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Apostolic Proclamation and the Kingdom

many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”
(Matthew 19:16–30, emphasis added)

By using these phrases synonymously, Jesus was signaling a change in
the terminology of the kingdom of God. To Jesus, the following phrases
had the same meaning:

• To get eternal life
• To enter life
• To enter the kingdom of heaven
• To enter the kingdom of God
• To be saved
• To inherit eternal life

Synonymous Terms in the Apostolic Preaching
In Acts the term gospel or the single word Jesus is sometimes used to
mean “the kingdom of God.” The meaning and message, however, are
the same. Peter Kuzmic wrote:

The person of Jesus and his accomplished work of redemption
rightfully replaced the kingdom in Christian proclamation. The
proclaimer of the kingdom became the proclaimed One. This is
not a betrayal but an expression of faithfulness to the original
message of Jesus in whom the kingdom was present. (Kuzmic,
1988, 524–526)

Kuzmic then quotes Lesslie Newbigin: “The news is that ‘the kingdom
of God’ is no longer merely a theological
phrase. There is now a name and a
human face.… The apostle would have
denied the central message of Jesus if In his Gospel, John
he had not made that shift of language
from ‘kingdom’ to ‘Jesus.’” often substituted

the phrases “life”
Both Philip and Paul are examples
of this truth. Luke writes that “Philip or “eternal life” for
went down to a city in Samaria and “kingdom of God.”
proclaimed the Christ there” (Acts 8:5).
He then enlarges by saying that Philip

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