(3) The Visible Kingdom
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
The visible Kingdom involves the association of one or more Christians. When Christians meet of gather in the name of Jesus Christ, the church meets. During praise and worship, Holy Spirit is always available to mediate on behalf of the church. Under the old covenant, the temple was divided into three sections. The outer court, the inner court, and the Holy of Holies. The outer court was reserved for the Gentiles, the inner court for the children of God and the Holy of Holies for the High Priests whenever they had to go and offer sacrifices for the sin of the people.
When Jesus Christ died at the cross, He broke that limitation allowing everyone who believes in Him to access the throne room of God. The blood of Jesus opened the Gate of Grace to all men. As born-again believers, we can now access the throne of God through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Understanding the Kingdom governance
Just like the earthly Kingdom, the Kingdom of God is governed by a constitution. It is compiled in a book that we call the Holy Bible. It was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).
The Biblical word for ‘inspired’ means Scripture is “breathed out” by God. Apostle Peter describes this process like this in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “First of all, you should know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”. God breathed out His Word by using godly men to write down exactly what He wanted them to write.
Characteristics of God’s Word which serves as the constitution of God’s Kingdom
1. God’s Word is inspired
When we say that the Bible is inspired, we mean that God is its definitive author. While God used human beings to record his words, it is God himself who is behind what they wrote. God didn’t just inspire the big ideas behind the Bible, but the very words of Scripture.
2. God’s Word is Inerrant
When we say the Bible is inerrant, we mean God used human authors to pen exactly what he wanted, without any mixture of error. God used these men – with all of their personalities, their writing styles, their accumulated vocabularies, their life experiences, their illustrations and metaphors – to express His message, as He wanted it, yet without error.
3. God’s Word is Infallible
When we say the Bible is infallible, we mean that God’s Word is incapable of error. Because God is perfect, so is His revelation of himself. God’s Word will accomplish exactly what God wants it to, “My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do” (Isaiah. 55:11).
What we believe about God and what we believe about the Bible are intertwined and cannot be separated. What we know about God comes from the Bible. Scripture says God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). If the Bible is God’s Word to us, and if He cannot lie, then His Word also must be incapable of error.
The Christian begins with the commitment that God exists and that He has revealed himself. The Bible is a coherent story, written by 40 authors, in three languages, over 1,500 years. It makes sense of the world we live in, where the world came from, and what it means to be human.