The Relationship between Church and Kingdom of God

The Relationship between Church and Kingdom of God

Introduction

The concept of kingdom of God and its relationship with church is the center of most of the teaching of Jesus. This is true so much so that it would not be wrong to say that most of the preaching of Jesus relate to the proclamation of Kingdom of God. This is the foremost proclamation and the only one that gets a lead on love. In the Gospel of Mark, it is written that

“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news'” (Mark 1:14-15).

The New Testament Gospel mentions the Kingdom of God 53 times. The Kingdom of heaven has been used as a synonymous term to Kingdom of God. In the Gospel of Mathew, this is mentioned about 32 times. On the other hand, the church is mentioned in the gospel only a handful number of times. On various occasions Jesus has used different parables to shed light on the Kingdom of God and clarify its link with church (Roberts, 2011).

The Kingdom of God

Given the importance of the concept of Kingdom of God in the eyes of Jesus, it is strange how many Christians are unclear on its meaning. The contribution of Paul in disseminating the message of Jesus is worth mentioning. He has made his part for two whole years helping people understand the concept of Kingdom of God. There are different meanings interpreted of the phrase kingdom of God. Some religious scholars are of the view that Kingdom of God was the good news given to Christians that they will now be entering heaven while the others believe that it refers to Church. There are still others who believe the Jesus was referring to Divine justice. Some people who were more spiritual than religious believe that in the quest of the meaning of Kingdom of God a person not only becomes closer to the Creator but also develops a greater understanding of himself (Brito, 2005). Hence, the path to the kingdom of God is the path towards divinity.

In this context, it is imperative to clarify that the word kingdom is not used by jess in its literal sense. The kingdom of God does not mean that there is a specific place out there where God rules as a king. Instead, it means that God exercises the powers of a king over the entire world. This whole world is run by Him and he is eternal ruler. It refers to the sovereignty of the Creator.

Paul stresses the importance of faith in order to get the true meaning of Kingdom of God. The proclamation of Jesus will not make any sense to people who do not possess an unshakeable faith (James, 2005).

Jesus's Proclamation of Kingdom of God

Jesus has proclaimed the Kingdom of God in many ...