The Continuity of the Bible Lesson 10

The Continuity of the Bible

Adult Class

Winter 2005/2006

Lesson 10 The Church As Promised

God's plan for the redemption of humanity always included a community of His redeemed people. This community is labeled "the kingdom of God" in the Bible. That kingdom is not a particular place, such as the land of Israel. It is a condition in which God is the King. The kingdom of God is not a domain, but a dominion. It is the condition in which God rules over the hearts and minds of people, where evil is overthrown and the wicked are indicted, and where peace and harmony with God reigns. It is the restoration of the situation in the Garden, and it is the fulfillment of the ages.

This idea is widely mentioned in the Bible, and we've seen some of those passages in Isaiah and Daniel. That's why Jesus' announcement of the entrance of the kingdom of God into the world was a very understandable idea (Mark 1:14-15). It is with the atonement of Jesus that the kingdom of God has entered the world. Compare, for example, the disciples' question in Acts 1:6 to Paul's statement in Colossians 1:13-14. Clearly, with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, the kingdom of God has been established in the world-and that community of kingdom subjects is the church.

The church is the continuation of the covenant promises made by God throughout the Old Testament. The apostles understood the church to be the culmination of God's plan for the redemption of humanity through Jesus Christ, and that formed the core of their preaching in the early church. Consider the themes of some of the sermons recorded in the book of Acts:

Acts 2:16, 25, 34, and then 36-Peter declares that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise of God!
Acts 3:24-26-Peter again stresses this redemption as the fulfillment of God's plan.
Acts 10:34, 43-Peter makes it plain to Cornelius that God's plan for human redemption includes the Gentiles.
Acts 13:26-39-Paul's theme to the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia is that the gospel of Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises (v. 32)!

It never would have occurred to the apostles or the early Christians that they were bringing something new into the world. The faith in Jesus Christ was merely the final stage in God's long-standing and long-active plan to redeem humanity and reverse the course of human history since the Fall. The change in covenants was not a violation of the previous covenants; it was an expansion and an enhancement of the covenants-just as previous enhancements had been experienced in history.

So, for example, the Hebrew writer considers the earlier covenant to be obsolete (Hebrews 8:13) because it has been superseded by a better covenant. That is why he is so insistent that the Hebrew Christians not attempt to return to the terms of their earlier covenant. That covenant was inadequate to bring about everything that God wanted to accomplish. But in Jesus Christ, the perfect atonement for all time has been effected and He has dealt with the sin problem once for all (Hebrews 7:27). The new covenant has better terms of entrance, better relationship with God and better promises (Hebrews 8:6).

In the Old Testament, the covenant was entered by birth into the nation of Israel, after which the citizen had to be educated about the covenant and the God of the covenant. In the New Testament, the covenant is entered by being born again after coming to know God and His covenant.
In the Old Testament, holiness was defined by outward symbols of separation: foods, clothing, special days, personal grooming and hygiene laws. In the New Testament, holiness is defined as inward sanctification which will result in moral conduct in any and every society.
In the Old Testament, the service of the covenant was mediated by specially selected workers called "priests." In the New Testament, the service of the covenant is mediated by one High Priest, Jesus, and all His followers are designated priests.

This covenant community is called the church, those who are assembled in holy communion with God and called to be His people. These people are set apart from humans who are not redeemed by God. The people of the church have a new allegiance in their lives as they serve one King, Jesus. They stand in a different mode of holiness that wells up from an inner transformation to imitate the King, Jesus. Their service is in a new set of activities, following the agenda of their King, Jesus.

All of the promises of God are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who gave Himself as the perfect and lasting sacrifice for our sins. Through the redemption that is offered in Him, when we accept the terms of pardon offered in this new covenant, we are translated into the kingdom of the Son. This great redemption is available to every human being across the face of the world for, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call" (Acts 2:39 NIV).