The changing of one’s concept is a strict requirement. Unless this happens, no one can enter into the kingdom of God. The law of Moses taught people how to conduct themselves. It said, Do not murder, do not lie, do not steal, do not bear false testimony, honor your parents, and earnestly care for others. Moses’ teachings, however, could only cause people to be lawful in the human kingdom; they could not bring them into the kingdom of God. It was in this situation, with this background, that John came. From the very beginning he told people to have a change of concept because God’s world, God’s kingdom (which is God Himself), had drawn near and was right at the door. Hence, John charged people to change their concept quickly, not to hold on to Moses any longer, and to have a turn in purpose by receiving Jesus Christ (who was God become [354] man, who was the very God Himself, and who was the reality of the kingdom of God). This is to have a change of concept, a change from the law to God Himself and from Moses to Jesus Christ. Only by receiving Him can men enter into the kingdom of God.
To Enter into the Kingdom of God
Being to Receive God into Us
Now we all understand that the kingdom of God is God Himself. Following John the Baptist, the Lord Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God has drawn near” (Mark 1:15) when He went out to minister. In other words, Jesus was saying, “God is on the way; He has drawn near.” For example, if you have a friend who is coming to visit you, and he is already on the way, then you will say, “My friend has drawn near. He will be here in just a short while, so I have to prepare to receive him.” Similarly, to proclaim that the kingdom of God has drawn near is to declare that God Himself has drawn near and that men should get ready to receive Him into them. The way to prepare is to put away the old, natural concepts and to hold on to the New Testament revelation, knowing that to enter into God’s kingdom is to receive God Himself. This is the central thought of the preaching of John the Baptist as the forerunner in the New Testament dispensation.
Our Understanding concerning
the Kingdom of God Being Incomplete
In the past we had a considerable amount of knowledge concerning the kingdom of God, and although our understanding was not wrong, it was definitely incomplete. In our understanding God’s kingdom was merely God’s reigning. This kind of understanding was based upon human realization more than upon God’s revelation. If the kingdom of God is merely God’s reigning and the realm of God’s reigning, then this means that it is God controlling man. For example, when you are going to steal, He would not let you; when you are going to lose your temper, He would not allow you; when you are furious and are going to speak some angry words, He would stop you; when you are going to do a bad thing or say a bad word, He would warn you first, and if you refuse to listen, then He would chastise you. This kind of understanding and realization about the kingdom of God is too narrow.
Suppose you have a monkey and you want to teach the monkey [355] how to enter into the human kingdom. With this intention you may take a whip in your hands and try to teach the monkey to act like a man by using its two front legs as two hands to eat food and do other things. When the monkey does not obey your instructions, then you may whip the monkey. I am afraid that this is our common understanding of God’s reigning, that every day there is a “whip” regulating us from outside. In actuality, God’s reigning is not an outward matter but a matter of life. If a monkey could be regenerated, born again, to become a man and have the human life, this life would automatically regulate the monkey from within to live like a man. In this way the monkey would automatically and naturally enter into the human kingdom. If this happened, then to try to make the monkey to live and walk like a monkey again would be a suffering to the monkey. Therefore, it is altogether a matter of the innate ability of life, not a matter of outward teaching and regulation.
Every kind of life has its particular nature and ability. Take the banana tree as an example. You do not need to worry that a banana tree will grow round bananas. If you were to say to the banana tree, “Please make sure that you do not grow round bananas but that you grow long bananas,” the banana tree, if it could speak, would answer, “Thank you for your concern. However, there is no need for you to exhort me, because the banana life in me has the nature and ability to automatically regulate me and cause me to grow bananas in the shape of bananas.” In the same principle, you do not need to make demands of, or teach, the apple tree or the pear tree. They will spontaneously grow fruit in the shape of apples and pears respectively.
The Kingdom of God Being God Himself, the Life of God
We must have a clear understanding of the kingdom of God. God’s kingdom is God Himself, and God’s kingdom has God as its content. Moreover, this content is Jesus Christ, who is God incarnated to be a man and who is God Himself as the reality of the kingdom of God. John 3:3 says, “Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” God’s kingdom is a divine realm, and man must have the life of God to enter into it. As we said before, life itself is a kingdom, a world, and a regulating element. Similarly, God’s kingdom is God Himself, and God Himself is life, having the nature, ability, and shape of the divine life, which forms the realm of God’s reigning. [356]
GOD BEING TRIUNE
If we desire to know the Bible and God’s economy, we must change our natural, human, religious, and moral concepts so that we may receive God’s revelation. In order to know the four great matters in the Bible, we must understand and be acquainted with the Scripture verses listed at the beginning of this chapter. Similarly, if we want to understand that God is triune, we need to be familiar with Luke 15, which gives the best illustration of this matter. That chapter consists of three sections concerning a shepherd, a woman, and a father. The shepherd signifies Christ, the Son, coming to find us. The woman signifies the Holy Spirit thoroughly illuminating us within. And the father signifies God the Father receiving us, fallen men, back to His house. We may say that in the entire New Testament Luke 15 is the chapter that most clearly unveils the mystery of the Divine Trinity, with a particular emphasis on the love of the Triune God toward sinners.
Now we come to the first Scripture passage concerning the four great matters in the Bible. Genesis 1:26-27 begins, “God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” The word for God here in Hebrew is Elohim. This word is plural in number, usually indicating three or more. In Hebrew there is the singular number, the dual number, and the plural number, while in English there is the singular number and the plural number. Elohim is in the plural number, usually referring to three or more. A brother named Newberry, who was with the Brethren, put out the Newberry Bible in which he added marks and notes to the King James Version. In this version three lines were drawn next to the word God to indicate that the word is plural in number, referring to the Triune God. Because God is triune, He can say “Us” and “Our” when He is speaking to Himself. It is true that God is one, yet He can speak to Himself in one another because He is also three. There is only one God, but He has the aspect of being three—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.