Fruitful Living
Kingdom of God (Part 1)
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6:33)
INTRODUCTION
The concept of the Kingdom of God, also known as the Kingdom of Heaven, is a central theme in Christianity. It refers to the reign or rule of God over all creation, both in the present and in the future. The Kingdom of God is not limited to a specific physical location or realm, but rather encompasses the spiritual and moral realms where God’s will is acknowledged and followed.
OLD TESTAMENT
God rules sovereignly over all His works as King. He desires His rule to be acknowledged in a bond or relationship of love, loyalty, spirit, and trust. Not surprisingly, then, one of the central themes of the Old Testament is kingdom through covenant.
This theme is revealed on the first page of Scripture, when God creates man in His own image. According to the grammar of the original text, ruling over the creatures in verse 26b is a result of creating man in the divine image. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals.”
The fact that mankind is male and female prepares us for the command to be fruitful, and the fact that mankind is the divine image prepares us for the command to rule over the creatures.
The fact that mankind is male and female in and of itself has nothing to do with the divine image. Instead, we should understand the divine image according to the background of the ancient Near East, where the setting up of the king’s statue was the equivalent of the proclamation of his dominion over the area in which the statue was erected. Accordingly, man is set in the midst of creation as God’s statue. He is evidence that God is the Lord of creation. Man exerts his rule not in arbitrary despotism but as a responsible agent, as God’s steward. His rule and His duty to rule are not autonomous; they are copies. Hence, the concept of the kingdom of God is found on the first page of the Bible. Adam begins to rule the world under God by naming everything created on the earth, just as God ruled by naming everything created in the heavens.
Careful attention must be paid to the language of the promises given to Abraham in Genesis 12 that are later incorporated into the covenant made in Genesis 15. The first promise that God gives to Abram is that He will make him a great nation. The last promise is that in Abram, all the clans or families of the earth will be blessed. God speaks of Abram as becoming a great nation through three considerations:
1. The term “nation” emphasises a people as a political entity defined by cultural, ethnic, geographical, or social factors.
2. In 12:3, the nations of the world are not called “nations” but rather “clans” or “families”. The term family emphasises a people with no real political structure and in which no system of final governmental headship or rule operates.
3. The background to Genesis 12 is chapter 11. There we have the history of Babel, where we see complete confidence and naive optimism about human achievement and effort. Man is at the centre of his world, and he can achieve anything. This philosophy comes under divine judgement. By contrast, Genesis 12 presents us with a political structure brought into being by God, with God at the centre and God as the governmental head and ruler of that system.
In other words, we have the kingdom of God brought into being by the promises to and covenant with Abraham.
When Abram’s family does become a nation, God initiates with them the Sinai covenant or law of Moses as a means for the people to be rightly related to God, to each other as God’s true humanity, and to the creation as His stewards. Therefore, the covenant is the means for establishing His Kingdom. The book of Judges proves that although each person did what was right in his own eyes, nonetheless, the Lord ruled over His people as King. Later, God rose up a king after His own heart and made a special covenant with David. The Davidic Covenant was God’s king seeking to bring the people of God, and indeed all the nations, under this rule made explicit in the covenant. Thus, the king was the mediator of the covenant and the means of extending God’s rule.
When the people failed to abide by the covenant, the prophets and the wise men were sent by God to call the people back to the covenant, the terms of God’s rule. Zephaniah, for example, based his warnings on the covenant as found in Deuteronomy.
Zephaniah 1:2: “I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord, and Deuteronomy 32:22: My anger blazes forth like fire and burns to the depths of the grave. It devours the earth and all its crops, and it ignites the foundations of the mountains.
Moreover, the literacy structure of Zephaniah is chiastic, with chapter 2:11 as the centre of the book: “The nations on every shore will worship Him, everyone in its own land.” Zephaniah’s theology, then, can be summed up by the theme, kingdom through covenant.
Although the prophets sought to bring the people back to the covenant, the Sinai Covenant (the law of Moses) failed to achieve the goal of establishing God’s kingdom because it did not and, in fact, could not guarantee the obedience of the people of God. Hence, the prophets begin to speak of a new covenant in which God’s rule is guaranteed by an obedient people. As the failure of the Davidic line of kings became evident in history, the hope for a future king came more and more to the fore, along with the promise of a new creation—new humanity in a new heaven and a new earth.
The Old Testament ends (in the Hebrew Canon) with Chronicles, a book that focuses on good kings as the ideal of the future Messiah, in whom Yahweh will be truly Lord over His people and over all His creation. So the last words of the Old Testament call for a temple builder from among the people to make this hope a reality—likely the Messiah Himself.
“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!” (2 Chronicles 36:23)
STAY BLESSED!
By Dr. Joyce Aryee, the author
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The internationally accepted definition (from the UN Palermo Protocol, 2000) identifies three elements:
ACT (What is done), which includes:
• Recruitment, transportation, transfer harbouring, or receipt of persons. How it is Applied:
In Ghana, traffickers recruit children from rural areas under false promises of education or employment.
MEANS (How it is done), which includes:
• Threats
• Coercion
• Deception
• Abuse of vulnerability
How it is applied:
Parents may be deceived into releasing children, or victims may be threatened into silence.
PURPOSE (Why it is done), which includes:
• Sexual exploitation
• Forced labour
• Slavery
• Organ harvesting
Key Insight:
Even if a victim appears to “consent,” such consent is legally irrelevant if coercion or deception is involved.
Islamic legal principles align with this framework by prohibiting exploitation (ẓulm) and unjust enrichment, rendering trafficking morally and legally impermissible (Bawono & Huda, 2025).
Forms and impacts of human trafficking
Human trafficking manifests in several forms:
• Child trafficking → educational deprivation, psychological trauma
• Forced labour → economic exploitation, health risks
• Sexual exploitation → severe physical and emotional harm
• Organ trafficking → life-threatening and ethically egregious
Human trafficking manifests in diverse and interconnected forms. Child trafficking leads to loss of education, long-term psychological trauma, and entrenched poverty.
Forced labour subjects victims to severe economic exploitation and hazardous working conditions, often resulting in deteriorating health. Sexual exploitation inflicts profound physical abuse and emotional damage, alongside social stigma.
Organ trafficking poses life-threatening risks and represents a grave ethical violation. Collectively, these practices undermine human capital, weaken social structures, and hinder sustainable development. These forms collectively erode human capital and social stability.
Legal and Institutional Frameworks
International Legal Instruments
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948)
The UDHR provides the normative foundation for global human rights law:
• Article 1: Affirms equality and freedom of all humans
• Article 4: Explicitly prohibits slavery and servitude
• Article 5: Prohibits torture and degrading treatment
Analytical Insight:
Human trafficking violates all three provisions simultaneously. Victims are deprived of freedom (Article 1), subjected to forced labour (Article 4), and exposed to degrading conditions (Article 5).
These align closely with Islamic prohibitions against oppression and injustice.
Palermo Protocol (2000)
This is the primary international legal instrument addressing trafficking:
• Provides the AMP definition (Act–Means–Purpose)
• Emphasises the 3Ps framework: Prevention, protection, prosecution
• Recognises victim rights and state obligations
Analytical insight:
The Protocol’s emphasis on protection and dignity parallels Islamic legal objectives, particularly the preservation of life and honour. Comparative studies show strong convergence between Islamic law and international anti-trafficking norms (Jamal, 2025).
Regional framework
African charter on human and peoples’ rights
• Article 5: Protects human dignity and prohibits exploitation
• Article 15: Guarantees equitable working conditions
Analytical insight:
The Charter contextualises human rights within African socio-cultural realities, reinforcing communal responsibility an idea that resonates with Islamic communal ethics (ummah).
National framework: Ghana 1992 Constitution of Ghana
• Article 15: Guarantees the dignity of all persons and prohibits torture or degrading treatment
• Article 16: Explicitly prohibits slavery, servitude, and forced labour
• Article 21: Guarantees fundamental human rights and freedoms, including personal liberty, freedom of movement, and constitutional safeguard against human trafficking. In particular, Article 21 affirms the right of individuals to move freely, make autonomous decisions, and live without coercion.
Human trafficking directly contravenes these rights by restricting victims’ movement, subjecting them to confinement, and denying their personal liberty through deception and force. Victims are often transported against their will and held in exploitative conditions, thereby violating their constitutional freedoms.
Consequently, trafficking not only breaches specific prohibitions under Articles 15 and 16 but also fundamentally undermines the broader human rights guarantees freedom from arbitrary restraint.
Human Trafficking Act (Act 694, as amended)
• Criminalises all forms of human trafficking, including recruitment, transportation, harbouring, and exploitation
• Provides for victim protection, rehabilitation, and reintegration through state-supported mechanisms
• Establishes institutional frameworks for investigation, prosecution, and inter-agency collaboration
Critical and normative insight:
The Act reflects Ghana’s commitment to safeguarding human dignity and aligns with international standards. However, enforcement challenges persist due to limited funding, weak institutional coordination, and low public awareness, which hinder effective implementation.
From an Islamic perspective, the provisions of Act 694 resonate strongly with core Sharīʿah principles. Islam unequivocally prohibits all forms of exploitation (ẓulm), coercion, and the commodification of human beings. Human trafficking violates the divinely ordained dignity (karāmah) of individuals, undermines justice (‘adl), and disrupts social balance. By criminalising trafficking and promoting victim protection, the Act indirectly advances the higher objectives of
Islamic law (Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah), particularly the preservation of life, dignity, and wealth. Thus, both Islamic teachings and Ghanaian law converge in condemning trafficking as a grave moral and legal injustice.
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Children’s Act (Act 560)
• Protects children from exploitative labour and harmful practices
• Promotes access to education, welfare, and holistic development
Domestic Violence Act (Act 732)
• Addresses physical, emotional, and psychological abuse often associated with trafficking
• Provides legal remedies, protection orders, and support systems for victims
By Imam Alhaji Saeed Abdulai, Kpone
Katamanso Municipal Chief Imam, Certified
Counsellor and Governance Expert
Jesus teaches, “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”
Light is not meant to be hidden. In Ephesians 5:8, the Bible says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”
This means our faith should be visible in the way we live. Not in a loud or forceful way, but in a consistent and genuine way.
When we choose honesty, kindness, patience, and love, we are shining our light. People may not always listen to what we say, but they will see how we live.
Your Life Should Point Others to God
Jesus says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
This is the purpose of being salt and light. It is not about drawing attention to ourselves, but about pointing people to God.
In 1 Peter 2:12, we are encouraged to live such good lives that others may see our actions and glorify God.
Our lives become a testimony. The way we treat people, the way we handle challenges, and the way we walk in love all speak loudly.Through us, others can begin to see the goodness and grace of God.
6. Being Salt and Light Requires a Living Relationship with God
We cannot live this life in our own strength.
In John 15:5, Jesus says, “Without me you can do nothing.” This reminds us that our ability to influence the world comes from our connection with Him.
As we spend time in prayer, study His Word, and walk in obedience, our lives are transformed. From that place, we begin to reflect Him naturally.
It is not about striving. It is about abiding in Him.
A Simple Reflection
To be salt and light means:
² To influence the world with Godly character
² To live differently according to God’s Word
² To shine through your daily actions
² To point others to Christ
² To remain connected to Him at all times
Conclusion
Jesus has already declared who you are. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. The question is whether you are living out that identity.
The world needs your influence. The world needs your light. In your home, your workplace, your church, and your community, God has placed you there for a reason.
As you walk with Him, your life will naturally make an impact. Shine your light,
stay true to His Word and let your life bring glory to God.
By Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee
