What Is The Kingdom
George Eldon Ladd wrote an excellent book a number of years ago called “The Gospel of the Kingdom,” which combined theological scholarship with a prophetic edge that allowed him to both teach and preach about the nature of the kingdom of God. I’ll quote him extensively over the next few weeks. Our first question to ask is “What is the kingdom of God.” Ladd gives us a great answer that will help our understanding:
We must ask the fundamental question: What is the meaning of “kingdom.” The modern answer to this question looses the key meaning to this ancient biblical truth. In our western [understanding], a kingdom is primarily a realm over which a king exercises his authority. We typically think of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as the original group of countries that recognize the queen as their sovereign.
The second meaning of a kingdom is the people belonging to a given realm. The Kingdom of Great Britain may be thought of as the citizens over whom the Queen exercises her rule, the subjects of her kingdom.
The exclusive application of either of these two ideas to the Biblical teaching of the Kingdom leads us astray from a correct understanding of biblical truth. We must set aside our modern [understanding] if we are to understand Biblical terminology. Webster’s dictionary provides us with a clue when it gives as its first definition: “The rank, quality, state, or attributes of a king; royal authority; dominion; monarchy; kingship.” [This] is precisely [what is] necessary to understand the ancient Biblical teaching.
The primary meaning of both the Hebrew word malkuth in the Old Testament and basileia in the New Testament is the rank, authority and sovereignty exercised by a king. A basileia may indeed be a realm over which a sovereign exercises his authority; and it may be the people who belong to that realm and over whom authority is exercised; but these are secondary and derived meanings. First of all, a kingdom is the authority to rule, the sovereignty of a king.
When the word refers to God’s kingdom, it always refers to His reign, His rule, or His sovereignty, and not to the realm in which it is exercised. We read in Luke 19:11-12, “As they heard these things, He proceeded to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, ‘A nobleman went into a far country to receive a basileia and then return.’” The nobleman did not go away to get a realm, an area over which to rule. The realm over which he wanted to reign was at hand. The territory over which he was to rule was this place he left. The problem was that he was no king. He needed authority, the right to rule. He went off to get a “kingdom” i.e., kingship, authority. The Revised Standard has therefore translated the word “kingly power.”
The kingdom of God is His kingship, His rule, his authority. When this is once realized, we can go throughout the New Testament and find passage after passage where this meaning is evident, where the kingdom is not a realm or a people but God’s reign. Jesus said that we must “receive the kingdom of God” as little children (Mark 10:15). What is received? The Church? Heaven? What is received is God’s rule. In order to enter the future realm of kingdom, one must submit himself in perfect trust to God’s rule here and now.
We must ask the fundamental question: What is the meaning of “kingdom.” The modern answer to this question looses the key meaning to this ancient biblical truth. In our western [understanding], a kingdom is primarily a realm over which a king exercises his authority. We typically think of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as the original group of countries that recognize the queen as their sovereign.
The second meaning of a kingdom is the people belonging to a given realm. The Kingdom of Great Britain may be thought of as the citizens over whom the Queen exercises her rule, the subjects of her kingdom.
The exclusive application of either of these two ideas to the Biblical teaching of the Kingdom leads us astray from a correct understanding of biblical truth. We must set aside our modern [understanding] if we are to understand Biblical terminology. Webster’s dictionary provides us with a clue when it gives as its first definition: “The rank, quality, state, or attributes of a king; royal authority; dominion; monarchy; kingship.” [This] is precisely [what is] necessary to understand the ancient Biblical teaching.
The primary meaning of both the Hebrew word malkuth in the Old Testament and basileia in the New Testament is the rank, authority and sovereignty exercised by a king. A basileia may indeed be a realm over which a sovereign exercises his authority; and it may be the people who belong to that realm and over whom authority is exercised; but these are secondary and derived meanings. First of all, a kingdom is the authority to rule, the sovereignty of a king.
When the word refers to God’s kingdom, it always refers to His reign, His rule, or His sovereignty, and not to the realm in which it is exercised. We read in Luke 19:11-12, “As they heard these things, He proceeded to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. He said therefore, ‘A nobleman went into a far country to receive a basileia and then return.’” The nobleman did not go away to get a realm, an area over which to rule. The realm over which he wanted to reign was at hand. The territory over which he was to rule was this place he left. The problem was that he was no king. He needed authority, the right to rule. He went off to get a “kingdom” i.e., kingship, authority. The Revised Standard has therefore translated the word “kingly power.”
The kingdom of God is His kingship, His rule, his authority. When this is once realized, we can go throughout the New Testament and find passage after passage where this meaning is evident, where the kingdom is not a realm or a people but God’s reign. Jesus said that we must “receive the kingdom of God” as little children (Mark 10:15). What is received? The Church? Heaven? What is received is God’s rule. In order to enter the future realm of kingdom, one must submit himself in perfect trust to God’s rule here and now.
posted by Travis at 9:02 PM
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