Disciples of the Kingdom

The equality of Jew and Gentile before God is a key theme throughout Romans – both stand or fall on the same basis   –   Romans 1:15-16 .  Paul wrote to the churches in Rome for two purposes: First, to prepare the ground for his planned visit to the city. Second, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. In the first half of the letter, he presents a detailed explanation of his gospel. In the last half, he deals with questions about the status of the Jewish people and the areas of conflict in the congregation - [ Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash ].

Jesus in the “son of David,” the heir to the Davidic throne, the beloved Son of God, and the “ruler of the kings of the earth.”  The  Book of Matthew  declares that Jesus is the “ son of David ,” but this is far more than an entry on his genealogical chart or one of his several messianic titles. In his gospel, Matthew demonstrates just what it means to be the “ son of David, the   Son of God .” Even the several individuals who call him “ Son of David ” hold deficient understandings of who and what he is - [ Narrow Path - Photo by Ante Hamersmit on Unsplash ].

In Jesus, the original and limited land promise to Abraham is transformed to encompass the entire creation – 2 Peter 3:10-14 .  In the Bible, foundational to redemption is the covenant with Abraham, including the promise of land for his descendants. Though originally confined to the small territory of Canaan, explicit in the promise was the inclusion of all nations, and the inheritance of the entire earth - (“ So shall be blessed in you all the clans of the earth ”) - [ Photo by Marc Schulte on Unsplash ].

OVERVIEW   -   Returning to the custodianship of the Law means rebuilding the wall between Jew and Gentile, but “you are all one in Christ”   –   Galatians 3:26-29 .  In  Galatians , Paul portrays the Mosaic Law as the “ custodian ” or “ pedagogue ” that supervised Israel “ until  the seed came ,” which is Christ. In Greco-Roman society, the “ pedagogue ” was a slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over underage children until they reached maturity, even though he was a slave - [ Photo by  Sandro Gonzalez  on Unsplash ].

OVERVIEW   -   According to the Book of Romans, the land promise to Abraham encompassed the entire world, not just the land of Canaan   –   Romans 4:13 .  God began His plan to redeem humanity, indeed, the entire creation, with His covenant with Abraham. It began with the summons for the Patriarch to leave his homeland for the “ land that I will show you .” Yahweh would make him into a “ great nation ,” and, in Abraham, He would “ bless all the clans of the earth .” From the start, the land promise was central to the covenant – ( Genesis 12:1-3 ). - [ Photo by Jack Stapleton on Unsplash ].