Understanding The Kingdom: The Kingdom Of God As Taught By Jesus
Understanding the Kingdom
Sandra Seelhammer
Grand Canyon University: BIB - 351
November 19, 2014
Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God requires a new lifestyle that is exactly opposite of the one we live in this world. He teaches that repentance from sin and acceptance of Christ as Savior are the only requirements for entrance. Jesus says “I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me” (Luke 22:29, NIV). Our Savior reached out to the broken, the poor, the sick, men, women, and children regardless of where they came from. Paul taught Christ’s message clearly when he said we are all baptized by the Holy Spirit into one united body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This essay will define and discuss the principle of the Kingdom of God as taught by Jesus in the Gospels, His understanding of the role of the Gentiles, as well as how Jesus prepared the disciples for their roles.
Interestingly, the basic meaning of “kingdom” in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek is the same; kingship or sovereignty (Beasley-Murray, 1992, pg. 19). This obviously applies to the English language as well. According to the dictionary kingdom is defined as an organized community having a monarchical government which is headed by a king or queen” (Merriam-webster.com). Additionally when capitalized Kingdom is …show more content…
God’s Kingdom as taught by Jesus through the Gospels is a unity of all people under one message (Salzmann, 2009) Jesus is both the deliverer and the content of that message which is the love of God for all His people. Jesus taught this message with his life and his parables. He spent three years teaching his twelve disciples how to go forward and continue the Kingdom of God. Perhaps the challenge offered by His words “Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:21, NIV) is where we need to begin again to see God’s Kingdom
Sandra Seelhammer
Grand Canyon University: BIB - 351
November 19, 2014
Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God requires a new lifestyle that is exactly opposite of the one we live in this world. He teaches that repentance from sin and acceptance of Christ as Savior are the only requirements for entrance. Jesus says “I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me” (Luke 22:29, NIV). Our Savior reached out to the broken, the poor, the sick, men, women, and children regardless of where they came from. Paul taught Christ’s message clearly when he said we are all baptized by the Holy Spirit into one united body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This essay will define and discuss the principle of the Kingdom of God as taught by Jesus in the Gospels, His understanding of the role of the Gentiles, as well as how Jesus prepared the disciples for their roles.
Interestingly, the basic meaning of “kingdom” in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek is the same; kingship or sovereignty (Beasley-Murray, 1992, pg. 19). This obviously applies to the English language as well. According to the dictionary kingdom is defined as an organized community having a monarchical government which is headed by a king or queen” (Merriam-webster.com). Additionally when capitalized Kingdom is …show more content…
God’s Kingdom as taught by Jesus through the Gospels is a unity of all people under one message (Salzmann, 2009) Jesus is both the deliverer and the content of that message which is the love of God for all His people. Jesus taught this message with his life and his parables. He spent three years teaching his twelve disciples how to go forward and continue the Kingdom of God. Perhaps the challenge offered by His words “Do you still not understand?” (Mark 8:21, NIV) is where we need to begin again to see God’s Kingdom