Living In The Kingdom Of God
Feature 1 – January 2025 – Grace & Truth Magazine
Living In The Kingdom Of God
There are some good restaurants to eat in at a city not far from my home, and every so often a friend and I meet at one of those businesses for lunch. A beautiful park where we can walk together is nearby too. All of this combines to make a visit most enjoyable.
One day I walked through the park and learned that some very significant historical events took place at that exact location. Although the events happened about 250 years ago, their impact still affects the state and even the entire country where I live. Suddenly for me, that little park took on a much greater meaning than I knew before.
This story can serve as a small illustration of our subject regarding the kingdom of God. It is a subject which the Old Testament saints would have known, and yet in the New Testament there are some tremendous revelations that had never before been understood. As Bible readers, we have the privilege of putting these details together and marveling at the tremendous impact of this line of truth.
God Is A Great King
In the Old Testament it had already been declared that Jehovah is “a great King over all the earth” and “the great King above all gods” (Ps. 47:2, 95:3 NKJV). Whether on earth or in heaven, He is the sovereign ruler: “The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all” (103:19). “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,” declares Psalm 45:6. God’s kingdom has always been supreme and absolute in its authority and power.
In a special way, the nation of Israel was also considered the kingdom of the LORD, as David declared, “[The LORD] has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel” (1 Chr. 28:5). This will be displayed again in the future in a very beautiful and glorious way. In this coming aspect of the kingdom, Christ will sit on the throne of David to establish peace, justice and righteousness. Isaiah 9:6-7 is one passage that explains this, saying, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” The New Testament agrees, as the angel Gabriel declared to Mary: “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David” (Lk. 1:32).
New Testament Mysteries
Reading further in the New Testament we hear the Lord Jesus say to His disciples, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God” (8:10). How can the kingdom of God be mysterious if it has been known all along? The answer is that all the New Testament “mysteries” are previously unexplained truths which God has now revealed. When Christ spoke of the mysteries of the kingdom of God, it meant He was going to explain something more about it that these disciples had never known.
This statement in Luke 8, along with parallel passages in Matthew 13:11 and Mark 4:11, give the only Bible references to “the mysteries of the kingdom.” The context of that phrase is the Lord’s parable about a sower, or planter, scattering seed on four types of soil. In the parable, the seed represents the word of God, and the soil illustrates different people who hear that message. Only one type of soil was good ground, which represents those who would receive the message, keep it and bear fruit. Thus we learn that this mystery has to do with the unseen yet very real rule of God in our lives. His kingdom is not merely something earthly in relation to His rule over the nations; rather, it is something heavenly that we experience by faith right now in our own hearts.
Matthew’s gospel emphasizes this unseen aspect of the kingdom by calling it the “kingdom of heaven” (or, as some translations say, “the kingdom of the heavens”). In fact, Matthew is the only gospel writer who used that phrase. For example the account of the Lord’s parable speaks about “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 13:11). The phrase “kingdom of heaven” emphasizes even more forcefully that this kingdom is something unique and is not of this world. Consider the Lord’s own words about this in John 18:36, where we read: “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’”
We should not think of these two terms – “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven” – as if they were two different kingdoms. Rather, they reveal different facets of the same kingdom. This fact is supported by Matthew 19:23-24, where we find the terms “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” in exactly the same context. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” asserts the source of the authority, while “kingdom of God” emphasizes God as that authority. The writer A. E. Booth expressed, “In the gospel of Luke, where we get parables similar to those in Matthew, it is simply this change from place to person. In Matthew it is the place from which the rule comes; in Luke it is the Person whose rule is recognized.”1
The False And The True
In another parable of the kingdom the Lord told about a woman putting yeast into some flour, and soon the yeast had spread through the entire amount of flour (Lk. 13:20-21). Yeast, or leaven, is a definite picture of evil. For example, consider Matthew 16:11-12 where leaven is a symbol of the bad teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. We might wonder, though, how any evil could spread in the kingdom of God. The answer is that the kingdom includes every person who simply claims to be a follower of God – even if some are false.
Matthew 13 especially presents several more parables about this subject. In the parable of the wheat and the tares there are weeds growing alongside the wheat. In the parable of the mustard seed there are birds making their homes in the branches of a great tree – the birds picture evil influences (see Mt. 13:4,19). The parable of the dragnet says there are all kinds of fish gathered, some of which are good and some are bad. This is the earthly side of the kingdom.
However, there is also a heavenly side, as we learn from the Lord’s words in John 3. In that chapter He told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (v.3). In this aspect, only true believers are brought into the kingdom. A passage in Colossians 1 adds to this by saying that those who have “faith in Christ Jesus” (v.4) have been brought “into the kingdom of the Son” of the Father’s love (v.13). Surely these are only true believers.
The Kingdom Today
The fact is that every true believer is part of the kingdom of God. We deeply appreciate the truth that Christians form the Church, the worldwide entity which the Lord Jesus began to build on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. This was another complete mystery in the Old Testament, as Ephesians 3:1-10 explains. The Church holds a very unique and intimate place in the counsels of God and in the heart of the Lord Jesus. At the same time, though, every Christian is also a subject in the kingdom of God.
A number of helpful Scriptures guide us here. First, we find that the preaching of the gospel is often linked to the truths of the kingdom. In Samaria, Philip “preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12). In the region of Galatia, Paul suffered much persecution, but he taught new believers in various cities that tribulation was part of our association with the kingdom of God (14:21-22). In Thessalonica, as Paul preached about the death and resurrection of Christ, he also declared that “there is another king – Jesus” (17:7). We know, too, he spoke of the kingdom of God in Ephesus and in Rome (19:8, 20:25, 28:23,31).
Further, in the Epistles we find more helpful statements. A most important emphasis is laid on our behavior as citizens of the kingdom of God. We ought to recognize the bearing this truth has on our character and on the reality of our testimony. As those in the kingdom of God, we should not become distracted by disputes about matters of conscience, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). The kingdom of God is not expressed merely in our words but in the reality of how we live – “not in word but in power” (1 Cor. 4:20). We are exhorted to “walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Th. 2:12), that is, as subjects of the kingdom we ought to live up to the character of God whose kingdom it is.
It is important here to make a clear distinction between the Church and the kingdom. They are not the same. Both are true, but they have their distinct lines of teaching. To quote A. E. Booth again: “We are in the kingdom of God’s dear Son. What can He be to those in the kingdom except our Sovereign Ruler? – that is, the King; and we are in the kingdom, His subjects. We fill this place, and ought to recognize it as well as the truth of the Church … Of course, we do not call Him King of the Church. He is Head of the Church; but when we touch the kingdom, we give Him His true place there as King.”2
As subjects of the kingdom of God we also learn that there is a day of evaluation to come. Because of our allegiance to the King, we may suffer persecution here on earth. But if we endure those trials, taking up the privilege of displaying God’s righteousness, we are “counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer” (2 Th. 1:5). Moreover, if our lives are spiritually fruitful, we are promised “an entrance will be supplied to [us] abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:11).
Verses like these have sometimes been misused to suggest that our eternal destiny could be in doubt, as if it depended on us. This is absolutely untrue! We know for certain that our salvation depends entirely on the death and resurrection of Christ, and every Christian is securely His for eternity. But when it comes to the kingdom, God takes note of the brightness of our testimony. Those who have endured persecution have proven the reality of their association with God’s kingdom. The ones who have been spiritually fruitful will be richly acknowledged by our Lord and Savior during His righteous reign.
Visualize a city where the king of the land is going to make a visit. Every citizen would be invited to the celebration! However, some might sit in a back row or in a dark corner somewhere – not because they are not citizens but because they never made the king’s interests their priorities, so they have little cause to celebrate. Others, however, would join the parade with great joy because they always cared deeply about the rights and glories of the king. In the same way, we might ask ourselves the question: Would we like to enter the glory of Christ’s kingdom with a rich, abundant celebration? If so, let us respond to His desire for us to live with His rights in view.
Summary
The first Bible reference to kings of any sort can be found in Genesis 14 during the time of Abram. It was a period of great upheaval. Four kings were fighting a war against five other kings, and chaos reigned. Immediately after the fighting came Melchizedek, the king of Salem, bringing bread and wine (Gen. 14:18). He is a picture of the Lord Jesus, the King of righteousness and the King of peace (Heb. 7:2). When Christ, the true King, finally comes into the chaos of this world’s kingdoms, He will set all things right. There will be both righteousness and peace, and “of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isa. 9:7).
Believers today are already linked with that kingdom! The “mysteries of the kingdom” are related to the unseen, faith-based character of that kingdom today. Every person who claims allegiance to Christ is considered a subject in it.
It is true that some are only pretenders, and this will be revealed in the day of judgment, when Christ’s kingdom is established publicly on earth. However, we who are Christians are also true citizens of the kingdom of God. We therefore have the privilege and responsibility of living as subjects in that kingdom day by day. May our behavior be regulated by kingdom principles!
ENDNOTES
1. A. E. Booth, “The Ministry of Peter, John, & Paul.” For a helpful discussion about various aspects of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, the Church of God, and the family of God, this booklet is recommended. It is available to purchase in print from Believers Bookshelf USA or Believers Bookshelf Canada. It can also be read online, without charge, at Brethren Archive.
2. Ibid.
By Stephen Campbell
The Lord Jesus wants to take off from His disciples the pressure of worries for the necessities of daily life (Mt. 6:25-34). He points out to them the loving care of their Father in heaven and their value in His eyes. At the same time He appeals to their hearts: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (v.33 KJV). —Arend Remmers, “The Sermon On The Mount” (adapted)