The Kingdom of God, the Church of Christ
A Spiritual Realm, Not a Human Hierarchy
Ron Halbrook
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first, shall be last; and the last shall be first (Matt. 19:27-30).
The kingdom of God would be inaugurated through the gospel which Christ would reveal through his Apostles. Through the truth they were to reveal and proclaim, they would rule with Christ. New Testament revelation clearly reveals the kingdom of God to be the church of Christ, a spiritual realm of fellowship with God, not a human hierarchy or man-made religion of any kind. The gospel age, extending from the events of Pentecost in Acts 2 until the end of the universe, is the time of the “the regeneration” or “the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:1-2). “Regeneration” pictures salvation as a new beginning or creation, when the old man of sin is put away and a new life begins in Christ. This new creation occurs when people hear and obey the gospel of Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21; Tit. 3:5).
First and Last:
Spiritual vs. Carnal Concepts
Jesus said of the time of his rule on “the throne of his glory” in his kingdom, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” (Matt. 19:27-30). Men devise their own imaginations of the kingdom of God and the church of Christ, and they create all sorts of religious organizations, churches, and fellowships in keeping with their own imaginations. They equate these human institutions and hierarchies with the realm of salvation and fellowship with God, and imagine themselves to be prominent and preeminent in serving God in such organizations. They cannot imagine that the simple plan of God revealed in the gospel of Christ as recorded in the New Testament is sufficient and exclusive in representing the kingdom or the church. This relationship is a spiritual fellowship, having nothing to do with human hierarchies.
The men who imagine themselves as “first” picture themselves being immediately welcomed, ushered into God’s kingdom on a red carpet, and soon elevated to royal positions in the kingdom. In reality, they will be “last.” Their carnal conceptions exclude them from the true kingdom of God. “The last” who will be “first” are the humble followers of Christ and his truth who are despised, ignored, and ridiculed by those who have carnal conceptions of the church or kingdom of the Lord. “The last shall be first,” because their humble acceptance of the truth of the gospel ushers them into the spiritual salvation and fellowship with God which Christ promised to bring. Christ spoke of that salvation and fellowship when he promised to “build my church” and to open the gates of “the kingdom of heaven” through the preaching of his Apostles (Matt. 16:18-19).
Church and Kingdom:
Spiritual Fellowship with God
Church and kingdom are synonyms for the spiritual realm of fellowship with God in Christ during the gospel age, but are not represented by human hierarchies and man-made religious bodies of any kind. Jesus stressed the spiritual nature of his kingdom when he said it cannot be recognized by the appearance of marching armies, the creation of human institutions, or any sort of carnal fanfare, but rather, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). Denominational churches, councils, conventions, and similar human institutions are no part of the church or kingdom of Christ. They exist without his authority. He did not die for any one of these institutional bodies or all of them combined, and he does not rule over them.
Broadly speaking, “kingdom” means rule or dominion, thus any realm of rule or dominion, including all people within or under such rule or dominion. “Church” means any called-out group or body, thus any such realm or relationship created for a certain purpose. In the New Testament, the kingdom of God and the church of Christ refer to the realm of spiritual fellowship with God in Christ and thus to all who share in that relationship in the gospel age. In the broadest sense God’s rule extends over all the universe so that the birds, fishes, and all animals are subject to God’s rule, but in New Testament teaching the kingdom of God (or of heaven, or of Christ) is a specialized term referring to the spiritual fellowship of those who are saved from their sins in Christ in the gospel age (Heb. 12:23, 28). In this regard, church and kingdom are synonyms for that spiritual fellowship, into which we are called by the gospel (“called in one body,” Col. 3:15; “called . . . unto his kingdom,” 1 Thess 2:12).
To be a citizen in the kingdom of God is to be a member of the church of Christ, the church about which we read in the New Testament. God has given “all spiritual blessings . . . in Christ” (Eph. 1:3). Or, to say the same thing in other words, “the fulness of him that filleth all in all” is realized in “the church, which is his body” (Eph. 1:22-23). To be “in Christ” or in “the church” is to be a citizen “in the kingdom of God and of Christ” (Eph. 5:5). To be in Christ, in his church, or in his kingdom does not designate three separate realms or relationships we sustain to God, but designates the one realm of spiritual fellowship we have with God through the gospel of Christ.
Divine Kingdom vs. Human Organizations
The kingdom of God on the earth today is the church of Christ. It existed as a plan, pattern, or purpose in terms of a spiritual fellowship in Christ before the world began (Eph. 3:1-12). Being planned and created by God, it defies and contradicts human conceptions and expectations, for it is emphatically “of God” and not “of man.” As to relationship, it is a spiritual fellowship rather than a social, political, economic, recreational, academic, or ecclesiastical institution created by human wisdom. This conception defies and contradicts all human conceptions of religion, as can be easily seen by observing the conglomeration of religious organizations and institutions created by men. It is obvious that without divine revelation, man is doomed to live in religious confusion, contradictions, and bewilderment (Jer. 10:23; Matt. 15:14).
As to the units which make up the kingdom or the church, it is constituted by individual saints (1 Cor. 12:14, 27). The universal church includes all saints in fellowship with God, having been saved by the blood of Christ (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 4:4). The local church includes all saints who worship and work together in a given locality under instructions given by God. Local churches are described as “churches of Christ” because each of them is constituted by individuals who are his special people, purchased by his blood, and ruled by his authority (Rom. 16:16; Acts 20:28). A plurality of local churches cannot constitute the universal church because the units which constitute both a local church and the universal church are saved individuals.
The universal church is an organization in the same sense as the human body, having Christ as head and all members functioning under his guidance according to the abilities and opportunities given by him (Eph. 1:22-23). This kingdom defies human conceptions because it exists and functions without earthly headquarters, offices, or other structures of human organization. It functions purely as a spiritual fellowship under the care and direction of Jesus Christ, thus is the only divine organization for which he died. Such an arrangement seems impossible to man, but it is perfectly suited to the purposes of God.
The local church is an organization in the sense that it is a functional unit organized by Christ with elders, deacons, and all saints fulfilling roles ordained by Christ in his Word (Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 3; Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). Elders are spiritually mature men who lead a local church upon meeting the qualifications given by God. Deacons are special servants of the church appointed upon meeting similar qualifications. New Testament teaching provides a God-given pattern designed to guide the church “as the pillar and ground of the truth” in its work, worship, and organization (1 Tim. 3:14-15; 5:17; 1 Thess. 5:12; Tit. 1:9).
Each local church is independent and autonomous as it carries out its work and worship according to the instructions of the law of Christ. Christ does not give the local church the autonomy to act outside his authority, but gives it the autonomy to function under his authority. Therefore, churches have no right to form centralized hierarchies, bureaucracies, boards, and societies tying the churches together to do their work. When local churches form such institutional ties, they violate the principle of congregational autonomy ordained by Christ, and thus violate his authority over them. While professing to praise him, “Lord, Lord,” they act in rebellion to his lordship (Luke 6:46).
The souls who make up the local church are purchased by the blood of Christ. They function under the organizational instructions given by Christ as a part of the covenant or pattern of truth sprinkled, sealed, and sanctified by his blood (Heb. 9:15-28). Therefore, the divine organization for which he died has no other institutional arrangement than the local church revealed in the New Covenant ordained by Christ. No human hierarchy in any form is authorized or approved by Christ in the Word of God as a means for joining, coordinating, centralizing, or ruling local churches. Local churches should abandon all ties to such human institutions and look to Christ alone as Savior, King, and Head.
Enter the Kingdom, Baptized into the Church
When men hear the gospel message, believe it, repent of their sins, and are immersed in water by Christ’s command, they are “born of water and of the Spirit” and thus “enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). This is “the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Tit. 3:5). Or, another way to say the same thing is, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body,” which is the church of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). Church and kingdom are distinct terms, but they are used synonymously in the New Testament to refer to the spiritual realm, relationship, or fellowship created by God in Christ, into which sinners enter by obedience to the gospel of Christ. Christ proclaimed the good news that this kingdom would soon be established, and he urged men to prepare to enter into it (Matt. 4:17). We have the privilege and duty today to proclaim the good news that the kingdom has come, and to invite and urge all men to enter into it by obeying the gospel of Christ (Mark 16:15-16).
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Truth
Magazine Vol. XLV: 8 p9
April 19,
2001