You're right, most folks have not been taught the significance - they get the Jesus part but not the Christ part. The disciples all had some basic understanding of what the coming of Messiah meant, even if they didn't grasp the scale and depth of what was happening until after Jesus was resurected.
Someone told me recently that a good way to practice kingdom living was to remember that as Christians, where we go, the King goes, and we need to act accordingly.
A question about what translation you use - your qoutation of John 20:31 "...an eternal quality of life" who translates it that way and what is the significance ?
I have been coming to grips with the centrality of the Christ and the lack of this thinking in modern western expressions of Christianity. What if by His first coming, Jesus created the power for his second coming?
"Then [cometh] the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."
What if it just gets better and better as opposed to the current trend of worldly thinking suggesting the planet is going to hell in a hand basket?
I dunno...but I suspect that He will remain seated until EVERY enemy is defeated.
Its not as if believing makes it so, believing makes US so...you can see the result in not believing He is Christ by believing you'll be "Left Behind" or some other such heresy that passes as current eschatology.
What if by one sacrifice he forever took care of the sin and holiness/revival problem for us?
Anoint me with Grace I'm to big a flake for anything else to work.
Jeff,
Yes, the Christ means the annointed one who brings us the kingdom by His leadership and power and authroity. I would approach believing this moment by moment by a combination of He is king which seems to address my obedience and He is the annointed one which adresses His grace and power.
As to translation, this coes from Dallas Willard and also I am just emphaisizing that eternal is an adjective that describes the life...by saying it is calling the life eternal quality simply emphaisizes that the eternal life is present when we beleive as opposed to present only after we die.
Mark,
Yes, I agree that He will remain in heaven until every enemy is put under His footstool BUT beware of this becoming a political enemy. In history, post-millenialists have seen the kingdom in the present age as covering all reals including the political and seem the fulness of the kingdom today to include political involvement. The enemy is sin and self and the world system of lusts etc. So the enemies are spiritual. In that sense, the primary and important sense, the kingdom is fully here for us to walk in victory.
brad
Good post. A word like "Christ" is used so often in so many ways it's easy to use it... and have no clue what you are actually saying. I know I've been guilty of that.
Cheers
great post. really appreciate the presentation of how often we miss the Gospel because we see it through the lens of evangelical christianity.
Jesus is the Christ. He reigns and will return. it is more than His death.
peter
I have arrived at your blog http://www.holycoast.com/
from the Facebook Christian Bloggers Network
I hope you will visit my site on Christian worship and spirituality “Liturgy” www.liturgy.co.nz
I hope you will link to it.
Let me know so I acknowledge that and link back.
Blessings on you do
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