Only Some Nations?
Is the Good News of the Kingdom of God a message of hope for only SOME nations, or for all?
Often in church history, the gospel has been perverted into good news for some nations, but bad news for others. This occurs when representatives of the church of the same Jesus who gave his life for the world associate his name and message with certain nations, races, cultures, and ideologies.
After his Resurrection, Jesus of Nazareth declared that “all authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” Installed as Lord over all creation, he commanded his envoys to proclaim his realm and salvation to all men in every nation, whether Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, male or female - (Psalm 2:6-10, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:7-9).
By his sacrificial death, he established the promised “priestly kingdom” of men from every nation who are dedicated exclusively to his service. In the book of Revelation, for example, the entire cosmos declares him “worthy” to receive all power and glory because he redeemed men and women “by his shed blood.”– (Revelation 5:5-14).
In his death and resurrection, the God who created all things has “spoken” definitively and with great finality in His Son, Jesus Christ - (Hebrews 1:1-4).
ONE GOD OF ALL MEN
The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the churches of Rome that God’s righteousness is actualized “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe, for THERE IS NO DISTINCTION.”
Sin is the Great Leveler that has condemned all men to bondage, despair, decay, and death. In the end, death awaits us all regardless of rank, wealth, gender, or ethnicity.
However, through Jesus, every man and woman may receive right standing before God, forgiveness, and everlasting life, and on the same basis for one and all – the FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST - (Romans 3:22-30).
And Paul uses his radical monotheism to make the point. “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also!” No one is advantaged or disadvantaged before Him due to biological descent or national origin - (Colossians 3:11).
In Christ, God is creating a new humanity, and its members are drawn from every nation. Regardless of one’s place of origin, everyone who places faith in Jesus is being made new - reconfigured into his image and likeness.
No nation, race, culture, or political ideology can claim Jesus as its possession. According to the Psalmist, God has given His Son the nations for an inheritance, “even the uttermost parts of the earth.” Indeed, because of his death and resurrection, he is the “ruler of the kings of the earth.” They serve him, not vice versa - (Psalm 2:8, Revelation 1:4-6).
Thus, the announcement of the good news of salvation is a message of hope, salvation, and life for all men and women.
PERVERTING THE FAITH
Sadly, many church organizations link the biblical faith to specific nations, ideologies, and even economic systems. This is the destructive political myth promoted under the name “Christendom,” the attempt to associate and even identify Jesus with specific races, nations, cultures, and political agendas.
If anything, “Christendom” is the counterfeit of the true and universal Kingdom of God taught in the Bible, an idolatrous conceit propagated by deceivers and political operatives both within and without the church.
The Nazarene announced a kingdom that transcends all national, ethnic, social, and economic boundaries, and any attempt to limit it by such categories violates the very essence of his gospel message- (Matthew 24:14, Galatians 3:28).
The mission of the Church is to proclaim his good news to the “uttermost parts of the earth.” And the completion of this task is necessary before Jesus returns at the end of the age to consummate all things.
Neither national borders nor political aspirations will prevent the gospel from reaching God’s intended goal, though enemies of the Cross of Christ will continue in their attempts to divert the church from its Christ-given mission.
His life-giving message is for every man, woman, and child on the earth regardless of ethnicity. All men have sinned, and everyone needs God’s saving grace. No one deserves it, but God has graciously made it available to everyone through the faith of Jesus Christ.
Thus, in the truest sense of the word, the good news of the Kingdom of God is a universal and inclusive faith.
When Jesus returns, only one Kingdom will be left standing. As his disciples, we must resist every attempt to link and identify the apostolic faith with specific nations, cultures, or civilizations. If we do not, we may exclude others from the salvation that is freely available to everyone who places faith in Jesus Christ.
