The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross

This book looks at the ongoing references to the of the kingdom of God from Genesis through Revelation. The author started by explaining that the kingdom of God involves God's power, the people of the kingdom, and a place. He explained that there are both spiritual and physical aspects to the kingdom of God as well as present and future aspects.

He pointed out kingdom imagery, like tree references, and what people expected of the promised kingdom. He gave a summary of the books of the Bible with his focus on the kingdom references. Then he discussed how the kingdom connects with the cross. I found this overview of the kingdom narrative to be very interesting, and I gained some insights from this book. Overall, I would recommend this book.

INTRODUCTION

Like father, like son. One of my favorite professors at Southern Seminary is Dr. Tom Schreiner. Whether it be through lecture or through writing, Dr. Schreiner has a tremendous ability to communicate complex truths on biblical theology clearly, concisely, and plainly such that all kinds of people ranging from novices to experts can understand him. His son, Dr. Patrick Schreiner, has the same gift, and he puts it on display in his book about the kingdom of God titled The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross.

SUMMARY

The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross is the latest installment in the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series, which aims to “connect the resurgence of biblical theology at the academic level with everyday believers” in such a way that “requires no prerequisite theological training of the reader” (preface). In this book, Schreiner guides his readers to understand that the kingdom of God, defined as “the King’s power over the King’s people in the King’s place” (20), is “the thematic framework” (16) that unites the entire biblical story together in Christ.

Methodically, Schreiner demonstrates how the kingdom concepts of power, people, and place are interrelated throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, the Law revives hope in the kingdom, the Prophets foreshadow the kingdom, and the Writings attest to life in the kingdom. In the New Testament, the Gospels picture Jesus embodying the kingdom, Acts and the Epistles testify to kingdom community, and Revelation culminates with achieving the kingdom goal.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Simply put, Schreiner nailed his goal. In 150 pages, Schreiner clearly, succinctly, and plainly defines, explains, and proves that the kingdom of God in Christ indeed runs through the whole of Scripture as the thematic framework that holds the Bible together as a unified story, as opposed to the Bible being a bunch of randomly collected religious writings. His definition of the kingdom of God, with its alliteration, is easy to remember as one follows the book’s arguments from beginning to end. The book is devoid of highly technical comments and extensive use of Hebrew and Greek. In the one or two places where original biblical languages are used, the discussion is very brief, well-explained, and easy to follow. A footnote with a brief definition of “typologically” would be helpful on page 124 considering that it is a technical term with which “everyday believers” likely aren’t familiar.

Schreiner’s introduction is particularly noteworthy. In the introduction, Schreiner says that we often misconstrue the kingdom of God as simply heaven, the church, or God’s power, all of which are too reductionistic (16-17). Schreiner rightly contends that if we neglect people and place from the idea of kingdom, we will tend to disparage the material world which God created for good, we might truncate the mission of the church which calls us to preach the gospel to people to the ends of the earth such that they believe and submit their lives to the rule of King Jesus, and we misrepresent the fullness of what the Bible teaches about the kingdom (22-23). Rightly understanding the kingdom matters in all kinds of practical ways.

Reading through the book, I kept asking myself, “Does the definition of kingdom need to be explicit about the faith of God’s people?” If the creation kingdom was good while Adam and Eve trusted God (Gen. 1-2), and if the restored kingdom was in process throughout the rest of the Old Testament until Jesus comes and grants faith to his new covenant people through the Holy Spirit so that his people obey his rule, it seems that faith is a vital part of the kingdom of God. God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule was true in the prophets, but God’s people failed to live under God’s rule by faith; hence, the argument that the prophets simply foreshadowed the true kingdom. While the idea of God’s people living by faith is in the book (ex. 113-114), should the definition of kingdom be along the lines of “the King’s power in the King’s place over the King’s people who live by faith in the King’s promises” if without the obedience of faith there is a broken kingdom of God?

The title for the discussion on the Law could be tweaked. The current title is “Reviving Hope in the Kingdom.” The problem is that such a title assumes that there is a kingdom and that the kingdom is broken. In other words, the title starts with Genesis 3 when the Law starts with Genesis 1. Perhaps something like “The Law: Creation, Fall, and Revival of Hope in the Kingdom” would more comprehensively cover the Law’s teaching on the kingdom, which for readers at an introductory level, would be helpful in understanding the whole Bible.

Finally, the discussion on pages 128-130 on the people of God in the book of Revelation is too vague. Eighteen times on these three pages, various images are used to conclude that God’s people will be protected during the last days from “the kingdom of man, the second death, and the wrath of the Lamb” (128). Only once, on page 129, is there any indication of suffering for the people of God. The overwhelming picture is that God’s people will be safe during the last days while the rest of the world suffers at the hand of God. The reality is that, while God’s people will be protected from the second death and the wrath of the Lamb, the people of God will be immensely persecuted by the kingdom of man and the wicked rulers of this world (Rev. 1:5, 9; 2:2-3, 9-10, 13; 3:8-10; 6:9-11; 11:7-8; 12:13-17; 13:7-10; 16:6; 17:6; 19:2). Many Christians will suffer and die; yet, God will raise his people from the dead. God will protect his people for eternal life. He will protect us through persecution, not from persecution; hence the call to endurance (Rev. 1:9; 2:2; 13:10; 14:12). This distinction must be made so that Christians rightly think about what it means for us to live as followers of Jesus in these last days.

CONCLUSION

All things considered, The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross truly is an excellent, entry-level resource on the kingdom of God. It ought to be required reading for all Christians to help us orient our lives to the biblical story in Christ and away from our piecemealed, me-centric understandings of the Bible as we Christians live as God’s people under God’s power in God’s place in Christ.

First sentence: “What is the kingdom of God?” The student leaned back and looked at me. I paused, fumbled around, then tossed out some words, but I ended my little incoherent bluster by saying that we would find out as we continued to study Matthew.

The book presents an overview of the entire Bible through the theological/doctrinal lens of 'the kingdom of God.' The book explores what the phrase 'kingdom of God' means throughout Scripture. It would be tempting to define this key concept just based on the gospel readings, for example. But a more accurate assessment must consider all of scripture. He uses the Jewish ordering of Scripture when he discusses the Old Testament. (If you've never read the Old Testament this way, I do recommend it!)

How does Schreiner define the kingdom of God?

"The kingdom is the King’s power over the King’s people in the King’s place."

In part one, the focus is on the Old Testament. What can we learn about the kingdom of God in the law? in the prophets? in the writings? In part two, the focus is on the New Testament. What can we learn about the kingdom of God in the gospels? in Acts? In Paul's letters? in the general letters? Of course, this is all leading up to what can we learn about the kingdom of God in the book of Revelation?!?!

I would definitely recommend this one. It may be a "short study" in Biblical theology--but it packs in a lot of substance or 'meat.'

Favorite quotes:

"The whole of Scripture culminates on a mountain, and at the top of it we find a tree—the cross. The Gospels present the kingdom realized through the cross. The cross establishes the kingdom; the kingdom comes through the cross. But if the kingdom is people and place, then the kingdom is also hidden beneath the people of God (the church). The cross lives on in the people of God and the places where they gather together. When they take up their crosses and follow Jesus, there the kingdom is. "

"The kingdom is not a higher or more important theme than the cross. These two realities are forever joined; separating them is an act of violence. If the kingdom is the goal, then the cross is the means."

It might seem that the Bible is disjointed, that the Old and New Testaments are not cohesive in their theological views. But Schreiner claims that the biblical theme of the kingdom is a thread that runs through the entire Bible.

Schreiner argues that Christians must understand the kingdom to truly know Jesus and understand the gospel. He suggests the kingdom is the framework for all of Scripture, that the other themes in Scripture revolve around it.

Schreiner begins by defining the kingdom of God in terms of power, people, and place. He shows how the theme flows through the Old Testament and that it was always God's objective to establish a kingdom on earth. (Loc 338/1618) He goes through the law, the warnings and promises of the prophets, kingdom prospering in the wisdom literature, its embodiment in Jesus and its unexpected nature as revealed in the New Testament.

I appreciate this book, one in a series showing how the Bible is theologically unified. It is written for the layperson and is very understandable on that level. Reading this book helped me to see how the kingdom of God is a theme that runs through the entire Bible. It also helped me see the cross in its relation to the kingdom. “If the kingdom is the goal,” Schreiner writes, “then the cross is the means.” (Loc 1482/1618) Accepting the cross is the entrance to the kingdom. Rejecting the cross is to be thrown out forever. (Loc 1540/1618)

I recommend this book to Christians who desire to understand the kingdom of God as the theme that runs through the entire Bible and the role of the cross in that kingdom reality.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

This is a concise book on the topic of the kingdom, written from a biblical theology standpoint. The book is easy-to-read and it is really enjoyable to see the kingdom idea traced chronologically through the Bible. I think sometimes the "kingdom" discussion falls short on its discussion of the king, but this book does a good job of emphasizing the important aspect of the kingdom- the king himself.

You cannot know anything about Jesus, anything, if you miss the kingdom of God... You are zero on Jesus if you don't understand this term. I'm sorry to say it strongly, but this is the great failure of the evangelical Christianity. We have had Jesus without the kingdom of God, and therefore have literally done Jesus in.

Kingdom and gospel are buzz words in Christiandom and being the buzz words, there is a danger of not understanding who God is and what God has done. We can throw words out there that God is in control and that he sent his son to Jesus to die for sinners, but having a clear understanding of the Kingdom and the glory of the cross, can change our desires (changing our desires is a change of heart)to be more after the heart of God then our own self-focus.

The study is overreaching from beginning to end. Reading the bible thru the lens of kingdom/cross opens the heart to discover who God is. The text has two parts.

The Kingdom in the Old Testament
**The Law-Reviving Hope
**The Prophets-Foreshadowing
**The Writings-Life in the Kingdom

The Kingdom in the New Testament
**The Gospels-Embodying the Kingdom
**Acts & the Epistles-Kingdom and Community
**Revelation-Achieving the Kingdom goal

It is important to know that there is always a kingdom. A kingdom consists of power, place and people. We can embody our own Kingdom. Our greed for power in our place with the people we know. The study helps the reader to know which kingdom we are seeking and why it matters. How God directs us thru the cross to seek after his kingdom and righteousness.

Not only is this a great study to know what the Kingdom really means but it gives you a desire to know more and be more focused on the kingdom which you are seeking. I highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This is the fourth book I read from the “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” series published by Crossway. I have immensely enjoyed the other three volumes that I read from this series and since they were so good I want to eventually read all the works in this series. This present work explores the theme of “the kingdom of God” in the Bible and is authored by Patrick Schriener. If the last name jumps out at you that’s because he’s the son of New Testament scholar Thomas R. Schreiner.
The book is made up into six chapters besides the introduction and the conclusion. The main body of the book is a survey of the Kingdom of God from Genesis through Revelation. The book is divided into two parts with the first part surveying the Old Testament and the second part surveys the New Testament. Each part has three chapters with the first chapter covering the law, the second chapter is on the prophets and the third chapter is on the Writings. These are the three division the Jews have for their Scripture which I appreciated the author considered in the structure of the book. In part two chapter four is on the Gospels, chapter five is on Acts and the Epistles with chapter six on Revelation.
I thought the best part of the book was the introduction which the authored titled “The Importance of the Kingdom.” Not only did he argued why the kingdom of God is important but he also made a persuasive case that a wrong definition of the kingdom or one that is reductionistic poses real challenges in biblical interpretation and biblical theology. After noting the danger the author points out that the kingdom of God must encompass three components: There must be the power of God with a people of God and located at a place. While not all of these three aspects are always mentioned simultaneously in Scripture nevertheless these are the three “Ps” that are the characteristics of the kingdom of God. I thought that was very helpful. With this in place Schreiner defined the kingdom of God as the King’s power over the King’s people in the King’s place.
Like other books in this series this book might be short in length with 160 pages but it is packed with insights, and amazing truths concerning biblical theology, structures of books in the Bible, etc. Personally there were so many things that I learned from the book that I won’t be able to share them all in this review. Here are some of the things I learned:
• The Bible begins and ends with a tree; see Genesis 2:9 and Revelation 22:2. But throughout Scripture the kingdom of God is often portrayed as a tress such as in Daniel 4:10-12 and Jesus comparison of the kingdom to a tree in Matthew 13:31 and Mark 4:31-32.
• Jesus hung on a tree to be cursed to undo the curse of the first tree and ultimately to provide God’s people access to the second tree: the tree of life.
• Genesis lays the foundation for so much of what appears later in the New Testament. Schreiner did a good job pointing out of how the Gospel of Matthew opens up with a “book of genealogy” that echoes Genesis 2:4, 5:1 of origin of Adam and Eve and thus in Matthew the theme of New Creation and people is seen, with God’ New Creation about to begin!
• In the middle of Wisdom literature in the Hebrew order of the canon of Scripture is the book of Ruth and Ester. Chronologically this might seem odd since Ruth is before David and the split of the kingdom. But Ruth in the order of the canon serves to function to remind the people that God will bring a Rescuer King even as the people are in “Exile” like Ruth in Moab.
• If the Kingdom of God is the goal, then the cross is the means according to the New Testament.
Again there are more things one will learn than what is summarized above. Overall the book was wonderful and helpful but there are a few criticism I have of the book. In talking about the Old Testament Patrick Schreiner mentioned that punishment accompanied every mention of Seraphim. But I think that is not totally accurate since Seraphim is mentioned twice but is mentioned only in Isaiah chapter 6. There the Seraphim is not there for judgment per se for they are even involved with cleansing Isaiah for the forgiveness of his sins (see verse 6-7). I felt Schreiner’s comment about Seraphim didn’t tell the whole story. Also in the chapter talking about the book of Acts there was an error in which Schreiner referred to Acts 20:31 when he meant Acts 28:31 concerning Paul mentioning the Kingdom of God. With the two criticism I have of the book it should not take away any reason why one should read this book.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Crossway and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.