Entering the Kingdom of God

 

Presumptuous as it may sound and seem, not only may one enter into the Kingdom of God, God is zealous to have us do so.  But, first, a definition—what is the “Kingdom of God”?

The Kingdom of God has many aspects.  Jesus spoke a comprehensive word about the kingdom when answering two of John the Baptist's disciples when John was wavering in his belief in Jesus.  Jesus told them, "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard:  that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of me" (John 7:22,23).   Yet another aspect of the kingdom of God is its being invisible and perhaps the concluding aspect of the kingdom of God is visible when ushered in by the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ.  Beyond this there is only one concise definition of the "kingdom of God" in the New Testament and the Apostle Paul gave it:  "for the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

For now one can simply say the “Kingdom of God” is where one “walks with God”. After Adam and Eve had sinned, “they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God” (Genesis 3:8); because they were no longer walking with Him.

Later it was said of Enoch that he “walked with God: and was not for God took him” (Genesis 5:24).  Now don’t be put off by this idea because Enoch and Elijah are the only two human beings who have been distinguished in this way.  The point is Enoch, in his humanity, walked with God.

Let’s go from Genesis, the first book of the Bible to Revelation, the last book where John says, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell (might we say, ‘walk’?) with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 3:8).  Here we have portrayed the relationship God initially had with Adam and Eve and now has with all His redeemed children.

A next question rightly asked is, “How does one enter the kingdom of God?”  The Apostle Paul linked “Jesus” and the Kingdom of God together in Acts 28:23.  Perhaps the simplest reason for this is that apart from Jesus Christ, there is no other way to enter into the Kingdom of God.  This same subject came up in a notable conversation between Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and Jesus.  Here Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” and added, “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3,5).  This passage is saying that a spiritual re-birth is necessary.

To experience such a re-birth one cannot do it alone.  Also, some facts about our situation must be acknowledged; like our sinfulness.  In establishing this the Apostle Paul in Romans, Chapter 3, actually quotes from the Old Testament:  “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God.  They have all gone out of the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one” (verses 10,12).  Then Paul sums up the human situation in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.

In Romans 6:23 Paul points out that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.  The “death” here spoken of is of two sorts:  (1) no fellowship with God now in this life and (2) no fellowship with God for eternity—spoken of as the “2^nd death”.  So to enter into the “Kingdom of God” now is a “win—win” situation.

Once a person is convinced, “Yes, I have a sin problem—what should he/she do?”  Here’s what the Apostle Peter said in response to the same question, “Repent (turn away from and be sorry for your sins), and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Jesus figures so prominently in this discussion because He is the One, through His death and resurrection, who paid the price for our sins—and a price had to be paid.  One of the rules of life is “without the shedding of blood there is no remission (of sin)” (Hebrews 9:23b).  God set the rules.  If one wants to walk with God, it must be according to His rules.  The saving fact is that “God’s rules” are not burdensome, they lead to life—now and eternally.

The next step in this process, after having repented is to “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation” (Romans 10:9,10).

If you have questions about this process, or, need someone to pray with you to help “usher you into the kingdom of God” you may e-mail me: claudeandanita@gmail.com.