Kingdom and the Unity of the Church

The kingdom of God is not heaven. It is not the church. The kingdom of God is the present rule of God in Christ on the earth through the church. It is where God is in charge and running the show. For those who enter into this kingdom and become kingdom-people God desires for them to live together in unity. In Romans 14, the Apostle Paul dealt with a growing division in the church between meat-eaters and vegetarians. In the end, Paul encourages them to stop judging and despising one another and instead work for the things that make for peace and mutual up-building, to be one as God himself is one.