The Contours of the Kingdom of God

by Graham Buxton

1. Open with a brief biblical understanding of the Kingdom of God – Jewish ideas.

2. Three great truths about the Kingdom of God that are disclosed in Jesus Christ:

• The coming of the Kingdom in advance of its full and final manifestation – the Kingdom is both now and not-yet.
• The coming of the Kingdom in the person of Jesus himself.
• The hidden and secret nature of the growth of the Kingdom – so Jesus taught about the Kingdom in various parables … the mustard seed, and leaven in the dough.

3. The Kingdom of God is not just some future spiritual reality to look forward to, but also has to do with the present reality of Jesus in our midst, and what we do with this Jesus who is deeply involved in the structures and very fabric of this world.

4. To become a person in the fullest sense is to cultivate a spirituality that gets in touch with physicality – our own physicality, and the physicality of the world around us – the Kingdom of God has to do not only with the God of creation, but also with the creation of God.

5. As Christians rightly insist, there is a distinction to be made between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. Making a difference in our world – Kingdom living – implies that there is a duality to be acknowledged. But this has been misinterpreted throughout church history, leading to dualistic thinking.

6. Historically, the contours of the Kingdom have been narrowed down to spiritual realities at the expense of a more holistic and more generous understanding. Dualism has robbed many people – and many Christians – of the joy of life in God’s good creation. The purpose of life on earth is not to prepare us for heaven, but to give glory to God by living as humanly as possible.

7. Our ultimate destination is not heaven – it is the new earth that will represent the final act in God’s great redemptive purposes.

8. To live as full human beings in the Kingdom of God means to live as Jesus lived – in fulfilling relationship with God, with others, and with creation … for each represents what it means to be at home. For the Kingdom is here and now, not just that which is to come.

These are the notes from Session 2 of the recent Rediscovering the Kingdom of God Conference. CDs of this session are available for $9.95 plus postage. To order your copy please get in touch.