GUEST POST by Dan Tsouloufis
From a biblical perspective, God’s plan to fight all the evils in the world is twofold: 1) Christ’s death on the cross, and 2) Christ’s desire to build His kingdom through the church (the body of Christ). Moreover, this is a spiritual kingdom, not a worldly, political kingdom. We must remember that it was God Himself who ended the Israelite theocracy. Thus, there is no more theocracy, and this is by God’s design.
From a biblical perspective, there is no earthly kingdom that is going to root out all the evils in the world. Rather, the world is a mess, and it will remain a mess until Jesus returns. This has been the plan all along, from a biblical and theological standpoint (see Rom. 8:18-25). This is why our hope is ultimately in Christ and His kingdom and not in this world, nor in any worldly, political leader or political movement. There will be no utopia on this side of heaven, and the world will not become more righteous or God-fearing before Jesus returns. It will be just the opposite.
In the meantime, the mission of the church is to preach the gospel and make disciples (as demonstrated throughout the New Testament). The mission of the church is a global one (“go and make disciples of all nations”), but it is not a worldly or earthly kingdom. In John 18:36, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
Therefore, as believers, we should view Christ’s kingdom as the spiritual rule of Christ in the hearts of His followers (the body of Christ). And it is Christ’s spiritual kingdom that He’s using to bring about His redemptive purposes.
1 reply on “Christ’s Kingdom is a Spiritual Kingdom (Tsouloufis)”
That is a helpful insight which made to me clearer the way to look at the world. I still get despondent when my mind gets overwhelmed by the earthly prices we all saints need to sacrifice inorder to reveal His glory for the sake of the Kingdom. It is a glorious enjoyable and peace-giving reward but on the side of it all the costs and burdens one has to carry can sometimes weigh us down. Such enlightenments you gave and other truth revealing comforting teachings can really help pursuers of His Kingdom to be determined in heart. The classic preachers like Dr. Tozer and L. Ravenhill were my favorite.
May God strengthen us to be longsuffering until His victory comes to our life in due time.