Why Is the Church Called the Kingdom?
By this point in our study we have seen that the Old Testament promised an everlasting kingdom, Jesus announced that it was near, and the apostles proclaimed that He now reigns at God's right hand.
That raises an important question:
Why does the New Testament sometimes speak of the church and the Kingdom as though they are describing the same people?
The answer begins with Christ Himself.
The church belongs to Christ because He is its Head.
The Kingdom belongs to Christ because He is its King.
These are not two different groups of people. They are two different pictures of the same people.
Paul wrote,
"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." (Colossians 1:13)
Notice that Paul is writing to Christians.
He does not say they will someday enter the Kingdom.
He says they have been transferred into it.
The writer of Hebrews makes the same point.
"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken..." (Hebrews 12:28)
Again, Christians are already receiving the Kingdom.
The New Testament also teaches that Christ is the Head of one body (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). Those same people are described as citizens of God's Kingdom, members of God's family, and living stones in God's temple.
The emphasis changes.
The people do not.
When the New Testament speaks of the church as the body, it emphasizes our relationship to Christ as our Head.
When it speaks of the Kingdom, it emphasizes our relationship to Christ as our King.
When it speaks of the family, it emphasizes our relationship to God as our Father.
When it speaks of the temple, it emphasizes God's presence among His people.
Each picture adds another piece to the same beautiful story.
This also explains why the apostles never spoke as though Christians were waiting for Christ to become King. They preached Him as the reigning Lord, and they described believers as people already living under His authority.
The Kingdom is not merely a future hope.
It is also a present reality.
Every person who submits to Christ's rule is already a citizen of His Kingdom while looking forward to the day when His reign will be fully and finally revealed.
Understanding this truth brings together much of what we have already learned.
Christ has one people.
One body.
One family.
One Kingdom.
Different names...
One glorious reality.
Continue Your Study
Jesus compared the Kingdom to a mustard seed, leaven, a treasure, and a fishing net.
Why did He use these pictures?
What do they teach us about the way God's Kingdom grows today?
Related Bible Studies
Why Does the Bible Call the Church the Kingdom of God?
When Did Christ Begin to Reign?
What Is the Church?
The Story of Redemption
Companion Video
Why Is the Church Called the Kingdom?
Read First. Conclude Later.