Kingdom Disciples

For the disciple of Jesus, retaliation and violence are NOT appropriate reactions when persecution occurs. Rather than respond in kind, they must meet threats and violence with humility, mercy, and forgiveness, which is part of what it means to “ deny yourself, take up his cross ” and follow him wherever he leads. Praying and doing good for one’s “ enemies ” is contrary to the “ wisdom of this age ,” yet doing so is how the disciple emulates the Crucified One and begins to become “ perfect ” like his Father in Heaven.

In the opening thanksgiving of his Letter to the Philippians , Paul prepares his readers for one of its key themes: Going on to perfection in Jesus . The bodily resurrection of the believer is necessary for the consummation of this process, and its goal. It is an integral part of the salvation that believers will receive when Jesus appears, and a glorious hope as the past resurrection of Jesus demonstrates.

Was the Apostle Paul serious when he wrote that church elders must be above reproach? The public exposure of gross sin among church leaders today has become all too common, and often we discover that their more egregious faults began even before they entered the ministry. Even worse are the committees that select men for the ministry despite knowing about their proclivities.

Central to the apostolic doctrine of salvation is the promise of REDEMPTION . God will not abandon what He has created. Both the term and the concept of “redemption” mean the recovery of that which was lost, in this case, the creation itself that has been enslaved by sin and condemned to decay and death, especially humanity. In God’s redemptive plan, the end state of redeemed things and persons will be vastly superior even to their original created state, and this is epitomized in the promise of bodily resurrection.

The Gospel of Matthew identifies Jesus of Nazareth as the “ Son of David .” In his ministry, he demonstrated what it means to be the King of Israel and the royal “ Son of God .” Traditionally, the latter designation is linked to the House of David. However, in Matthew, the old understanding of what it meant to be the Messiah is altered radically. The Greater “ Son of David ” is far more than the Ruler of Israel and the nations. He was and is a King of a very different kind.