What Is the Kingdom of God?
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Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God numerous times during his earthly ministry. What is the kingdom of God, and what is its significance for Christians in this world?
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." (Luke 17:20-21)
God's kingdom doesn’t grow by the might or power of earthly rulers.
At the time Jesus did his ministry work, people were expecting the Messiah to usher in a glorious earthly kingdom. Instead, Jesus came to be a suffering servant, taking upon himself the punishment we deserved and dying the humiliating death of crucifixion that we might live, and the story doesn't end there.
Jesus was raised from the dead and he ascended to heaven, and the glorious kingdom of God is indeed growing—but not in a way that is admired by the world:
He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches." (Luke 13:18-19)
The kingdom of God and the goal of creation are inextricably connected.
God's kingdom is growing not by the might or power of earthly rulers but rather by the Holy Spirit's work in regenerating people to new life in Christ through the faithful proclamation of God's word (Matt. 28:18-20).
According to New Testament scholar S. M. Baugh in his book The Majesty on High: Introduction to the Kingdom of God in the New Testament, "the kingdom of God is the new creation" (Kindle loc. 165-166). Baugh elaborates regarding God's purpose in creation:
As the center of the Scriptures the kingdom of God in its consummate form was the goal of creation with Adam and Eve from the beginning, which was ruined by Adam's fall into sin. At his resurrection and enthronement to God's right hand, the Lord Jesus Christ inaugurated the new creational kingdom as Last Adam and assumed kingship over it as the God-man. He now rules over the kingdom of God in such a way that he allows his enemies to continue in rebellion in this current period (Psalms 2 and 110) until the conclusion or consummation of this age at his second coming. (Kindle Loc. 331-335)
The kingdom of God will continue to grow until Christ’s second coming.
In this time between the inauguration and consummation of God's new creational kingdom, Christians aren't called to sit idly by, waiting for Jesus to come in the clouds. Neither are believers called to help usher in the new creation by their own works on this earth. Rather, as James Davison Hunter writes in his book To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World, Christians are called to practice "faithful presence" in the world by pursuing "the welfare not only of those of the household of God but of all," focusing especially on loving service in the locality in which God has placed them (pp. 253-54).
Christ is building his church at this very moment by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 16:18; John 3:5-8; 16:5-15), and the kingdom of God will mercifully continue to grow until Christ's second coming:
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Pet. 3:9)
As citizens of God's kingdom, Christians are called to live faithfully in this world that is passing away.
Every believer is part of the new creation at this very moment, and one day Jesus will return to consummate his kingdom and bring us all into glory. We will be Christ's beautiful bride, adorned by God himself, and will gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and live forever in his presence.
For the time being God has called us as believers to be faithful in prayer, in loving God and the saints, in sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in loving and serving our neighbor, in fleeing from sin and temptation, in patiently enduring all trials and sufferings, and in rejoicing with thankful hearts that we are citizens of a glorious kingdom that will endure forever. May we continue to exclaim along with the apostle John in Revelation 22:20, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"
This article is adapted from “‘The Kingdom of God Is in the Midst of You’” from BCL’s December 2022 monthly newsletter.
Recommended:
The Majesty on High: Introduction to the Kingdom of God in the New Testament by S. M. Baugh
