What is the Kingdom of God?
“Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matt. 6:33)[1] may be one of the best know portions of scripture that consider the kingdom. It was Jesus himself who said this in the initial stages of His ministry. But what does it mean to seek the kingdom first? For that matter, what is the kingdom of God, and how is it to be understood? These are questions that must be asked to understand what the kingdom of God is and how New Testament believers ought to live in light of it. Although the kingdom is not mentioned by name in the Old Testament, the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology explains that it is seen clearly in the rule of God over His creation.[2] After all, the earth is the Lord’s and everything that is in, on, or around it (Ps. 24:1), so it makes sense that the kingdom of God would be included in the kingdom of the King of Kings. Notwithstanding the truth of this, the creation, and the kingdoms of this world pale in the light of the special rule of God over His chosen, redeemed people, and it is this view of the kingdom that is at the heart of the message of the scriptures.[3]
If this is the theme of the scripture, if the kingdom of God is at the heart of scripture, then it is of the utmost importance that it be grasped by those who live under its authority, especially those who are numbered among the redeemed. Surveying the Old Testament, exploring the New Testament, and seeing the evidence of the kingdom in each, it will become evident that the kingdom that was promised before the birth of Christ is explained by Him and His apostles, and is becoming visible through the people that God is using for the building of His church.
As previously mentioned, like that trinity and other theological concepts, the phrase Kingdom of God is not found in any Old Testament passages. However, the seeds and evidence of God’s kingdom can be found from the beginning of the creation account recorded in the book of Genesis. Professor and author Matthew Barrett explain that the kingdom can be seen even in the dominion that Adam is given over Eden.[4] It was Adam’s failure to take dominion of this Edenic kingdom, keeping it safe from intruders and cultivating the knowledge of God therein that caused the need for there to be a second Adam to reverse the fall and usher in the kingdom the right way.[5] This same theme will play itself out again and again through the pages and stories of the Old Testament. God in a sense, resets, the view of His dominion after the flood, but Noah fails to take dominion of his own body and household after the flood, much less the kingdom of God. (Gen. 9:20) Similar to Noah, Abram is called out of the land of his fathers with the promise that, of him, God will make a great nation and bless all people of the world. (Gen. 12:1) The kingdom of God becomes more visible with Abraham, but cannot find its culmination with him, because like Adam and Noah before him, he cannot follow through in his obedience. He never wavers at the promise that God makes to him but is unable to be the faithful and obedient covenant keeper that is needed to usher in the kingdom that Adam lost. Although after Abraham, a clear path can be drawn to who the people of God are, they are unable to live in the complete blessings of His kingdom because they were unable to live in complete obedience to the laws of His kingdom. God promises a people to Abraham and then calls out and instructs this group of people under His servant Moses, promising to make them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to their God. (Ex. 19:5-6)
Professor Meredith Kline stated that it was through the law, given through Moses that for the first time since Adam, a people were able to experience everyday life as the people of the Kingdom of God.[6] However, being unable to live as kingdom citizens and being without a mediator to bring it in, the kingdom was unable to be fully realized. Moving forward, it is through King David that the kingdom of God becomes the clearest under the Old Covenant. It is through this kingdom that God promises that the kingdom of God would be established forever. (2 Sam. 7:16) God’s promise through David is that through his kingdom, the kingdom of God will be brought into the world. Professor Brandon Crowe aptly explains this point by stating that while David provides the prototype for the anticipated messianic king, David’s kingdom belongs to a future beyond David.[7] While it is glaringly obvious that the Old Testament gives a vision of the kingdom of God, it lacked someone to establish it. However, this promised person would show up, just as promised, and would bring the implementation of the kingdom of God with Him.
The gospel accounts tell of the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry by stating that it started with the message, “Repent the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt. 3:2) Barrett helps us to understand the significance of this when he writes that Matthew’s main intention in writing his Gospel, is that the gospel of the kingdom is the fulfillment of the OT expectation.[8] Put another way, the kingdom that Jesus says is at hand, literally right around the corner, is the same kingdom that had been given through the types throughout the Old Testament. Jesus even spends much of His ministry trying to convey to those that were listening, what the kingdom of heaven looks like. It should be noted that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God seem to be interchangeable as the NT Bible dictionary shows, “Matthew regularly substitutes ‘heaven’ for ‘God’ when he takes up the phrase from Mark. The equivalence of ‘kingdom of God’ and ‘kingdom of heaven’ can be seen from the use of the phrases consecutively in the parallel lines of Matthew 19:23–24” and further stating that, “In this respect, it is similar to the kingdom of God (or of heaven) which was inaugurated with Jesus’ first advent.”[9]
It is the coming of Jesus that sets in motion the inauguration of the kingdom on earth. Thus, the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 4:23), as preached by Jesus and his disciples, was the good news that the kingdom promised and pictured in the Old Testament had come. There was still confusion concerning what the implementation of the kingdom would look like among the Jews, but it did not negate the fact that Jesus was bringing the entrance of the kingdom, and this was indeed good news. One of the best-known misunderstandings of the kingdom is seen in the famous passage in John 3. It is there that a Pharisee named Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night, and during their conversation, Jesus explains that the kingdom of heaven cannot be seen, or understood, outside of being “born again.” It is in this same text that the picture of what the kingdom of God is comes into clear view. Jesus says that being born again is the entrance to the kingdom. Further, the progression of the kingdom in the world is proven through the repelling of demonic forces that had been set to rampage before the coming of Christ. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, the two main aspects that present themselves are teachings and miracles. It is the miracles that often are a pushback on the prince of the world. Matthew 8 gives an account of multiple miracles and Such healings, Barrett states, serve as an announcement: the Messiah is here, and the kingdom of heaven is now at hand.[10]
The miracles such as the casting out of demons show the advancement of the kingdom of God, literally binding and laying waste to the strong man in the world. (Luke 11:21) The culmination of this defeat would happen at the crucifixion as the ruler of the kingdom of this world would be mortally wounded and cast out (John 12:31), making way for the inauguration of the King of the kingdom. The apostle Paul speaks of this event specifically as the spoiling of the enemy who played sports and whose defeat is paraded across the land. (Col. 2:15)
If it is by being born again that one understands the kingdom, and by believing that one is transported from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13) then what does life look like to be part of this new kingdom? Author Peter Orr gives evidence to help answer the question of what new kingdom life looks like in an exposition of Colossians 4. He states that the grammar of verse fourteen, “These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God” speaks to working in the kingdom rather than for the kingdom. Continuing that, “The pattern across the NT then is that εἰς is used with “work” language to indicate the goal or the purpose of the work.”[11] Simply put, those who are believers, and have been moved into this new kingdom, now live in that kingdom, and all their work is done in this kingdom.
Every aspect of their life is “kingdom” work and thus every aspect of their lives is to be lived in light of this kingdom. To maybe put it more succinctly no longer is there a distinction between a life lived against the Kingdom and life that was lived for the Kingdom. There is no work to be done outside of the Kingdom, rather all work is considered Kingdom work. Once this concept is understood there is no longer a list of priorities with Kingdom work at the top, instead, all of the priorities in life are now seen with Kingdom work at the center. Paul writes in Romans chapter 8 that all things work together for good to them those who love God. It is in this same idea that everything in the life of a believer is done with a sovereign King in control and with this King in control everything that is done, advances His Kingdom. This concept of the kingdom will begin to shape the lives of those who understand it. Whether it is the activities that are done in a secular job or good works towards our neighbors, each is done in the light of God’s Kingdom citizens living out his will in their lives. Ken Costa stated this beautifully when he wrote,
“The kingdom of God is “the sphere of God’s goodness” in the world. We are called to advance that kingdom, sharing the “sphere of goodness,” and extending it as we operate with God’s values. Our actions at work have the potential to advance the kingdom of God and his “sphere of goodness,” or to hinder it. When we declare truth even in small measures, the kingdom of God is advanced. This can be true when we draft documents, sell products, or mark exams—indeed in any activity we do in our working day”[12]
It is not simply the work of Christian ministry that is for the kingdom of God, because the kingdom of God is no longer hidden, it is on full display among the kingdom’s citizens. Money spent to spent on things other than that specific giving to the ministry of the church can still be given in light of the kingdom when it is given to advance the goodness and grace of God that has been displayed to those in His kingdom. A correct understanding of the kingdom of God will bleed its way into every aspect of the life of a believer. The use of time, the advancement of education, committing time to family or friends, and every other aspect of life are swallowed up in the victory of Christ’s integrated kingdom. There is now no distinction between sacred and secular work because everything has been set apart by the glorious kingdom of light.
Those who live in this kingdom of God and display this kingdom life to others are acting in the same way that the patriarchs of the Old Testament acted towards the coming of Christ and His kingdom. Each believer under the new covenant lives with the same sins and unbelief that those under the old covenant lived under. However just as they foreshadowed the inauguration of the kingdom of God, the believers today foreshadow its culmination. What will the new heaven and the new earth look like under the future consummated rule of God? Likely, they will look like a more perfect version of what can be seen through the working of the Spirit in the lives of believers today. The Kingdom was evident promises and lives of those who lived before the birth of Christ. The kingdom was explained by Him and His apostles, and the visible kingdom that is now seen through the members of the church of Christ will one day be consummated at His return.
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[1] Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced employ the King James Version
[2] Brian S. Rosner, T. Desmond Alexander, Graeme Goldsworthy, D. A. Carson, eds., New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Westmont: IVP Academic, 2000), 60.
[3] Ibid. 60.
[4] Barrett, Matthew. Canon, Covenant, and Christology (Westmont: IVP Academic, 2020) 52.
[5] Ibid. 52.
[6] Kline, Meredith, “The Two Tables of the Covenant” Westminster Theological Journal 22 (1960): 133-46
[7] Crowe, Brandon, “Reading Psalm 40 Messianically” RTS Journal 2:3 (2017)
[8] Barrett, Matthew. Canon, Covenant, and Christology (Westmont: IVP Academic, 2020) 98.
[9] Brian S. Rosner, T. Desmond Alexander, Graeme Goldsworthy, D. A. Carson, eds., New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Westmont: IVP Academic, 2000) 367.
[10] Barrett, Matthew. Canon, Covenant, and Christology (Westmont: IVP Academic, 2020) 111.
[11] Orr, Peter, “Two Types of Work: Work for the Lord and Work for the Kingdom of God” Themelios 47.1, (2021)
[12] Ken Costa, God at Work: Living Every Day with Purpose (London: Continuum, 2007), 28.
