Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition

LESSON 1 | THE KINGDOM OF GOD: GOD’S REIGN INAUGURATED / 181

True or False? “It is best to suggest that the Kingdom of God has never had any beginning or inauguration, since God has always been God, and as God, he has always been in charge.” What is right about this statement? Is there anything here that could be misleading? Does the reign of God in a person’s, a family’s, or a nation’s life have a beginning, or has God always been Lord of our lives, whether we acknowledge it or not? Free Will Throughout the history of philosophy and theology, godly, sincere people have debated over the question of free will, that is, do we actually have any such thing as free will? Think about it for a moment. If you were asked, “Are we free?”, what would you say? What are we as human beings, free to do? Are we slaves to sin, to God, or do we have a choice in everything that we consider, do, and encounter? If we do not have free will, how can God hold us accountable for what we say and do? God has been working since the beginning to eradicate all disobedience and rebellion as a result of the Fall, through the unfolding of his covenant promise to Abraham to bring a Seed. This promise can be traced through God’s covenant people, through Judah, David. In spite of God’s people’s moral failure and idolatry, through them emerged the Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth, who represents the Kingdom’s presence realized. With final power and authority, God’s reign has been demonstrated in Jesus’ incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension. Our objective for this lesson, God’s Reign Inaugurated, is to enable you to see that: • In the person and works of Jesus of Nazareth, God’s kingdom Reign has been gloriously inaugurated (in a final sense), and realized in the world. • Jesus gave witness and life to God’s reign as the Christus Victum in his suffering, death, and burial. God’s Reign Inaugurated Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

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T heology and E th i c s

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Summary page 106 & 4