power that promotes good and prevents evil. He instructs us to maintain our good reputation even among those who do not yet believe in the true God. These words of admonition imply contact and interest, even to the point of assuming responsibility as citizens and within institutional frameworks—not complete isolation.
Biblical teaching points out that we are citizens of this world. But at the same time, it proclaims that, more importantly, we are citizens of God's kingdom. As Paul declares in his letters: "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." (Eph 2,191)...and says: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Phil 3,20)Christians have a new citizenship that undoubtedly takes precedence over all worldly matters. But it does not erase our old citizenship. During his imprisonment, Paul did not deny his Roman citizenship, but rather used it to secure his release. As Christians, we see our old citizenship—subject to the rule of Christ—radically relativized in its significance. Here again, we encounter a complex issue that could tempt us to a hasty solution or a simplification of the problem. But faith, hope, and love guide us to endure this complexity for the sake of our witness, the kingdom, and the rule of Christ.
Double citizenship
Following Karl Barth's synthesis of biblical teaching and mindful of the evolution of church doctrine over time, it appears that those who belong to Christ and his kingdom in this present age simultaneously belong to two very different congregations. We have a dual citizenship. This complex situation seems unavoidable because it aligns with the truth that there are two ages that overlap, but ultimately only one, namely the future age, will prevail. Each of our citizenship rights entails inalienable obligations, and it cannot be denied that these can be in conflict with one another. In particular, it is not guaranteed that a certain price will not be paid in fulfilling our obligations to both. Thus, Jesus warns his disciples: “But beware, for you will be handed over to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will be brought before governors and kings on my account as a testimony to them.” (Mk 13,9)Similar situations, reflecting what happened to Jesus himself, are recounted throughout the Acts of the Apostles. Conflicts can therefore arise between these two civil rights, conflicts that are difficult, if not impossible, to fully resolve in this present age.
To combine the dual duties with the one true center
It is important to recognize how these two sets of responsibilities are appropriately related. It is usually not helpful to consider them as competing, even if they sometimes come into conflict with each other. Nor is it helpful to see them hierarchically ordered, with one priority and then weighting, resulting in a second or third action or decision to take effect only after the priorities receive full attention to have. In this case, it comes down to the fact that many, if not most, of secondary responsibilities are ultimately neglected and neglected.
Moreover, it does not make sense to choose a slightly modified, hierarchically ordered procedure according to which secondary, as it were, detached from the priorities, is done. According to this system, we take care to accept the primary duties within the parish, in order to do justice to the second-rate within the citizen community, as if they were relatively independent and follow their own norms or standards, purposes or objectives that determine how responsibility within the out-of-church area looks like. Such an approach leads to a subdivision that does not do justice to the fact that the kingdom of God has already entered into this world time and thus we live as it were overlapping between the times. The perception of the priority duties of church witnessing always has an impact on how we approach the secondary, our secular community. The two sets of duties overlap, with our hope for the future kingdom of God and our testimony, all of our doing, be it as a matter of priority, the kingdom of God, no longer remaining hidden from us or secondary nature. In the face of Christ's reign and the unity of the destiny which God attributes to all creation, and the perfection of all things under Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, the Almighty determination of assignment is at the center of all reality - in the center of both communities to which we belong. 2 All human action should be in the service of this central point, structured, and designed, even apply to him. Consider the Triune God in the focus of a series of circles, all sharing the same center. Jesus Christ with his future kingdom is this center. The Church, which belongs to Christ, knows and venerates him alone and stands in the center of the circle surrounding the center. The church knows this center. She knows about the characteristics of the future empire. Her hope is grounded in certainty, and she has a good idea of the essence of love, from righteousness to true fellowship of people in Christ. Their ministry is to make this center point visible and to call others to enter that central circle because it is the source of their lives and their hope. Everyone should be a member of both communities! The center of their existence is at the same time also the center of the ecclesiastical existence, even if their faithfulness applies solely and above all to the citizen community in the broader sense. God in Christ is, according to his purpose, the center of all creation and thus of both communities. Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of all creation - of all power and authority, whether or not she is aware of it.
The civil parish outside the church can be thought of as a surrounding circle that is at a greater distance from the inner circle of the parish. It neither knows about the center, nor does it recognize it, and the commission given by God does not consist in making it manifest. Its purpose is not to take on the role of the parish or to replace it (as was attempted in Nazi Germany and approved by the leaders of the German state church). The church should not, however, take over its functions as a larger congregation, as it were. But the civil parish in the surrounding area shares the same center with it, and its fate is completely tied to Jesus; the Lord is over all time and all space, over all history and all authority. The civil congregation as we know it is not independent of the common center, the same living reality which the church recognizes and to which its ultimate duty of loyalty applies. To constantly point out and remind the larger, larger circle of the central reality of Jesus and his future reign. And it does justice to this task by endeavoring to give form to schemes of action, forms of being and possibilities of communal interaction within that broader congregation, which - albeit indirectly - refer to that common, central reality. These reflections of the conduct of life, which come into play in the broader set of duties, will find their echo in the ecclesiastical conduct or correspond to it. But they will only be able to express it indirectly, indistinctly, probably not yet conclusively and not without ambiguity. However, that is to be expected. The broader congregation is not and should not be the church. But it should continually benefit from it, as its members seek to be accountable to it as well as to the Lord.
Comparable signs of preservation and protection
The fact that we are moving in this present, wicked world-time becomes especially clear to those in this broader realm of bourgeois existence, who set their hopes for the future world time and know and worship the living center. The theological foundations and spiritual sources of open communion with God, through Jesus' Christ, are neither manifestly nor willingly utilized by those bourgeois activities performed in the service of the surrounding church. But the practices, standards, rules, laws, laws, and manners in that broader realm can be more or less reconciled with the life that God holds for us in Christ, as it were paired with Him. The Christian Influence will be designed to intelligently engage the broader area of responsibility, seeking as far as possible, at each moment present, the organizational patterns, codes of conduct and practices that are best compatible with God 's purposes and ways One day the whole world will be revealed. We can say that the church, the broader community, serves as a kind of conscience. It seeks to prevent the surrounding community from falling further away from God's purpose for mankind and his plan to fall away. And she does this not only by her proclamation, but by personal participation, which is undoubtedly not without having to pay a price for it. By word and deed she serves, as it were, the protector and the guardian, even though her wisdom, her warnings and her commitment are sometimes ignored or rejected.
Indirect signs of hope flow
The members of the church can enrich their cultural environment - as a kind of driving force or as a shining example - with material social benefits, as well as through introduced organizational and production structures that are fed by the gospel of Christ. But such testimony will only be able to serve as an indirect reference, merely supporting the direct ministry and message of the church concerning God in Christ and the presence and coming of his kingdom. These creative efforts, which serve as indirect signs, should not replace the life of the church or its central message and work. Jesus, God or even the Holy Scriptures will probably not be mentioned at all. The source that feeds these activities is rarely mentioned (if at all), although the aura of Christ is attached to the action or accomplishment. There are limits to such indirect testimonies. They will probably be more ambiguous compared to the direct testimonies and work of the Church. The results will probably turn out to be more inconsistent than those of the basic church word and testimony. Sometimes the proposals made by Christians, which concern the common good, are not accepted by the public or private organs of power, spheres of influence and authorities, or they only have a clearly limited effect. Then again, they may be implemented in ways that have far-reaching implications for the kingdom of God. The ministry of Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship, which serves in state and federal prisons, is a good example. However, it cannot be estimated how much influence can be asserted. Some achievements can be disappointingly short-lived. There will also be failures. But those who receive these indirect testimonies, which reflect, albeit remotely, God's will and nature, are thereby referred to the heart of what the church has to offer. The testimonies thus serve as a kind of pre-evangelical preparation.
The primary duty of the surrounding community of citizens is to ensure a good and just order so that the Church can in any case fulfill its essential spiritual mission as a community of faith and live out its members, indirectly testifying within the broader community. It will largely result in ensuring the rule of law, public justice. The goal will be the common good. It is thus ensured that the weak do not benefit from the strong.
It seems that this was what Paul had in mind when, as can be read in Romans 13, he described the proper duties towards secular authorities. It may also reflect what Jesus meant when he said: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mt 22,21), and what Peter wanted to express in his letter: “Submit yourself to every human authority for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as ruler or to governors as those sent by him to punish evildoers and to commend those who do good.” (1. Petr 2,13-14).
by Gary Deddo
