Fun facts to know and tell
A quick search in BibleWorks (Using NASB 1995 as the search version) yields the following data:
Kingdom: Occurs 160 times in NT (125 in the Gospels; 8 in Acts; 27 Romans-Revelation)
Church: Occurs 77 times in NT (3 in Gospels; 17 in Acts; 57 Romans-Revelation)
This is hardly an exegetical study, but it does yield some interesting info. The word "kingdom" occurs twice as many times as the word church. What's that mean? I don't know. It's just interesting. Yes, a few of the instances of kingdom don't refer to the Kingdom of God (I count at least 3 times in Rev. alone). Kingdom is found preponderantly in the Gospels, yet is not unknown in the rest of the NT.
This doesn't mean that kingdom is necessarily talked about more (or less) than church. It just means these two words occur with the stated frequency. My point (if I have one) is that these stats alone should compel us to talk more about the kingdom than we do. It's like it's a non-issue except when we talk about eschatology (and we know how often that creeps into our daily conversation). It doesn't seem to come up very often when we talk about evangelism, for example.
But note: Philip preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Act 8:12).
Paul went about preaching the Kingdom (Acts 20:25; 28:31), and talks about his fellow workers for the kingdom (Col 4:11).
Oh, and let's not forget Jesus: Seek first the KINGDOM of God (Mat 6:33), but, alas, He also said that His kingdom was not of this world" (John 18:36). Does that mean it's only "spiritual" and we don't need to worry about it anymore?
I continue confused and with my dudas. But I think the kingdom deserves a little bit more of our attention.
Kingdom: Occurs 160 times in NT (125 in the Gospels; 8 in Acts; 27 Romans-Revelation)
Church: Occurs 77 times in NT (3 in Gospels; 17 in Acts; 57 Romans-Revelation)
This is hardly an exegetical study, but it does yield some interesting info. The word "kingdom" occurs twice as many times as the word church. What's that mean? I don't know. It's just interesting. Yes, a few of the instances of kingdom don't refer to the Kingdom of God (I count at least 3 times in Rev. alone). Kingdom is found preponderantly in the Gospels, yet is not unknown in the rest of the NT.
This doesn't mean that kingdom is necessarily talked about more (or less) than church. It just means these two words occur with the stated frequency. My point (if I have one) is that these stats alone should compel us to talk more about the kingdom than we do. It's like it's a non-issue except when we talk about eschatology (and we know how often that creeps into our daily conversation). It doesn't seem to come up very often when we talk about evangelism, for example.
But note: Philip preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Act 8:12).
Paul went about preaching the Kingdom (Acts 20:25; 28:31), and talks about his fellow workers for the kingdom (Col 4:11).
Oh, and let's not forget Jesus: Seek first the KINGDOM of God (Mat 6:33), but, alas, He also said that His kingdom was not of this world" (John 18:36). Does that mean it's only "spiritual" and we don't need to worry about it anymore?
I continue confused and with my dudas. But I think the kingdom deserves a little bit more of our attention.
posted by Gary McDuda at 10:03 PM
5 Comments:
Well done, DeerDude. Somehow being the kingdom isn't as disconcerting as establishing the kingdom.
Great passage RP!
When I first looked at this passage, I noticed that "what sort of" (potapós) was an "interrogative reference to class or kind, of what sort or kind(?)" [BDAG], but a search on the lemma revealed:
Mat 8:27 (interrogatory)
Mar 13:1 (exclamation: "what wonderful stones!")
Luk 1:29 (interrogatory)
Luk 7:39 (I suppose interrogatory..."He would know who and what sort of person this woman is..."
1 John 3:1 (exclamation).
Then I noticed that BDAG notes that "somet. the context calls for the sense how great, how wonderful"
But really, after all that, I'm not sure it really matters. If it's a question...it's clearly (to me!:)) a rhetorical one (ala NIV) or a statement (ala NASB 95), the sense is clearly hortatory. So, yeah, you're right! (Sheesh, why couldn't I have just said so in the first place?)
Again, I think your question of what constitutes "holy conduct and godliness" is exactly the issue at hand. What does it mean to be a disciple. Or in other words "How should we then live?"
Btw, it really annoys me when someone asks more questions that I do!
Your questions in the 4th paragraph are where the rub is for me. As dispensationalists (whatever that is) I think we tend to say "put NO emphasis on the temporal institutions" or, if we don't SAY that, we live like that.
And that is where we get hammered by theologians from the non-western world (3rd World, 2/3 world, whatever you want to call it). They criticize us because we aren't addressing the ills that much of the world lives in (poverty, hunger, slavery, illness, etc.). We just say, well, sometime it will be better. But we talk from a bed of ease. Easy for us to say that.
I still think our basic theology is correct regarding the coming kingdom and when justice finally comes, new earth and new heavens stuff. But we are somehow have to learn to realize that not everyone lives a comfortable western lifestyle.
That is my struggle? What DOES it mean to live a life of holy conduct and godliness?
How do we fit social justice into our agenda? Or maybe make it our agenda?
I've got to learn to make shorter posts. But this is why I don't blog well, I can't! :)
Not being much of a scholar, I probably should hesitate to add much here. But I will say that the kingdom idea seems so important...and it resonates with me a lot. There's a lot I don't know. At the same time it seems to be already here and yet still coming some day... But though Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world, he also says that it is within (or among) us (Luke 17:20-21). I like what Nate always says. Make it simple: A kingdom is a place where there is a king who rules. So we're supposed to die to our life in the kingdom of Satan and be born into our life in a new kingdom, learn a whole new culture (as described in Matthew 5-7), and help others do the same. In that way, the kingdom of God grows.
Welcome Deb!
I think that's a good perspective. I'm going to take another look at the Sermon on the Mount and see what clues there are there to help me in my quest!
Thanks for joining the fun!
Natalie!
No problem on posting on an old entry!
My confusion confused you, huh? I must be doing something right then!
You said "So then what's the Kingdom of God? Well when I most see it referred to in the Bible I see many references to relieving the sufferings of the poor and oppressed around the world." There in lies the rub.
Are we to go about trying to make this world a better place (even though it is destined for destruction?) or just preach "the gospel"?
With our view of the millennium, we have a hard time figuring out how to do both.
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