The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

Updated with Awakening Theology

 

This is so exciting. So freeing. So beautiful.

 

What you’re about to read isn’t a softer gospel—it’s a bigger one. It’s the gospel that makes atheists say “this actually makes sense” and longtime Christians weep with relief. It’s rooted in the infinite love of God, grounded in the original Greek of Scripture, and confirmed by the earliest Church Fathers.

 

Come on a beautiful journey with me.

“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.

 

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.

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.

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 Greek word for “saint” (hagios) and “holy” (hagiazo) share the same root. Every believer in Scripture is called hagios—saint, holy one. Holiness isn’t a distant goal; it’s your present identity.

 

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

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.

 

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.

Gregory of Nyssa, one of the early Church Fathers, understood this:

“The goal of a virtuous life is not to become like God, but to recognize that we have been made like God and to live accordingly.”

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

Romans 6:11 captures it perfectly: “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” The Mirror Study Bible renders it: “Make this reasoning your logical and habitual conclusion. Live your lives in the mirror-awareness of your union in Christ Jesus.”

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.

This is why transformation actually happens. Not through willpower and self-improvement, but through revelation and awakening. When you see yourself rightly—as one who is already holy, already complete, already seated with Christ—behavior naturally aligns with identity.

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.

First, Jesus reveals our righteousness (right standing with God)—not something we achieve, but something we awaken to. We ARE the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Then we recognize the Holy Spirit who has always connected us with our Father and the Kingdom of heaven, here and now.

We can enjoy Kingdom living now, with all the resources of His unshakable eternal Kingdom, seeing His Kingdom manifested on earth as was His original intent.

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.

 

What the Early Church Taught

This isn’t new theology—it’s ancient.

The early Church Fathers taught these truths for centuries before Western Christianity took a different turn:

Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD) taught apokatastasis—the restoration of all things. He believed God’s redemptive purposes would ultimately embrace all creation.

Gregory of Nyssa (335-395 AD) wrote: “The goal of a virtuous life is not to become like God, but to recognize that we have been made like God and to live accordingly.”

Athanasius (296-373 AD) declared: “God became human so that humans might become god”—not God in essence, but partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

The Eastern Orthodox Church has been teaching theosis (union with God) and participatory salvation for two thousand years. They never stopped reading Greek. They never went through the Latin filter.

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

 

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. ✦