Chapter # 14 Paragraph # 2 Study # 8
June 27, 2021
Humble, Texas
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Thesis: The Kingdom Of The God functions by means of The Holy Spirit.
Introduction: In our last study, we considered what The Kingdom of The God is
not. We saw that Paul used an established metaphor from Jesus' own teaching to draw a distinct line between how the current, fallen, world operates by means of the sustaining of the physical body with food and drink, and how the promised, resurrected, world to come will operate by means of the sustaining of the personal relationship/relationships of the people of The Kingdom. In the present kingdom, everything hinges upon the health and strength of the physical body and its activities which all depend upon "food and drink" as the method of sustaining that body. In the Coming Kingdom, everything hinges upon the health and strength of the relational Body and its activities as they are sustained by God's Holy Spirit.
In the present time, the kingdoms are in a mixed state wherein both kingdoms exist and are in constant conflict. In order for believers to be able to succeed in the conflict, they must be able to distinguish between the "food and drink" of the fallen kingdom and the "food and drink" of The Kingdom of The God.
Thus, Paul set forth the reality that there is a clear distinguishing dividing line between the two kingdoms along with his insistence that believers live like the "Kingdom People" that they are by the "food and drink" of The Kingdom of The God. In order for us to live like "Kingdom People" we must reject the exaltation of the physical body in favor of the relational Body. But, we must do more than "reject"; we must also "embrace".
The study this evening will focus upon the essence of The Kingdom of The God.
- I. This Study Will Focus Upon What The Essence Of The Kingdom Of The God Is.
- A. In a direct contrast, Paul exposes the "means" of the two kingdoms.
- 1. In the fallen kingdom, the physical body, fueled by food and drink, is the primary instrument.
- a. In Romans 6 Paul set this forth as the members of the physical body being "instruments of unrighteousness" so that those members are "slaves of sin" (6:13-16).
- b. But the underlying reality is that the spirit of man, which energizes the members of the physical body, is dominated by that spirit's fixation upon "food and drink" as the method by which he (that spirit) maintains his ability to have an impact in this world and its kingdom.
- 2. In The Kingdom of The God, as it currently functions in the present world, the physical body remains the primary instrument.
- a. In Romans 6 Paul set this forth as the members of the physical body being "instruments of righteousness" so that the members of the body are "slaves of righteousness" (6:15-18).
- b. But the underlying reality is that it is the Holy Spirit of God that energizes the members of the physical body on the basis of a new "fixation" (a "fixation" upon submission to the doctrine of the Gospel: Romans 6:17) which puts God's Spirit in dominion over man's spirit by the rejection of any "need" to sustain the physical body with food and drink.
- c. In this new "fixation" the entire issue is the sustaining of the "relational" status which we have with God in Christ no matter what the cost is to the physical body.
- d. In other words, the fixation on "staying alive in the flesh" is completely replaced by the new fixation on "staying relationally alive by the Spirit" by maintaining a clear conscience before God (no matter what the cost is to the physical body): we no longer fear the death of the body because we now fear the death of the relationship we have with God.
- B. Out of this direct contrast between the spirit of man in its desperate fear of the death of the body and the Spirit of God in man in His love-based fear of the breakdown of the relational death of the soul, come the details of Paul's declaration regarding the essence of the Kingdom of The God.
- 1. The first, and primary, issue is the production of "righteousness" by the members of the physical body.
- a. This is "first and primary" in terms of the "mechanism of the outcomes": "righteousness" sown reaps "eternal life" (Galatians 6:8).
- 1) This "righteousness" has its roots in "the righteousness imparted to man by God that gives him 'standing' before God so that the Spirit of God is imparted to man".
- 2) Then, the imparted Spirit empowers that man to act in "sowing to the Spirit".
- b. This "first and primary" element (the actual possession of a "righteous standing before God" coupled to the actual possession of "the Holy Spirit") sets up the "effect" that exists in the "cause/effect" of creation-reality.
- c. Because it is "first and primary", it makes "doing what is right" the critical focus of our attention.
- 2. The second, and immediate, issue is "peace".
- a. This "peace" is both "with God" and "with men" as both the absence of relational conflict and the presence of relational harmony.
- b. It is the automatic result of the doing of what is right because "doing what is right" does not create any basis for conflict and does create the basis for harmony.
- 3. The third, and capstone, issue is "joy".
- a. This "joy", like "peace", is an automatic result: "joy" follows "relational peace" as day follows night.
- b. In the Scriptures, "joy" is the essence and experience of "eternal life".
- c. Because "joy" is the second stage of the "automatic" results of "righteousness", it is not a humanly manufactured experience.
- d. Paul only refers to "joy" by that specific term in three places in Romans.
- 1) Our current text is the first such reference.
- 2) The second is in 15:13 where he deliberately ties it (along with "peace") to its own particular root of "faith" by the Holy Spirit.
- 3) The third is in 15:32 where "the will of God" is primary.
- C. Paul's major "point".
- 1. At issue is the experience of believers of "eternal life" in contrast to the "destruction" of those "diseased in The Faith" (whose commitment is to the glory of men rather than that of God) and of those "healthy in their grasp of The Faith" but who are exalting their freedom over their brethren and the relationships available to them in The Body.
- 2. That experience arises only on the foundational fixation of The Kingdom of The God (relational harmony between a believer and God and his/her fellow believers).
