Kingdom Disciples

There is “ now no condemnation ” of anyone “ in Christ Jesus .” This happy condition exists because the “ law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death .” In  Romans , the Apostle Paul links our salvation to the inheritance of Christ and the coming redemption of our bodies and creation itself.

Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to his people, empowering them to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to the Nations of the Earth . The Messiah is identified in the  Second Psalm  as the Messianic King destined to reign over the Nations of the Earth. In the New Testament, he is anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, equipping him to proclaim the “ Kingdom of God ” to Israel. He gave his disciples the Gift of the Spirit enabling them to announce his message and sovereignty to all nations.

Under the guidance of the Spirit, Stephen gives eloquent and effective testimony before the priestly leaders of Israel . The young church experienced conflicts between its Greek and Aramaic-speaking members. The Apostles instructed the community to select seven men “ full of the Spirit and wisdom ” to take charge of the matter. One of the seven was Stephen, and the  Book of Acts  describes him as “ full of faith and the Spirit .”

The covenant with Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus, the Patriarch’s Seed and Heir, including the possession of the Earth – Romans 8:1-23. The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great exemplar of the faith, the model for believers to emulate as they live from the “ faith of Jesus .”

The Book of Revelation informs the reader from the start that it communicates visually and symbolically . Must prophecy be interpreted only or primarily in the most “literal” fashion possible unless a passage specifically indicates otherwise? Often in our minds, there is an unstated assumption that literal language is more reliable than nonliteral language, an idea that becomes especially problematic when interpreting the visions of  Revelation .

The Gift of the Spirit is the First Fruits of the bodily resurrection and the Guarantee of our participation in the coming New Creation . The Apostle Paul presents Abraham as the great model of faith. God counted his faith as “ righteousness ” when he was uncircumcised, which means that God justified the Patriarch apart from the “ works of the Law .” Thus, he became the father of all men who are also “ from faith .” Circumcision was added after the promise as the confirmation of Abraham’s justifying faith.