“Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36
“When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is in your midst." Luke 17:20, 21
Contradiction?
Sometimes the Bible refers to the Kingdom of God as a present reality while other times as a future realm or territory. Where and When Is the Kingdom of God?
When Jesus said "My kingdom is not of this world." He was not implying his reign had nothing to do with the world, but that his dominion did not derive from, or find expression in, any earthly power source...it came directly from God.
And, we have clear indication from both Jesus and the Apostle Paul that the Kingdom of God is currently in existence but is something other than physical. The Apostle Paul explains it this way; “You, however, are not in the kingdom of the flesh but are in the Kingdom of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you.” (Romans 8:9) So, We must understand, from this, that the Kingdom of God exists at the point where the Holy Spirit and the human spirit intersect. If the Holy Spirit lives within me (and, He does) my being is an outpost of God’s Kingdom. The apostle Paul also taught that followers of Jesus Christ enter into the Kingdom of God at salvation: “Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13b–14). This, then, brings truth to Jesus’ claim that the Kingdom of God is “in our midst”...meaning...in the midst of the human community. It is physically here, within believers, but it is not a “physical” kingdom.
The LOGOS...the “final word” then, proclaims you and I are dual citizens; our bodies are subject to this earthly kingdom while our spirits reside in God’s kingdom. but, how may it be identified with any certainty? After all, “metaphysical” does not mean “invisible.” And an invisible kingdom would be of little practical value to either believers or an unbelieving world. Believers need visibility so that we may come together as a community to support one another and pursue our Kingdom mission. The lost world needs visibility so they can comprehend the claims of God’s Kingdom and make an informed decision to join. The Apostle Paul explains the Kingdom is manifest through faithful physical presentation of our spiritual life: “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). This idea is fleshed out by Paul in Galatians; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23).
We don’t need to look very far in this earthly kingdom to recognize God’s Kingdom values look nothing like the values in this world. We proclaim our residence in God’s Kingdom by faithfully exhibiting the characteristics of His Kingdom. This identifies us to other believers...helping us form communities...while proclaiming to this world’s kingdom there is a better way.
The question is...which kingdom do I look like?
Live boldly out there today...
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