Everything but Plowshares

"Evangelical Christianity—like all branches of the historic church—maintains a tension between the "already" and the "not yet" of this kingdom. That tension seeks to avoid bringing the kingdom too near (in utopianism or political gospels) or keeping it too far (in prophecy-chart fixations or withdrawal from society). From the apostolic age to the digital era, the "already-not yet" tension has proven difficult to understand. But it's really no more complicated than reconciling Jesus' declaration that the "kingdom of God is in your midst" with the fact that two millennia have passed with swords still used for everything but plowshares. The difference between what's "already" and what's "not yet" is summed up in the question, "Where is Jesus ruling now, and how?" The kingdom comes in two stages, because King Jesus himself does."

--Russell Moore

Stein on the Message of Jesus Part 2

"To understand Jesus' ethical teachings, we must recognize that his teachings on ethical behavior are intimately connected to the coming of the kingdom of God. Since the God of the kingdom is the God of Abraham, Isaac, Moses, and the prophets, we should expect continuity with the ethical teachings God gave to his people in the Old Testament. Those teachings stem from the moral character of God himself. As a result, ethical holiness in the new covenant corresponds with the ethical holiness in the old. Yet with the coming of the kingdom the attainment of that holiness has been enhanced because of the 'already.' With the coming of the kingdom of God, the 'childhood' of the old covenant gives way to the maturity of 'adulthood' in the new. Thus certain teachings concerning clean/unclean give way to the freedom (and responsibility) found in the new covenant (Gal. 4:1-7). Whereas this was alluded to in germ form by Jesus (Mark 7:12-23), it would become clearer to the church after the resurrection (Rom. 14:1-23; Acts 10-11).

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"The ministry of Jesus was marked by the announcement that something new was taking place. The day awaited and longed for had arrived. The promises of the Old Testament were being fulfilled. The kingdom of God had come. This new day brought with it such joy and excitement that fasting was inappropriate. It was rather a time for celebration (Mark 2:18-19).

A new covenant was inaugurated. Yet this new covenant was not a repudiation of the past covenant, but its fulfillment. It involved not a new religion or movement but the fuller realization of the covenant God made long before with the people of Israel. Unlike Marcion and some later church leaders, Jesus did not see the coming of the kingdom of the kingdom as a repudiation of the covenant God made with Israel. Nor, as some would later argue, did he understand the new covenant as identical with the earlier one. The fact that he called it 'new' (1 Cor. 11:25) reveals this.

The coming of the kingdom brought with it a certain sameness, for the God of the new covenant was the same as the God of the old covenant. The same God was worshiped in both, although a new intimacy was apparent in the use of the title Abba. The same ethic that stems from the character of the unchangeable God is found in both, although the deeper intention of that ethic and a new empowering is now present. Paradoxically the ethic Jesus taught was both the same and different, old and new!"

Robert Stein, Jesus the Messiah

http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Messiah-Survey-Life-Christ/dp/0830818847/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321563803&sr=1-1

 

 

 

Stein on the Message of Jesus

Jesus the Messiah--Chapter 9: "The Message of Jesus: The Kingdom of God has Come to You"

"During the first eighteen centuries of the church, parables were interpreted as allegories in which the individual details of the parable were to be searched for meaning. Today they are more correctly recognized as extended metaphors which tend to teach a basic point. At times, however, the details of the parable may bear allegorical significance (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43; 22:2-10; Mark 12:1-12). The key for detecting valid allegorical details is to ask whether Jesus' original audience would have interpreted these details in such a manner. Asking this question makes it evident that the ring and the fatted calf in the parable of the prodigal son could not be references the Christian baptism and the Lord's Supper, although the vineyard mentioned in Mark 12:1-12 would have been interpreted as a reference to Israel (Isa. 5:1-2)."

"In these passages [Luke 11:20, 16:16, 17:20-21; Mark 2:21-22] Jesus claimed that kingdom of God had in some way arrived. It was not just near but already here. It was realized...On the other hand, there are passages  in which Jesus taught that the kingdom of God involved some future event, something that had not yet occurred [Luke 11:2, 13:22-30; Matt. 5:19-20, 7:21-23, 8:11-12, 25:31-46; Mar 14:25; and so on]. In these passages Jesus taught that the kingdom of God was in some way still future--it was 'not yet.' In some instances the kingdom of God is even a synonym for eternal life (Mark 10:17, 23; John 3:3-5, 15-16]...According to Jesus, the kingdom/reign of God has now come in the a unique way in his ministry. Already the promised Spirit was at work, and after the resurrection he would baptize all of Jesus' followers, beginning at Pentecost. Old Testament prophecies were being fulfilled. A new covenant was inaugurated (Mark 14:24); the resurrection of the dead was about to begin (1 Cor. 15:20-23). Yet the final consummation of all things still lay in the future...Maintaining a balance between the 'already' and the 'not yet' of the kingdom of God is critical. When the tension between them is lost and one aspect is emphasized at the expense of the other, two major errors arise. To lose sight of the 'not yet' leads to a triumphal enthusiasm that is ultimately doomed to disappointment and disillusionment. The fallen character of the this world and our sinful nature will see to that. On the other hand, to lose sight of the 'already' leads to a defeatism and a defensive mentality that thwarts the spreading of the gospel throughout the world. Kept in proper perspective, Jesus' teaching leads to an optimistic and aggressive evangelism as well as an awareness that in this life we are still 'strangers and foreigners on the earth' (Heb. 11:13)."

The Future Has Already Begun

“Has the realization gripped you that the very life of heaven itself dwells within you here and now? Did you ever know that? I am afraid we live most of our lives in terms of promise. We often sing of the future, and so we ought to sing. Our gospel is a gospel of glorious promise and hope. Yes, the best, the glorious best, is yet to be. And yet we are not to live only for the future. The future has already begun. The Age to Come has reached into This Age; the Kingdom of God has come unto you. The eternal life which belongs to tomorrow is here today. The fellowship which we shall know when we see him face to face is already ours, in part but in reality. The transforming life of the Spirit of God which will one day transform our bodies has come to indwell us and to transform our characters and our personalities. This is what eternal life means. This is what it means to be saved."

--George Eldon Ladd, The Gospel of the Kingdom (1959 A.D.)