PT052
The Reconstruction Report, Vol. 2, No. 1, January
1982, Covenant Media Foundation, 800/553-3938
This World and the Kingdom of God
By Greg L. Bahnsen
Virtually all Reformed believers maintain
that the kingdom of Jesus Christ is (at least) a matter of Christ spiritually
reigning within the hearts of those who are Christians. The Westminster
Larger Catechism teaches that Christ executes the office of a king by,
among other things, “bestowing saving grace upon his elect” (Q. 45), or to use
Scriptural language: “Him has God
exalted to His right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to
Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).
The internal, spiritual reign of
Christ as Savior and Lord must not be overlooked or minimized in
importance. One cannot enter into the
kingdom of God apart from spiritual rebirth:
“Truly, truly I say unto you, except one be born from above, he cannot
see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).
Those who are redeemed have already been transferred into the kingdom of
God’s beloved Son (Colossians 1:13) and as such appreciate that “the kingdom of
God is . . . righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy spirit” (Romans
14:17). Postmillennialists have always
affirmed this foundational doctrine that the kingdom of God is an internal,
spiritual reality. For instance, J.
Marcellus Kik, interpreted the “thrones” of Revelation 20:4 in this way: “The
thrones stand for the saints’ spiritual dominion within himself and over the
world. Through the grace of Christ they
reign in life over the flesh, the world, and the devil” (An Eschatology of Victory, 1971, p. 210).
Is the Kingdom Merely Internal?
Without any sense diminishing the
tremendous Biblical truth that the kingdom of God is an internal, spiritual
reign of Christ within our hearts, we can go on to ask whether this perspective
completely expresses all that God’s word reveals to us about the nature of
God’s kingdom. Is it accurate to say
that the reign of Christ extends beyond the heart of the believer? Does Christ reign in any external, visible,
and this-worldly fashion as well?
Amillennialists are categorically
hesitant to affirm that the present reign of the Messiah is visible and
this-worldly. Some examples will show
this to be the general rule among amillennial writers. Geerhardus Vos taught that other-worldliness
ought to be “the dominating attitude of the Christian mind” (The Pauline Eschatology, 1930, p.
463). When we think of the kingdom of
Christ prior to His return to glory, amillennialists would not have us
think about “earthly-blessedness” (W. J. Grier, The Momentous Event, 1945, p. 160 or of “highly visible success of
Christ through the church in earthly life and institutions” (Lewis Neilson, Waiting for His Coming, 1975, p.
346). Leading amillennial writers
explain that they are “opposed to the type of millennium taught by the
postmillennialist” (William E. Cox, Amillennialism
Today, 1966, p. 2). How So? Cox tells us that during “the present church
age . . . Jesus Christ reigns in the hearts of his saints” (p. 65), and
Meredith G. Kline insists that the present reality is “the Lord’s invisible
reign on the theocratic throne of David in heaven” (Westminster Theological Journal XLI: 1978, p. 180). Since the postmillennialist does not deny
for a second that Christ presently reigns in the hearts of his saints from an
invisible throne in heaven, what distinctive viewpoint is being claimed
by these amillennial teachers?
When one reads authors like Cox,
Kline, Neilson, and others, it becomes obvious that what they object to in
postmillennial writers is the inclusion of external, visible, this-earthly
aspects within the scope of the kingdom of God in this age. The direction of their thought, as indicated
in what Vos said above, is almost exclusively “other-worldly” or heavenly. This is clearly manifest in Walter J.
Chantry’s recent book, God’s Righteous
Kingdom (1980). Chantry claims that
“Citizens of the kingdom are oriented to another world, not to this present
earth” (p. 16). Indeed, Chantry holds
that Christ has set aside the outward aspects of Old Testament religion: “By way of contrast Christ’s kingdom is inward”
(p. 51), so that “material, social, external blessedness may not be sought in a
millennium, but in the consummation of the kingdom at the coming of our Lord”
(p. 62). Although Mr. Chantry attempts
to qualify his remarks by admitting that the material, external world is not
inherently evil, the heart of his theological outlook is revealed when he says
that the Fall meant that man “raised animal desires above a longing for
spiritual realities” (p. 20) and says that “worship and the winning of souls
(are) . . . more important by far than the cultural mandate” (p. 27). Changry makes himself quite clear:
“ . . . the
kingdom of God is preoccupied with eternal and spiritual realities. It has to do with a presently invisible
world. Its focal point is the inward
man . . . The gospel of the Kingdom
completely absorbs men in the eternal
rather than the temporal . . . The gospel of the kingdom absorbs men in the spiritual rather than the material”
(pp. 15, 19, emphasis original).
If men like
Chantry were only indicating what our priorities should be, if they were only
reminding us that internal regeneration is a prerequisite for external and
consummated kingdom of God, then there would be little dispute. But their criticism of postmillennialists is
concrete proof that much more is at stake in the above quotations.
Amillennialists either claim or
tend to exclusively emphasize the other-worldly, invisible, internal nature of
Christ’s kingdom as a spiritual reality.
Our question is whether Scripture – the infallible standard for our
doctrinal commitments – does not have something more to say than that
the kingdom of God is presently expressed in the hearts of men. Is the kingdom merely internal?
Before we attempt an answer to
our question, we should be reminded of some theological distinctions which must
be made. First, we would differentiate
the providential kingdom of God (His sovereign reign over every
historical event, good or evil) from the Messianic kingdom of God (the
divine rule which breaks the power of evil and secures redemption for God’s
elect). God’s providential rule is
indicated in Daniel 4:17, “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men,” whereas
Daniel 7:13-14 refers to the redemptive, moral, and victorious reign of the
messianic Son of Man: “one like unto a
son of man came with the clouds to the Ancient of Days . . . and there was
given to him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom so that all the peoples,
nations, and languages should serve him.”
A second distinction which should
not be forgotten is the distinction between “kingdom” and “church” in the
Bible. These two words do not have
precisely the same sense or meaning; otherwise, when Acts 28:23 tells us that Paul was testifying of the kingdom
of God, we could just as well say that Paul was testifying about the church –
which would be erroneous, given the context of Old Testament prophecy about the
person and work of Jesus. “Kingdom” and
“church” do not refer to the same entity either, for Matthew 13:38, 41 informs
us that the scope of the kingdom is the world inclusive of the doers in
iniquity – which is not true of the church.
To be accurate, we should say that it is the kingdom of God which
creates the church, and that the church in turn has the “keys of the kingdom”
(Matthew 16:18-19). Neither statement
would be true if we could not distinguish the two entities.
A third necessary distinction has
to do with the Messianic kingdom (which has a broader scope than the
church). We need to distinguish between
this kingdom in the phase of Old Testament anticipation (cf. Matthew
21:43, where it is said to be taken away from the Jews), in the present phase
of established realization (e.g., Matthew 12:28, where Jesus declares
that the kingdom of God “has come upon you”), and in the phase of consummated
realization at the return of Christ (e.g., Matthew 7:21-23, where entry
into the kingdom is contrasted to being sent into everlasting damnation; cf.
8:12).
To recapitulate, we have observed
that it is a foundational truth that the kingdom of jesus Christ pertains to
the Savior’s reign within the hearts of His people – a reign which originates
from the Lord’s heavenly throne. Our
question, to be precise now, asks whether the Messianic reign of Jesus (in
contrast to His providential reign, and extending beyond the scope of the
church) during the current period of its establishment (in contrast to its Old
Testament anticipation and to its future consummation in the new heavens and
earth) is exclusively spiritual, other-worldly, invisible, and internal (as amillennialists
tend to assert). In short, in this
present age is the kingdom of Jesus Christ other-worldly and restricted to
man’s heart? Is it merely internal?
Our answer, if we are faithful to
the full range of Biblical teaching on the subject, must be a definite No.
The reign of Christ – His Messianic kingdom – is meant to subdue every
enemy of righteousness, as Paradise is regained for fallen men by the
Savior. As Isaac Watts poetically
expressed it: “he comes to make His
blessings flow, Far as the curse is found.”
Everything touched by the guilt and pollution of sin is the object of
the Messiah’s kingly triumph – everything.
The kingdom of Christ not only brings forgiveness and new heart-love for
God; it also brings concrete obedience to God in all walks of life. Those things which stand in opposition to
God and His purposes and His character are to be overthrown by the dynamic
reign of the Messianic King. The
effects of Christ’s dominion are to be evident on earth, among all nations, and
throughout the range of human activity.
This all-encompassing perspective
is set forth by the Apostle Paul in the first chapter of Colossians, where it
is revealed that all things were
created for Jesus Christ (v. 16), that all
things are restored by His redemptive work (v. 20), and consequently that in all things He should be given the
pre-eminence (v. 18). Followers of
Christ are exhorted to “be holy in all manner of living” (I Peter 1:15). As Paul puts it, “whether therefore you eat,
or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Cor.
10:31). The reign of Christ is not
restricted to internal matters of the heart – to prayer, meditation, and
piety. That is only the beginning. The kingdom of God “brings forth fruit” (see
Matthew 13:23; 21:43) such that by means of the visible quality of a person’s
life his inner state of heart can be discerned: “by their fruits you shall know them” (Matthew 7:16-21). So then, even eating and drinking as
external activities are included within the Messiah's reign. The inward reign
of the Savior must become manifest in public righteousness: genuine hearing of the word, genuine
religion, and genuine faith are seen in faithful doing of the law, outward
helping of the oppressed, and practical aid to the afflicted (James
1:22-2:26). To restrict the reign of
Christ to inward matters is to lose touch with the true character of submission
to the King.
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 (I Peter 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.