The message of Christianity is often presented in black-and-white terms. In one sense, this is appropriate, since the Bible makes it clear that two well-defined, mutually exclusive kingdoms exist: that of good and that of evil (Isaiah 5:20); that of light and that of darkness (Colossians 1:13); that of God and that of Satan. Furthermore, neutrality is not an option - we are compelled to choose between these two kingdoms, whether or not we acknowledge their existence (Matthew 12:30). Since the Hebrews demanded an earthly king (1 Samuel 8), however, these spiritual kingdoms have not corresponded neatly with the kingdoms of the world. Jesus Himself stated plainly that His Kingdom was "not of this world" (John 18:36); hence we pray that His Kingdom "would come on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). One day, this prayer will be fully answered (Revelation 20), but in the meantime we are faced with a rather 'messy' reality.
The incongruence between the spiritual and earthly kingdoms is perhaps most clearly demonstrated within ourselves. On the one hand, we contain the "first fruits" of the coming Kingdom in our redeemed Spirits (Romans 16:5; cf. Luke 17:21). On the other hand, as Paul explains earlier in Romans, even we have not been completely restored, since our fallen flesh still obeys "the law of sin" (Romans 7-8) and since our earthly bodies still die (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). The soul seems to be somewhere in between; it is the battleground on which the two kingdoms clash (1 Peter 2:11). Consequently, although we pray that His Kingdom would come, we do not simply rest on our laurels and wait for that to happen. Rather, much of the Christian life consists of feeding the Spirit and starving the flesh to ensure that the soul operates in accordance with the former rather than the latter. This is what is meant by "sanctification" (Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 6-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).
The prayer for His Kingdom to come, however, surely relates not only to our selves, but also to the rest of the world, which is also a battlefield of sorts. True, it is generally agreed that humans are the only parts of creation with spirits (or are they?), and thus the only recipients of redemption in a strict sense. It is also true that, for the individual person, redemption must come before sanctification. In Romans 8, however, we learn that the individual person is not the only site in which the tension between the spiritual kingdoms is evident. Rather, "the whole creation" "waits with eager longing", "groaning together in the pains of childbirth" for the coming Kingdom. Along with our earthly bodies, creation was once "subjected to futility", but will one day be glorified. The situation within ourselves is reflected in the rest of the world - there are aspects of good and evil, of light and darkness, in most everything.
Furthermore, precisely because we have been redeemed, we are obliged to see his Kingdom come in the rest of the world; precisely because we have the first fruits within us, we are obliged to nurture fruit outwith us. Recall in Genesis 2:15 that "the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Indeed, our original purpose was to tend to the world; if we have truly been redeemed, we should return to this purpose. To do that, we must till the soil - no longer in futility (Genesis 3:17-19), but rather for the sake of His eternal Kingdom (cf. Ecclesiastes). We must break up fallow ground (Hosea 10:12; Jeremiah 4:3), carefully but purposefully weeding out roots of evil (Hebrews 12:15; Deuteronomy 29:18) and sowing the seeds of righteousness, peace, and joy - that is, seeds of the Kingdom (Romans 14:17; Isaiah 32; Matthew 5-6). We must let our light shine (Matthew 5:16), overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21).
Let me stress that this is not a yin-and-yang idea. I am not saying that good and evil coexist in harmony - they don't. Nor am I saying that they are two sides of the same coin - they aren't. Nor am I saying that they will coexist perpetually - they won't. They are involved in a cosmic war, and will eventually line up for the final battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16). In the meantime, however, they are not lined up; rather, they are embroiled in a guerrilla war in which friend and enemy are often interspersed and indistinguishable. In such a setting, carpet-bombing will do more harm than good; instead, we need to use subtle, covert, hand-to-hand combat if we are to make any difference while avoiding friendly fire. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, we are akin to 'the resistance', using espionage and clandestine tactics to further the Allied while we wait for D-Day.
You may retort that it is God's job to see His kingdom come, as the Lord's Prayer itself implies. Is it not God who winnows the wheat (Matthew 3:12; 25:31-46; Luke 3:17), who purifies the gold (Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:16), who prunes the vine (John 15:2)? My response would be that, while it is God who causes the fruit to grow, we still have a responsibility to plant and water (1 Corinthians 3:6-8), and even to harvest (Matthew 9:37; Luke 10:2). God will lift up the valleys, topple the mountains, and smooth the rough places to establish his path (Isaiah 40:4), and yet we still have a responsibility to "prepare the way of the Lord", to "make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3).
Perhaps a couple of examples will help clarify what I mean. Consider meditation. For many Christians, it is anathema, a byword, an instrument of Satan. Rather than simply abolish it, however, I think it would be infinitely more efficacious to reclaim it. From the very first chapter, the Psalms teem with meditation; it is a valuable tool for connecting with God, and we are in fact commanded to utilise it (Psalm 46:10). Make no mistake - our minds are battlegrounds, and harnessing our ability to dwell on the things of the Kingdom is a key weapon (Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8; Ephesians 4:23).
Another example could be the economic system. We are often sold false dichotomies, usually to the effect of 'capitalism good, communism bad' or vice versa. It should be obvious, however, that neither of these systems is really God's system or Satan's system. Rather, both systems contain elements of good and evil. Capitalism offers personal responsibility and reward for work, while communism offers social responsibility and a concern for need, with each system lacking the other's qualities. Rather than picking one side or the other, we should pick God's side - and that means looking for intelligent ways that the good in each system can be manifested.
Finally, take creation. We have touched on this topic already, and I'll spare you the usual (though vitally important and absolutely true) spiel on how, as Christians, we should be profoundly concerned with the health of our planet. To take a slightly different angle, I have recently been reading quite a bit on the Celtic Christians. Something that struck me as interesting was the fact that the Celtic saints often employed pagan traditions - which often related to nature worship - for the purpose of the Kingdom. For example, they would often reclaim mystical pools as places of blessing and baptism. If this sounds dodgy, I would suggest that it finds at least an indirect Biblical precedent in Paul's famous address to the people of Athens (Acts 17:22ff).
As Christians, we are instructed to "hate evil and cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9). To do that, we cannot embrace or reject everything in the world, since good and evil as they are found in the world are often knotted up, often in the same place. Our task is instead to begin unraveling these two kingdoms, which are indeed categorically opposed to each other; we are to be in the world, but not of it (John 17:15). Unless we do so judiciously, diligently, and meticulously, we will end up either throwing out the baby with the bath water or keeping both.
The incongruence between the spiritual and earthly kingdoms is perhaps most clearly demonstrated within ourselves. On the one hand, we contain the "first fruits" of the coming Kingdom in our redeemed Spirits (Romans 16:5; cf. Luke 17:21). On the other hand, as Paul explains earlier in Romans, even we have not been completely restored, since our fallen flesh still obeys "the law of sin" (Romans 7-8) and since our earthly bodies still die (2 Corinthians 5:1-5). The soul seems to be somewhere in between; it is the battleground on which the two kingdoms clash (1 Peter 2:11). Consequently, although we pray that His Kingdom would come, we do not simply rest on our laurels and wait for that to happen. Rather, much of the Christian life consists of feeding the Spirit and starving the flesh to ensure that the soul operates in accordance with the former rather than the latter. This is what is meant by "sanctification" (Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 6-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8).
The prayer for His Kingdom to come, however, surely relates not only to our selves, but also to the rest of the world, which is also a battlefield of sorts. True, it is generally agreed that humans are the only parts of creation with spirits (or are they?), and thus the only recipients of redemption in a strict sense. It is also true that, for the individual person, redemption must come before sanctification. In Romans 8, however, we learn that the individual person is not the only site in which the tension between the spiritual kingdoms is evident. Rather, "the whole creation" "waits with eager longing", "groaning together in the pains of childbirth" for the coming Kingdom. Along with our earthly bodies, creation was once "subjected to futility", but will one day be glorified. The situation within ourselves is reflected in the rest of the world - there are aspects of good and evil, of light and darkness, in most everything.
Furthermore, precisely because we have been redeemed, we are obliged to see his Kingdom come in the rest of the world; precisely because we have the first fruits within us, we are obliged to nurture fruit outwith us. Recall in Genesis 2:15 that "the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." Indeed, our original purpose was to tend to the world; if we have truly been redeemed, we should return to this purpose. To do that, we must till the soil - no longer in futility (Genesis 3:17-19), but rather for the sake of His eternal Kingdom (cf. Ecclesiastes). We must break up fallow ground (Hosea 10:12; Jeremiah 4:3), carefully but purposefully weeding out roots of evil (Hebrews 12:15; Deuteronomy 29:18) and sowing the seeds of righteousness, peace, and joy - that is, seeds of the Kingdom (Romans 14:17; Isaiah 32; Matthew 5-6). We must let our light shine (Matthew 5:16), overcoming evil with good (Romans 12:21).
You may retort that it is God's job to see His kingdom come, as the Lord's Prayer itself implies. Is it not God who winnows the wheat (Matthew 3:12; 25:31-46; Luke 3:17), who purifies the gold (Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:16), who prunes the vine (John 15:2)? My response would be that, while it is God who causes the fruit to grow, we still have a responsibility to plant and water (1 Corinthians 3:6-8), and even to harvest (Matthew 9:37; Luke 10:2). God will lift up the valleys, topple the mountains, and smooth the rough places to establish his path (Isaiah 40:4), and yet we still have a responsibility to "prepare the way of the Lord", to "make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3).
Perhaps a couple of examples will help clarify what I mean. Consider meditation. For many Christians, it is anathema, a byword, an instrument of Satan. Rather than simply abolish it, however, I think it would be infinitely more efficacious to reclaim it. From the very first chapter, the Psalms teem with meditation; it is a valuable tool for connecting with God, and we are in fact commanded to utilise it (Psalm 46:10). Make no mistake - our minds are battlegrounds, and harnessing our ability to dwell on the things of the Kingdom is a key weapon (Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8; Ephesians 4:23).
Another example could be the economic system. We are often sold false dichotomies, usually to the effect of 'capitalism good, communism bad' or vice versa. It should be obvious, however, that neither of these systems is really God's system or Satan's system. Rather, both systems contain elements of good and evil. Capitalism offers personal responsibility and reward for work, while communism offers social responsibility and a concern for need, with each system lacking the other's qualities. Rather than picking one side or the other, we should pick God's side - and that means looking for intelligent ways that the good in each system can be manifested.
Finally, take creation. We have touched on this topic already, and I'll spare you the usual (though vitally important and absolutely true) spiel on how, as Christians, we should be profoundly concerned with the health of our planet. To take a slightly different angle, I have recently been reading quite a bit on the Celtic Christians. Something that struck me as interesting was the fact that the Celtic saints often employed pagan traditions - which often related to nature worship - for the purpose of the Kingdom. For example, they would often reclaim mystical pools as places of blessing and baptism. If this sounds dodgy, I would suggest that it finds at least an indirect Biblical precedent in Paul's famous address to the people of Athens (Acts 17:22ff).
As Christians, we are instructed to "hate evil and cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9). To do that, we cannot embrace or reject everything in the world, since good and evil as they are found in the world are often knotted up, often in the same place. Our task is instead to begin unraveling these two kingdoms, which are indeed categorically opposed to each other; we are to be in the world, but not of it (John 17:15). Unless we do so judiciously, diligently, and meticulously, we will end up either throwing out the baby with the bath water or keeping both.
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