The Baptist Faith and Message 2000: Section IX – The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God is a major part of the New Testament writing, especially Jesus’s teaching. Therefore, it is very important for us to have a grasp of what is meant by “The Kingdom”.
There is, however, a problem. The problem is that there has been debate about what the exact nature of “the Kingdom” is for year. This has gone on for long time. And again, this statement on the Kingdom of God is intended to allow for a few different perspectives on the exact nature of the Kingdom of God.
Interestingly, the differences between interpretations of the Kingdom of God lead to differences in the next section, which concerns the different views of the end times.
Here is the statement on The Kingdom of God from the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
IX: The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King. Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth. The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 9:6-7; Jeremiah 23:5-6; Matthew 3:2; 4:8-10,23; 12:25-28; 13:1-52; 25:31-46; 26:29; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 4:43; 8:1; 9:2; 12:31-32; 17:20-21; 23:42; John 3:3; 18:36; Acts 1:6-7; 17:22-31; Romans 5:17; 8:19; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 11:10,16; 12:28; 1 Peter 2:4-10; 4:13; Revelation 1:6,9; 5:10; 11:15; 21-22.
The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King.
This is part of the reason that interpreting the meaning of this phrase, “Kingdom of God” is so confusing. It can be used to mean either God’s rule and reign over the entire Universe or His rule and reign over His people. We use the phrase either way.
It is not wrong for us to say this is God’s world and that His lordship extends to all of creation. Scripture states that over and over. And that idea begins with Genesis 1:1 and is found throughout the Scriptures (Psalm 103:19, Psalm 47:2, Acts 17:22-31).
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 ESV)
But the way this phrase is most often used is concerning “His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King”. In other words, Christians.
As Herschel Hobbs put it so well,
“So while God’s sovereignty over the natural universe is presented in the New Testament, the major emphasis is placed upon God’s reign in the hearts of all those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior.”[1]
Particularly the Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ.
We have already discussed the great and glorious salvation that has been given to us through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Christ. And the response of repentance and faith. And what we are saying, is that we enter the Kingdom of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
Admittance into the Kingdom was completely accomplished by Christ. And we enter the Kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
It is the message that John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed.
“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”” (Matthew 3:1-2 ESV)
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”” (Mark 1:14-15 ESV)
It is now widely understood that when Jesus used “Kingdom of Heaven”, it meant the same thing as “Kingdom of God”. And this means that all of Matthew 13 is Jesus teaching about the Kingdom. This chapter of parables were meant to teach about the Kingdom, entrance into the Kingdom, and the growth of the Kingdom.
Spend some time pondering the Kingdom in Matthew 13. It is very helpful here. Read the parable and then look down at Jesus’s explanation of that parable. And as you do so, you understand that the Kingdom is entered into by faith, there will be a judgment coming, the Kingdom would expand tremendously, and the Kingdom is incredibly precious.
Christians ought to pray and to labor that the Kingdom may come and God’s will be done on earth.
This is taken from the Lord’s prayer. Even in the Lord’s prayer, we cannot escape Jesus’s teaching on the Kingdom. We are praying for and working toward both the expansion of the Kingdom and the consummation of the Kingdom.
We are praying for and laboring for more people to enter into the Kingdom. We pray for the lost to be saved. And we share the good news of the gospel with them, so that they might enter into the Kingdom.
And we pray and labor for God’s will to be done here on Earth. We want to see the Kingdom come and so we seek to put this world under the rule and reign of God. That does not mean that we force people to submit their lives to Christ. But it does mean that we pray for and seek for the good and peace of others. It also means that we long for and pray for the consummation of the Kingdom.
The full consummation of the Kingdom awaits the return of Jesus Christ and the end of this age.
When Jesus walked the Earth and told people to repent because the Kingdom of God was at hand, He meant it. And He was not lying. Yet, we do not visibly see His rule and reign over the entire Earth. Why?
We understand that Jesus did already inaugurate the Kingdom with His coming. He brought it with Him and accomplished our entrance into the Kingdom through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. The Kingdom of God is already here and the Church is a part of it.
We also understand that the Kingdom of God will not be fully realized on this Earth until the Second Coming of Christ, or “the end of this age”. That is what we call the consummation of the Kingdom of God.
I believe that Psalm 110 gives us a really good picture of what is happening here. Read it and notice a few things.
- This text is about Jesus, David’s Lord. (Psalm 110:1)
- Jesus is told to sit at the right hand of the Father until His enemies are made His footstool (Psalm 110:1).
- Jesus rules and reigns in “the midst of” his enemies (Psalm 110:2)
- His people offer themselves freely to Him (Psalm 110:3)
- Jesus is not only a king but a priest (Psalm 110:4)
- There is coming a day when Jesus will execute full judgment upon the nations (Psalm 110:5-7).
Jesus is already king. He is already ruling and reigning. But His rule and reign has not yet been consummated in the New Heavens and Earth.
R. Dwain Minor
[1] Herschel H. Hobbs, The Baptist Faith and Message, Convention Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1987, p. 99.