The resurrection of Jesus confirms that he is Lord of everything. All authority on heaven and on earth has been given to him (Matt. 28:18). The realms of heaven and earth come together in the resurrection body of Christ who is physical, but not limited by his physicality. He has authoritatively commissioned his followers to preach the gospel to all nations. We’re to proclaim the good news of his kingdom. The benevolent and just rule of the Messiah has begun as he reigns at the right hand of God’s throne.
As the heirs of Israel, the children of Abraham’s faith, Christ’s followers are to be a light to the nations. We’re to let them know that Jesus’ authority crosses all national and geographical boundaries. We summon all to submit to the one true king.
The Book of Acts is about how the kingdom first spread as God’s presence returned to his people in the power of the Spirit. The Spirit had been poured out by Jesus from his position at God’s right hand. In this way the glory of God has returned to his people. But his authority has been usurped by the dominating powers of a corrupt world. The good news is that Jesus has risen, he reigns, and he will come to take back what rightfully belongs to God.
The Epistles are written to various communities of faith which had been established on this preaching about the kingdom. They inform disciples what it means to live out the redeemed life in their specific settings and situations.
While the overall theme of Scripture is redemption, I do not intend the exclusively narrow definition of salvation from sin to insure eternal life, though this is included. Without forgiveness of sins our present is without meaning and our future without hope. We ultimately have nothing if we are still in our sins and outside fellowship with God.
But redemption’s broader meaning is liberation from bondage. This theme runs throughout the Bible as God’s people longed for liberation from Egyptian slavery, Philistine oppression, Babylonian Captivity, and Roman rule. It was often Israel’s lack of concern for liberating those in bondage which led the nation itself into Babylonian bondage.
The concern for liberation is not consistently tied to life in the hereafter. The New Testament, however, connects many of the dots, giving a picture of God’s redemptive history as indicative of his overall plan for the ultimate redemption of humankind and creation. So the point of our lives on earth is not mainly about making sure we go to heaven, but about bringing heaven down to earth while we’re here. We’re to be concerned, not only for people’s spiritual liberation, but for liberation from whatever binds them. The church is a beachhead of the kingdom of heaven on earth, bringing God’s rule to bear on earth as it is in heaven. We transform whatever part of society we can to be more like God’s benevolent and just rule. By these efforts many captives are liberated.
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