The Kingdom and the Spirit
Fourth, the kingdom of God in its present dimension stands in juxtaposition to the kingdom of darkness, and presents a challenge to the powers of this age. The Christian, as one who has crossed over into the kingdom of God (Col. 1:13), has become engaged in the conflict between the kingdoms (Eph. 6:10 ff.). Paul states clearly that the one engaged in such a conflict cannot rely upon his own weak ken or ability but rather must trust in the power of God (2 Cor. 10:3,4). Without the power of the kingdom, the Spirit of God, there can be no victory in this conflict. As the church pushes forward in obedience to the Great Commission, there is Satanic opposition (e.g. Acts 13:6-12). As the church seeks to establish kingdom values in the lives of men there is Satanic temptation and resistance (e.g. Acts 5:1-11). On these fronts the church cannot afford to minimize the effective power of the kingdom, the Spirit of God.
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Notes
1 All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible.
2 Johannes Weiss, Jesus’ Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1971); Albert Schweitzer, The Quest for the Historical Jesus (London: Adam & Charles Black, 1911).
3 C. H. Dodd, The Parables of the Kingdom (London: Nisber, 1935); T. W. Manson, The Teaching of Jesus (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1945).
4 George Eldon Ladd, Jesus and the Kingdom (Grand Rapids: Wm. B Eerdmans, 1964); Oscar Cullman, Christ and Time (London: SCM Press, 1951).
5 This translation of entos humon is to be preferred over “within you” (KJV). See I. H. Marshall, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1978), p. 655.
6 This is a clear example of the pesher form of exegesis which assumes the fulfillment of prophetic hopes. See Richard Longenecker, Biblical Exegesis in the Apostolic Period (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1975).
7 Perhaps the clearest exponent of this reality is George Eldon Ladd, op. cit.
8 Cf. Lk. 11:23, where that evangelist translates Jesus’ thought with the expression “the finger of God.” In the Old Testament the “hand of God” and “Spirit of God” meant essentially the same thing (I Chr. 28:12, 19; Ezek. 8:3).
9 On the Jewish expectation of the kingdom of God see Sigmund Mowinckel, He That Cometh, trans. by G. W. Anderson (New York, Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1956).
10 James D. G. Dunn, Jesus and the Spirit (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975), p. 311.
11 George Eldon Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans 1974) p.47 ff.
12 Dunn, op. cit., p. 47.
13 Ibid., p.49.
“The Kingdom and the Spirit” originally appeared in Issue 3 (Summer 1986) of Basileia: A Journal of Theology for Worshipping Churches published by Christian Life College in Mt. Prospect, Ill. Used by permission.
Category: Spirit, Spring 1999
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