On the other hand, there is an implicit message of grace, “the kingdom of God has drawn near”, God’s love is present and ready-at-hand for us all: We can become more than we presently are. On the one hand, there is an implicit judgement of the worldly order of things, our disordered ways of going about our lives-Christ calls us to turn, to repent. We see it already in the opening salvo of Jesus’ proclamation of his work: “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near repent and believe in the good news.” There is a dual message here. One of the most basic themes of the New Testament is the dialectic between grace and judgement. “It is an urgent longing for enduring life and joy, it is fear of God’s wrath, that drives us and urges us to obey Him” Andreas Ehrenpreis, Brotherly Community of Love In the past it was said, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”, but I say unto you “do not resist one who is evil but if anyone strikes you in the right cheek, turn the other also” Matthew 5:38-42 Paraphrase
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