Kingdom of God--Priority

Kingdom of God--Priority                     

Consider what Jesus said about what a Christian’s first priority should be.  Christ said God knows that we have many material needs for life, but He commanded us to…

                “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;

            and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6: 31-33)

John 3:3 says that we cannot even see the kingdom of God unless we are born again. How do we seek what we cannot see unless we are born again?.  Being born-again (i.e., salvation or justification) is the doorway to seeing with ‘spiritual eyes’ and seeking the kingdom—which comes not with natural observation because it is within (Luke 17:20-21).  Besides seeking the kingdom we must seek his righteousness-- a righteousness that is sought after being born again – after having received ‘imputed righteousness’ or justification. This seeking his righteousness is sometimes called sanctification --living in obedience to God.

Jesus said that 'seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness' should be first priority. That means they should come before seeking material things in life. God promises to provide for us the money, food, drink, clothes and all the material things that we need -- if we put seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first – making that our priority--as it says in Mat 6:24-35 (also  Luke 12:31-32).  

The kingdom of God is not life after death. It is here on earth, and it is now as we are taught to pray in the Lord's prayer (Mat 6:9-12):  "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”…and deliver us from evil and temptation…and so on .... so Christians become more righteous and less sinful.  That is how the kingdom grows. The kingdom of God involves God's people obeying God's commands and teaching others and the nations to obey and do His will on earth (Matthew 5:19;  28:18-20).  The kingdom of God is His will being done on earth, obeying all His commands. The gospel is the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 9:35; Mark 1:14; Luke 16:16; Acts 14:22).

Clarification about the use of  kingdom terms: The ‘Kingdom of God’ and the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ both refer to the same kingdom (here on earth).  Even though the original Greek  words for God (theos: Concordance  word #2316*) and heaven (ouranos : Concordance  #2772*) are different,  they refer to the same kingdom  as shown in two parables taught by Jesus.  Logic says “two things equal to the same thing are equal to each other.”  Matthew uses “the kingdom of heaven” while Mark uses the “the Kingdom of  God” to describe the same kingdom in the parables about the ‘mustard seed’ and the parable of the ‘sower.’  This can be confirmed by comparing words (heaven vs  God) used in the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32  and Mark 4:30-32 and in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3-11 and  Mark 4:3-11.  Therefore, even though different words (God or heaven) for the kingdom are used, they refer to one and the same kingdom of God here on earth.

*Strong’s Concordance of the Bible:

     New Testament Greek Words:

            #2316—theos--God, godly, godward.   

            #3772—ouranos--air, heaven. heavenly, sky.

Reading these parables of the Kingdom of God show that the kingdom is like a seed that starts small and gradually grows to become large, and the kingdom has both godly and ungodly people in it. The kingdom of God (or heaven) is here on earth and it is not a perfectly heavenly place or a perfected existence as in the life after death for Christians. The kingdom grows as Christians obey the Lord’s Great Commission commandment to spread the gospel to all nations and teaching them to obey all of His commands (Matthew 28:18-20).  

The Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.  It is a spiritual kingdom that is not seen unless born again; it comes without natural observation. (Luke 17:20-21; John 3:16).  It is here on earth now as Jesus said "if I cast our demons by the finger of God, the kingdom of God is come" (Luke 11:20; Matthew 28:18; Acts 2:29-36).  And it started small (like a seed or a rock), and it will continue to grow and eventually fill the whole earth (Matthew 13:31-32; Daniel 2:44).  The Kingdom of God is spiritual because it is a matter of: Who reigns in our hearts and whose will do we perform?  Is it our own will or God's will?  It grows with obedience.  As  Jesus said: “whoever breaks the least of these commandments and teaches men to do so shall be least in the Kingdom of heaven, but whoever shall do them and teach them, shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven”  (Matthew 7:19).  The Apostle John confirms the importance of obedience saying “hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.  He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-4). To know God is to keep His commandments.

Sources:  King James Bible and Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (with Greek and Hebrew Dictionary) by James Strong, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc, Nashville, TN.

last revision:  02/19/16 

Two Kinds of Life in Bible

Two kinds of life ‘zoe vs psuche’ – ‘fleshly vs spiritual’ life according to the original Greek

                                                 

Overview:  Here we will refer to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible to see the original Greek words used in the New Testament concerning two kinds of life. God sent Jesus to bring us a new kind of life—eternal life, called zoe in the Greek (Concordance word #2222) completely different from our old flesh nature life that we receive through our natural earthly birth. This earthly birth life is called psuche in the Greek (Concordance word #5590). It is biological life.  If we remain in psuche life, we remain separated from the full heavenly blessings of eternal life with God.  Therefore the original scriptures used very specific Greek words to make clear distinctions between the old biological life and the new life in Christ.

Concordance Words for Live and Life

2222: zoe --(from 2198); life (lit or fig.):  life, lifetime   [a noun]

Usage in New Testament —

John 1:4 --  In him was life (2222); and the life (2222) was the light of men.

1 John 5:11-13 -- And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life (2222), and this life (2222) is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life (2222); and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life (2222). 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life (2222), and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Mat 19:29— And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life (2222).

John 3:15—  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life (2222).

John 14:6 --  Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life (2222): no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

2198:  zao —to live (lit or fig.):  life, lifetime, alive, live, lively, quick.    [a verb]

Usage in New Testament—

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived [2198; zao] and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

1 John 4:9—In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live (2198) through him.

COMMENT:   Two Greek words in the New Testament zao (Concordance word 2198) and zoe

(Concordance word 2222) are the verb and noun forms of a lively type of life also called a quick, quickened  life that comes only from being renewed or regenerated spiritually by union with Christ.  

5590: psuche—breath spirit, (the animal sentient principle only): heart, life, mind, soul.

Usage in New Testament--

Mark 8:35-- For whosoever will save his life (5590) shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life (5590) for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

Luke 12:22-23--  “²²And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life (5590), what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. ²³ The life (5590) is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.”

John 13:37—  Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life (5590) for thy sake.

COMMENT:   The Greek word psuche (Concordance word 5590) refers to a type of biological life, i.e.,  life in the flesh without Christ. That is the condition of life that is of the animal sentient principle only, as opposed to ‘quickened’ as in people who are  born again  by having received the Holy Spirit to me us a new creation—inside..

326: anazao—to recover life, (lit or fig.), be alive, live, live again, revive.

Only  used once in New Testament --

Rev 20:5a  ‘But the rest of the dead lived [326: anazao] not again until the thousand years were finished.’

COMMENT:   The Greek word anazao (Concordance word 326) refers to reviving of life (as to live again), implying the reviving of the previous life. It is a physical resurrection of life reviving of the previous condition in life--likely either zoe or psueche (i.e., life with or without Christ).

2227: zoopoieo:  make alive, give life, quicken.

Usage in New Testament --

John 5:21-- For as the Father raises up the dead, and quickens (2227) them; even so the Son quickens (2227)  whom he will.

John  6:63—It is the spirit that quickens (2227); the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (2222: zoe—as in eternal life in Christ).

1 Pet 3:18-- For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (2227) by the Spirit:

Ephesians 2:1-6  --

 And you hath he quickened (2227), who were dead in trespasses and sins;….5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

COMMENT:   The Greek word zoopoieo (Concordance word 2227) refers to making alive  (or quickening) people who are dead in sins (un-saved or un-regenerated) to having eternal life with Christ. This would be a spiritual resurrection of life—going from being dead in sins (yet biologically alive) to being ‘quickened’ or alive spiritually by being born again. This is like a spiritual resurrection in which biologically living people who are dead in sins are raised up by faith in Christ to newness of eternal life by the Spirit of God.

CONCEPT OF SPIRITUAL LIFE IN CHRIST

1 Cor. 15:42-50 –

35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:

37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body…….

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:

44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living (2198) soul; the last Adam was made a quickening (2227) spirit.                                           [COMMENT: A living (2198: zao) soul refers to quickened  life with Christ.]

46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.

49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

COMMENT:  God sent Jesus to bring us a new kind of life—eternal life, called zoe in the Greek (Concordance word #2222) completely different from our old flesh nature life that we receive in our natural earthly birth. This earthly birth life is called psuche in the Greek (Concordance word #5590). It is biological life.  If we remain in psuche life, we remain separated from the full heavenly blessings of eternal life with God.  Therefore the Bible uses very specific Greek words to make clear distinctions between the old biological life and the new life in Christ; however, modern English translations loose these distinctions that can be found by researching  the original Greek words in Strong’s Concordance to the King James Bible.  There, the distinctions between the kinds of life are made clear. Psuche life reproduced biologically by the flesh is life of merely in the flesh, not spiritual eternal life in Christ. Psuche life represents spiritual separation from God, and eventual damnation. To have zoe life or eternal life, everyone must be born again (be quickened) by faith in Christ. As John 3:3  says: ‘Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’

Sources:  King James Bible and Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (with Greek and Hebrew Dictionary) by James Strong, Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc, Nashville, TN.

Last revision: 2016-02-25 hgk