The Gospel of the Kingdom: Jesus' Revolutionary Message

by David Seccombe

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.

Genres: Theology, Christian

328 pages, Paperback

Published May 27, 2016

About the author

David 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.

Reviews

[Jeremiah von Kühn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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?!

[Graham Heslop · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Peter Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Michael King · Rating 4 out of 5]

The comprehensiveness of this book is both a blessing and a curse.
It's a blessing because it frames the Gospel message through the lens of both biblical and systematic theology by drawing from a wide range of Scripture. Very few stones are left unturned.
On the flip side, what sets out as an attempt to give a narrow and sharp definition of the Gospel eventually reads more as a concise systematic theology textbook.
Who would I recommend this book to? I'm not sure. And that's my biggest gripe.

Quick highlights/reflections:
1) Thoroughly loved chapter 7 that showed the importance of presenting the person of Jesus rather than an abstract individual when gospelling.
2) Unsure whether recognising Jesus as Lord necessarily entails recognising his incarnate nature as both God and man (79–80).

[Neil Saltmarsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Jake Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book clarifying what is and isn't the Gospel. So important!