Context. Continuity. Consistency. Conclusion.

Thanksgiving is coming up…followed by Christmas…and surrounded by many other occasions when we are faced with ridiculous amounts of food. As you go through the food line with a plate that might be 10″ in diameter you ask the annual question: How am I going to fit all of this on my plate? Then you do what you did last year and the year before…take only what your plate can hold…and come back later for more. With each plate you eat one bight at a time.

On the buffet of God’s truth, character, and work that we call the Bible it can be much the same way. Intertwined in God’s revelation of these things we find the central component of God’s Kingdom. We may be much like the guy at the buffet table: Where do I begin in my pursuit of better understanding God’s Kingdom?

The Kingdom: A Question of “How” not “Where”

I believe that there is more than one healthy and wise place to begin. In this case it is not so much a question of “where” to start but “how” to start. You could begin this journey in several different places but no matter where you launch from it needs to be handled with certain principles:

• Context
• Continuity
• Consistency
• Conclusion

That list is by no means exhaustive yet it gets us going. You need to work within a context (a chapter, large passage, section of book, or book as a whole). The context you choose will make for a theological road map on which you map out continuity between points within the greater context. Finally, as the context leads to connect the dots (continuity) it sets us up for consistency. In other words, as we see the flow of a chapter or book regarding a given topic we see how the Bible naturally explains particular doctrines. This sets us up to be consistent in our approach to whatever doctrine you may be studying with in our context, but it also enables us to carry that consistency into the whole of scripture.

When the clarity of scripture (not all of scripture is as equally clear as others), as seen laid out in a given context and has continuity while handled consistently, strong conclusions may be reached. Those conclusions should be carried with us into other contexts where that same doctrine is taught. Jesus said in John 10:35, “…the scriptures cannot be broken…”. This means that the scriptures cannot contradict themselves. Therefore, when continuity is seen in a context and handled consistently one can reach strong conclusions which carry over into other contexts.

It is important that we utilize clear texts in order to clarify the less clear texts. This is true across the various supposed categories of doctrine. So also for the Kingdom of God we need to go to contexts or passages which are laid out plainly…or at least plain when compared to other passages.

The Gospel of Mark as the Context… Why?

1. Mark by nature is a very straight forward book. It is made up of short, to the point statements and stories.
2. Within that Mark gives us a strong Kingdom theme from the very beginning (1:15).
3. Mark is a good launching point for examining other parts of scripture which address the Kingdom of God.
4. I desire to explore the Kingdom in various Old Testament contexts and Mark will lead the way as a writer of the New Testament. One of the great functions of the New Testament writings is how they clarify the Old Testament writings.
5. I have spent the last two years studying and preaching through Mark. As a preacher who blogs I feel very much at home in this book, and equipped to navigate through it in a healthy way.

In the coming weeks we will look at “The Kingdom of God According to Mark.” Over the course of those posts we will see:

• The Kingdom of God is more than a future earthly reign.
• The Kingship of God expands beyond the Old Testament nation of Israel.
• The Reign of God needs more than lips service but needs to be a paradigm by which we read Genesis to Revelation, and in how we view daily reality.

Two Applications

1. Mark 1:14-15: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” D.A. Carson writes, “The first announcement of the Kingdom is associated with repentance and confession of sin.” When we discuss the Kingdom with other Christians, read about it, or blog, we should be reminded of the characteristic of repentance for all who have responded to Christ’s call. Repentance is not just the door into the kingdom but it is what marks the life of the child of God. Has the mindset of repentance continued with you as you follow Christ? Has conviction over sin continued to be responded to with repentance? Is your awareness and sensitivity to sin more than it was in years gone by? Life in the kingdom is a life of repentance; continuing to turn from sin and turning toward Christ in faith. Faith and repentance grow together.
2. Consistency: Above we looked at how a clear context creates a map for theological continuity and that when consistently interacted with brings about strong conclusions. As we do this we must not only be consistent in the given context but also consistent across the Bible. It is here that we must hold our beliefs with an open hand. By open hand I do not mean that we passively belief the Bible. But what I do mean is that our human minds can wonder into error. Sometimes that error is unfortunately used as a foundation for other beliefs. When the study of one area of the Bible leads us to reevaluate conclusions we have reached elsewhere, an error may be exposed and we may have to humbly admit where we are wrong. This has happened to me in several areas. At some point in the future I will discuss my reexamination of Creation and of the Church. In both cases I had areas of belief I had to change. When we are faced with a clear context leading to a strong conclusion we may at times have to admit we have been in error. Because the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is a controversial one I bring this point forward to our attention. In these posts I will share where I have erred and had to revisit. The question I leave us with is: “Can I go forward humbly and open handed with what I have held to in years past?” Remember that if what you hold is true in will remain firm. A love for truth should cause us to evaluate what we believe so as to be sure it is worthy of belief.