It is not the development of good men or of good settlements, not their evolution or unfolding that spreads the kingdom of God. In that case it would no longer be God’s kingdom, but the kingdom of men. Yet it is true that God is waiting for a faith that will accept him in such a way that he himself in his love can work through us and in the strength of his future can bring about justice and community among us.
- Eberhard Arnold
July 11,2025
- Eberhard Arnold InnerlandIt is the deathly loneliness of the Crucified that frees us from our own importance. It is the step into death by faith that leads us through the grave to the certainty of life. Christ has accepted me so utterly that He becomes united with me and says, “I am this poor sinner; that is, all his sin and death is my sin and my death.” In this unity unto death we are freed from all sin, in spite of the most frightening awareness of sin. We gain life in the Risen One.
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The church here in our community is not the future kingdom of God. But because God, the Creator, is in our midst, it is the framework of the future kingdom. This framework consists of the building up, the relationship to one another, the possibility of our living for each other. God is this possibility. Without God, the whole world is lost. It is not enough for people to try to have relationship with one another. A relationship is only possible where God gives it.
- Eberhard Arnold
Jesus repeatedly challenges us to work while it is still day. He compares his kingdom to labor in a vineyard, to the working investment of moneys entrusted to one, to the good use of all one’s talents. If God’s kingdom is to transform the “vale of tears” into a realm of joy, then it must be a kingdom of work. Work alone befits the destiny of man’s spirit.
- Eberhard Arnold