Scripture references are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless stated otherwise. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about the coming Kingdom of God, and God's Righteousness. Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. It is essential to understand what the terms the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness mean and how to seek them as Jesus commands. THE KINGDOM OF GOD Jesus Christ was sent by the Father to this earth to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Luke 4:43 but He said to them, "I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent." This is exactly what Jesus did. He went about all the cities and villages in Israel preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 9:35) Jesus instructed His disciples to preach the Kingdom of God. (Luke 9:2) Apostle Paul also preached the Kingdom of God. (Acts 19:8) In the Bible, the Kingdom of God is also referred to as the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Christ. Hundreds of scriptures refer to the Kingdom of God, and it is the core message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, amazingly very few Christians fully understand the gospel of the Kingdom of God, which Jesus, His disciples and the apostles, preached. The word gospel means 'good news'. Jesus Christ came to preach the good news of the coming, future Kingdom, of God and how we may enter into His Kingdom. WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD? The Bible speaks of the Kingdom of God, coming in two phases. There is the first phase of the Millennial Kingdom of God, followed by the second phase of the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth. It is important to understand that when Jesus Christ talked about the Kingdom of God, He was talking about a future literal Kingdom of God, which will come to this earth. He did not talk about or promote a hazy idea of an ethereal kingdom in 'heaven' or a kingdom set up in the hearts of men. The Bible is very clear about this and it is unfortunate that many Christians do not understand this core message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ instructed His followers to pray for the literal Kingdom of God to be established on this earth. Matthew 6:9-10 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Jesus Christ will return to this earth immediately after a prophesied time called 'the Great Tribulation', which will last for three and a half years. The Bible says that the time of the Great Tribulation will be absolutely horrific and unprecedented. We have covered this subject in Chapter 10 'The Second Coming of Jesus Christ'. Jesus Christ must firstly consume and destroy all of man's earthly ungodly kingdoms before He establishes His Kingdom on this earth. Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. The point we must understand is that Jesus is returning to this earth and He is returning to set up His Kingdom on this earth. Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" Notice that the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. What about the scripture Luke 17:20-21, which has been interpreted to say that the Kingdom of God is entirely something spiritual, which is set up in our hearts? Let us examine this scripture in detail. Luke 17:20-21 20 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within (entos) you." Please note that Jesus Christ was speaking to the unbelieving, self-righteous Pharisees, so He did not mean that the Kingdom of God was within or in the hearts of these unbelieving Pharisees. The Greek word entos translated to mean 'within' in a few bible versions should be translated as 'in the midst' of you, or 'among' you, as correctly translated in the Revised Standard Version. What Jesus Christ said to these unbelieving Pharisees was that the only way to enter into the future Kingdom of God was to believe in Him, who was standing in the midst of them, and who was the very personification of the Kingdom of God. If Christ lives in us through the Holy Spirit, we are ambassadors of Christ and witnesses representing the coming Kingdom of God. As God's redeemed people, we are strangers and pilgrims in this world. (2 Corinthians 5:20, Acts 1:8, Hebrews 11:13) Of course, it is true that all believers have the God given faith within them of entering the future literal Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is something we will enter into in future (John 3:5), and all true believers carry this sure hope in their hearts. We have shown from Scripture that the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, which Christ preached, was and is the good news of the future, literal, earthly Kingdom which Christ will establish when He returns to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. Our Christian hope, the hope of the saints, is the sure hope of resurrection and rulership with Jesus Christ when He returns to establish His Millennial Kingdom on this earth. (Revelation 20:6) The Millennial Kingdom of God will be followed by the Great White Throne Judgement Age when the earth and its 'heaven' (the earth's atmosphere) will be renewed by fire. Then, the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth will be established by Jesus Christ on this earth after it has been renewed. We have allocated separate chapters to describe in detail 'The Millennial Kingdom of God', 'The Great White Throne Judgement' and 'The Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth'. The coming Millennial Kingdom of God was so central in the mind of Jesus that He even preached about it when He appeared to His disciples during the forty-day period between His resurrection and His ascension. Acts 1:3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Jesus spoke of the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel as prophesied by the prophets in the Old Testament. This is why the disciples wondered whether He would restore the Kingdom of Israel when He appeared to them during the period of forty days. Acts 1:6-7 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. Notice that Jesus agreed with His disciples that He will one day restore the Kingdom of Israel. However, Jesus said that the time for the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel lay in the future at an appointed time only known to the Father. It will be the time when Jesus Christ returns to this earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom of God. The main focus of the Bible and most of the references about the Kingdom of God relate to the coming Millennial Kingdom lasting for a thousand years. There are only a few references about the Eternal Kingdom of the New Heaven and the New Earth, which is everlasting. These two phases of the Kingdom of God are distinct and separate and should not be confused with each other. Jesus Christ makes it very clear that only a few people, during this Age, will be saved to enter the Millennial Kingdom of God as the Bride of Christ in their resurrected bodies. Matthew 22:14 "For many are called, but few are chosen" These chosen few will be resurrected at the First Resurrection to enter the Millennial Kingdom of God when Christ returns. They are God's Elect, both from the nation of Israel and the Gentile nations. God is not desperately trying to save the whole world during this Age, and Satan is not winning hands down by taking multiple millions of human beings to hell every day. Understand this wonderful biblical truth, that God's ultimate purpose is to save ALL, and not just a few people. Yes, only a few will be saved to enter the Millennial Kingdom of God, but in God's time and order, ultimately ALL people will be saved to enter the Eternal Kingdom of God of the New Heaven and the New Earth. 1 Timothy 4:9-11 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach. God will ultimately save ALL people. However, believers (God's Elect) who are relatively few in number will enjoy a special salvation. They will be blessed to enter both phases of the Kingdom of God, the Millennial Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom of the New Heaven and the New Earth. Whereas, all people who die as unbelievers, will not enjoy this privilege of being in the First Resurrection and therefore they will miss out on the Millennial Kingdom of God. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD Before we can understand the Righteousness of God, and how we may receive the gift of God’s Righteousness, it is necessary to understand clearly the unrighteousness of man. The Unrighteousness of Man The Bible is clear that no unrighteous person will inherit the Kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. The Bible gives long lists of unrighteous behaviours unacceptable to God in several places. (Mark 7:21-23, Romans 1:28-32, Revelation 21:8) There is no doubt that an unrighteous person cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. The problem is that there is no one, not even one person, who can claim to be righteous before God. Romans 3:10 As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one". It is not generally difficult to discern the acts of unrighteousness as listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 above, and in other parts of the Bible. However, most people do not understand that there is another form of unrighteousness, which is self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is not so easily discernible, yet it is also unrighteousness. The Self-Righteousness of Man The Pharisees were religious people, scrupulous in observing the Law of God given through Moses. However, Jesus Christ condemned their self-righteousness in very strong terms. (Matthew 23) The Pharisees were blind to their self-righteousness. Matthew 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. The Bible is clear that a self-righteous person will by no means enter the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ says that a person’s righteousness must exceed the self-righteousness of the Pharisees before he can enter the Kingdom of God. All religious people are blind to their self-righteousness. All of man’s religions make people self-righteous and not God Righteous. The Righteousness of the Law of God God gave the Israelites His Law through Moses. The Bible says that the Law of God is perfect, holy, just, good, spiritual and righteous. (Psalm 19:7, Psalm 119:72, Romans 7:12, 14) God is love and all of His commandments are fulfilled through the two great commandments of Love, love for God and love for men. (Matthew 22:34-39) Also, we are born with a conscience that shows us things done contrary to the Law of God, which is the Law of Love, unless we disregard our conscience so that it becomes seared. (Romans 2:14-15) The problem is that man always misses the mark and falls short of keeping the Law of God perfectly. It is impossible for man to become righteous before God through God's Law. Any attempt to be righteous before God through the Law simply ends up in self-righteousness. The Bible says that whoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet stumble in one point, is guilty of all. (James 2:10). The problem is not the Law of God, but the fallen nature of man. The purpose of the Law of God is not to make man righteous, but to demonstrate to man how exceedingly unrighteous he is, compared to the perfect, sinless Righteousness of God as revealed in the Law of God. (Romans 3:19-20, Romans 7:13) God uses the Law like a diagnostic instrument to bring man into the knowledge of his incurably sick, helpless, fallen and sinful state. This prepares man to respond and accept God's solution for his cure. God's Solution for Man's Unrighteousness God understood the problem of the unrighteousness of man right from the beginning of time. He had already worked out a solution, even before He created the heavens and the earth, in the beginning. 1 Peter: 1:20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 1 John 2:2 (NIV) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. Please note, that Jesus Christ was foreordained from the foundation of the world, to die on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. God's Righteousness of Faith As we have seen, it is impossible for man to attain to the same perfect, sinless and holy Righteousness of God, through the observance of the Law. However, God has made it possible for all men to receive the free gift of His Righteousness through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1, 18 1 Therefore, having been justified (dikaioo) by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ 18 Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification (dikaiosis) of life. In these verses, the Greek word for justified is dikaioo, which is better translated as made righteous, and the Greek word for justification is dikaiosis, which is better translated as righteousness. There are two important conditions a person must meet to receive the free gift of God's Righteousness. These are repentance and faith. Genuine repentance and the saving faith to believe are both gifts from God, as natural sinful man is unable to generate within himself the necessary repentance and faith to receive salvation. The Righteousness of God must be revealed by God given faith. Romans 1:16-17 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it (in the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." The expression 'faith to faith' means the saving faith given by God and received by man. Apostle Paul grieved for his fellow countrymen, the Jews, who remained unsaved because they were unaware of the Righteousness of God. All people remain ignorant of God's Righteousness until it is revealed to them through God given faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. Man, in his fallen state, can only keep the Law of God legalistically, which makes him self-righteous, and not God Righteous. Apostle Paul was a Pharisee, and he understood the righteousness of the law only in its legalistic form, until God moved into his life and led him to salvation through the Damascus experience. Before this, Paul thought that he was righteous and blameless, but when he truly understood the free gift of God's Righteousness through repentance and faith in Christ's sacrifice, he says that his own self-righteousness was like rubbish. Philippians 3:8-9 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. Each person must go through his own 'Damascus Experience' by coming to genuine repentance of his unrighteousness and self-righteousness, and receive the free gift of God's Righteousness of Faith for salvation. How to Receive God's Righteousness of Faith How can we be confident that we have genuine God given faith to stand righteous before God for salvation? Let us understand what Jesus meant when He said that we need to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God. John 3:3 "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." How then can we be born again? It requires belief and our total identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through God given faith. Romans 6:5-6 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. It is extremely important to understand what Apostle Paul is saying in these verses. He says that we believers are united together in the likeness of the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul says that we should know that our 'old man' was once and forever crucified with Christ, and that sin is no longer our master. Let us understand what the term 'old man' means. Our 'old man' is our fallen, sinful, self-righteous human nature, which all of us are born into this world with, because of Adam's sin. The 'old man' must be crucified and destroyed before we can be born again. The power of the gospel is such that Jesus Christ died to take everybody's 'old man' with him when He was crucified on the cross. When Jesus was resurrected three days after He was crucified, 'our new man' was also resurrected with Him. This signifies the born again reality of becoming a true Christian. The faith to believe in order to be born again is the faith of Christ given to us as a free gift from God. Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. Please note that the saving faith is the gift of God and it is not of human origin. It is impossible for us to believe and identify ourselves with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through human faith. Philippians 3:9 (KJV) And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith In this verse, once again we see that the saving faith is the faith of Christ given to us as a gift from God, which makes us righteous before God. A true conversion to Christianity takes place when a person repents of his self-righteousness and unrighteousness, and by God given faith truly believes in his heart and confesses with his mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord of all and Saviour of all. Romans 10:9-13 (NIV) 9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The so-called sinner’s prayer, which many preachers require unbelievers to pray for their salvation, is not sufficient without acknowledging that Jesus Christ is not only the Lord and Saviour of oneself, but that He is also the Lord and Saviour of all. 1 Timothy 4:9-11 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. 10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach. When a person believes and accepts what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross for him and for the whole world, a powerful and wonderful transformation takes place in the person's life through the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is transformed from darkness into light, from being blind to seeing, from captivity to freedom and from a child of Satan to a child of God. He receives a blessed assurance of the Holy Spirit that all of his sins, past, present and future, are forgiven, and that he stands totally righteous before God with God's Righteousness, even though he still battles with the temptations of the flesh. Galatians 2:20 (KJV) I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. In this verse, Apostle Paul totally identifies himself with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through God given faith. Paul says that he (his old sinful man) was crucified with Christ, nevertheless he (his new sinless man) lives, which is 'Christ in him'. A born again Christian has the resurrected life of Jesus Christ in him, and he remains totally righteous before God because God has become his Righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. The Fruits of God's Righteousness Once having been made righteous by God given faith in Jesus Christ, God expects us to produce the fruits of Righteousness. We must understand the important difference between the Righteousness of God, which we have by faith, and the fruits of God's Righteousness, which comes through our Christian living. The gift of the Righteousness of God is what Jesus Christ earned for us on the cross, whereas the fruits of God's Righteousness are the result of the outworking of the Holy Spirit throughout the life of a true believer. Galatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Every aspect of our salvation is a gift from God. Repentance and faith are gifts from God. The Righteousness of God is a gift from God. The Holy Spirit, which helps believers to produce the fruits of Righteousness, is a gift from God. (1 Timothy 1:6-7) The fruits of Righteousness themselves are gifts from God. Our salvation is one hundred percent the work of God from start to finish, and man is not in a position to boast about any aspect of his salvation. All the glory goes to God. A true believer has become a good tree, and a good tree cannot produce bad fruit. However, this does not mean that a believer does not sin or cannot sin. A true believer does not want to sin in his spirit, but his flesh is still subject to temptation and sin. The power of the Gospel is such that when the believer sins, his sins are not counted against him, and he does not come under judgement or condemnation. (Matthew 17:17-18, Romans 8:1) A true believer has the covering of God’s Righteousness through God given faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is looking forward to enter the coming Kingdom of God in his new, immortal, resurrected, glorious body as the Bride of Christ, at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In the meantime, the focus of the believer is to be filled with the fruits of God’s Righteousness to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Conclusion Jesus Christ instructed His followers to seek the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and to pray for the Kingdom of God to come on this earth for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus Christ will return to earth to establish His Millennial Kingdom, which will last for a thousand years. At the end of God's Plan of the Ages to reconcile all things, Jesus Christ will establish and deliver the Eternal Kingdom of the New Heaven and the New Earth to God the Father. Only righteous people can and will enter the Kingdom of God in their resurrected immortal bodies. God's Plan for ALL is to make all people righteous through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, who died for the sins of the whole world. God will make known and declare openly His Salvation and His Righteousness in the sight of all peoples, to all nations and to all the ends of the earth. Psalm 98:1-3 1 Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. 2 The LORD has made known His salvation; His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. The Right Hand of God, referred in the scripture above, is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, who has gained the victory for all. He will be called ‘The Lord our Righteousness’ by all peoples. Jeremiah 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. We welcome your input. Please CONTACT US if you would like to make any comments on this or any other chapter in our on-line book, 'God's Plan for All'     Copyright © 2005 All rights reserved GOD'S PLAN FOR ALL