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The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

The Beautiful Gospel — What We Believe and Why It Matters

 

We Believe:

  • The Bible is God’s inspired Word and our authoritative guide for life
  • The Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed—the foundational truths that have anchored Christianity for 1,700 years. We affirm the Trinity: one God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—co-equal and co-eternal
  • Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified under Pontius Pilate, risen bodily on the third day, ascended to the Father, and coming again in glory
  • Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, not one option among many
  • Salvation requires a conscious response—acknowledging Jesus as Lord and believing God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). The gift is given; it must be received
  • Holiness and righteousness are the natural fruit of knowing who we are in Christ
  • Sin is serious—it destroys life, wastes purpose, and produces real suffering. Awakening theology takes sin more seriously, not less, because we understand what it costs
  • God’s justice is restorative, not retributive—His “wrath” is faithfulness to truth, the principle of sowing and reaping built into reality itself. He corrects to restore, not punishes to destroy
  • God’s design for human flourishing, revealed in Scripture, is perfect

Liberal theology waters down the Gospel into human philosophy. What we’re sharing amplifies the Gospel by returning to what the original Greek text actually says and what the early church fathers—who gave us the Nicene Creed—understood about Christ’s complete victory and our union with Him.

What Is the Gospel?

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.'” — Matthew 4:17

Have you ever wondered what the gospel is and why it matters? The word “gospel” comes from two old English words: “god” (meaning good) and “spel” (meaning news or story). The god-spel, or gospel as we say today, literally means “good news.”

But here’s what most people miss: the gospel isn’t good advice. It isn’t good requirements. It’s good news—an announcement about something that’s already true.

Specifically, it’s the good news of Jesus Christ: who He is, what He accomplished, and why His story reveals the truth about every human being ever born.

What you’re about to read isn’t a softer gospel—it’s a bigger one. It’s rooted in the infinite love of God, grounded in the original Greek of Scripture, and confirmed by the earliest Church Fathers.

A Beautiful Story

The gospel is the story of creation, a great forgetting, and humanity’s awakening through the life, death, and resurrection of God’s one and only Son, Jesus. It is an epic drama about God, His creation, and the greatest love story of all time. It begins in a garden and culminates with the triumphant unveiling of the King of kings, setting the world right and bringing justice and hope to the nations.

Here’s what makes it personal: you and I are key characters. We are the object of the King’s affection. Through the story told in the gospel, we discover how the King relentlessly pursues His children—not to make them something they’re not, but to wake them up to who they’ve always been.

Notice that language: not a great rebellion—a great forgetting. Humanity didn’t become evil; humanity fell asleep to its true identity.

This doesn’t minimize what happened. Forgetting who you are produces real destruction—broken relationships, corrupted minds, wasted lives. But it changes the diagnosis: we need awakening, not just forgiveness.

God wanted to restore our awareness of our connection with Him and give us the Kingdom. This is the mission of Jesus: to reveal our true relationship with the Father and His Kingdom on earth.

 

Perfectly Holy

God is perfect in nature. He is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. “God IS love” (1 John 4:8)—not “God has love” or “God shows love when we behave.” God IS love at His very essence, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Here’s what religion got wrong: it told us we were born as darkness, fundamentally separated from God, enemies by nature. But that’s not what Scripture reveals.

You were created in God’s image—imago Dei—as His mirror reflection. Before the fall, before sin, before religion, you were designed as God’s beloved child, His masterpiece, His delight. That image was never destroyed. It was forgotten.

When Adam and Eve believed a lie about their identity—that they were lacking, that God was withholding, that they needed to become something other than what they already were—this forgetting manifested as turning from God. The result was a distorted self-perception, separation consciousness, and the entrance of sin, sickness, and death into human experience.

But here’s what religion missed: the enemy who exploited that forgetting was never as powerful as we feared. Sin is a dethroned monarch. Death is defeated. “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15). The enemy’s only weapon is deception—convincing us we are something other than who we truly are.

But make no mistake: sin is serious—more serious than religion told you. Sin doesn’t just break rules; it destroys life. Broken relationships, wasted years, corrupted perception, generational wounds. Awakening theology takes sin more seriously because we understand what it costs.

And here’s the stunning truth: God chose you in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). You were found in Christ before you were lost in Adam. His love isn’t reactive—it’s original.

The Great Rescue

God’s love is relentless. His goodness is limitless. His faithfulness is unquestionable. His justice is restorative. He is merciful.

So while we were still asleep to our true identity, still living below our design, Christ died for us. Not to change God’s mind about us—but to reveal what was always in His heart. Not to make us acceptable—but to demonstrate that we were always accepted.

Jesus is the only one who lived fully awake to His identity as the beloved Son. He is the mirror in which we see what humanity was always meant to be. Through His life, He revealed both the Father’s heart and our true identity.

On the cross, Jesus declared “Tetelestai”—”It is finished.” In Greek, this perfect tense means a completed action with permanent, ongoing results. What was finished remains finished. The reconciliation is complete. The victory is won. Nothing can be added. Nothing needs to be added.

“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.” — 2 Corinthians 5:19

Notice: reconciled—past tense. The world—not just believers. Not counting sins—already. Written 25 years after the cross, Paul announces what was accomplished at Calvary, not what might happen if we believe.

“Death no longer has the final say. Life rules.” — Romans 5:17 (MSB)

If the effect of one man’s fall engaged humanity in a death-dominated lifestyle, how much more are we now recipients of boundless grace, empowered to reign in life through Jesus Christ!

Jesus is THE WAY, the truth, and the life. He is the door through which we awaken to the Father. No one comes to conscious union with the Father except through Him—not because God is excluding anyone, but because Jesus alone reveals who the Father truly is and who we truly are.

 

The Mystery Revealed: Union With God

Here’s what captured my heart and wouldn’t let go: the gospel isn’t primarily about being forgiven FROM something. It’s about being united WITH Someone.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” — Colossians 1:27

The Mirror Study Bible renders it: “Within us, God is delighted to exhibit the priceless treasure of this glorious unveiling of Christ’s indwelling in order that every person on the planet may now come to the greatest discovery of all time and recognize Christ in them as in a mirror.”

This is the mystery hidden for ages: you were never separate from Him. Christ indwelling isn’t just future hope—it’s the mirror revelation of who you’ve always been.

“Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” — 1 Corinthians 6:17

Not two spirits close together. ONE spirit. You don’t achieve union—you awaken to the union that already exists. You can’t be “un-oned” from the One who holds all things together.

“As he is, so are we in this world.” — 1 John 4:17

Not “as He was” or “as we will be”—but as He IS, so ARE we. Present tense. Right now. You are as blameless in this life as Jesus is.

Paul uses the sun- prefix (meaning “together with”) repeatedly: co-crucified, co-raised, co-seated, co-included, co-quickened. We are organically joined to Christ in everything He accomplished.

A Free Gift That Requires Response

Salvation has nothing to do with your ability and everything to do with His finished work. It’s received by faith—and even faith itself is a gift of grace.

The Greek word for “repentance” is metanoia. It doesn’t mean “feel sorry and try harder.” It means a transformation of perception—a radical shift in how you see God, yourself, and reality. It’s not behavior modification. It’s a mind-shift. It’s waking up.

And what causes this awakening? Not guilt. Not fear. Not threat of punishment.

“God’s kindness leads you to repentance.” — Romans 2:4

When you truly see how good God is—when you glimpse that you were chosen before creation, that you were never separated from His love, that the work is finished—your mind transforms. That’s metanoia.

But let us be clear: this is non-negotiable.

You must consciously acknowledge Jesus as Lord. You must believe. You must respond. The door is open—but you must walk through it.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” — John 14:6

There is no other path. There is no other name. The gift is universal in scope; it is not automatic in application. A gift unacknowledged remains unopened. This is not universalism—it is invitation awaiting response.

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” — Romans 10:9

This declaration isn’t what earns your salvation—it’s what activates your awareness of the salvation already accomplished. Confession doesn’t create the reality; it opens your eyes to it.

 

What About God’s Wrath?

This is the question we knew you’d ask. And it deserves a direct answer.

God’s wrath is not a temper tantrum. It’s His faithfulness to truth.

The principle of sowing and reaping isn’t something God imposes from outside to punish us—it’s built into the fabric of reality itself.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” — Galatians 6:7

Plant poison, harvest poison. The farmer who ignores gravity doesn’t anger gravity; he breaks himself against it.

Sin produces real consequences—not because God is vindictive, but because reality has structure. Broken relationships don’t mend themselves. Wasted years don’t return. Patterns of destruction rewire the brain. These consequences are serious whether you believe in them or not.

But here’s the difference: God’s justice is restorative, not retributive. He doesn’t punish to destroy; He corrects to restore. Even judgment serves redemption.

When Revelation speaks of the “lake of fire,” notice what gets thrown in: death and Hades themselves (Revelation 20:14). Evil itself. The structures of darkness. God’s fire doesn’t eternally preserve evil for torment—it annihilates everything that opposes life. Evil ceases to exist. The beloved are healed.

This is wrath as the outworking of love against everything that destroys life. God’s fire doesn’t destroy people—it destroys what destroys people.



What About Sanctification?

Here’s what religion taught: You’re a dirty sinner on a long journey to become like Jesus. Sanctification is the process of gradually cleaning up, trying harder, and hopefully—someday—becoming holy.

But that’s not what Scripture reveals.

You are already one with Jesus. You ARE a new creation—”the old has gone, the new is here” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have already “been brought to fullness” in Christ (Colossians 2:10).

“By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” — Hebrews 10:14

Read that again: made perfect forever AND being made holy—simultaneously. How? Because sanctification isn’t a journey FROM dirty sinner TO clean saint. It’s an awakening from sin-consciousness to righteousness-consciousness.

You’re not climbing toward holiness. You’re awakening to the holiness that’s already yours in Christ.

“Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 6:11

Notice: you’re not making it true—you’re counting what IS true. The death happened. The resurrection happened. Your job is to reckon, to recognize, to awaken.

The real shift:

  • Old: “I’m a sinner trying to become a saint”
  • New: “I’m a saint who sometimes forgets who I am”

When you sin, you’re not revealing your true identity—you’re acting inconsistently with it. You don’t need more discipline. You need more awareness. Sin-consciousness keeps you focused on what’s wrong. Righteousness-consciousness keeps you focused on who you ARE.

Religion says: Do this and become. The Gospel says: You already ARE—now live like it.

The Divine Exchange

Here’s the beautiful paradox: salvation is free, yet it changes everything.

It cost Jesus His life. For you, it costs your old way of seeing—the performance treadmill, the striving, the belief that you have to earn God’s love or maintain your standing through effort.

Salvation requires a divine exchange: your distorted self-image for His true reflection of you. Your guilt for His declaration of innocence. Your striving for His rest. Your orphan mindset for your true identity as a beloved child.

God loves you. You are His workmanship. You are needed, special, and unique by design. He has a beautiful plan and purpose for your life. He wants to meet you exactly where you are, here and now, regardless of your past or present situation.

Jesus isn’t in the business of making bad people good. He’s in the business of waking sleeping people up. This is the good news gospel!

The Kingdom of Heaven

In Matthew 3:1-2, John the Baptist came preaching “repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” The Greek word for “near” is engizo—it doesn’t mean “coming soon.” It means “within reach, at hand, here.”

Then Jesus’ public ministry began with the same announcement: the good news of the Kingdom of God. But notice—Jesus didn’t say “the Kingdom will come if you behave.” He said “the Kingdom HAS come near.” It’s an announcement of present reality, not future possibility.

Here’s what stunned me: Jesus declared “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21)—before the cross, before the resurrection. Think about that. Before Calvary, before Pentecost, Jesus told people the Kingdom was already inside them.

The Kingdom of God is where God is. If the Kingdom is within you, then God is within you. Jesus was declaring union as already true—and He came into our darkness to awaken us to this beautiful reality.

The Spirit doesn’t create union—He reveals the union that always existed. He flows FROM within, not TO you from outside. At Pentecost, the Spirit didn’t arrive—He became evident.

“The kingdom of God is within you.” — Luke 17:21

The Kingdom is NOW. It is within. And it is always expanding—in us and through us. We are heavenly gateways, positioned with Christ in heavenly places while standing on earth—where heaven and earth meet.

The gospel is far beyond a ticket to heaven when you die. Jesus came with the good news that the Kingdom of God—after humanity’s long sleep—is recognized on earth and freely available to everyone! It is the longing of every human heart and the key to abundant life here on earth.

This Isn’t New—It’s Ancient

We affirm the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed—the foundational truths that have anchored Christianity for 1,700 years.

The early Church Fathers—Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, Clement of Alexandria, Athanasius—taught these truths for centuries before Western Christianity took a different turn through Latin translation. The Eastern Orthodox Church has been teaching theosis (union with God) and participatory salvation for two thousand years. They never stopped reading Greek.

We’re not inventing a new gospel. We’re recovering an ancient one.

Are You Ready to Wake Up?

If you are ready to awaken to who you’ve always been and make Jesus the Lord of your life, I invite you to pray the following prayer:

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for loving me before I ever knew You—before I was born, before the foundation of the world. I believe You died and rose again to reveal the Father’s heart and my true identity.

I confess that I have lived asleep to who I really am. I have believed lies about myself and about You. Today, I choose to see differently.

I believe You are the Son of God. I believe the work is finished. I receive what You have already accomplished on my behalf.

I awaken to my identity as Your beloved child. I receive Your gift of grace, love, and eternal life—not as something I must earn, but as something that was always mine.

I release the lie that I’m a sinner trying to become a saint. I embrace the truth that I AM a new creation, awakening to the righteousness that’s already mine.

I surrender my old way of seeing. I invite You to renew my mind and transform my perception. I choose to live FROM my identity in You, not FOR an identity I’m trying to achieve.

Thank You for adopting me as Your own—not because I became worthy, but because You always saw me as worthy of pursuit. I am a child of God! I am awakening!

I dedicate my life to You and declare: Jesus, You are Lord. Heaven is within me, and I am home.

Tetelestai. It is finished. Now I live from it.

Amen.

If you prayed that prayer from your heart, you have awakened to your true identity! You are a child of God—and you always were. You have entered into conscious relationship with Jesus Christ.

Your identity was never “sinner.” That was a distortion. You are saved by grace. Sin’s power over your perception is broken. You are a saint—holy, righteous, beloved. Your old way of seeing is dead, and the renewal of your mind has begun. You are one with Him, and you always were. Now you know it.

Welcome to your new vocabulary. Welcome to your new reality. Welcome home.

The Shift At A Glance

Old System (Reward-Language)

New System (Gift-Language)

Earn, achieve, deserve, perform, strive

Receive, awaken, express, rest, enjoy

Work FOR acceptance

Work FROM acceptance

Sin-consciousness

Righteousness-consciousness

Becoming something new

Awakening to who you’ve always been

Climbing toward God

Already seated with Christ

Separation as reality

Union as reality; separation as illusion

Activity determines identity

Identity determines activity

Activity determines identity

Identity determines activity

Go Deeper

Want to explore these truths more fully?

Awakening: Restorative Metanoia releases February 2026—with over 1,000 Scripture references, extensive early Church Father studies, Greek word analyses, and a comprehensive glossary that unlocks what’s been hiding in plain sight in your English Bible.

Free on our website. Lowest price on Amazon for hard copies.

This page was the introduction. The book is the feast.

[Explore the Awakening Glossary – Coming February 2026 →] Greek word studies that unlock the original meanings.

[Read Why We Updated Our Statement of Faith →] The scholarship behind the shift.

[Get Awakening: Restorative Metanoia – Coming February 2026→] The full journey.



Reflection Questions

  1. How does your view of the Great Commission shift when you understand the gospel as an announcement of accomplished reconciliation rather than an offer of potential salvation?
  2. Read John 10:10 in your Bible: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” How does the awakening gospel—where Jesus came to wake us up to abundant life we already possess in Him—change how you understand this passage?
  3. The traditional gospel says: “You are a sinner. Believe and you will be saved.” The awakening gospel says: “You are God’s beloved. Wake up to who you’ve always been.” How does this shift affect your motivation for following Jesus?
  4. What “lies about your identity” have you believed that you’re now ready to release?
  5. How does understanding sin and death as “dethroned monarchs” change how you approach spiritual warfare and daily struggles?
  6. If Jesus declared “The Kingdom of God is within you” before the cross, what does this tell you about union with God?

✦ Tetelestai. It is finished. Now live from it. ✦