Kingdom of Heaven

‘If ye then be risen with Christ…’Col 3:1
In one of my previous posts I had defined a new birth as changing the world-view by accepting Jesus Christ. It is a work done in faith and completed by Grace that has appeared with the advent of Christ.(Jn 1:16-17). Jesus described it as ‘an yoke that is easy.’(Mt 11:30
What would salvation in practice mean to us? God has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son (Col 1:13) This kingdom is of a different standard than kingdoms of the earth. St. John the divine qualifies them as Children of the Devil(1 Jn 3: 10), Children of disobedience (Col 3: 6).
God so loved the world that He sent his dear Son to redeem those who were sinners. Sinners are those whose appetites and works are totally wrapped up in themselves. They are the children of the kingdom. (Mt 8:12). One sign of those who belong to this kingdom is given in the verse:‘…love thy neighbor and hate thy enemy.’ (Mt:5: 43).The ministry of Jesus was to translate these children from the ways of the world. Thus Jesus said,‘ Love your enemies, bless them that curse you… that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven;’ Thus all those who have accepted Jesus as their savior are added to that kingdom where they are made righteous.(1 Jn 3:9) We bear his seed which is the Word. Secondary meaning of the seed ought to indicate that we are still far from being perfected. ‘…every good tree bringeth forth good fruit…’
‘All scripture is …profitable for doctrine,..for correction, for instruction in righteousness.(2 Ti 3:16) We, having put on the new man, are renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created us (Col 3:10)Through his word we are instructed in the way we should go and Jesus Christ has emphatically said, ‘ Not every one that saith … Lord, Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.(Mt7:21)’
Even while we are in our corrupt bodies we have been set down spiritually in heavenly places. The epistle unto the Ephesians makes it very clear that we have been sealed until the redemption of our bodies (Ep:1:13) and we have an inheritance. We are waiting for His promises to be completely fulfilled(Ep 1:9-11). If it were not so our Lord’s Prayer wouldn’t have included the line: ‘Thy kingdom come.’ If we are groaning in our spirits for it, any amassing of wealth or prosperity that children of this world seek with total focus wouldn’t mean so much to us. We as children of God need to hold a mature view of what is needful for our creature comforts. ‘ Give us this day our daily bread’ is our prayer and it is indeed in his will.
If we cannot witness while on earth effectively who we are and of our inheritance, we are like salt that has lost its saltiness.
benny

God The Son

Soul like a mirror shows us Truth by which Jesus serves every Christian as a symbol.
Soul says ‘amen’ to Truth however weak and ill-equipped we are (may be because of circumstances and natural inclination) to resist temptation.
A New Birth is an example pure and simple. We hold Jesus as a symbol and as an example. It is in so many ways an unlearning process where we learn weakness as a kind of strength and love more enduring that hatred. ‘ Practice maketh perfect’, so goes the old saw. It is here the example of Jesus becomes much more defined. Jesus for us has become by faith the Redeemer. As babes in Christ we grow mature when we learn to depend on his life for guidance. What is that we hope to achieve? Love shown while in his body is all-sufficient to overcome the world. Jesus learned obedience by the things he suffered (Heb 5:8). In his life He reconciled Truth and love. Thereby he has become a Representational Man for all.
benny