TENET LESSON 15

Kingdom Living

The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by a trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come, and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.

All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the widowed, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends, Christians should be ready to work with all men of goodwill in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.

It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness.

Isaiah 2:4; Matthew 5:9,38-48; 6:33; 26:52; Luke 22:36,38; Romans 12:18-19; 13:1-7; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; James 4:1-2

When people hear about the Kingdom of God, we often spend time thinking about what that will be like for us. The Bible does give us some descriptions about what that will be like and it does sound wonderful and something to look forward to.

The reality is that the Kingdom of God is not just a future Kingdom but should be a current reality in the part of our lives. Currently, the focus should be on how we live as part of this Kingdom. As members of a Kingdom, you have responsibilities as well as rights.

First of all, you become a member of the Kingdom of God not on your own merits. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you become a member of the Kingdom of God based on His merits. It is a gift that comes with responsibilities. One of those is to live in such a way that others will want to become a part of this Kingdom.

1 Corinthians 7:23 states that we were bought with a price and are bondservants. As bondservants, we should joyfully comply with the requests of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Despite popular opinion, the Bible contains many positive things that we should be doing not just a few things to avoid doing. Here are a few things that God asked us to do:

James 1:27-visit orphans and widows in their affliction.

Matthew 28:19-we are commanded to make disciples.

2 Timothy 2:15-Do your best to be a good worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of God.

Matthew 5:16-Our good works should shine like a bright light.

2 Corinthians 5:18-We are to seek to make reconciliation.

Luke 14:12-14-We are to reach out to the poor and needy.

There are many other things listed in the Bible that Christians should be doing in order to demonstrate the Kingdom of God.

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