The kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God[1], is present wherever Jesus Christ is king. While Christ is sovereign over all things, and while He rules with authority over everything in every realm, His kingdom is especially manifest in Christians. The Lord reigns in the hearts and souls of His people in a fuller and more wonderful way than He reigns elsewhere in this fallen world. So, while the full consummation of the kingdom will not occur until His return, the kingdom of God is currently present in the Christian Church[2].

Someone is in the kingdom only if Christ is both Savior and Lord in his or her life. Citizenship in the kingdom is marked by such things as found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and by “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17). Anyone in whom Jesus is not king – in whom He is not governing his or her heart and mind and life – is not in the kingdom of God. The Spirit of God has not filled such people nor has God “delivered [them] from the power of darkness, and hath translated [them] into the kingdom of his dear Son” (Colossians 1:13). If you have no real love for Christ, if you possess no hatred of sin, if you are not bearing fruit in keeping with repentance, if you are not humble and poor in spirit, if you do not hunger and thirst for righteousness, if you do not want to live for the glory of God, then God has not brought you into His kingdom. God is not ruling in your soul.

The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom that manifests itself outwardly. But the kingdom is not synonymous with a church. Churches are physical expressions of God’s kingdom, but the kingdom cannot be equated with the outward institution nor the physical congregation. Not everyone in a particular church is a true Christian, and no church or denomination since the birth of Christianity has ever comprehensively included every single believer at any given time. The Lord Jesus said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).

Kingdom citizenship hinges on connection to the King, not to the King’s people. People may be faithfully attending a good church, they may be in the congregations of the true people of God, but they could still remain outside of the kingdom. They may yet be hell-bound. No one is “in by association” any more than a traveler to a foreign country can claim citizenship on account of their friendship with a local. One becomes a citizen by connecting with the governing authorities and going through the means they ordain. The kingdom of God is entered by receiving the gospel through repentance and faith (Matthew 3:2; 4:17, 23). The kingdom is not entered through works or ceremonies or a human priesthood, but, rather, through calling upon the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13). The way into the kingdom is through becoming a Christian (a kingdom citizen), which is only done through turning from sin and embracing the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is God, and God alone, who brings people in (Colossians 1:13).

No one is born into the kingdom of God. Everyone is born outside the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus declares, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” And again, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5). Every human being is born in sin and born under the rule of Satan. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Are you in the kingdom of God? You should not assume you are because you are associated with the right group. The question is, is Christ reigning in your heart and soul? Is He Lord of your life? As well, don’t be convinced that you’re in the kingdom because a Christian or a minister let you in. You have to deal directly with the King Himself, Jesus Christ. God himself has to transfer you in. And don’t think that you’ve always been in the kingdom because your parents are Christians, or because you grew up in church, or because you were baptized as a baby. Unless you are born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of God. You have to become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and be given a new nature (Ephesians 2:3). That means you were born outside of the kingdom and cannot come in until or unless God causes you to be born again, born from above. This is done through the word of God, the gospel (1 Peter 1:23, 25). You must believe that Jesus died for your sins and that God raised Him up again for your justification. You must call upon the name of the Lord and pray directly to God to have mercy on you. You must deal directly with the One whose reign and authority you have rebelled against. Ask Him to forgive you. Pray to Him to let you into His good and loving kingdom. He delights in forgiveness. He rejoices in bringing sinners into His reign of joy and peace. He is a kind and merciful God who will not turn away any who come to Him in simple faith.

John Kastamo

[1] These phrases, along with the kingdom of Christ, are used interchangeably in the New Testament.

[2] Church is capitalized here to refer to the true spiritual and universal people of God in all ages. Theologians refer to this as the invisible Church – those who are true believers, who have had their sins forgiven and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit – whose number is known only to God. This is in contrast to both local churches and to professing Christianity that encompasses true and false believers, Christians and non-Christians. A church is a mixed group, while the Church is purebred. A church is not the kingdom of God, nor is everyone in a church necessarily in the kingdom. This is not true of the Church, wherein everyone is of the kingdom of heaven.