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ARTICLE: This World and the Kingdom of God
https://thebahnsenbibleacademy.com/theology-articles/
Christ does not settle for a part-time or restricted reign as King. He demands obedience in
all things from us, and His aim is to subdue all resistance – of any nature (internal or external) – to His rule. Paul teaches, “he must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet,” concluding with the defeat of death itself at the general resurrection (I Cor. 15:25-26). All opposition in all areas will be overcome by the King. And as it is, it will be an indication that the Messianic kingdom is coming. Christ taught His disciples to pray: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). That prayer is a continual reminder to us that the coming of the kingdom means the doing of God’s will, and that the reign of Christ (His kingdom) through our obedience comes precisely here on earth. The kingdom of Christ is undeniably this-worldly in its effects and manifestation. To be sure, Christ’s kingdom does not spring “out of this world” (John 18:36), meaning (as the end of the verse interprets matters for us) that the source of Christ’s reign is not “from here.” Nevertheless, His reign, as originating from God Himself, pertains to this present world. The resurrected, victorious Savior said it Himself: “all authority in heaven and on earth has been granted to Me” (Matt. 28:18).
We must admit, therefore, that the kingdom of Christ is not merely internal and other-worldly.
It has external expression on earth at the present time. “The kingdom of God and His righteousness” makes provision for every detail of life (Matt. 6:31-33). It is, as Paul taught, “profitable for all things, holding promise for the life that now is, as well as for that which is to come” (I Timothy 4:8). In a famous kingdom-parable, Christ authoritatively explained that the field (the kingdom) is the world (Matt. 13:38). In the perspective of Scripture, God’s redeemed kingdom of priests – the church (IPeter 2:9) – presently “reigns upon the earth” (Revelation 5:9). Our confidence, calling, and prospect is encapsuled in the wonderful song, that “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). The Messianic kingdom must be seen, then, as this-worldly, external, and visible – not merely internal to man’s heart and other-worldly.
You are invited to learn all the counsel of GOD from one of the greatest Bible teachers of all time—Greg L. Bahnsen
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