True Kingdom of God Is Found Within Us

I like this joke: A 10-year-old boy invited his best friend over to play. They spent the day making lots of noise and getting into everything. The friend noticed a very elderly woman absorbed in reading her Bible. No matter what the boys did, she concentrated on her reading. After a while, the friend asked, “What’s that old lady doing?”

The boy answered: “She’s my Grandma, and she’s cramming for her finals.”

Christians seem to spend an inordinate amount of time “cramming for their finals.” We have images of heaven: a place “up there,” Peter with his checklist, puffy clouds, white-robed harpists. We also have vivid images of hell.

With the advent of the Space Age, I suspect few people really believe in a heaven up there. Today, people want to know what happens when we die. An honest answer: We don’t know!

I think the Kingdom of Heaven is within. It’s our attitude about ourselves, our fellow human beings and our Creator. Are we positive, loving, accepting, forgiving, creative? Then we are in the Kingdom of Heaven. There is also the Kingdom of Hell, inhabited by people who are constantly negative, full of hate, vengeance, destruction. Every human being has a choice of which kingdom they would rather live in.

Although I don’t know what is going to happen when I die, I am not concerned. Jesus assured his followers: “In my Father’s house are many rooms . . . and when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself.” Jesus can handle the details. My job is to make certain that the kingdom is here within me.

I am a preacher’s kid, and as a child, I willingly went to church a lot because “good Christians” do that. When I went to the seminary, I started to understand Christianity. I learned that when one is baptized, one of the four gifts a person receives is eternal life--with no strings attached.

I also became familiar with Paul’s theology, which emphasizes that we are saved and justified by our faith--and only by our faith. Good works don’t count. That was quite a revelation because I thought I had to earn my salvation. Then I realized that I no longer had to go to church, be nice to people, or do good. I am saved just by believing. What a relief! This is how one gets to heaven without going to church.

Now that I don’t have to go to church, I can sleep in, read the paper and sip my coffee. However, I go to church almost every Sunday, not because I have to but because I want to. The preaching is outstanding, the service is “celebrated,” the music is great and the people are genuine. This diverse congregation constantly reaches out to the hurting world. I think this is what the Kingdom of Heaven is about.

Next challenge: Do I want to grow in the faith? If I choose to do nothing, I am still a member of the kingdom. However, that might be like my buying a new computer and leaving it in the box. I can tell everyone about my computer, but it really serves no use. If I really want to make my faith work, why not learn how? And some Christian churches are prepared to teach me just that.

On Faith is a forum for Orange County clergy and others to offer their views on religious topics of general interest. Submissions, which will be published at the discretion of The Times and are subject to editing, should be delivered to Orange County religion page editor Jack Robinson at 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Submissions also may be faxed to (714) 966-7711 or e-mailed to jack.robinson@latimes.com.