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The Gospel of the Kingdom: Jesus' Revolutionary Message
Gospel is a word we often hear. But what does it mean? This book looks at gospels in the ancient world, and seeks to understand Jesus' gospel and the proclamation of the first Christians. The gospel is the instrument God uses to save lives; fuzzy thinking can be dangerous. The author argues that Jesus' gospel defines a new reality, requiring a new response in human behaviour. It is truly revolutionary.
328 pages, Paperback
Published May 27, 2016
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28 people want to read
About the author
David Seccombe
6 books2 followersDavid Seccombe holds a PhD in New Testament Studies from Cambridge University. He has just retired from 20 years as Principal of George Whitefield College in Cape Town and remains a Research Fellow of GWC and Affiliate Professor of New Testament at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. He was pastor of St Matthew’s Anglican Church, Shenton Park in Western Australia for 14 years.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 16, 2017
Very good. I really like this book. He explains the gospel clearly and makes thought-provoking points throughout the book. For example...
In our age that demands instant gratification, Seccombe writes on page 173, "Jesus came to create this new world, and the stance of the Christian in the present should be overwhelmingly one of hoping toward the future: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." "Marantha -- our Lord come!"
He makes another insightful observation on preaching justification by faith today. He points out that during the Reformation, people understood who Jesus is, "had an awareness of sin and a strong desire for salvation. For them the gospel was corrupted at the point of people's entry into salvation. They thought they had to work for it -- or work to maintain it." The question for us is, then, at what point is the entrance to the Kingdom being blocked today? Here's what Seccombe writes on page 257:
"At the doorway to salvation we face another very different challenge. Many of our contemporaries believe that sin is unimportant and that God (if he is real) will accept everyone. The phrase "unconditional love" is often heard. God's love is unconditional, but salvation is not; it is offered to us when we believe the gospel, which means surrendering to a new Master. We must beware lest our preaching of justification becomes "cheap grace." The message of justification by faith still needs to be explained but with special emphasis on God's demand for righteousness, the costliness of Christ's providing it for us, and the absolute necessity of faith in the Lord Jesus." Do we preach repentance and justification by faith or, as Bonhoeffer put it, justification of sin?!
In our age that demands instant gratification, Seccombe writes on page 173, "Jesus came to create this new world, and the stance of the Christian in the present should be overwhelmingly one of hoping toward the future: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." "Marantha -- our Lord come!"
He makes another insightful observation on preaching justification by faith today. He points out that during the Reformation, people understood who Jesus is, "had an awareness of sin and a strong desire for salvation. For them the gospel was corrupted at the point of people's entry into salvation. They thought they had to work for it -- or work to maintain it." The question for us is, then, at what point is the entrance to the Kingdom being blocked today? Here's what Seccombe writes on page 257:
"At the doorway to salvation we face another very different challenge. Many of our contemporaries believe that sin is unimportant and that God (if he is real) will accept everyone. The phrase "unconditional love" is often heard. God's love is unconditional, but salvation is not; it is offered to us when we believe the gospel, which means surrendering to a new Master. We must beware lest our preaching of justification becomes "cheap grace." The message of justification by faith still needs to be explained but with special emphasis on God's demand for righteousness, the costliness of Christ's providing it for us, and the absolute necessity of faith in the Lord Jesus." Do we preach repentance and justification by faith or, as Bonhoeffer put it, justification of sin?!
March 17, 2017
I don't think it only comes down to him being my New Testament lecturer and principal at college: read everything David Seccombe has written. Unfortunately his corpus is relatively small. However the quality of his work is immense. When he lectured, Seccombe was never able to separate theology from the Christian life, which is wonderfully true of this his most recent work. Seccombe cannot help being the pastor-theologian who is unafraid to sacrifice technical discussions and vast footnotes in favor of applying biblical truth. That being said, Seccombe's experience in New Testament studies remains undeniable. His kingdom theology is both argued articulately from Scripture and simultaneously pastorally handled.
While there are many strengths to this work, I want to highlight a few:
- the chapter on what the cross achieves is superb, widely conversant
- the engagement with Christus Victor theology is refreshing and fair, not to mention reconciliatory since that is what the New Testament teaches at points
- Seccombe's theology of sin is unapologetic and inseparable from the cross, human problem
Overall, Seccombe demonstrates exceptional abilities in the area of biblical theology, handling of the New Testament texts, invitingly presenting the story of Christ, and faithfully interpreting Scripture with Scripture
While there are many strengths to this work, I want to highlight a few:
- the chapter on what the cross achieves is superb, widely conversant
- the engagement with Christus Victor theology is refreshing and fair, not to mention reconciliatory since that is what the New Testament teaches at points
- Seccombe's theology of sin is unapologetic and inseparable from the cross, human problem
Overall, Seccombe demonstrates exceptional abilities in the area of biblical theology, handling of the New Testament texts, invitingly presenting the story of Christ, and faithfully interpreting Scripture with Scripture
February 9, 2017
Worth a re-read - a radical re-examination of a critically important topic. Lots of good thinking here, well argued. As recommended by William Taylor.
February 28, 2022
This is the best complete book I have read on the Kingdom of God and what the gospel actually means over the truncated version of salvation that most Christians know. The Gospel of the Kingdom makes good news that excites me. Being part of God's kingdom and knowing His love for me despite my many failings and failures gives me gratitude for the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in my life. I highly recommend this book. It is well researched, written and thoughtful.
August 19, 2022
Fantastic book clarifying what is and isn't the Gospel. So important!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews