The Kingdom of God: A Biblical Theology

by Nicholas Perrin

Overview

What does the Bible say about God's Kingdom and what Kingdom living looks like?

In the last hundred and fifty years the concept of the kingdom of God has emerged as one of the most important topics in theology, New Testament studies, and the life of the church.

In The Kingdom of God, Nicholas Perrin explores this dominant biblical metaphor, one that is paradoxically the meta-center and the mystery in Jesus' proclamation. After survey interpretations by figures from Ritschl to N. T. Wright, Perrin examines questions such as:

• What exactly is the kingdom of God?
• What do different Christian traditions mean when they talk about “the Kingdom”?  
• How should we interpret Jesus’ teachings about the Kingdom?
• What does it mean for the people of God and what does it mean for how they live in the world?

 

Perrin contends that the kingdom is inaugurated in Jesus' earthly ministry, but its final development awaits later events in history. In between the times, however, the people of God are called to participate in the reign of God by living out the distinctly kingdom-ethic through hope, forgiveness, love, and prayer.

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Part of the Biblical Theology for Life series, this practical and robust book will help you ground your understanding of the Kingdom of God on the solid foundation of biblical exegesis and reflection.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310499862
Publisher:	Zondervan Academic
Publication date:	02/26/2019
Series:	Biblical Theology for Life
Sold by:	HarperCollins Publishing
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	716,702
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Nicholas Perrin PhD, Marquette University, is Franklin S. Dryness Professor of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. Between 2000 and 2003 he was Research Assistant to Nicholas T. Wright. He is author of numerous books, including Thomas: The Other Gospel, Lost in Transmission, and Jesus the Temple.

Jonathan Lunde (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is associate professor of biblical and theological studies at Talbot School of Theology of Biola University. He is coeditor (with Kenneth Berding) of Three Views on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament and has contributed articles to The Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels and the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Jon and his wife, Pamela, have three children and reside in Brea, California.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Queueing the Questions 1. The Kingdom: The Meta-center and Mystery of Jesus’ Proclamation Part 2: Arriving at Answers The “What” Question 2. Yahweh the Creator God is King 3. The Covenantal Structure of Yahweh’s Kingdom 4. Yahweh’s Kingdom as a Dynamic, Eschatological Reality 5. The Kingdom in the Preaching of John the Baptizer 6. The Lord’s Prayer and the Essence of the Kingdom (Matt 6:9-13) 7. The Christological Character of the Kingdom: Present Signs of the Kingdom 8. The Future Advent of the Kingdom 9. The Kingdom and Ethics The “Who” Question 10. Kingdom of Sons and Daughters 11. Kingdom of Priests 12. Kingdom of the Poor The “How” Question 13. Defining Feature of the Kingdom: Suffering (Mark 8---10) 14. Defining Values of the Kingdom 15. Defining Activities of the Kingdom: Prayer and Meals 16. Defining Commitments of the Kingdom: The Overriding Commitment to the Kingdom Part 3: Reflecting on the Relevance 17. Living the Kingdom Life Today

Editorial Reviews

While Christians everywhere dedicate themselves to inviting others into the kingdom of God, countless many (if they’re honest with themselves) find themselves mildly confused by the concept. Taking aim at today’s confusion, Perrin’s book offers a fresh, compelling, and biblically rooted vision of the kingdom, giving us new eyes on not just the what, who, when, where, and how of the kingdom, but also why the kingdom matters for everyone.

Ed Stetzer

Avoiding both oversimplification and hyper-technicality, Perrin addresses a wide sweep of questions and issues regarding Jesus’s central message . . . and continuing mission, through the church and beyond. “The work of understanding the kingdom of God is a holy obligation,” the author writes, and this volume furnishes essential resources. Informed by discussion across the sweep of Christian tradition (and sometimes secular punditry), Perrin effectively marshals his Gospels expertise to produce an incisive study of a controversial topic. I believe the ways he maps challenges and arrives at proposals will not only enhance understanding but also deepen Christians’ daily petition to the Father: “Your kingdom come.”, professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

Few academics have the ability to explain a complex topic in terms that lay audiences will both understand and enjoy, but Nicholas Perrin has done just that. He patiently and skillfully walks the reader through one of the central themes of the Bible, elucidating the story (and the reality) of God’s kingdom—past, present, and future—as it is revealed in the Old and New Testaments. We are left not only with a clear and awe-inspiring view of the kingdom of God, but Perrin gives us “practical stepping-stones” to take us “from biblical theology to real life.” Thank you, Nick Perrin. You have done us a tremendous service in writing this book.

Catherine Mc Dowell

Perrin does a great job in tracing the theology of the kingdom of God from its beginning in Genesis, through the Old Testament, to its proclamation in the Gospels. His insight on the relationship between the “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel and the kingdom is intriguing, spurring readers to rethink the significance of familiar scriptural passages. Most importantly, Perrin guides his readers to reflect on the relevance of the kingdom in their lives and how to live out the core values of the kingdom today.

Chee-Chiew Lee

In this in-depth but very readable book, Nicholas Perrin offers compelling insight after compelling insight into the nature of the kingdom of God, King Jesus, and the people of the kingdom. Perrin enriches our understanding of the kingdom, especially concerning its deep Old Testament roots, but he also calls us to greater kingdom living—even if that entails suffering.

Michael J. Gorman

Avoiding both oversimplification and hyper-technicality, Perrin addresses a wide sweep of questions and issues regarding Jesus’s central message . . . and continuing mission, through the church and beyond. “The work of understanding the kingdom of God is a holy obligation,” the author writes, and this volume furnishes essential resources. Informed by discussion across the sweep of Christian tradition (and sometimes secular punditry), Perrin effectively marshals his Gospels expertise to produce an incisive study of a controversial topic. I believe the ways he maps challenges and arrives at proposals will not only enhance understanding but also deepen Christians’ daily petition to the Father: “Your kingdom come.

Robert W. Yarbrough