Page 93 - TH130 Kingdom of God A4 Final

Apostolic Proclamation and the Kingdom

What can we conclude from this exercise? We conclude that being
born again is synonymous with believing in Christ, and that entering the
kingdom of God is synonymous with having eternal life. And both are
synonymous with being saved.

Although John uses the phrase kingdom of God only four times in his
gospel (3:3, 5; 18:16), he uses the synonymous terms life and eternal
life 33 and 16 times respectively. When John speaks of (eternal) life, He
is in effect speaking of entering into and living in the kingdom of God.
Therefore, contrary to the claims of some, John has much to say about
the Kingdom.

Paul’s Adaptation of Terms: “Jesus is Lord!”
It is important that we see another change in Kingdom terminology
in Paul’s epistles. He frequently replaces the word King—often used in
the Old Testament and the Gospels to describe God and Christ—with the
word Lord. Early in its history “Jesus is Lord!” became the anthem of the
New Testament church (Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3;
Philippians 2:11). In keeping with this theme, in Paul’s writings “the
“Lordship of Christ” became synonymous with the “Kingship of Jesus.”

Why did Paul make such a change? Possibly because he was the
apostle to the Gentiles (Romans 15:15–16). He thus “contextualized” the
message of the Kingdom to his Gentile audience. He used language more
familiar to those living under Roman rule. Throughout the Roman Empire,
the Caesars claimed to be Lord instead of King. Thus, “Christ is King”
became “Jesus is Lord,” although the meaning remained the same.

Conclusion

The kingdom of God was a central theme of apostolic preaching and
teaching. Although the terminology sometimes changed, the message
remained the same. To believe in Christ and receive eternal life meant
to enter the kingdom of God. To proclaim that “Jesus is Lord” meant to
proclaim Him as King. The message of the Kingdom was not lost by the
early church as some have claimed. It was simply repackaged for its new
Gentile audience.

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