Christology, Kingdom of God, Salvation, Church, Eschatology

Why this matters

The New Testament (NT) is a collection of diverse voices unified by a single claim: Israel’s God has acted climactically in Jesus the Messiah, by the Spirit, to redeem creation. That claim unfolds across five interlocking themes:

1. Christology — who Jesus is and what his identity means;

2. Kingdom of God — God’s royal reign arriving in and through Jesus;

3. Salvation — the saving significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection for persons and the world;

4. Church — the Spirit-formed community that embodies the gospel;

5. Eschatology — God’s promised future breaking into the present and consummated at Christ’s return.

Grasping each theme and how they braid together will let you read any NT passage with theological depth, not as isolated verses but as parts of a coherent drama (Hurtado, 2003; Ladd, 1993; Wright, 2003; Gorman, 2017; Schreiner, 2008; Dunn, 1998; Bauckham, 1993, 2008).

Learning outcomes

By the end of this article, you will be able to:

• Articulate the NT’s high Christology (Jesus as the unique bearer of the divine identity) and trace its worship and narrative roots.

• Explain the kingdom of God as already/not-yet reign, not merely a place or a synonym for “heaven.”

• Distinguish major soteriological models (substitution, participation/union, liberation/new-exodus, reconciliation, justification) and show how they cohere in the NT’s narrative.

• Describe ecclesiology as the Spirit-created “people for God’s name” who enact kingdom life.

• Outline NT eschatology as inaugurated and consummated, with resurrection and new creation central.

• Integrate the five themes in exegesis of representative texts.

1) Christology: Jesus and the identity of Israel’s God

1.1 From narrative to worship

The NT does not begin with abstract metaphysics; it begins with stories and worship. Jesus proclaims and enacts God’s reign (Mark 1:14–15), forgives sins with divine prerogative (Mark 2:5–7), commands creation (Mark 4:39), and receives prayerful acclamation (Matt 14:33). After Easter, communities call upon Jesus as Lord in gathered worship (1 Cor 1:2) and sing Christ-hymns (Phil 2:6–11; Col 1:15–20). This pattern—devotion to Jesus within the monotheistic matrix of Second Temple Judaism—is what Larry Hurtado famously terms “binitarian” devotion: Jesus is included in the worship due to God (Hurtado, 2003). Richard Bauckham sharpens this by arguing that the NT writers place Jesus inside the unique divine identity—Creator, Sovereign, recipient of Israel’s worship (Bauckham, 2008).

1.2 Titles and roles (and why they matter)

• Messiah/Christ: Jesus fulfills Israel’s royal and prophetic hopes (Mark 8:29). But note: his messiahship is cross-shaped; glory comes through suffering (Mark 8:31–38).

• Lord (Kyrios): In a world where “Caesar is Lord,” confessing “Jesus is Lord” is both theological and political allegiance (Phil 2:11; Rom 10:9).

• Son of God: Not merely a title of intimacy but participation in the Father’s unique identity and mission (John 5:19–23).

• Son of Man: Echoes Daniel 7—the human representative to whom God gives dominion; Jesus applies it to his suffering and vindication (Mark 14:62).

• Wisdom/Word: John and Paul depict Jesus as preexistent Wisdom/Word through whom and for whom all things were made (John 1:1–3; Col 1:16) (Bauckham, 2008; Hurtado, 2003).

Student note: NT Christology is narrative + cultic: who Jesus is emerges from what God does in him, then gets confessed at the font and the table.

1.3 The cross and resurrection in Christology

The cross is not an embarrassment that later theology must redeem; it is Jesus’ enthronement (John 12:23–33) and the place where God’s glory appears (Mark 15 with Psalm 22 echoes). The resurrection is God’s public vindication of Jesus’ identity and mission, launching the new creation (1 Cor 15:20–28; Wright, 2003). The exalted Jesus shares divine sovereignty: “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18).

Worked text (Phil 2:6–11): The “Christ hymn” narrates descent → obedience unto death → exaltation. The result? The divine name (“Lord,” Isa 45) is confessed of Jesus, integrating him within the identity of Israel’s one God (Bauckham, 2008).

2) Kingdom of God: God’s reign present and promised

2.1 Jesus’ own summary

Jesus’ headline is clear: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The kingdom is God’s kingly rule, not primarily a place. In Jesus’ healings, exorcisms, table fellowship, and parables, the reign arrives—liberating, judging, re-ordering reality around the King (Ladd, 1993; Wright, 1996).

2.2 Already and not yet

George Ladd famously framed the NT consensus: the kingdom is already present in Jesus’ words and deeds (Matt 12:28) and not yet consummated until his return (Mark 13; Rev 11:15) (Ladd, 1993). Parables reinforce this tension: mustard seed and leaven show quiet growth now, final judgment parables show future sorting (Matt 13).

2.3 Kingdom ethics and economics

The Sermon on the Mount forms a kingdom people whose meekness, mercy, truthfulness, enemy-love, and secret generosity become public signs of God’s reign (Matt 5–7). Table practice in Luke (e.g., Luke 14–15) dramatizes a reversal economy. Paul’s shorthand: “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17). The Spirit is the kingdom’s power and presence (Acts 1:6–8).

Student note: When you see “kingdom,” ask: How is God’s rule confronting evil, restoring creation, and forming a people here and now—anticipating the future?

3) Salvation: what the cross and resurrection do

The NT explains salvation through multiple, mutually enriching models. Avoid forcing a single metaphor to carry the whole load. Think facets of one diamond (Gorman, 2017; Schreiner, 2008; Dunn, 1998).

3.1 Justification (law-court)

God, as righteous judge, declares sinners in the right on the basis of Jesus’ faithful obedience and death, received by faith (Rom 3:21–26; 5:1). This is not legal fiction; it creates a new status and new solidarity (Jew and Gentile together) (Schreiner, 2008; Dunn, 1998).

3.2 Participation/Union (incorporation)

Believers are united with Christ—crucified with, raised with, and in him (Rom 6; Gal 2:20; Col 3:1–4). Salvation is participation in the Messiah’s death-and-resurrection life by the Spirit (Gorman, 2017). This frames ethics: “become what you are” in Christ.

3.3 Redemption/New Exodus (liberation)

Jesus’ death is a ransom (Mark 10:45); his ministry enacts exodus from slavery to sin/Satan (Luke 4:18–19; Col 1:13–14). Revelation retells Exodus on a cosmic scale (Rev 15) (Bauckham, 1993).

3.4 Reconciliation (relational)

Enemies become friends; hostility (vertical and horizontal) is overcome (Rom 5:10–11; 2 Cor 5:18–21; Eph 2:14–18). God makes peace through the cross, creating one new humanity (Col 1:20; Eph 2).

3.5 Sacrificial/Atonement imagery (cultic)

Jesus is Passover lamb (1 Cor 5:7), sin offering (Rom 8:3), and mercy seat (Rom 3:25), fulfilling Israel’s sacrificial system in a once-for-all act (Heb 9–10).

3.6 Salvation’s scope: persons-in-community-in-creation

The NT refuses individualism: salvation creates a people (1 Pet 2:9–10) and aims at cosmic renewal (Rom 8:18–25; Rev 21–22). It is by grace through faith unto good works God prepared (Eph 2:8–10).

Worked text (Rom 3:21–26): God demonstrates covenant faithfulness and justice by setting forth Jesus as the hilastērion (mercy seat), so that he is just and the justifier. Justification, redemption, and sacrificial imagery interlock (Schreiner, 2008; Dunn, 1998).

4) Church: the Spirit-formed people of the King

4.1 Identities and images

The church is the body of Christ (1 Cor 12), temple of the Spirit (1 Cor 3; Eph 2), bride (Eph 5; Rev 19), household of God (1 Tim 3:15), royal priesthood (1 Pet 2:9–10). Each image carries practices: mutuality and gifting (body), holiness and presence (temple), covenant love (bride), order and care (household), worship and witness (priesthood) (Gorman, 2017).

4.2 Practices that make a people

• Baptism incorporates into Christ’s death-and-resurrection community (Rom 6:3–4; Gal 3:27–28).

• Table (Eucharist) rehearses the new covenant and creates discernment of the body socially (1 Cor 10–11).

• Teaching & Discipline form truth and holiness (Acts 2:42; Matt 18).

• Gifts & Equipping mobilize every member (Eph 4:11–16).

• Mission flows from identity: “You are… that you may proclaim” (1 Pet 2:9).

4.3 Jew–Gentile unity as the church’s miracle

Ephesians 2 says the cross kills hostility, creating one new humanity with equal access to the Father in one Spirit. Paul insists that the gospel’s truth is at stake in table fellowship (Gal 2:11–14). The church is multiethnic by design, not accident (Acts 15; Rom 15) (Gorman, 2017; Dunn, 1998).

4.4 Holiness and public credibility

Pastoral letters prioritize character: leaders above reproach, hospitable, not greedy; communities devoted to good works that adorn the doctrine (1 Tim 3; Titus 2–3). Peter casts holiness as missional apologetic among the nations (1 Pet 2:12).

Worked text (Eph 4:1–16): One body/Spirit/Lord/faith/baptism/God → diverse word-gifts for equipping → the body builds itself up in love. Ecclesiology is teleological: unity toward maturity, protected by truth-in-love (Gorman, 2017).

5) Eschatology: inaugurated now, consummated then

5.1 Resurrection as the hinge

For the NT, resurrection is not “immortal soul” but embodied, transformed life—Jesus’ empty tomb and transfigured body are the firstfruits (1 Cor 15:20). Christian hope is bodily resurrection within God’s renewed creation (Wright, 2003).

5.2 Already/not yet everywhere

• Kingdom is present and coming (Ladd, 1993).

• Salvation is accomplished, applied, and awaiting full revelation (Rom 5:1; 8:23–24; 13:11).

• Spirit is the down payment (arrabōn) guaranteeing future inheritance (Eph 1:13–14).

• Justification now anticipates the final verdict (Rom 5:9–10; 8:1, 33–34).

5.3 Judgment and new creation

Judgment vindicates the oppressed and purges evil (Rom 2:5–11; Rev 19). The new heavens and new earth come down; God dwells with humanity; death and curse are no more (Rev 21–22) (Bauckham, 1993). Hope is not escape from earth but earth healed.

5.4 Christian waiting = active witness

“Waiting” in the NT is ethical: holiness, love, steadfast mission (1 Thess 1:3, 9–10; 4:13–5:11). The church prays “Come, Lord Jesus” while living the beatitudes of Revelation (Rev 22:20; 1:3; 14:13).

Worked text (1 Cor 15:20–28): Christ the firstfruits → each in his order → the end when he hands the kingdom to the Father, having destroyed every enemy, including death. Eschatology is Christocentric and royal (Wright, 2003).

6) How the five themes braid into one gospel

1. Christology → Kingdom: Jesus is Israel’s God-with-us bringing God’s reign; his identity is the kingdom’s arrival (Hurtado, 2003; Wright, 1996).

2. Kingdom → Salvation: The reign liberates, justifies, reconciles, and renews; salvation is the kingdom’s saving action in cruciform power (Ladd, 1993; Gorman, 2017).

3. Salvation → Church: The cross creates a new people (Eph 2), baptized into Christ, equipped by the Spirit, embodying kingdom ethics.

4. Church → Eschatology: The church lives the already—a preview of new creation—and bears witness until the not yet is consummated (Bauckham, 1993).

5. Eschatology → Christology: The exalted Jesus is the coming Lord who will judge, raise, and renew; hope is personal because it is in him (1 Thess 4:13–18).

Visual metaphor: Think of a five-strand rope. Pull on any strand and the others tighten. If one theme is distorted (e.g., kingdom without church; salvation without ethics; eschatology without resurrection), the rope frays.

7) Worked passages (brief exegesis to practice)

7.1 Mark 1:14–15 — Kingdom headline

Jesus proclaims fulfilled time and near kingdom. Christology (Jesus as royal herald/embodiment) and kingdom converge; salvation is repentance/faith response; church emerges as those who follow; eschatology is compressed (“time is fulfilled”) (Ladd, 1993; Wright, 1996).

7.2 Luke 4:16–21 — Jubilee program

Isaiah 61 announced as fulfilled: liberation for the poor, blind, oppressed. Kingdom is concrete good news; salvation has social texture; Christology as Spirit-anointed Son; church will continue Jubilee practices; eschatology dawns in Nazareth (Wright, 1996).

7.3 Romans 3:21–26; 5:1–11 — Justification and reconciliation

God’s righteousness is revealed apart from the law yet attested by the law and prophets; faith in/faithfulness of Jesus brings justification. The justified have peace and hope of glory; reconciliation grounds ethics (Schreiner, 2008; Dunn, 1998).

7.4 Philippians 2:6–11 — Cruciform lordship

Christology (divine identity) produces ethics (the mind of Christ), fuels church unity, and redefines kingdom power as self-giving love. Eschatology: every knee will bow (Bauckham, 2008; Gorman, 2017).

7.5 Ephesians 2:11–22 — One new humanity

Salvation (peace through the cross) creates church (temple), revealing the kingdom’s reconciling power and foreshadowing new creation community (Gorman, 2017).

7.6 1 Corinthians 15; Revelation 21–22 — Resurrection and new creation

Eschatology as bodily renewal and cosmic healing. Christology (risen Lord) ensures the kingdom’s victory; the church reigns as a priestly people; salvation reaches creation’s fabric (Wright, 2003; Bauckham, 1993).

8) Reading toolbox (use tomorrow)

1. Ask the five questions of any text: What does this reveal about Jesus? How does God’s reign appear? What saving act is in view? What does this form in the church? How does God’s future shape the present?

2. Track indicative → imperative: grace (what God did) grounds ethics (what we do).

3. Look for participation language (“in Christ,” “with Christ”) to connect salvation and ethics.

4. Map OT echoes (especially for kingdom/eschatology): exodus, exile-return, temple, Jubilee (Hays, 2016; Wright, 1996).

5. Keep the Spirit in view: the Spirit is the means of kingdom presence, salvation’s application, church’s life, and eschatology’s foretaste (Acts; Rom 8).

6. Beware reductionisms: “kingdom = social action,” “salvation = private afterlife,” “church = event,” “eschatology = timeline.” Let the NT keep dimensions integrated.

9) Common pitfalls (and better paths)

• Pitfall: Treating Christology as abstract dogma.
  Better: Read narratively and liturgically—who Jesus is emerges in story, is confessed in worship, and shapes ethics (Hurtado, 2003; Bauckham, 2008).

• Pitfall: Reducing kingdom to “going to heaven.”
  Better: Kingdom is God’s rule now in Jesus by the Spirit, consummated later; discipleship embodies it (Ladd, 1993).

• Pitfall: Collapsing salvation to one metaphor.
  Better: Hold justification, participation, reconciliation, liberation, sacrifice together; different texts highlight different facets (Schreiner, 2008; Gorman, 2017).

• Pitfall: Making church optional or purely spiritual.
  Better: The church is the saved community; sacraments, gifts, discipline, and mission are integral, not add-ons (Gorman, 2017).

• Pitfall: Eschatology as speculation.
  Better: Center resurrection and new creation; let hope fuel holiness, unity, and mission (Wright, 2003; Bauckham, 1993).

10) Practice exercises (interpretive competence)

1. Five-strand exegesis (900–1,100 words). Exegete Mark 2:1–12 (healing the paralytic). Show how Christology (forgiving sins), kingdom (authority in action), salvation (forgiveness + healing), church (faith of the friends), and eschatology (sign of the world to come) interlock.

2. Justification & participation (700–900 words). Compare Rom 5:1–11 and Gal 2:15–21: how do forensic and participatory frames meet in Paul?

3. Ecclesial ethics plan (600–800 words). From Eph 4:1–16 and 1 Pet 2:9–12, design a ministry plan that turns identity into practices (equipping pipeline, hospitality, reconciled leadership).

4. Kingdom case study (600–800 words). Using Luke 4:18–19; Matt 5–7, propose two concrete practices by which a local church embodies Jubilee.

5. Hope sermon sketch (500–700 words). Preach 1 Cor 15:50–58 to a congregation weary of death. Show how resurrection hope sustains steadfast labor “in the Lord.”

11) Review questions (exam prep)

1. Explain how NT worship evidences a high Christology; cite one hymn (Phil 2 or Col 1) and one practice (1 Cor 1:2).

2. Define the already/not yet of the kingdom with two texts, and name one ethical implication for discipleship.

3. Name and define three soteriological metaphors and show where each appears in Paul or Hebrews.

4. Identify three NT images of the church and connect each to a specific practice.

5. Summarize NT eschatology in four sentences: resurrection, judgment, return, new creation—with one text each.

References (APA)

Bauckham, R. (1993). The theology of the Book of Revelation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Bauckham, R. (2008). Jesus and the God of Israel: God crucified and other studies on the New Testament’s Christology of divine identity. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Dunn, J. D. G. (1998). The theology of Paul the apostle. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Gorman, M. J. (2017). Apostle of the crucified Lord: A theological introduction to Paul and his letters (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Hays, R. B. (2016). Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press.

Hurtado, L. W. (2003). Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in earliest Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Ladd, G. E. (1993). A theology of the New Testament (Rev. ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Schreiner, T. R. (2008). New Testament theology: Magnifying God in Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Wright, N. T. (1996). Jesus and the victory of God (Christian origins and the question of God, Vol. 2). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.

Wright, N. T. (2003). The resurrection of the Son of God (Christian origins and the question of God, Vol. 3). Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.

(Helpful companion for Revelation and hope) Bauckham, R. (1993). The theology of the Book of Revelation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Closing encouragement

Keep these five themes on a single page in your notes. When you read any NT passage, name how it speaks about Jesus, kingdom, salvation, church, and hope—and then practice what it proclaims. The NT’s theology is not a puzzle to be solved but a life to be lived: allegiance to the Lord Jesus, embodied kingdom ethics, grace-shaped communities, and resurrection hope that works steadfastly until God makes all things new.