Introduction and Approach to the Doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven

 

 

Introduction:

Matthew’s reference to the kingdom of heaven has caused much confusion throughout church history. The usual interpretation is that it is synonymous with the kingdom of God, also referred to in Matthew’s gospel account as well as the other gospels and epistles. Liberals and many Reformed Theology interpreters adopt this interpretation.

Another view is that the kingdom of heaven is right now, in the hearts of God’s people. This is often, though not always, associated with Dispensational Theology.

I began studying the subject decades ago before the age of personal computers, doing word studies by hand. It seems there is a difference between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, especially since only Matthew reported the former. The phrase, the kingdom of heaven, is not used anywhere else in the Bible.

I believe in verbal, plenary, God-breathed Scripture. I believe that the terms and word order are God-breathed. The words used by the gospel writers were the words of Jesus. There is only one meaning, that of the author. While there are scribal errors, none affect the correct interpretation of the Bible. There is both plain-literal and figurative-literal language. I do not hold to any form of allegorical interpretation or spiritualizing as methods of exegesis. There are allegories but these are clearly marked by the authors.

While I acknowledge that there is no one-to-one correlation between the source language and the receptor language, I seek to find the most concordant terms in the English translation to reflect the meaning in the original language.

I believe in the inerrancy of the Bible in the autographa (i.e., autograph copies). While some would argue that we do not have the autographa, centuries of textual analysis, supported by archaeological findings, give sufficient evidence to the accuracy of the texts of the original Old and New Testament that exist today.

Approach:

When studying the Bible, I begin with a concordant translation, the New American Standard Bible. From there I research the original texts using the wonderful tools available in the form of various Bible programs. I have the Professional edition of BibleSoft©, together with other tools on the internet. I do a word-by-word, phrase-by-phrase, verse-by-verse, study, noting the syntax involved. This is made possible through the blessings of the computer and is available to anyone willing to take the time and invest in the software. Much of it is available for free today. A useful tool for grammar is Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, by D. B. Wallace (Zondervan).

Finally, I study using both the Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology approaches. (see a fuller discussion of the two) I did not choose these titles. In order to avoid confusion, they are titles of study methods, not a theologian’s commentary.

The Biblical Theology method considers the text from the author’s point of view. Hence, I outline his approach and progress throughout all his writings, posit his theme, and note key terms, etc.

The Systematic Theology method considers the topic from the standpoint of everything the Bible teaches regarding the topic.

For example, when I set out to do my dissertation on The Greatest of These is Love: The Doctrine of Love in the New Testament, I did not have a computer. At that time, I did all of my research by hand using A Concordance to the Greek New Testament by W. F. Moulton and A. S. Geden. Word studies can now be performed in a fraction of the time using the computer.

When studying terms and phrases such as the doctrine of good works, or spiritual gifts, the task is fairly simple. However, topics such as the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, require considerable effort. But the results can be life-changing.

I do all of the studies for this website using this approach. The current study on The Doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven is no exception.