The kingdom of God is that place in which God reigns, where God is King. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, sin has blocked the entry into God's kingdom. Sin locks the door into it.
But the key to unlock the door to God's kingdom is the Gospel, which is the power of God to salvation to those who believe. In Matthew 16: 18 20, Jesus talks about this key. In those verses, Jesus is reaffirming Himself as the Rock, the head of the church. He is also saying Peter's testimony of Him, as "the Christ" is the key whereby the door to salvation and the kingdom of God would be opened to all who believe in Him. Peter's testimony of Jesus is a part of the Gospel. As Christians, we have received God's free gift of salvation through our belief by faith in the Gospel; the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
God has forgiven us of our sins and given us entry into His upcoming eternal kingdom. Also, we have been given entry into God's current spiritual kingdom, which is within each believer's heart.
What role does the Holy Spirit play in all of this? Spirituality is the manifestation of the Gospel in us. The Holy Spirit is the seal from God that affirms the truth of the Gospel in us. It is our current evidence of our place in God's eternal kingdom and our confirmation of God's spiritual kingdom within us now.
God has given us the Gospel, the key to the kingdom, the power of salvation to those who believe. But it is the Holy Spirit that guides us to the entry of the kingdom. What would happen without the guidance of the Holy Spirit? Without the Spirit, no one can accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. Those things are spiritually discerned and only understood by those walking in the Spirit. Without the Spirit, we would not understand the purpose of the key.
Without the Holy Spirit, the key would be misplaced, misused, and abused by those who have their own agenda. It is Satan's job to confuse and misguide us even though we have the key to the kingdom. Even when we have unlocked the door to the kingdom, Satan still tries to lead us astray. This will be his goal until Jesus' second coming, Satan's final defeat. Satan's final defeat will be the manifestation of our eternal security and final victory over sin and evil.
Until that time, we must continue to follow the Holy Spirit so we can keep our eyes on God and overcome Satan's attempts to hinder our daily walk with Him. By following the Spirit, we can use the key to the kingdom properly and stay connected to God. We can truly walk by the power of God each day.
I knew there was a reason I was drawn to your articles. My husband Mark Parsec is also a pastor and been through seminary, thus I am the pastor's wife and love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul. I loved the article. Personally for me, the presence of the Holy Spirit is one that cannot be beat.
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