Kingdom Disciples

Membership in God’s people is determined by our submission to Jesus Christ, especially the Messiah who was revealed on the Cross, and nothing else! The forgiveness of our sins is obtained “ through the faith OF Jesus ,” not “ from the works of the Law .” His self-sacrificial death is the all-sufficient basis of our acquittal of sin’s guilt before God.

The epistle to the Galatians opens with a stern warning. What some believers contemplated doing would replace the true Gospel with something quite alien to the Apostolic message. To turn from the “ faith of Jesus Christ ” to the “ works of the law ” for justification meant abandoning the grace of God and rejecting the message preached by Paul, which is why he summoned God to “ curse ” any man, even “ an angel from Heaven ,” who preached “ another gospel .”

In Galatians , the Apostle Paul compares the Mosaic Law to a “ pedagogue ” in its supervision of Israel “ until the seed came .” That “ Seed ” was Jesus. In Greco-Roman society, the “pedagogue” was usually a slave with custodial and disciplinary authority over an underage child until he reached maturity. The minority status of the child and the authority of the custodian over him were both temporary.

Dans le premier chapitre de Matthieu , un ange a informé Joseph que l'enfant porté par Marie était “ engendré du Saint-Esprit ”, et il lui a demandé de nommer l'enfant “ Jésus ” - “ Appelez son nom Jésus, CAR IL SAUVERA SON PEUPLE DE LEURS PÉCHÉS .” Ce nom indiquait l'acte salvifique de Dieu pour Son peuple qu'Il était sur le point de révéler. Au Nazaréen, le salut promis à Israël et aux nations était arrivé. “ Bonne nouvelle ” en effet!

Jesus arrived in Galilee proclaiming the “ Kingdom of God ” – “ Repent, for the kingdom is at hand .” In his ministry, the reign of God was invading the Earth, but his realm was of a different nature than the governments and ideologies of this fallen world, and on more than one occasion, Jesus refused political power, especially when it was offered by Satan.

After defeating Satan, Jesus began proclaiming the “Good News” of the Kingdom in Galilee – “ The season is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel .” The term “Kingdom of God” is a summary statement that meant different things to different people, but the man from Nazareth identified his mission with the glorious “ Son of Man ” figure described in the Book of Daniel .