Kingdom Salvation

April 6, 2013

             Jesus is alive! The Easter proclamation still echoes today. The tomb is empty, the Lord has risen from the grave, and Death has been defeated! Thanks to God’s triumphant victory over Satan’s failed attempt to destroy the Messiah, we can joyously proclaim that we live because Christ lives. Yet many skeptics in today’s society say, “so what?”

            The question is more legitimate than many Christians wish to admit. So what if Jesus died and rose again—one look at the obituary page reminds us that death is still very real. People want to know that if Jesus’ resurrection was so important, why are their lives so miserable. Many people today simply shake their head at the stories of scripture regarding the empty tomb and the resurrected Jesus because they fail to see the relevance of the resurrection in the lives of people who proclaim it.

            Part of the problem is that many Christians tend to only proclaim half of the reality of the Cross and Resurrection by limiting the power of the Cross to atonement for sin. 

            Atonement in Christian theology simply means that humanity is reconciled with God through the blood of the Cross and united with God in the power of the resurrection. The weight of our sin was so great, only God’s Son could bear the burden of that sin once and for all and by willingly sacrificing himself to the brutality of the Cross, we have been forgiven, redeemed, and restored before God. In the subsequent victory over death celebrated at Easter, we are granted eternal life though Jesus Christ.

            Although our eternal salvation in Jesus Christ is clearly at the heart of the Gospel and an essential foundation of Christianity, it only tells half the story of Easter. In the days following this most wonderful of Christian observances, it is vital that the church embrace the Kingdom of God that Jesus embodied, as well as the eternal salvation he guaranteed.

            Perhaps two of the most relevant passages of scriptures pointing to a solid Kingdom theology are the 4th chapter of Luke and the 25th chapter of Matthew. In Luke 4:18, Jesus reads from the prophetic vision of Isaiah 61. It is a powerful proclamation of good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, an end to oppression, and the time of God’s favor. Then, in a bold statement, Jesus tells the world that the prophecy is fulfilled in him!

            Matthew 25 reminds us that the fulfillment of this prophetic truth is not something to be waited for on that glorious day when we join Christ in heaven. Rather, Matthew 25 demands that we seek to live out the prophetic vision in this life, on this earth, and in our present time.

            This marks the challenge for many Christians and the point where so many would-be Christians shrug their shoulders and reject the faith. Salvation that is nothing more than a promised ticket into heaven means nothing when we are not living that heavenly blessing in our world right now. This is why, in Matthew 6:10 when Jesus teaches us how to pray, he calls for God’s Kingdom to be done “on earth as it is in heaven.”

            Beyond our heavenly blessing, the Easter miracle is about living our faith right here, right now, and for the rest of our natural, earthly life.  More importantly, it is about doing everything in our prayer and power to bring about that blessing in our world.

            When we live in fear or perpetuate hatred, we discount the Easter blessing. When we justify inequality and tolerate injustice, we violate the faith of the Resurrection. When we deny the humanity of others and satisfy our own desires from the thankless sweat of God’s children, we invalidate the very faith we profess. What kind of Kingdom do we really want? 

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