Emile, I appreciate all the work you put into your reply. I don't want you to feel offended, but I re-read your posts twice and am missing the scriptural foundation for your argument. It is well known that the multitude of Hebrew laws were fulfilled in the Christ and that the Mosaic Covenant was done away with. God never intended to have the children of Abraham exclusively as his servants. The Mosaic Covenant, as Paul shows clearly identified the need for a Messiah. But how can you surmise that having the laws written on your heart means that the Kingsdom is limited to a condition of the heart. There is no basis for this.
The Hebrews had a multitude of laws that where burdensome to them and pointed to the need for a perfect, propitiatory sacrifice. When Jesus was sacrificed, as prophesied, then all sacrificing ceased to be necessary for Jesus died once for all mankind (not just the Hebrews anymore). Jesus' death also fulfilled the law, not contradicted it, thus the old system of laws were no longer applicable. So the question is, what were christians to abide by since the Mosaic laws were fulfilled?
'The Law of the Christ that was written upon their hearts.' What was the Law of the Christ? It was the principles and laws that he taught us by his earthly course of life, his example. We as Christ's followers can only have the Law of the Christ written on our hearts if we become foot step followers of him. Jesus himself taught us that the two greatest laws where to love God and to love your neighbor, 'and these two guidelines are what the entire law hangs upon.'
But I ask you: How can you conjecture that this means that the Kingdom is just a condition of the heart? That would contradict the basic theme of the Bible as well as the real tangible benefits that are to be realized by this Kingdom. How about all the prophecies in the Bible that point to the actions that Jesus as King of this Kingdom will perform during the Lord's Day? Not to go into too much detail but please read Daniel 2:44 and Ps 2:8,9. Are these the actions of a mere condition in the heart? No, they are the actions of a powerful King with his armies that conquers the world from all the ungodly nations of men.
Emile, the fact that Christians do have to obey the law of the Christ and have it written on their hearts reveals that a real Kingdom exists. All citizens of God's Kingdom need to obey the law of the Christ which is written upon their hearts. The scriptures tell us that the heart is the seat of motivation, so having the law of the Christ written in our hearts means that our actions will reflect that we are servants of the King, Christ Jesus. This qualifies us to be subjects of this theocratic government.
Emile, please look deep into the teaching of the Kingdom being a mere condition of the heart for what it is. It is a veil intended to conceal the fact that Christ now rules in the heavens. 'Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' What is God's will for the earth? To be cleaned of Satan and his dupes. How will this be done? By means of God's Kingdom.
As it is obvious by other posts on this thread, this topic has been discussed before and has led to hard feelings and cruel words. I hope that that does not happen.
Best Regards,
Jack Z. |
