A KINGDOM WITHOUT SIN
One of the extraordinarily wonderful claims of Christianity is entrance into an eternal and glorious kingdom free from sin. When Jesus came to earth he said, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ (Matt 4:17). With his arrival—the arrival of God the Son who took on human flesh and dwelt among us a human, the promised Messiah—we have the arrival of God’s kingdom. And everyone who becomes a Christian enters into that kingdom now, and will inhabit it in eternity.
The kingdom is here already.
It is populated by souls made spiritually alive in Christ whose lives have been transformed by the love and grace of God expressed in the gospel (for a great gospel explanation, watch this video). These sons and daughters are part of the family of God, and they experience real relationship with each other and live under King Jesus. Their ethics are shaped by their Lord, their lives are shaped by their Lord, their glorious purpose is given by their Lord, their hope for their present and future lives are shaped by their Lord, their lives are directed by their Lord’s Words, their holiness is fueled and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. They taste the reality of the kingdom today, and seek to do the good works that God has graciously granted them to do (Eph 2:10) is this brief and passing life. The kingdom is not SINLESS in present reality–believers struggle with indwelling sin and perfection comes at the resurrection. But there is a real and true victory over sin that we experience now through Christ who conquered sin and death for us. He is our victory and our hope and we look to him and the future he promises us.
The kingdom is still coming.
Saints—everyone who is a Christian is a saint—will one day live on the new Earth with bodies free from sin and in a community free from sin. No more jealousy. No more lies. No more perverted thoughts. No more back-biting. No more unbelief. No more murder or theft. No more drunkenness or being strung-out. The saints will live in a perfect community of love for each other and love for God. They will forever enjoy each other and God and forever enjoy the beauty of God and His good Creation. They will not be bored or lonely, but experience a satisfaction that nothing this age (career, sex, relationship, fame) could ever give them.
Our gospel message is this: This kingdom is real and Jesus invites you in; turn from our sins and trust in Christ who brings into a kingdom that will endure forever is glorious beyond your wildest imagination.
