Live Man Walking

50 Commandments You May Not Be Following. In fact, you may not even know these commandments exist. This book walks you through 50 commandments of the New Testament and guides you through the process of weaving them into your life.

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ISBN 1434891690
EAN-13 9781434891693

 

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...The Kingdom Within

The comming of the Kingdom of God. Did you ever wonder what Jesus was talking about in Luke when he said that the Kingdom of God is within you?

"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." - Luke 17: 20,21

What does this mean?...

The word "within" in Greek is the word entos, or "inside, within, within the limits of" or "among you, in your midst."

Different meanings have been suggested. Here are the two most popular:

1. The kingdom is essentially God's Reign in the individual soul. This interpretation appeals to people psychological and individualistic age. Though the word entos can fit this meaning, this interpretation falters at two points: (1) This teaching is not found elsewhere in the Gospels; it is different than Jesus' other teachings on the nature of the Kingdom. And (2) we have no indication that the Pharisees were the sort of people that Jesus would say this about. Elsewhere in the Gospels they are characterized as legalistic and outward in their observance of the Law, rather than concerned with the inward, subjective holiness that Jesus stressed.
2. The kingdom is "among you," that is, it is present in the Person and ministry of Jesus.

The second interpretation is closer to what Jesus probably meant -- that the Kingdom was present among them in the presence and person of Jesus. That the Kingdom had already begun as Jesus teaches, gathers disciples, and exercises God's authority here on earth.

We know from other scriptures that the Kingdom is present within us because of Jesus' Spirit. But since Jesus doesn't teach this anywhere else in the Gospels, He probably intended this word entos to be understood in the sense of the Kingdom being "among" or "in the midst" of the Pharisees in his own person.

The Kingdom of God, Jesus is saying, is not only a future reality. The Kingdom is present NOW and will be fully revealed in the future. We see this tension throughout the Bible -- "now" and "not yet".

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