Jesus taught His followers what is called The Lord’s Prayer, in which they say, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10).  This prayer implies that in heaven God’s name is regarded as holy, he reigns, and his will is done; but on earth, none of these conditions exist; otherwise, there would be no need to pray for them.  Most Christians would agree that God’s name is not treated as holy here on earth and his reign is not yet, but what about his will?  Do Christians really believe and understand that in this world God’s will is not being done?

Let’s test this question.  In the Garden of Eden, was it God’s will for Adam and Eve to partake of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?  After they were expelled from the Garden of Eden, was it God’s will that their son, Cain, the first human to be born, would murder his brother?  Was it God’s will that Abel, one who pleased God, would lose his life prematurely?  The answers to these questions should be obvious.  Nonetheless, these things happened.  Why?  They happened because Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel were the actors, not God.  Did God allow them?  Yes.  Why?  Because God created these humans in his image and likeness, which gave them freedom of will.  He did not violate their freedom, which would have contradicted his will that was expressed in his creation.  Therefore, God was not responsible for these acts.

Their actions were outside of God’s domain, because they did not obey him.  Outside of God’s domain has no assurance of God’s blessings and protection.  It is a hazardous place, but it is the place that these humans, and all after them, chose.  Jesus told His followers to pray that God’s domain would return to earth, humanity’s habitation, and to their lives while they lived on earth.  Does this malevolent and chaotic world seem to be a place where God is in control?  Jesus also said that we are to pray that God’s will would be done on earth – first by us and by all people.  This state and condition of earth – outside of God’s domain and will – has continued to this day.  In the meantime, the state and condition of Jesus’ followers is to be in agreement and harmony with God’s holiness, domain, and will.  Because through their prayers they seek that their human wills are aligned and submitted to God’s divine will, they become willingly obedient to, but still not controlled by, God.

These obedient people of God continue to live in what Paul called the present evil age (Galatians 1:4).  While they live in this evil age, he said their citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20).  They live as citizens of the Kingdom of God while in this present evil age, but their expectation is of the coming of King Jesus to usher in the fullness of the Kingdom of God, for which also they have been praying every day.  In Romans 8:22-23, Paul wrote about the people of the world and the people of God together groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. To the people of God, the Kingdom of God is now but not yet.  For now, they suffer, in effect, groaning like a mother in labor along with the rest of the world around them.

*These people have, as Paul said, the firstfruits of the Spirit.  Two important points about that statement: One, they were given the Holy Spirit.  This gift from God is a reason that these people are obedient, as the prophecy in Ezekiel 36:27 states, And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  Two, they were only the first to receive the Holy Spirit.  God promised in Jeremiah 31:31-34 a New Covenant, which was fulfilled by Jesus and available to all people.

It was to these same obedient people that Paul wrote, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).  “All things work together for good.”  That is the biblical quote of many people who will add, “God is in control.”  What they miss is the now-but-not-yet-element of their lives.  Paul did not say that everything in this world at this time will work out good.  How could it in an evil world?  Abel was its first victim, Jesus was its ultimate victim, and Jesus said to His followers, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).  Like him, they suffer.  The ultimate good that God works in the lives of his people can occur in the now, but most of it waits for the not-yet.  That is the reason for Christian hope.

In the next Blog, we will consider the implications of understanding these biblical truths.

*I added this paragraph in response to a helpful comment.