Kolten Turner Discussion Questions

1. I read through Galatians and Paul mostly addresses the church's need to leave behind the Old Covenant law in order to have faith in Jesus. However, there are a few things that popped out at me that can directly be attributed to our eschatology. In chapter 4 there is a section that specifically correlates with Abraham's two children. It references both of Abraham's wives as representative of the two covenants. Hagar, the first, represents Mount Sinai where they received the law that enslaved them. Paul writes, "And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law." Secondly, Sarah Sarah represents the Jerusalem of heaven. He writes, "She is the free woman, and she is our mother." This gives us knowledge of the kingdom that is both here and yet still to come. The kingdom of God is present on Earth, but our eternal home will be in the heavenly Jerusalem.

2. "Explain how the kingdom is both a present experience and a future hope."
I struggle to understand this idea, but I'll give it my best shot. From my understanding, we can experience the kingdom because the kingdom is wherever God is. God was allowed into our lives personally when he sent Jesus to die on the cross, therefore tearing the veil and exposing his presence to us. However, the kingdom is yet to come because we are still mortal beings with sinful natures. After the second coming of Christ, regardless of when you might think we will be taken, we will live eternally with the kingdom in a new "Jerusalem". Scripture says there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth. Therefore, we are able to fully experience the kingdom of God because God brought his kingdom to us. However, we can't live in the "new" kingdom until Jesus comes a second time to judge the world for its actions.

Kolten Turner wrote:1. I read through Galatians and Paul mostly addresses the church's need to leave behind the Old Covenant law in order to have faith in Jesus. However, there are a few things that popped out at me that can directly be attributed to our eschatology. In chapter 4 there is a section that specifically correlates with Abraham's two children. It references both of Abraham's wives as representative of the two covenants. Hagar, the first, represents Mount Sinai where they received the law that enslaved them. Paul writes, "And now Jerusalem is just like Mount Sinai in Arabia, because she and her children live in slavery to the law." Secondly, Sarah Sarah represents the Jerusalem of heaven. He writes, "She is the free woman, and she is our mother." This gives us knowledge of the kingdom that is both here and yet still to come. The kingdom of God is present on Earth, but our eternal home will be in the heavenly Jerusalem.

2. "Explain how the kingdom is both a present experience and a future hope."
I struggle to understand this idea, but I'll give it my best shot. From my understanding, we can experience the kingdom because the kingdom is wherever God is. God was allowed into our lives personally when he sent Jesus to die on the cross, therefore tearing the veil and exposing his presence to us. However, the kingdom is yet to come because we are still mortal beings with sinful natures. After the second coming of Christ, regardless of when you might think we will be taken, we will live eternally with the kingdom in a new "Jerusalem". Scripture says there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth. Therefore, we are able to fully experience the kingdom of God because God brought his kingdom to us. However, we can't live in the "new" kingdom until Jesus comes a second time to judge the world for its actions.

In response to 2, I agree completely in that it is a hard reality to completely understand. However, I think Kolten explained it very well pertaining to why we can't live fully in the kingdom now, since we are still living in imperfect bodies and in a fallen world, surrounded by sinful people. One aspect of the kingdom here and now is that we are no longer under the dominion of Satan and we are victorious with Christ. But, since we live in the "not yet," we still experience the temptation of sin and attacks from Satan every once in a while. We do have the authority of Christ in us to wield against Satan and to proclaim that Satan has no right to our lives anymore.