Jesus announced the Kingdom of God. We cannot fully understand the message of the Gospels if we forget this theme. But what did Jesus mean by “Kingdom of God”? And what was he expecting when announcing his arrival? Finally, is it possible to read the entire life and ministry of Jesus, including his death and resurrection, in light of the Kingdom?
In dialogue with contemporary research, the author suggests reading the Gospels by making the Kingdom of God the center of the message, the action and the death and resurrection of Jesus. It shows how the important themes of repentance, faith, discipleship or even the miracles and social behaviors of Jesus relate to the notion of the Kingdom of God. Contrary to some popular ideas, in proclaiming the Kingdom, Jesus was not speaking of the end of the world, nor only of a religious reform or a social program, nor of a national restoration, but rather of divine intervention in human history accomplishing, in a surprising and unexpected way, the salvation of Israel (and all humanity) and ushering in the era of salvation. The Church therefore lives its faith between two “times”: the emergence of the Kingdom in the present time and the accomplishment of the Kingdom in times to come.
This book, on a subject little covered in French, invites us to place the Kingdom of God at the heart of our discourse and our practice.
Stéphane Rhéaume is senior pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church of Saint-Eustache, Quebec, lecturer at the Evangelical Theology School of Quebec and associate professor at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences at Laval University.
ISBN: 9782755002928