Kingdom-view and the World-view cultures are as different as light and darkness. (1 Peter 2:9)

Their foundations are as different as a house built on rock and a house built on sand. (Matthew 7:24-27)

Culture is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups. (Wikipedia)

Kingdom-view and World-view are different perspectives that determine our thoughts and actions. God, through Messiah, by the word and the Spirit, instills the Kingdom-view in us. World-views are based on mans values.

Values are: “Broad preferences concerning appropriate courses of actions or outcomes. As such, values reflect a person’s sense of right and wrong or what “ought” to be.” (Wikipedia ).

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8 (Romans 6:19-23).

God, through Messiah, by the word and the Spirit, instills the Kingdom-view in us.

“Which of you by being anxious, can add one moment‡ to his lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin, yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
“Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.” Matthew 6:27-34.

James defines both the World-view and the Kingdom-view in terms of wisdom.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:13-18 ISV

Paul puts the blessings of of living by the Spirit and the calamity of living in the culture formed by a lust of the flesh World-view in the black and white of the Kingdom-view.

Walk by the Spirit

“¹⁶But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Or, live in the flesh

“19 Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.”

The blessings of living in a culture led by the Spirit.

“²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,* ²³ gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Messiah have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let’s also walk by the Spirit. ²⁶ Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.” Galatians 5:16-26.

The wrath of God is raised against ungodliness and unrighteousness.

About 2,000 years ago, the culture in Rome was very similar to our culture in America. After greeting the saints in Rome, Paul aptly describes that culture.

“¹⁴I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians,d both to the wise and to the foolish. 15So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

¹⁸For the wrath of Gods revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. ¹⁹For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,g in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ²¹For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²3and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

²⁴Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, ²⁵because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

²⁶For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; ²⁷and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

²⁸And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. ²⁹They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, ³⁰slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, ³¹foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. ³2Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:14-32 ESV emphasis added

In accord with the Kingdom-view,”…it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you“

For it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us when The LORD Yeshua is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Yeshua, who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of The LORD and from the glory of his might, when he comes in that day to be glorified in his holy ones and to be admired among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10.

The temporal punishment of God’s wrath is just a taste of the wrath to come.

“But for the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 (Matthew 25:41,31-43; Colossians 3:6,1-14)

 

~ Bill Bremer

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Bill Bremer is Founder and Managing Director at Kingdom Relationships Colorado.

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