The Ekklesia of Christ
Dallas Willard
Chapter 1 - Kingdom of God/Heaven
Jesus said, “I will build my ekklesia” (Matthew 16:18); before we go further, it is necessary that we provide a context for this ekklesia. We read much of the kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven in the Gospels; the phrase kingdom of heaven is only used in Matthew’s writing (32 times), and kingdom of God is mentioned 54 times in the Gospels (five times in Matthew, 15 in Mark, 32 in Luke and twice in John), and 69 times in the post-Messianic writings. John the Baptist heralded the kingdom as he prepared the way for Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 3:2), and Jesus, when He began His teaching ministry, spoke much about this kingdom (Matthew 4:17). If we are to understand God’s intention for the ekklesia, then we must have an appreciation for the greater context within which we gather in His name.
The terms kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven are often used interchangeably. Jesus said that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and then went on to say that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24) – clearly, they are the same. What is important for our consideration is that we understand that there is only one kingdom.
Kingdom comes from a Greek word (basileia) that primarily means sovereignty or royal power.1 Rather than the physical realm of a sovereign, it refers to the right of a sovereign to rule. There are times when the word is used to represent an actual physical kingdom, and these are generally evident from the context. For our purposes, the kingdom of God refers to where God is presently sovereign; at this time, the kingdom of God is not of this world (John 18:36), however its physical fulfillment will take place when Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom on earth. We acknowledge that God is ultimately sovereign (Psalm 103:19), yet we must also recognize that, within His sovereignty, He has permitted Satan to rebel and man to sin. So even while we are aware of the overall authority of God over the affairs of the earth, we must also realize that Satan is the ruler of this world at this time and is called the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2; cf. Luke 4:6-8). When the Pharisees demanded of Jesus to know when the kingdom of God would come (their intent was to determine when Rome would be overthrown), Jesus said that it would not come “with observation,” as in lo here it is, but the “kingdom of God is within [in the midst of] you” (Luke 17:20-21) – Jesus was that all-encompassing kingdom Who was walking among them.2 He identified Himself with the kingdom of God: if we are in Christ, then we are a part of His kingdom (Romans 8:1), and He is the Head of it (Colossians 1:18). When Jesus met with Nicodemus, He openly declared: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). This is exactly the same truth that was spoken to the Pharisees in Luke 17: the kingdom of God is identified with the Lord – unless you are reborn through the washing of the Word of God and the indwelling Spirit of God, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God, nor can you experience an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. From this we learn that the kingdom of God in the world today is existent in the hearts and lives of those who, by faith, have the Spirit of God abiding within – those who abide in Christ, believe His Word, and live in obedience to it. There will come a day, when the Lord Jesus returns, that He will establish His kingdom-rule on this earth, and then His kingdom will take on a physical dimension.
Although we do not find the phrase “kingdom of heaven” or “kingdom of God” in the pre-Messianic Scriptures, the kingdom was already there and it is referred to as the “kingdom of the Lord” or Jehovah. David explains that Solomon was chosen by Jehovah to “sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel” (1 Chronicles 28:5); David drew a distinction between the kingdom of Jehovah and the nation of Israel – he saw Solomon as being the king of the Lord’s kingdom first, and thereby ruling over Israel. Clearly, David saw the kingdom of the Lord as being over Israel, and if Solomon would be obedient to the Lord, then his kingdom would never cease (1 Chronicles 28:7). When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, His desire was for them to become a “kingdom of priests” who would point the nations to the God of all creation (Exodus 19:6), because the promise to Abraham was that through his descendants all of the nations of the earth would be blessed – not only was this a promise of the Messiah to come, but it also indicated the responsibility of the children of promise. Those who are in Christ by faith are no different, for Peter calls us “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9; cp. Deuteronomy 14:2).
Lest we miss the broad scope of this spiritual kingdom, the Apostle Peter wrote:
Whereby [through Jesus Christ] are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue [uprightness]; and to virtue knowledge [understanding, insight]; And to knowledge temperance [self-control]; and to temperance patience [perseverance]; and to patience godliness [reverence]; And to godliness brotherly kindness [philadelphia – brotherly love]; and to brotherly kindness charity [agape – love as an act of the will]. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren [inactive] nor unfruitful in the [full] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ... Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence [make every effort] to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall [the Greek negatives ou and me along with a subjunctive verb makes this the strongest negative possible: absolutely never]: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting [eternal] kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:4-11).3
God has provided us with everything necessary to live godly lives; the fruit of the Spirit will reveal itself through the new man whom we are to put on – created by God in all righteousness and true holiness (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:24). We are admonished by Peter to grow in our walk with the Lord (it is a command: “add to your faith…” – 2 Peter 1:5); we are to walk worthy of our holy calling (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:9). We are also commanded to make our calling sure (2 Peter 1:10), for in so doing we will establish our steadfastness in Christ and, through this, we will be provided an entrance into the “everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11). Notice that this is an everlasting kingdom, an eternal kingdom because it is of the Lord Jesus Who is God eternal;4 notice as well that access into it will not be attained by coasting! We are called to expend energy (give diligence), not only physically, but we are to labor spiritually to ensure that we will find that entrance into Christ’s kingdom that will be richly provided for us. Jesus said: “Enter ye in [imperative mood, a command!] at the strait gate … Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14)5 – He commanded us to enter through the Narrow Gate (the Lord, Himself – John 14:6), but warned that there would only be a few who would find Him. We are called to be steadfast in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13), vigilant (1 Peter 5:8), sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8), diligent (2 Peter 3:14), wary (Philippians 3:2; Colossians 2:8; 2 Peter 3:17), and we are commanded to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). Our task is great: we must labor, not through the efforts of the flesh that will only bring condemnation, but through the inner working of the abiding Spirit of God. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after [are living according to] the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).6
When God created man, He gave him a task to do: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish [fill] the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).7 God gave to man authority over the earth, to bring it into subjection, and also to have dominion, or rule, over all of the other living creatures on the earth (the Kingdom of God on earth – something that will be realized again in fullness with the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21). Yet man turned his back on this privilege, and, through his rebellion, turned the dominion of God’s creation over to Satan (Luke 4:6-8). It is clear from 2 Peter 1 that the kingdom of our Lord Jesus is without beginning or ending, and therefore, God’s plan is to have as part of that kingdom, those who are willing to be redeemed. Adam’s sin did not thwart God’s plan to build His kingdom, for, from Adam until today, God has always extended His grace to those who are willing to be saved through faith in the redemption that only He could provide. We are spiritually born into this vast multitude (this great cloud of witnesses, Hebrews 12:1) when we look back to the redemption that was transacted by Christ, and accept His cleansing by faith.
Jeremiah spoke of this day:
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Jeremiah was told of a day when the Law of God (my law), the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God upon tables of stone, would be placed within us – a day when the Spirit of God, as promised by the Lord Jesus, would come to reside within all those who believed and accepted God’s salvation by faith so that they would know Him. When Jesus said: “This is my blood of the new testament [Covenant], which is shed for many for the remission [forgiveness] of sins” (Matthew 26:28),8 He was implementing the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. The disciples, to whom He spoke these words, were all descendants of Israel, and indeed, Jesus’ entire ministry on earth was directed to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). Romans 11:17-18 makes it clear that by faith the Gentiles are grafted into the same spiritual Olive Tree as Israel – the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul explains that not everyone who is of Jewish descent is considered to be of true Israel (Romans 9:3-9); Hosea recognized that God would include for Himself a people outside of Israel: “…I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God” (Hosea 2:23; Romans 9:25; 1 Peter 2:10). Jesus stated plainly that He had those who were not of the fold of Israel who would hear His voice and He would lead them as a part of the one flock that is His (John 10:16). Romans 8:2-4 makes it abundantly clear that the righteousness of the Law of God is fulfilled in us through the working of the indwelling Spirit of God; as we walk according to the leading of the Spirit, we are called the “sons of God” (Romans 8:14). This is the kingdom of God within us: being born again by faith in the Word of God (the Lord Jesus Christ – Revelation 19:13) and the abiding Spirit of God (John 3:5).
There are those who claim that the kingdom of God “resides in the small, despised apostolic churches” of today;9 yet it cannot be disputed that these small, non-mainstream churches also include unbelievers in their fold. So we are forced to return to the prophecy of Jeremiah that foretold a time when God would put His Laws into our inward parts by His Spirit, as confirmed by Romans 8. We like to consider the kingdom of God to at least be an identifiable group of people – this best fits with our cultural expectations. However, Peter identified those whom he calls “strangers” (as in, those dwelling in a foreign land; i.e., Christians living in the world) as a “royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people,” even while he acknowledged that they were scattered throughout the land (1 Peter 1:1, 2:9). God’s calling is always to the individual; Elijah learned this when he despaired of Israel’s apostasy and thought that he was the only one who still sought after God. The Lord told him that there were still 7,000 who had not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:18; Romans 11:2-5); these were righteous individuals, known to God, among the multitudes of the nation of Israel who had either fallen away or remained in paganism.
It is interesting to realize that, along with today’s onslaught of the contemplative prayer (spiritual formation, centering prayer, etc.) movement, which focuses so heavily upon a return to the mystical teachings of the early church fathers (in reality the founders of the Roman Catholic Church), there is also a departure from the accountability of the individual. Dallas Willard, in his book Renovation of the Heart, comments in this manner on the admonition in Ephesians 4:24 to put on the new man: “the individual or group more and more effectively acts for the good things they intend; and the will itself evermore broadens and deepens its devotion to good and the God of the good” (emphasis added).10 Notice that the group is viewed in the same way as the individual – yet, within Scripture, there is no such thing as group salvation; each individual must believe (Acts 16:31 is directed to an individual: thou). “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever [singular] believeth [is believing (present tense; singular)] in him should not perish [singular], but have [should be having (present tense; subjunctive mood [a possibility but not a certainty], singular)] everlasting life” (John 3:16).11
Jesus said, “I will build my ekklesia” (Matthew 16:18); before we go further, it is necessary that we provide a context for this ekklesia. We read much of the kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven in the Gospels; the phrase kingdom of heaven is only used in Matthew’s writing (32 times), and kingdom of God is mentioned 54 times in the Gospels (five times in Matthew, 15 in Mark, 32 in Luke and twice in John), and 69 times in the post-Messianic writings. John the Baptist heralded the kingdom as he prepared the way for Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 3:2), and Jesus, when He began His teaching ministry, spoke much about this kingdom (Matthew 4:17). If we are to understand God’s intention for the ekklesia, then we must have an appreciation for the greater context within which we gather in His name.
The terms kingdom of God and kingdom of heaven are often used interchangeably. Jesus said that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and then went on to say that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:23-24) – clearly, they are the same. What is important for our consideration is that we understand that there is only one kingdom.
Kingdom comes from a Greek word (basileia) that primarily means sovereignty or royal power.1 Rather than the physical realm of a sovereign, it refers to the right of a sovereign to rule. There are times when the word is used to represent an actual physical kingdom, and these are generally evident from the context. For our purposes, the kingdom of God refers to where God is presently sovereign; at this time, the kingdom of God is not of this world (John 18:36), however its physical fulfillment will take place when Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom on earth. We acknowledge that God is ultimately sovereign (Psalm 103:19), yet we must also recognize that, within His sovereignty, He has permitted Satan to rebel and man to sin. So even while we are aware of the overall authority of God over the affairs of the earth, we must also realize that Satan is the ruler of this world at this time and is called the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2; cf. Luke 4:6-8). When the Pharisees demanded of Jesus to know when the kingdom of God would come (their intent was to determine when Rome would be overthrown), Jesus said that it would not come “with observation,” as in lo here it is, but the “kingdom of God is within [in the midst of] you” (Luke 17:20-21) – Jesus was that all-encompassing kingdom Who was walking among them.2 He identified Himself with the kingdom of God: if we are in Christ, then we are a part of His kingdom (Romans 8:1), and He is the Head of it (Colossians 1:18). When Jesus met with Nicodemus, He openly declared: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). This is exactly the same truth that was spoken to the Pharisees in Luke 17: the kingdom of God is identified with the Lord – unless you are reborn through the washing of the Word of God and the indwelling Spirit of God, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God, nor can you experience an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. From this we learn that the kingdom of God in the world today is existent in the hearts and lives of those who, by faith, have the Spirit of God abiding within – those who abide in Christ, believe His Word, and live in obedience to it. There will come a day, when the Lord Jesus returns, that He will establish His kingdom-rule on this earth, and then His kingdom will take on a physical dimension.
Although we do not find the phrase “kingdom of heaven” or “kingdom of God” in the pre-Messianic Scriptures, the kingdom was already there and it is referred to as the “kingdom of the Lord” or Jehovah. David explains that Solomon was chosen by Jehovah to “sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel” (1 Chronicles 28:5); David drew a distinction between the kingdom of Jehovah and the nation of Israel – he saw Solomon as being the king of the Lord’s kingdom first, and thereby ruling over Israel. Clearly, David saw the kingdom of the Lord as being over Israel, and if Solomon would be obedient to the Lord, then his kingdom would never cease (1 Chronicles 28:7). When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, His desire was for them to become a “kingdom of priests” who would point the nations to the God of all creation (Exodus 19:6), because the promise to Abraham was that through his descendants all of the nations of the earth would be blessed – not only was this a promise of the Messiah to come, but it also indicated the responsibility of the children of promise. Those who are in Christ by faith are no different, for Peter calls us “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9; cp. Deuteronomy 14:2).
Lest we miss the broad scope of this spiritual kingdom, the Apostle Peter wrote:
Whereby [through Jesus Christ] are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue [uprightness]; and to virtue knowledge [understanding, insight]; And to knowledge temperance [self-control]; and to temperance patience [perseverance]; and to patience godliness [reverence]; And to godliness brotherly kindness [philadelphia – brotherly love]; and to brotherly kindness charity [agape – love as an act of the will]. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren [inactive] nor unfruitful in the [full] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ... Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence [make every effort] to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall [the Greek negatives ou and me along with a subjunctive verb makes this the strongest negative possible: absolutely never]: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting [eternal] kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:4-11).3
God has provided us with everything necessary to live godly lives; the fruit of the Spirit will reveal itself through the new man whom we are to put on – created by God in all righteousness and true holiness (Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:24). We are admonished by Peter to grow in our walk with the Lord (it is a command: “add to your faith…” – 2 Peter 1:5); we are to walk worthy of our holy calling (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:9). We are also commanded to make our calling sure (2 Peter 1:10), for in so doing we will establish our steadfastness in Christ and, through this, we will be provided an entrance into the “everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:11). Notice that this is an everlasting kingdom, an eternal kingdom because it is of the Lord Jesus Who is God eternal;4 notice as well that access into it will not be attained by coasting! We are called to expend energy (give diligence), not only physically, but we are to labor spiritually to ensure that we will find that entrance into Christ’s kingdom that will be richly provided for us. Jesus said: “Enter ye in [imperative mood, a command!] at the strait gate … Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:13-14)5 – He commanded us to enter through the Narrow Gate (the Lord, Himself – John 14:6), but warned that there would only be a few who would find Him. We are called to be steadfast in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13), vigilant (1 Peter 5:8), sober (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8; 1 Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8), diligent (2 Peter 3:14), wary (Philippians 3:2; Colossians 2:8; 2 Peter 3:17), and we are commanded to be imitators of God (Ephesians 5:1). Our task is great: we must labor, not through the efforts of the flesh that will only bring condemnation, but through the inner working of the abiding Spirit of God. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after [are living according to] the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).6
When God created man, He gave him a task to do: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish [fill] the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).7 God gave to man authority over the earth, to bring it into subjection, and also to have dominion, or rule, over all of the other living creatures on the earth (the Kingdom of God on earth – something that will be realized again in fullness with the new heaven and new earth of Revelation 21). Yet man turned his back on this privilege, and, through his rebellion, turned the dominion of God’s creation over to Satan (Luke 4:6-8). It is clear from 2 Peter 1 that the kingdom of our Lord Jesus is without beginning or ending, and therefore, God’s plan is to have as part of that kingdom, those who are willing to be redeemed. Adam’s sin did not thwart God’s plan to build His kingdom, for, from Adam until today, God has always extended His grace to those who are willing to be saved through faith in the redemption that only He could provide. We are spiritually born into this vast multitude (this great cloud of witnesses, Hebrews 12:1) when we look back to the redemption that was transacted by Christ, and accept His cleansing by faith.
Jeremiah spoke of this day:
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
Jeremiah was told of a day when the Law of God (my law), the Ten Commandments written by the finger of God upon tables of stone, would be placed within us – a day when the Spirit of God, as promised by the Lord Jesus, would come to reside within all those who believed and accepted God’s salvation by faith so that they would know Him. When Jesus said: “This is my blood of the new testament [Covenant], which is shed for many for the remission [forgiveness] of sins” (Matthew 26:28),8 He was implementing the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy. The disciples, to whom He spoke these words, were all descendants of Israel, and indeed, Jesus’ entire ministry on earth was directed to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). Romans 11:17-18 makes it clear that by faith the Gentiles are grafted into the same spiritual Olive Tree as Israel – the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul explains that not everyone who is of Jewish descent is considered to be of true Israel (Romans 9:3-9); Hosea recognized that God would include for Himself a people outside of Israel: “…I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God” (Hosea 2:23; Romans 9:25; 1 Peter 2:10). Jesus stated plainly that He had those who were not of the fold of Israel who would hear His voice and He would lead them as a part of the one flock that is His (John 10:16). Romans 8:2-4 makes it abundantly clear that the righteousness of the Law of God is fulfilled in us through the working of the indwelling Spirit of God; as we walk according to the leading of the Spirit, we are called the “sons of God” (Romans 8:14). This is the kingdom of God within us: being born again by faith in the Word of God (the Lord Jesus Christ – Revelation 19:13) and the abiding Spirit of God (John 3:5).
There are those who claim that the kingdom of God “resides in the small, despised apostolic churches” of today;9 yet it cannot be disputed that these small, non-mainstream churches also include unbelievers in their fold. So we are forced to return to the prophecy of Jeremiah that foretold a time when God would put His Laws into our inward parts by His Spirit, as confirmed by Romans 8. We like to consider the kingdom of God to at least be an identifiable group of people – this best fits with our cultural expectations. However, Peter identified those whom he calls “strangers” (as in, those dwelling in a foreign land; i.e., Christians living in the world) as a “royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people,” even while he acknowledged that they were scattered throughout the land (1 Peter 1:1, 2:9). God’s calling is always to the individual; Elijah learned this when he despaired of Israel’s apostasy and thought that he was the only one who still sought after God. The Lord told him that there were still 7,000 who had not bowed to Baal (1 Kings 19:18; Romans 11:2-5); these were righteous individuals, known to God, among the multitudes of the nation of Israel who had either fallen away or remained in paganism.
It is interesting to realize that, along with today’s onslaught of the contemplative prayer (spiritual formation, centering prayer, etc.) movement, which focuses so heavily upon a return to the mystical teachings of the early church fathers (in reality the founders of the Roman Catholic Church), there is also a departure from the accountability of the individual. Dallas Willard, in his book Renovation of the Heart, comments in this manner on the admonition in Ephesians 4:24 to put on the new man: “the individual or group more and more effectively acts for the good things they intend; and the will itself evermore broadens and deepens its devotion to good and the God of the good” (emphasis added).10 Notice that the group is viewed in the same way as the individual – yet, within Scripture, there is no such thing as group salvation; each individual must believe (Acts 16:31 is directed to an individual: thou). “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever [singular] believeth [is believing (present tense; singular)] in him should not perish [singular], but have [should be having (present tense; subjunctive mood [a possibility but not a certainty], singular)] everlasting life” (John 3:16).11
Rick Warren
This Biblically foreign concept of group salvation is equally evident in the dominionist teachings of popular men like Rick Warren. Dominionism teaches that through accepting Christ, the believer now has authority, or dominion, over every area of life; therefore, it is only fitting that believers endeavor to exercise that control within our culture. You often hear today, even among Evangelicals, of “saving the culture” – this is dominion theology. The focus is on establishing Christ’s kingdom on earth in preparation for Him to return to then assume its leadership. Nowhere in Scripture are we told to work toward the salvation of our culture; our culture is under the control of Satan, and will be until Christ returns to establish His kingdom on earth – yes, it is Christ Who will come to rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15), and it is certain that we cannot build His kingdom on earth when He specifically stated that at this time, His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). “This new gospel of dominionism has been teaching, at least since the mid 1970s, the principle of group conversion. According to this theology, small groups can agree by consensus to become ‘saved.’”12 Consider that Rick Warren’s declared means for the resolution of social difficulties is a trilateral partnership: “The third partnership involves a relationship between faith communities, the government and the business sector.”13 In Warren’s words: “The government has the administrative power to form agendas and set goals, the business sector can provide the expertise, the capital and the managerial skills, and the church can provide the distributive network and the local credibility.”14 Notice Warren’s rather nebulous reference to “faith communities” – there is nothing within his teachings that would characterize them as being narrowly defined, yet Jesus openly declared that the way to life is narrow and that there are few who will find it (Matthew 7:13-14). Jesus assured Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and Luke 4:6-8 confirms that they remain securely under Satan’s control; clearly Rick Warren and Jesus are on different pages! By downgrading the concept of salvation, room has been made for the dominionist’s agenda: get group assent to a faith concept, and you have achieved the salvation of the culture – in reality, there is nothing Biblical about such an approach, and certainly nothing saving in such a concept of salvation. Warren, and all those promoting this kingdom-now theology, have overrun their headlights and are speeding on in utter darkness; we are called to be aware of such, to be discerning, and to weigh their teachings carefully (1 John 4:1).
As we look about us today, we easily recognize that Christ’s kingdom has not been physically established on this earth yet, despite the best efforts of men like Warren and his fellow dominion-now advocates. The evidence of Satan’s activities is prolific; he is the destroyer, and you do not have to look far to recognize that his handiwork is everywhere (1 Peter 5:8, the word devour means to destroy15). Yet in the midst of this, Christ is still building His assembly of redeemed ones – not a physical kingdom, as it will be when He returns to earth someday, but a spiritual kingdom of saints who have been redeemed from sin – those called-out ones who have been made a part of His kingdom through faith in His finished work of redemption.
_______________________
1 Vine’s “kingdom.”
2 Friberg Lexicon, Bibleworks 8.
3 Friberg Lexicon; Strong’s Online; https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-negation.htm.
4 Friberg Lexicon.
5 Strong’s Online.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 David Cloud, “The Kingdom of God,” http://www.wayoflife.org/database/kingdomofgod.html
10 Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, p. 253.
11 Stephanus 1550 NT, Bibleworks 8.
12 “Christian Imperialism,” http://herescope.blogspot.com/2006/01/christian-imperialism-update-5-group.html
13 “Pastor Argues Faith is the Missing Link,” The Hoya, February 5, 2008, http://www.thehoya.com/node/15251
14 Ibid.
15 Strong’s Online.
As we look about us today, we easily recognize that Christ’s kingdom has not been physically established on this earth yet, despite the best efforts of men like Warren and his fellow dominion-now advocates. The evidence of Satan’s activities is prolific; he is the destroyer, and you do not have to look far to recognize that his handiwork is everywhere (1 Peter 5:8, the word devour means to destroy15). Yet in the midst of this, Christ is still building His assembly of redeemed ones – not a physical kingdom, as it will be when He returns to earth someday, but a spiritual kingdom of saints who have been redeemed from sin – those called-out ones who have been made a part of His kingdom through faith in His finished work of redemption.
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1 Vine’s “kingdom.”
2 Friberg Lexicon, Bibleworks 8.
3 Friberg Lexicon; Strong’s Online; https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/subj-negation.htm.
4 Friberg Lexicon.
5 Strong’s Online.
6 Ibid.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid.
9 David Cloud, “The Kingdom of God,” http://www.wayoflife.org/database/kingdomofgod.html
10 Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart, p. 253.
11 Stephanus 1550 NT, Bibleworks 8.
12 “Christian Imperialism,” http://herescope.blogspot.com/2006/01/christian-imperialism-update-5-group.html
13 “Pastor Argues Faith is the Missing Link,” The Hoya, February 5, 2008, http://www.thehoya.com/node/15251
14 Ibid.
15 Strong’s Online.