There's been a lot of talk about social justice recently within Evangelical Christian circles. Notably, a lot of this talk has come from people who are - or lean - to being Reformed, theologically speaking.
I think that's in large part a good thing. If we just look at the commands of our Lord, we see an intensity in his commands regarding taking care of peoples' physical needs. And these folks - the ones who are often touting the need for social action on the behalf of Christians - are often talking about it in the context of seeing people hear about and submit to Jesus.
That's good.
Here's the bad - social justice is often talked about as if it is part of how the Kingdom of God is expanding. It's not. The Kingdom is in no way physical now. Look here.
The Kingdom is the reign of Jesus as sovereign Lord of the universe. And he reigns in souls. That reign affects the outside world - but homeless shelters will be destroyed when Jesus comes back. So will soup kitchens. So will houses you've built for the poor.
Those things are good. And they are some effects of the Kingdom. But they are not the Kingdom.
Now... is this just semantic, theological nit-picking? No. Here's why. The poor, oppressed people that you help do not enter the Kingdom without hearing and believing the Gospel. They get judged by it. The don't enter the Kingdom of Heaven; they enter hell.
Taking care of the poor is good. It's the effects of the Kingdom. Or in normal language, it's merely obeying the King's laws. But the Kingdom is only expanded by Jesus' actions, through the Holy Spirit's activity in the preaching of the gospel, in the unseen souls of people.
And one day that faith will be SIGHT! And those of us in Christ will have what we wait for.
Look here.
It seems like people misunderstand the definition of "poor" in the bible, as seen in Colin's post earlier. I do wonder if poor does not mean only physically poor, where one struggles... but where one gives up their possessions to follow Christ and live with nothing- or at least close to - but Jesus.
ReplyDeleteHelping others such as the poor is wanted from God, as well is helping anyone for that matter. It does not save people from us helping others, we can only share the gospel with the hope that someone will accept God's gift of grace and salvation through Christ.
It does show our new transformed hearts when we do things for others less fortunate, but only God's message of the Gospel can save anyone - poor or rich.
You're definitely on to something. I mean, poor means poor - but often in Scripture being poor is equated with suffering for the sake of righteousness.
ReplyDeleteGood post.
ReplyDeleteToo often, social gospel, or helping others is used as a substitute for preaching God's law and gospel.
We should help the poor and needy, but that is NOT job#1.
Sharing the gospel of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ is job#1 of the Church.
Many churches have that backwards to their detriment and the detriment of others.
Thanks for the always needed reminder!
I think you swung and missed on this one. Gospel preaching and social outreach are both a part of the kingdom. When we do things like Jesus would want, the kingdom expands, whether that be in my church, my own life, my neighborhood, etc. People don't have to make decisions for Christ to expand the kingdom (although that would be one example). Like you said, the kingdom has to do with the reign of Christ. Whenever anything is done to more conform to the will of Christ the kingdom is expanding. As for the usual gospel/social gospel distinction, it is more about listening to what the Spirit is leading you to do in a given situation than picking one over the other.
ReplyDeleteFloraman -
ReplyDeleteWhere does Scripture ever talk about the Kingdom expanding? Is Christ reigning more if unregenerate people do just things out of rebellion against the King - who is reigning over them in such a way that they do those things?
The parable of the mustard seed comes to mind as one example among many. I never meant to imply that rebellious deeds were part of the kingdom work. I should have been more clear. I meant that Christians can do many acts of gracious service to/for the world as part of kingdom work. Gospel preaching is not the only way to give service to the King.
ReplyDeleteThe parable of the mustard seed doesn't focus on growth process. As a parable, it has two focal points - the beginning (which is invisible and through the preached word) and the end (which is very visible at the end of the age, and includes the nations. See the end of Hebrews 12, for instance.)
ReplyDeleteRebellious people are acting as the agents of the King, under the authority of the King, and being judged by the Kingdom. Christ is Sovereign, and as King, he judges.
The Bible doesn't talk about 'Kingdom work'. It does talk about gracious deeds as being the effect of Christ's Kingdom among people who have entered into his Kingdom.
These however, do not 'expand' the Kingdom - they are the effects of the Kingdom.
Well, I don't suppose we will agree but I'll try once more...
ReplyDeleteThe mustard seed parable contains more than just the Gentiles and visible/invisible ideas. It is very difficult to read the parable without seeing growth occurring. Perhaps you do not like the terms growth/expansion and want to call it something else, but it is pretty clear that the mustard plant getting bigger is one of the main points of the parable. Carson describes it as extensive growth (Matthew, p. 319). I'm not sure how your second paragraph deals with our topic, but I don't disagree. I would think all the mention of kingdom in the gospels would make "kingdom work" an appropriate phrase. The parable of the talents illustrates that Christ expects things of us. Whether you prefer another name than kingdom work I don't know, but there is clearly work to be done as people in Christ's kingdom. I would put anything that fulfills "thy kingdom come, thy will be done" in the category of kingdom work. I think it's hard to maintain the distinction that good works are just effects of the kingdom and not part of the kingdom itself, almost as if good works were an afterthought to Christ and not part of the reason he bought us in the first place. (Eph. 2:10)
Well, remember that not everything in parables is 1-to-1. So note that what Jesus was emphasizing was not the growth - but what it is when it has grown.
ReplyDelete"...the point is the organic unity of small beginning and mature end... he is saying that there is a basic connection between the small beginnings taking place under his ministry and the kingdom in its future glory..." (Carson, "Matthew," 318).
So to talk about growth is to not nail the point here.
The Kingdom does indeed have effect and bring transformation. But those things are not identical to the Kingdom.
So in other words, when someone trusts Christ, it is a result of Christ's Reign (Matthew 28:18; Rom. 1:4-5), and results in them being transferred into Christ's saving Reign (Col. 1:13). But that person's act of trusting is not identical to the Kingdom.
Social justice is the same. Though the reign of the Holy Spirit results in compassion being given - that compassionate action (a soup kitchen, a shelter, whatever it might be) is not the Kingdom, but an effect of it.
Again Carson, "To pray 'your kingdom come is therefore simultaneously to ask that God's saving, royal rule be extended now as people bow in submission to him and already taste the eschatological blessing of salvation and to cry for the consummation of the kingdom" (170).
My primary concern is to talk here about the Kingdom in the way that Scripture explicitly talks about it. The two dangers with the concept are to make the Kingdom more realized than it is (which ultimately ends up devaluing the Gospel and preaching) or to make it something that is only and all future - which does not honor Christ as sovereign.
I agree with your last post except:
ReplyDelete1. I still see growth in the parable of the mustard seed, which I will agree to disagree with you.
2. You talk about good works being the effects of the kingdom whereas I say good works are part of the kingdom. I think we mean either the same thing or close to the same thing. I don’t want to quibble over words.
Let me go back to the problem I had with your original post, in which you said:
“The Kingdom is the reign of Jesus as sovereign Lord of the universe. And he reigns in souls. That reign affects the outside world - but homeless shelters will be destroyed when Jesus comes back. So will soup kitchens. So will houses you've built for the poor…
Taking care of the poor is good. It's the effects of the Kingdom. Or in normal language, it's merely obeying the King's laws. But the Kingdom is only expanded by Jesus' actions, through the Holy Spirit's activity in the preaching of the gospel, in the unseen souls of people.”
In the second paragraph you talk about the Kingdom expanding. So unless you misspoke, you and I both agree that the Kingdom can and does expand.
The difference we have is that you limit that growth to Christ’s saving work. I say anything done in the name of Christ in the power of the Spirit expands the Kingdom. The problem with your view is that it makes it pointless to do anything other than evangelism. While this is good for pastors, missionaries, and evangelists, it makes all other Christians feel like second class citizens and basically says the work they do is at best worthless and at worst sin.
Surely there is a reason for the body of Christ, where people have different callings and gifts. While we all need to be ready to give an account for the hope in us (and to change what we are doing if God sends us somewhere else), but we all do not need to be doing evangelism 24/7. Consider the farmer. Your view makes his work pointless since all of it will be done away with in the new heaven and earth. However, if all farmers quit and started doing evangelism 24/7, I would die. Presumably, you would too, as well as most of the church and the world. There is a way to do farming (or most anything else) in Jesus’ name in the power of the Spirit in order to be a blessing to those around us. We can do our work, whatever our calling, for the Lord and hence be a part of expanding the Kingdom. See Revelation 22:24 for an example of good works that carry on into the new earth and are not simply destroyed because they do not involve evangelism.
[Part 2]
ReplyDeleteThe difference we have is that you limit that growth to Christ’s saving work. I say anything done in the name of Christ in the power of the Spirit expands the Kingdom. The problem with your view is that it makes it pointless to do anything other than evangelism. While this is good for pastors, missionaries, and evangelists, it makes all other Christians feel like second class citizens and basically says the work they do is at best worthless and at worst sin.
Surely there is a reason for the body of Christ, where people have different callings and gifts. While we all need to be ready to give an account for the hope in us (and to change what we are doing if God sends us somewhere else), but we all do not need to be doing evangelism 24/7. Consider the farmer. Your view makes his work pointless since all of it will be done away with in the new heaven and earth. However, if all farmers quit and started doing evangelism 24/7, I would die. Presumably, you would too, as well as most of the church and the world. There is a way to do farming (or most anything else) in Jesus’ name in the power of the Spirit in order to be a blessing to those around us. We can do our work, whatever our calling, for the Lord and hence be a part of expanding the Kingdom. See Revelation 22:24 for an example of good works that carry on into the new earth and are not simply destroyed because they do not involve evangelism.
I think we need to agree that, though theological categories are useful and necessary, it is more essential that we come back to the exegesis of the Biblical texts and derive our theology from them. It's very easy to make inferences from inferences and end up deriving a system with little Biblical basis.
ReplyDeleteWithout going into tremendous detail here about the parable of the mustard seed, I'll say a couple things.
1) The Kingdom of God has a massive Old Testament context.
2) Parables are not allegories. There is a particular way of reading parables that is necessary, and Scripture must interpret Scripture.
3) The parable of the mustard seed does not answer the question, 'Of what does the Kingdom of God consist?' It has a point, and that is not it.
4) The parable draws a contrast between what the Kingdom of God is (present tense), and what the Kingdom of God will be after it has grown.
5) The parable has a specific OT reference point - Ezekiel 17:22-24. The idea is that the people of the Messiah, the heir of David's throne, will consist of every type of person.
But this isn't your point. On to your point!
I did say the Kingdom does expand. I think that perhaps that's not the best way to say that. The Kingdom is not a realm. Yet. It is a reign - a dominion. And so, in a sense, it can expand - in number. That is to say, people enter the Kingdom.
ReplyDeleteYou're saying that anything done in Christ's name expands the Kingdom. Of course I wouldn't quibble with doing things in Christ's name - but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find that the Bible teaches that what we do in Christ's name in any way expands the Kingdom.
You said that the problem with this view (which actually is Luther's view, and actually, Augustine's view, not original to me), is that it makes everything pointless except evangelism and other forms of word ministry.
That would be terrible. Yet, first, before we ask about implications about theology - we need to back up and ask what the Scriptures say. We could argue that the doctrine of election is detrimental to evangelism and prayer - or that the doctrine of sola fide is detrimental to good works!
Being citizens of the Kingdom means that we operate in this world according to the ethics of the Kingdom. That's the point of the Sermon on the Mount (and why it's important that it was on a mount). We (children of the Kingdom) are the light of the world.
Since the Kingdom will have a physical consummation, we act as citizens of that future Kingdom in present reality. Our relationships, our work, our culture are all effected by being citizens of the Reign of Christ.
So yes, our soup kitchens are the result of our being citizens of the Kingdom. We are to love our neighbor - being citizens of the Kingdom.
However, our soup kitchens will indeed be destroyed. (Hebrews 12:26-29).
This does not make vocation of no use! Rather, it creates the idea of vocation. It means that we function in this world as citizens of the next - and that we glorify God in this world by setting our minds on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
So the farmer does not expand the Kingdom of God. He acts as the Kingdom's loyal subject.
The preacher, likewise, does not expand the Kingdom of God, he proclaims it.
Christ brings people into his Kingdom. And so if we want to talk about expansion in terms of number - it is only Christ who does it. We, as Christians, act as citizens of it - and bear witness to it.