The Kingdom of God has Come Near

This week I started reading a book called “The Good and Beautiful Life” by James Bryan Smith. Smith is a college professor and director of the spiritual formation institute at Friends University. He is also a former student of both Richard Foster and Dallas Willard, who, in my mind, are the rock stars of the world of spiritual formation. “The Good and Beautiful Life” is book-two in a three part series dubbed “The Apprentice Series” along with “The Good and Beautiful God” and “The Good and Beautiful Community.” Even though I am not finished with the book, I have been really impressed with Smith’s teaching on “the kingdom of God.”

Jesus talked about the kingdom of God over 100 times that are recorded in Scripture, and He always spoke of it as something that was present and real. A few examples:

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom off heaven has come near.” (Matt. 4:17)

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field.” (Matt. 13:24)

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed.” (Matt. 13:31)

And again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” (Luke 13:20-21)

After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

What’s amazing is that even though Jesus spoke of the kingdom as being at hand, many modern scholars speak of it as something that has yet to come. According to Smith:

“No serious Biblical scholar would deny that Jesus’ proclaimed the kingdom of God. However, many scholars conclude that Jesus was not talking about our present world but rather an epoch in history that has not yet begun. … Because Jesus did not establish a complete reign over all people and governments, [multiple scholars] have concluded that the kingdom of God is “an unconsummated thing of the future.” (Smith, 41)

Smith, however, believes that, while the kingdom of God has not come in its complete fullness, it was the primary message of the teaching of Jesus…and it is very real.

The apostle Paul felt the same way, teaching:

For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)

He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)

The understanding here is that Jesus, as the son of God, was an earthly manifestation of the kingdom of God. When Jesus said, “the kingdom of God has come near,” he was ultimately talking about Himself. He tells His disciples, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Matthew 12:28). In other words, if I am indeed the Son of God come to earth and I accomplish miracles based on the power of God, you can rest assured that you are witnessing a manifestation of God’s kingdom here and now.

It’s also important to note that Jesus didn’t take the kingdom with Him when He ascended into heaven. Instead, He sent it back in the form of the Holy Spirit who came to indwell the lives of believers and to establish the presence of the kingdom or power of God within you. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (1 Cor. 3:16). Also notice Romans 14:7 above equating the kingdom with the presence of the Holy Spirit.

So the kingdom of God is here, now. It may not be here in its fullness, but the presence of God is available to you…the kingdom is available to you. In many ways, that’s what Jesus’ death and resurrection were all about. The veil was torn, and you have access to the almighty. You just have to enter it. You just have to say yes. A few verses to ponder this week and we consider what entering the kingdom looks like in our lives.

1. I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)

2. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. (Mark 10:15)

3. Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (John 3:5)

More on this next time.