Sermon Tone Analysis

FOUNDATIONAL FRAMEWORK.

PART 53

Foundational Truths: The Bible is God’s self-revelation.

God is the Eternal, Sovereign Creator; all that He creates is good.

Man is a responsible agent, held to a moral standard.

Sin originates within a person, separating us from God.

God declares one righteous by faith alone, apart from works.

The glory of God is the centerpiece and goal of all existence.

God’s glory is maximally realized in the promised, coming Kingdom.

The “word of the kingdom” () has become a matter of great confusion.

As with any subject of Scripture, the flaws are always found in the hermeneutical method being used to interpret various passages.

We know, and have confidence, that the text of Scripture is completely free of error (; ), so our only other conclusion about the confusion that has ensued is that it is due to a user error.

Therefore, there are three areas that must receive our attention so that we can proceed with a biblical understanding of Jesus’ teaching in the parables of .

They are:

The Contemporary Understanding of the Kingdom

The Nature of the Kingdom in the Gospels

The Nature of the Kingdom in the Church Age

While these considerations are not exhaustive, they should help to clear up some of the confusion that often surrounds the subject of the kingdom.

The Contemporary Understanding of the Kingdom

If you have your ear to the ground in contemporary evangelicalism you will undoubtedly hear ramblings about the “kingdom.”

Here are some examples.

“To spread the kingdom of God is more than simply winning people to Christ.

It is also working for the healing of persons, families, relationships, and nations; it is doing deeds of mercy and seeking justice.

It is ordering lives and relationships and institutions and communities according to God’s authority to bring in the blessedness of the kingdom.”[1]

(emphasis added)

Notice that Keller advocates that a “Godward” direction for all institutions will eventually “bring in” the kingdom.

This is traditionally known as postmillennialism which strives for the Christianization of the world as a precursor for the return of Christ.

“He selected 12 and trained them in a new way of life.

He sent them to teach everyone this way of life.

Some would believe and become practitioners and teachers of this new way of life, too.

Even if only a few would practice this new way, many would benefit.

Oppressed people would be free.

Poor people would be liberated from poverty.

Minorities would be treated with respect.

Sinners would be loved, not resented.

Industrialists would realize that God cares for sparrows and wildflowers- so their industries should respect, not rape, the environment.

The homeless would be invited in for a hot meal.

The kingdom of God would come- not everywhere at once, not suddenly, but gradually, like a seed growing in a field, like yeast spreading in a lump of bread dough, like light spreading across the sky at dawn.”[2]

McLaren sees Jesus’ kingdom as a “way of life” that should be instituted in the here and now.

The final sentence of this quote demonstrates his misuse of Scripture, especially when compared to and .

The next quote summarizes the teachings of what is known as “Progressive Dispensationalism,” which blurs the biblical distinctions between the Church and the nation of Israel.

“Progressive dispensationalists believe the kingdom was present when Christ ministered on earth but His reign was not initiated until His ascension.

At that time He took His seat on the throne of David.

Thus the kingdom has been inaugurated but will only come in its fullness in the millennium and eternity.

The terms ‘already… not yet’ punctuate their discussion.”[3]

The first red flag that should grab our attention is the idea that Jesus is currently seated on the throne of David.

At no time is David’s throne ever equated with the “right hand of the Father” in Scripture (; ; ; ; ; ; , , ; ; , ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ).

This, plus the notion that the kingdom is “already, but not yet” dilutes the clear teachings of Scripture.

This is also the perspective of David Platt.

“There’s a sense in which the kingdom of heaven is a present reality: The King is here, and His kingdom is advancing.

That’s what we’ve been reading in Matthew—God’s rule and reign over disease and disasters and death is being asserted redemptively through Christ… there’s also a sense in which the kingdom of heaven is still a future realization… The redemptive reign of God in Christ is infiltrating the world now, but His kingdom will not be consummated until later, when Jesus returns.

We are, in a sense, living between the times.”[4]

With this quote, Platt promotes, the “already-not yet” concept of the kingdom.

He goes on to explain the Parable of the Sower, writing “That message is the message of salvation—the good news of the kingdom—that God will save and redeem sinners through Christ.”[5]

This is common today, equating the “word of the kingdom” with “the Gospel of God’s Grace,” which ultimately has served to promote the idea of “works-salvation” throughout the Church.

This error of mixing the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of God’s grace has caused a redefinition of “faith,” attributing works as the result of trusting in Christ.

It also goes one step further in concluding that the one who doesn’t have sufficient works (which seems to be according to the determination of the person making such a comment) is one who was either never truly saved, or has somehow forfeited their salvation.

Such conclusions have resulted from not keeping these distinctions clear and reading meanings into the text that are not there.

Each example provided shows a reinterpretation of what Matthew, and the Old Testament, understood as the “kingdom.”

Each fails to consider the context and neglects a consistent handling of the text.

Some of this stems from a mishandling of the Gospels.

The Nature of the Kingdom in the Gospels

Context determines the meaning of a word or text.

This is a vital principle that we cannot afford to neglect!

In regards to understanding the “kingdom,” many have understood verses in the gospels to be referring to the message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone rather than referring to the kingdom.

Some will go as far as to redefine the “kingdom” as a synonym for “salvation/justification.”

Again, this loads the gospel of grace with works.

.

We can see at least three major indicators that this passage is not speaking of the Gospel of God’s Grace.

First, we are told that it is the “gospel of God” (v.14), which serves as the general heading for the details that follow.

The second issue involves those details.

Verse 15 records Jesus stating that “the time is fulfilled.”

Obviously there is a culmination taking place.

There is a conclusion of something on the horizon.

Next, we have a clear statement: “the kingdom of God is at hand,” with “is at hand” also being literally rendered as “has come near.”

This message is perfectly in sync with what we find in and 4:17.

We also have the call for repentance in , which is consistent with Jesus and John’s messages at the beginning of their ministries.

Yet, the phrase “believe the gospel” has been reinterpreted to mean “Repent, and put your faith in Jesus for salvation from Hell.” Cole demonstrates this as he writes, “To believe the good news is to believe in Jesus.

To believe in Jesus is to follow him, so he called his first disciples, as he still calls us today.”[6]

Not only has he equated the kingdom with “going to heaven when you die,” but he has also redefined “faith” to mean “follow” Jesus.

However, the idea of “follow” is never associated with the word “faith” or “believe.”[7]

Some commentators have considered the “kingdom” in v.15 as referring to a kingdom rather than “salvation,” but make a critical mistake that strays from the clear Old Testament understanding.

Brooks writes, “In Mark it refers to a present, spiritual kingdom rather than a future, earthly one.

Therefore the expression refers to the kingly rule, the reign, the dominion, the sovereignty of God in the hearts of people.”[8]

Again, this interpretation is not in keeping with the Old Testament Jewish understanding of the kingdom.

.

In this passage we find the interpretation of the Parable of the Sower, but with slight variation.

Error has persisted in not understanding this parable in the light of Matthew’s Gospel, but also due to a failure to consider the immediate context.

For instance, in 8:10 we have a brief explanation given to the disciples about the privileged position that they have in knowing “the mysteries of the kingdom of God.”

Therefore, the subject matter is no different than that of Matthew in regards to this parable.

So why are there misunderstandings about this parable in Luke?

The understanding that “the seed is the word of God” (v.11b) might take one’s mind to the sharing of the Gospel of God’s Grace.

Difficulty arises when the words “believe” and “saved” come across the path of the interpreter because of the 21st century tendency to understand these words ONLY in relation to “going to heaven when we die.”

For example, in commenting on the 2nd and 3rd soils (8:13-14), Liefeld writes, “The superficial reception given the word may be compared to those who ‘believed’ Jesus (), only to be called children of the devil ().

Obviously they did not go on to true liberating faith.”[9]

The problem with this comment is two-fold.

First, it does not address the fact that the “word of the kingdom” is in view, opting instead to consider this a “salvation” passage.

Second, the commentator tries to qualify faith as having varying degrees.

This is not found in the Bible.

To have “faith” is to be convinced or persuaded of something ().

We could also say that it is “trust” and is synonymous with “believing.”

However, there is not a distinction such as “superficial faith” and “liberating faith.”