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In this message we shall see another aspect of the status of the church — that of the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 2:19 says, “You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God.” The term “fellow citizens” indicates the kingdom of God. All the believers, both Jewish and Gentile, are citizens of God’s kingdom, which is a sphere wherein God exercises His authority. As long as anyone is a believer, he is a citizen of the kingdom of God. This citizenship involves rights and responsibilities, two things that always go together. We enjoy the rights of the kingdom, and we bear the responsibilities of the kingdom.
In 2:19 Paul covers two aspects of the church: the kingdom, indicated by the term “fellow citizens,” and the family of God, indicated by the phrase “the household of God.” God’s house is a matter of life and enjoyment; all believers were born of God into His household to enjoy His riches. God’s kingdom is a matter of rights and responsibilities; all believers who were born into the house of God have the civil rights of and their responsibility in the kingdom of God. Therefore, in 2:19 two profound matters are covered: the kingdom of God with its rights and responsibilities and the house of God with its enjoyment of the Father’s life and riches.
Ephesians 2:19 speaks of the saints, the household of God, and the kingdom of God. The saints are individuals, but the household of God is corporate and results in the kingdom of God. If there were no household, there could be no kingdom. First, we are saints, individuals. Then, corporately, we are the house of God resulting in the kingdom of God.
It is significant that in verse 19 Paul refers to the kingdom of God before the household of God. Paul’s thought here concerns our former status as strangers and sojourners. Strangers and sojourners are related to a kingdom, not to a household. Those who are aliens in this country are not aliens in relation to a family but in relation to the nation. Because strangers and sojourners are aliens to kingdoms, not to families, Paul mentions the kingdom first. In this verse Paul’s main concept is that of citizenship in God’s kingdom. The kingdom, however, is composed of families. For this reason, Paul also mentions the household of God, that is, the family of God.
Ephesians 2:19 affords us the basis for saying that the church today is God’s kingdom. The citizens mentioned here are related to a kingdom, a nation, not to a family. A family is composed of members, not of citizens. On the one hand, we are members of God’s household; on the other hand, we are citizens of God’s nation, of God’s kingdom.
Although the church today is God’s kingdom, we are in the kingdom in reality only when we live and walk in spirit. Whenever we behave according to the old man or live in the flesh or the self, we, in a practical way, are out of God’s kingdom. This means that when we are in the flesh, we are in the old realm of the fallen human nature, which has been fully usurped by Satan to form his kingdom. Therefore, a genuine Christian, if he lives in the flesh instead of in the spirit, may live in a practical way not in the kingdom of God but in the kingdom of Satan. Only when we live, walk, behave, and have our being altogether in our spirit, not in our natural man, are we in the kingdom of God and, in reality, are the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God, like the house of God, is a corporate person. The church as the house of God is a corporate person because this house is the family of God, the household of God. The kingdom is likewise a corporate person because it is also a corporate entity. Whether we are living in the church as the house of God or as the kingdom of God depends on whether we are living as members or as citizens. To live as members of the house of God is a matter of enjoyment, but to live in the kingdom of God is a matter of bearing responsibility and of being regulated. We are members of our Father’s household, and we are citizens of our God’s kingdom.
The kingdom of God is the reality of the church. According to the New Testament, the church is intimately related to the kingdom. In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus declared, “On this rock I will build My church,” and in verse 19 He went on to speak of the kingdom of the heavens. The words “the kingdom of the heavens” in verse 19 are interchangeably used for the word “church” in verse 18. This is a strong proof that the genuine church is the kingdom of the heavens in this age.
Without the kingdom as the reality of the church, the church cannot be built up. For the building up of the church, we need the kingdom as the reality of the church. Although the kingdom is the reality of the church, we cannot say that the church is the reality of the kingdom. We can say only that the kingdom is the reality of the church.
The kingdom of God is the living of the church. A verse that strongly proves this is Romans 14:17. “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” According to some Bible teachers, the kingdom has not yet come. They claim that now is the dispensation of the church, and the next dispensation will be that of the kingdom. But in 14:17 Paul does not say that the kingdom of God shall be; he uses the present tense and says that the kingdom of God is. According to the context of Romans 14, which speaks of receiving the believers, the kingdom is today’s church life. The reality of the church life is the kingdom. Romans 12 speaks of the Body life and Romans 14, of the kingdom life. This indicates that, in Romans, the kingdom life is the reality of the Body life.
In a sense, it is correct to say that the present age is the church age and that the coming age will be the kingdom age. However, in another sense, the kingdom of God is here today, for the kingdom is the reality of the church and the living of the church. Hence, the church is the kingdom. Since the church is the kingdom today, it is not correct to say that the kingdom has been suspended altogether until the coming age. Romans 14:17 proves definitely that the kingdom is the living of the church today.
Furthermore, in Acts, which is concerned with the church, there is frequent mention of the kingdom (8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). In Acts the believers preached the kingdom of God as the gospel (8:12). The gospel is even called the gospel of the kingdom. Therefore, it is not correct to say that the kingdom is altogether separate from today’s church life.
According to the revelation in the New Testament, the proper church life is the kingdom life. If we live under the rule of the living God within us, that is, under the rule of the kingdom of the heavens, we shall have the kind of life recorded in chapters five, six, and seven of Matthew. We shall also have a life of the kingdom practiced in the church life. Hence, we should not separate the kingdom of God from the church.
In Romans 14:17 we see that the kingdom of God as the living of the church is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. When the authority of God’s kingdom operates in us, righteousness, peace, and joy will characterize our daily life.
Righteousness, peace, and joy are actually the expression of Christ. When Christ is expressed, He is our righteousness toward ourselves, our peace toward others, and our joy with God.
As the believers live the kingdom life in the church, they will live righteously toward themselves. This means that we must be strict with ourselves and make no excuses for ourselves.
To live the kingdom life in the church also means that we live peacefully toward others. Our relationships with others must be characterized by peace. Toward others we must endeavor to pursue peace, continually seeking to be at peace with them. This peace is Christ Himself lived out from our being.
Living the kingdom life in the church also requires that we live joyfully to God in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of joy. If we are not joyful, this indicates that we are not in the Holy Spirit. If we are truly living the kingdom life, we shall be joyful with God, praising Him. Whenever we live righteously toward ourselves and peacefully toward others, we shall live joyfully to God in the Holy Spirit. Such a living is the kingdom of God as the living of the church.
Those who are not worthy to remain in the church life shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Inheriting the kingdom of God is different from entering into the kingdom of God through regeneration (John 3:3, 5). Having entered into the kingdom by being regenerated, we now need to grow and develop in the divine life. Then, as a result of this growth and development, we shall inherit the kingdom of God.
First Corinthians 6, Galatians 5, and Ephesians 5 all speak of inheriting the kingdom of God. First Corinthians 6:9a says, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” To inherit the kingdom of God in the coming age is a reward to the saints who seek righteousness (Matt. 5:10, 20; 6:33). Believers who are not righteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Because God’s kingdom is established upon righteousness, we must be righteous in order to inherit it.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9b and 10 Paul speaks of different kinds of persons who will not inherit the kingdom of God. Here Paul does not speak of entering the kingdom of God but of inheriting the kingdom of God. To enter the kingdom of God we simply need a new birth, but to inherit the kingdom of God we need to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens today. No sinful person or unrighteous person can have any part in the coming kingdom of God.
The word “inherit” in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 10 implies enjoyment. To inherit a certain thing is to enjoy that thing. Today the kingdom is not an enjoyment but an exercise. However, when the Lord Jesus comes back, the kingdom will be our enjoyment. At that time we shall enjoy the kingdom, for we shall be kings ruling with the Lord Jesus.
In Galatians 5:21 Paul, referring to the works of the flesh, says, “Those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Here inheriting the kingdom of God refers to the enjoyment of the coming kingdom as a reward to the overcoming believers. Those believers who practice the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21 will not inherit the coming kingdom as a reward.
In Ephesians 5:5 Paul once again speaks of those who have “no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” The kingdom of Christ is the millennium (Rev. 20:4, 6; Matt. 16:28) and also the kingdom of God (Matt. 13:41, 43). The believers have been regenerated into the kingdom of God and, in the church life, they are living in the kingdom of God today. However, not all believers will participate in the millennium. The unclean, defeated ones will have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God in the coming age.
In 2 Peter 1:3-11 we see that those believers who develop and grow in the life of God in the church life shall be richly and bountifully supplied with the entrance into the kingdom of God. After we have entered into the kingdom of God through regeneration, we need to go on to have a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On the one hand, we have entered the kingdom; on the other hand, we still need a rich entrance. The initial entry into the kingdom is regeneration, but the rich entrance is through the full growth and development of the divine life revealed in 2 Peter 1:5-11.
Verse 11 says, “For so shall be richly and bountifully supplied to you the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” The bountiful supply we enjoy in the development of the divine life and nature (vv. 3-7) will bountifully supply us a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord, which will be a reward to His faithful believers, who pursue the growth in His life unto maturity and the development of the virtues of His nature, so that they participate, in the millennium, in His kingship in God’s glory (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 20:4, 6).
In 2 Peter 1:5-7 we have the development of the divine life with the divine nature from stage to stage. Verse 5 says, “Adding all diligence, supply bountifully in your faith virtue, and in virtue knowledge.” The word “supply” in verse 5 actually means develop. Hence, to supply virtue in faith is to develop virtue in the exercise of faith, in the exercise of the like precious faith allotted to us by God (v. 1) as the common portion of the New Testament blessing for the initiation of the Christian life.
The virtue in verse 5 refers to that mentioned in verse 3, where Peter speaks of the One who has “called us to His own glory and virtue.” Furthermore, this virtue is related to the divine nature (v. 4), which denotes the riches of what God is. The virtue in verses 3 and 5 is, therefore, the issue of the experience of the divine nature in verse 4. When we partake of the divine nature, the different aspects of the riches of what God is, these riches become our virtues.
In verse 5 Peter also tells us to supply “in virtue knowledge.” Virtue, the vigorous action, needs the bountiful supply of the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (vv. 2, 3, 8) regarding the all things related to the divine life and godliness and the partaking of the divine nature for our enjoyment in the development described in verses 5 through 7. This knowledge is actually the knowledge of all things related to life and godliness. We must have this knowledge developed in our virtue.
In verse 6 Peter continues, “And in knowledge self-control, and in self-control endurance, and in endurance godliness.” Self-control is the exercise of control and restraint over the self in its passions, desires, and habits. Whereas self-control is related to the self, endurance is related to others and to our circumstances. As to ourselves, we must have self-control, and as to our circumstances, no matter what they may be, we need endurance. Then in our endurance we need to develop godliness, a living that is like God and expresses God. As we exercise control over the self and bear with others and with circumstances, godliness needs to be developed in our spiritual life so that we can be like God and express Him.
In verse 7 Peter concludes, “And in godliness brotherly love, and in brotherly love love.” The Greek word translated “brotherly love” is philadelphia, composed of phileo, to have affection for, and adelphos, a brother; hence, brotherly affection, a love of delight and pleasure. The Greek word for love in verse 7 is agape, the word used in the New Testament for the divine love, which God is in His nature (1 John 4:8, 16). It is nobler than phileo, and it adorns all the qualities of the Christian life (1 Cor. 13; Rom. 13:8-10; Gal. 5:13-14). It is stronger in ability and greater in capacity than human love (Matt. 5:44, 46), yet a believer who lives by the divine life and partakes of the divine nature can be saturated with it and express it in full. Such a love needs to be developed in brotherly love, to govern it and flow in it for the expression of God, who is this love.
Faith may be considered the seed of life, and love, the fruit in its full development. This development includes virtue, knowledge, self-control, endurance, and godliness. Eventually, we have the full development and maturity from the seed of faith, through the roots of virtue and knowledge, the trunk of self-control, and the branches of endurance and godliness, to the blossom and fruit of brotherly love and love. Verse 11 indicates that, as a result of the growth and development of the divine life unto maturity, the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly and bountifully supplied to us.
According to Peter’s word in 1:5-11, to grow to maturity is to develop what we have already received. We have been allotted the like precious faith, which is an all-inclusive seed. All the divine riches are in this seed, but we must be diligent to develop them into virtue. Then we need to develop in our virtue, knowledge; in knowledge, self-control; in self-control, endurance; in endurance, godliness; in godliness, brotherly love; and in brotherly love, love. Through such a growth and development we eventually shall reach maturity and shall have a rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The fact that those who develop and grow in the life of God in the church life will have a rich entrance into the coming kingdom implies that certain believers will not have a share in the coming kingdom, because they have not been living in the proper church life and have not had the adequate growth in the divine life. For this reason, at the time of the manifestation of the kingdom, they will have no participation in the kingdom. But those who grow and develop in the divine life to the full extent will be supplied with a rich and bountiful entry into the coming kingdom.
We have seen three aspects of the status of the church: first, the church as an assembly separated from the world; second, the church as the house of God composed of those who have been born of God; and third, the church as the kingdom of God, which is the reality and living of the church today. We all need to grow in the divine life in the church life so that in the coming age we may have a rich entrance into the kingdom of God.
