God in Christianity

== Kingdom of God and eschatology ==
<!--Note that the material on End times and Judgement was added here rather
than the section below on Jesus because that is in a Trinatarian section, yet nontrinatarians do have beliefs on Judgement, so it best fits here.-->

=== Kingship and Kingdom ===
{{Main article|Kingdom of God (Christianity)}}
[[File:Gottvater thronend Westfalen 15 Jh.jpg|thumb|upright|God the Father on a throne, [[Westphalia]], Germany, late 15th century]]
The Christian characterization of the relationship between God and humanity involves
the notion of the "Kingship of God", whose origins go back to the Old Testament, and may be seen as a consequence of the creation of the world by God.<ref name=Image478/><ref name=Mercer490>''Mercer Dictionary of the Bible'' by Watson E. Mills, Edgar V. McKnight and Roger A. Bullard (1 May 2001) {{ISBN|0865543739}} page 490</ref> The "enthronement psalms" ([[Psalms]] [[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Psalms#45|45]], [[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Psalms#93|93]], [[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Psalms#96|96]],
[[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Psalms#97|97–99]]) provide a background for this view with the exclamation "The Lord is King".<ref name=Image478/> However, in later Judaism a more "national" view was assigned to God's Kingship in which the awaited Messiah may be seen as a liberator and the founder of a new state of Israel.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Theology: A Concise Sacramentum Mundi'' by Karl Rahner (28 December 2004) {{ISBN|0860120066}} page 1351</ref>

The term "Kingdom of God" does not appear in the Old Testament, although "his Kingdom" and "your Kingdom" are used in some cases when referring to God.<ref>''Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible'' by Kevin J. Vanhoozer, N. T. Wright, Daniel J. Treier and Craig Bartholomew (20 Jan 2006) {{ISBN|0801026946}} page 420</ref> However, the Kingdom of God (the Matthean equivalent being "[[Kingdom of heaven (Gospel of Matthew)|Kingdom of Heaven]]") is a prominent phrase in the [[Synoptic Gospels]] (appearing 75 times), and there is near unanimous agreement among scholars that it represents a key element of the teachings of Jesus.<ref name=Image478>''Dictionary of Biblical Imagery'' by Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit and Tremper Longman III (11 November 1998) {{ISBN|0830814515}} pages 478–479</ref><ref name=FranceK1/> Yet, [[R. T. France]] points out that while the concept of "Kingdom of God" has an intuitive meaning to lay Christians, there is hardly any agreement among scholars about its meaning in the New Testament.<ref name=FranceK1>''Divine Government: God's Kingship in the Gospel of Mark'' by [[R. T. France]] (10 Mar 2003) {{ISBN|1573832448}} pages 1–3</ref> Some scholars see it as a Christian lifestyle, some as a method of world evangelization, some as the rediscovery of charismatic gifts, others relate it to no present or future situation, but the [[world to come]].<ref name=FranceK1/> France states that the phrase Kingdom of God is often interpreted in many ways to fit the theological agenda of those interpreting it.<ref name=FranceK1/>

=== End times ===
{{Main|Christian eschatology}}

Interpretations of the term Kingdom of God have given rise to wide-ranging [[Christian eschatology|eschatological debates]] among scholars with diverging views, yet no consensus has emerged among scholars.<ref name=familiar77/><ref name=Chil255>''Studying the Historical Jesus: Evaluations of the State of Current Research'' by Bruce Chilton and Craig A. Evans (Jun 1998) {{ISBN|9004111425}} pages 255–257</ref><ref name=Royce246>''An Introduction to the New Testament and the Origins of Christianity'' by Delbert Royce Burkett (22 July 2002) {{ISBN|0521007208}} page 246</ref> From [[Augustine]] to the [[Protestant Reformation]] the arrival of the Kingdom had been identified with the formation of the Christian Church, but this view was later abandoned and by the beginning of the 20th century the [[Apocalypticism|apocalyptic interpretation]] of the Kingdom had gained ground.<ref name=familiar77>''Familiar Stranger: An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth'' by Michael James McClymond (22 March 2004) {{ISBN|0802826806}} pages 77–79</ref><ref name=Royce246/><ref name=Ladd55>''A Theology of the New Testament'' by [[George Eldon Ladd]] (2 September 1993) {{ISBN|0802806805}} pages 55–57</ref> In this view (also called the "consistent eschatology") the Kingdom of God did not start in the 1st century, but is a future apocalyptic event that is yet to take place.<ref name=familiar77/>

[[File:Langenzenn Stadtkirche - Fenster Wilhelm II 3.jpg|thumb|upright|An angel blows the "last trumpet", as in [[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/1 Corinthians#15:52|1 Corinthians 15:52]], [[Langenzenn]], Germany, 19th century]]
By the middle of the 20th century, [[realized eschatology]], which in contrast viewed the Kingdom as non-apocalyptic but as the manifestation of divine sovereignty over the world (realized by the [[ministry of Jesus]]), had gathered a scholarly following.<ref name=familiar77/> In this view the Kingdom is held to be available in the present.<ref name=Chil255/> The competing approach of [[Inaugurated eschatology]] was later introduced as the "already and not yet" interpretation.<ref name=familiar77/> In this view the Kingdom has already started, but awaits full disclosure at a future point.<ref name=Chil255/> These diverging interpretations have since given rise to a good number of variants, with various scholars proposing new eschatological models that borrow elements from these.<ref name=familiar77/><ref name=Chil255/>

=== Judgement ===
{{see also|Last Judgement}}
<!--Note that the material on Judgement was added here rather than the section below
on Jesus because that is in a Trinatarian section, yet nontrinatarians do have beliefs on Judgement, so it best fits here.-->
[[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Hebrews#12:23|Hebrews 12:23]] refers to "God the Judge of all", and the notion that all humans will eventually "[[Last judgment|be judged]]" is an essential element of Christian teachings.<ref name=Millard391/> A number of New Testament passages (e.g., {{Bibleref2|John|5:22}} and {{Bibleref2|Acts|10:42}}) and later [[creed|credal confessions]] indicate that the task of judgement is assigned to Jesus.<ref name=Millard391/><ref name=Pann390>''Systematic Theology'' Vol 2 by [[Wolfhart Pannenberg]] (27 October 2004) {{ISBN|0567084663}} pages 390–391</ref> [[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#5:22|John 5:22]] states that "neither does the Father judge any man, but he has given all judgment unto the Son".<ref name=Millard391>''Introducing Christian Doctrine'' (2nd Edition) by [[Millard J. Erickson]] (1 April 2001) {{ISBN|0801022509}} pages 391–392</ref> [[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Acts#10:42|Acts 10:42]] refers to the resurrected Jesus as: "he who is ordained of God to be the Judge of the living and the dead."<ref name=Millard391/> The role played by Jesus in the judgement of God is emphasized in the most widely used Christian confessions, with the [[Nicene Creed]] stating that Jesus "sits on the right hand of the Father; shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end".<ref name=Metz157/> The [[Apostles' Creed]] includes a similar confession.<ref name=Metz157>''The Oxford Companion to the Bible'' by Bruce M. Metzger and Michael David Coogan (14 October 1993) ISBN page 157</ref>

A number of gospel passages warn against sin and suggest a path of righteousness to avoid the judgement of God.<ref name=Kittle936/> For instance, the [[Sermon on the Mount]] in [[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#5:22|Matthew 5:22–26]] teaches the avoidance of sin and the Parables of the Kingdom ([[wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/Matthew#13:49|Matthew 13:49]]) state that at the moment of judgement the angels will "sever the wicked from among the righteous and shall cast them into the furnace of fire".<ref name=Kittle936/> Christians can thus enjoy forgiveness that lifts them from the judgement of God by following the teachings of Jesus and through a personal fellowship with him.<ref name=Kittle936>''Theological Dictionary of the New Testament'' (Volume III) by Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich (Jun 1966) {{ISBN|0802822452}} pages 936</ref>