Truth and truth

I want to continue a thought I began a couple of weeks ago. Sorry it has taken so long to get back to it, but things have been HECTIC with all the various things that have come up.

I think we are happy settling for little-t truth these days. As we are constantly bombarded and reminded by our culture, all truth is relative. Your truth may not be my truth, and vice versa. Yet a problem seems to exist within these mantras: universal truth does seem to exist.

For example:
1. Every culture in the world believes that murder is wrong. Now, the interpretation of murder is different in each culture, but every culture agrees that murder is wrong. In some states in the United States, we execute a person for the vicious murder of another person. We call this justifiable execution. War against enemy combatants is called "the elimination of a target or threat." In many African tribes, murder is reserved for people of one's own tribe. If you kill someone outside of the tribe that isn't murder, because that individual isn't a real person.

2. Child rape is wrong. Every culture in the world values their children and wants no harm to come to them. Each culture has a moral rule against child rape. Some cultures tend to ignore their own rules (tribes of the Trobriand islands, some Afghan tribes, etc.) But most people believe that taking the innocence of a child is wrong.

Morality isn't subjective or totally culturally driven. There are universal standards that exist. Thus, not all truth can be relative; some things are universal.

Some would point to the inconsistencies between the two aforementioned rules as proof that morality is relative. Each culture calls things differently and has their own inherent rules... Thus, isn't it all relative to their experience.

I would argue that they are making a little-t truth out of a Big-T Truth. God said, "Do not murder." Yet it seems to be the second sin committed by mankind. Cain tried to justify his actions, just as cultures try to justify their own thinking. The Truth gets ignored for the truth. (Yes, the words and capitalization are intentional...) Just because we distort Truth doesn't mean that that Truth doesn't exist.

Truth is universal, applying across time and space. Yet there is a place for interpretation within our own cultural contexts. "Do not commit adultery" can now apply to internet pornography. Jesus' appeal to turn the other cheek can apply to nuclear proliferation or economic recessions. These Truths are universal, and yet we are called to apply them in our own circumstances.

Little-t truth should be the application of Big-T Truth; yet so often we allow it instead to replace it.

The Kingdom of God

Last night I had a discussion with my FriendSpeak reader on the Kingdom of God. For those of you who don't know, FriendSpeak uses the story of Luke in English to both teach people how to speak Ebglish better and to introduce them to the Bible. My FriendSpeak reader is a visiting professor from Korea doing post-doctoral work at the University of Kansas. His English skills are amazing, and I am awed by his love for God. He loves pursuing new knowledge.

Yesterday's conversation lasted 35+ minutes as we discussed the coming of the Kingdom of God. He wanted to know what the Bible said about the Kingdom. Here is what I wrote this morning. I would love your insight. What did I say right? Did I get any of it wrong? Please, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is an enigma. Throughout the New Testament we are told various things about the Kingdom. It seems to be both a present reality and a future orientation. The Kingdom of God is better translated as “the reign of God,” where God’s rule is established.[1] This takes place in the present, in our own lives, as we seek to follow the way of Jesus Christ and live by his example and his teaching. As we become more like Christ, the reign of God becomes better established in our own lives. This is also a future reality: God’s reign will not ultimately triumph until the end of time, “when every knee will bow on earth and under the earth, and ever tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11).

Theologian Stanley Grenz puts it this way. “The kingdom of God is that order of perfect peace, righteousness, justice, and love that God gives to the world. This gift is eschatological (“at the end of time”), for it comes in an ultimate way only at the renewal of the world consummated at Jesus’ return. But the power of the kingdom is already at work, for it breaks into the present from the future. Therefore, we experience the kingdom in a partial yet vital manner en route to the great future day.”[2] In essence, the coming of the Kingdom of God creates a new way of life for us today. Because our lives are ruled by our belief in Jesus Christ, we begin to influence and change the world because of our faith. We put the Great Commission into action: “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28). Our hope is to help others becomes citizens in the Kingdom of God.

In Mark 1, Jesus begins his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15).[3] This takes place after the temptation of Jesus in the desert.

Luke, however, goes a slightly different direction. Luke makes Jesus’ first discussion about Isaiah 61 (Luke 4:18-21). Lulke seems to equate the Kingdom of God with people’s physical and spiritual lives being healed. When God reigns, things are made right and people are made whole.

Jesus has a bunch of different parables about the Kingdom of God:

1. The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-, Matt. 13:1-15; Luke 8:4-10): The Kingdom of God grows as a man sows the “seed” (the Gospel).

2. The Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)

3. The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-34; Mt. 13; Luke 13): The Kingdom is like a mustard seed; it starts out small, then grows big.

4. The Parable of the Yeast (Luke 13:20-21)

5. The Parable of the Priceless Pearl and the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44-46): The Kingdom is worth everything you own; you must be willing to part with everything in order to receive the kingdom.

6. The Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:47-52): The Kingdom of Heaven will gather everyone together, and then will weed through the good fish and the bad fish. Jesus tells us that the final fulfillment of the Kingdom will come at the end of time, when the Son of Man returns.

There seems to be both a present aspect of the Kingdom and a future aspect of the Kingdom:

Luke 17:20 – “Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.”

- The Kingdom of God is tied to the presence of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 gives us a clear example. The Holy Spirit is our seal, our marker that guarantees us a place in the final Kingdom (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30)

- This begins on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and continues on through believers today.

We are also told that the Kingdom of God has already been brought about:

Luke 9:27 – “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 21:31-32 – “Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³²For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

In summary, the Kingdom has both a present and a future orientation. God’s rule exists in our lives because we have given our lives over to him. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us and guides/counsels us on how to live. By teaching others about God and Christ, we help spread the Kingdom in the world, because others will accept him and receive the Spirit as well. However, the Kingdom will not become a full reality until Jesus returns and the world sees the glory of God.

I hope this helps. I have enjoyed writing it for you. I would love to discuss it with you more!

In Christ,
Daniel

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[1] This seems to be the best use of the Greek term basileia (βασιλεια).

[2] Stanley Grenz, Theology for the Community of God, Eerdmans: 1994, p. 22.

[3] Matthew makes a similar statement from Jesus in Matthew 4:17: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” interchangeably. Matthew equates heaven to the place where God rules as sovereign.

Christianity and Politics

Today we are going to tackle the two subjects you are never supposed to bring up: religion and politics.

At this point we all know that Barack Obama has won the Presidential election. The campaign has been going for over 18 months and has crisscrossed every state and territory of the United States, and we have finally decided who the next leader of our country will be. All I have to say is, “I’m glad that it’s over!”

Many of you are excited over the outcome of the election. Others of you are disappointed. More than one person has told me that it is the end of the world, or at least the end of the American way of life. But I want to let you in on a little secret: who the president is matters very little in the Kingdom of God.

In Romans 13, Paul tells the Christians in Rome to obey their earthly rulers because they were appointed by God. Paul writes this about Nero, the Roman emperor who will eventually put Paul himself and hundreds of other Christians to death for their faith. Paul reminds them that they are called to be good citizens but not to worry so much about who is in charge.

We must remember that ultimately our citizenship is in heaven. As Paul writes to the Philippians (another persecuted people), he tells them, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Our savior is not the newly elected President, Senator, or Congressman, it is Jesus Christ!

We must remember that we are American Christians, not Christian Americans. The emphasis is VERY important. We are Christians first, and as such we are primarily concerned with the Kingdom of God rather than the kingdoms of this world. We need to be more concerned with making the Kingdom known in our world.

So, fellow Christian citizens, remember to work for the Kingdom of God this week and always wear your citizenship there on your sleeve.