Hark! The Herald Christians Sing

Go on up to a high mountain,

O Zion, herald of good news;

lift up your voice with strength,

O Jerusalem, herald of good news;

lift it up, fear not;

say to the cities of Judah,

“Behold your God!”

Isaiah 40:9

Christmas caroling is arguably the greatest of the Christmas traditions, and, regrettably, one of the least practiced. In the last two years we have gone caroling several times in December, usually on which seem to be the coldest nights of the month. In fact, we went caroling within a week of moving to Colorado. The way we have done it follows a pretty basic procedure. One family usually hosts it, and everyone invited meets at their house. We then go out, either in hay-ride fashion or in cars, going to neighboring houses (the houses are usually too far apart to walk from house to house, especially in the cold and wind). At each house we sing two or so carols, the amount usually depending on how cold the inhabitants are getting standing at the door. Some standards we usually sing are "Joy to the World," "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," and "Silent Night." We usually leave singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," singing the figgy pudding verses after we get out of ear shot. 

This tradition seems to be in everyone's consciousness. Everyone "knows" that this is supposed to happen, at least in the movies or the books. But yet few people actually do it. This is probably because our culture emphasizes listening to music more than singing it, and the Christian music that most people sing would require a moveable rock band to go door to door. But I digress...

What other tradition can you think of that has real people singing to their real neighbors solid and robust hymns of the victory and authority of Jesus Christ? When else do even unbelievers welcome the sight of people singing,

"Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing"

What a light this is among the hopeless, dark, depersonalized, lonely, and lost world we live in! How different this is from the groups of little zombies and firefighters looking for candy! How great a contrast to the earbud culture of individualistic escapism! And these carols are not only some of the most victorious and hope-filled hymns we have, but are also usually 150-250 years old, with rich harmonies and flow, some even going back to Medieval times. They have been pressed into the fading conscienceness of Christendom and it's high time we let people know that their beauty and hope is as true as ever. Let us proclaim the praises of our God who took on flesh, the Savior of the nations, the Light to the Gentiles, Jesus the Christ.

I sit here typing this at our kitchen counter waiting for the return of the carolers. Several families from church in the Elizabeth area are driving around, caroling for each others' neighbors in a long train of vans. They will end up here and this house will be full of joyous commotion. I had to stay home this time because my recent cold took out my singing voice for today. I sit here remembering that the colds and flus that frequent this time of year give us even more reason to celebrate and proclaim our Savior's birth. Our sicknesses are part of the curse that came upon our world because of our sin, but Christ came as the Lord who healed the sick. Indeed,

"No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found."

He took on our nature, kept the law for us, died on the cross for our sin, and then rose to new life, therefore death and sickness will not win! We are the ones with hope. The ungodly are those who are imprisoned by sin and death. They get sick and don't have a substantial reason why getting better is better. Let us not keep this hope to ourselves. Get out there and sing!

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;

Give ye heed to what we say: News! News! Jesus Christ is born today;

Ox and ass before Him bow; and He is in the manger now.

Christ is born today! Christ is born today!

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;

Now ye hear of endless bliss: Joy! Joy! Jesus Christ was born for this!

He has opened the heavenly door, and man is blest forevermore.

Christ was born for this! Christ was born for this!

Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;

Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save!

Calls you one and calls you all, to gain His everlasting hall.

Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!

The Joy of the Light

See the house of days gone by, decked out in greenery fine 

The cold, sharp wind about it rolls with specks of glimmer and shine 

Outside is quiet, only the wind, and trees that are moved to and fro’ 

Stir gently the stillness that lays all around the valley now covered in snow 

Inside there is merriment, laughter, and joy–the sound of the fiddle and flute– 

The lads and the lasses are dancing a jig, their tongues and feet are not mute 

The companions of work, of worship and thought, they now enjoy what they’ve won 

Relationships firm, founded on time, now exalted through music and fun 

Oh praise the Lord Christ! He re-made us to show this joyful and most loving way 

Who, when we were in darkness, came as the Light and delivered us unto His day 

Though days be dark, sharp, windy, and cold, we dare not submit to their gloom! 

We strike up a tune and go gallantly forth, proclaiming Him ris’n from the tomb! 

Thus the darkest of days 

Will submit to this praise 

And become the sunrise of morn! 

The darkness takes flight 

This day, our delight! 

For Christ the world’s Savior is born!

Guilt

Guilt is a universal problem of mankind. Except for the grace of God, man is in rebellion to God and cannot completely escape His wrath. Everything man does and everywhere man goes he runs into God's creation and providence. The question for man is how he will deal with his guilt.

Various cultures and religions have dealt with the problem in diverse ways. Some try imputing the guilt of sin to other men, creatures, the environment, and evolutionary processes. Some try to atone for the guilt of sin themselves by self-mutilation, asceticism, suicide, and the like. Some try to atone for the sin by good works. Some try penance to priests. Some try to atone for sin by action, apology, and education by the state. Some try to ignore it and distract themselves with materialism. Still others try to escape the reality of guilt and God's world through fantasy, virtual worlds, computer games, certain music, etc... Many people try combinations of the above attempts, and there are no doubt many others, but through all of these human attempts the guilt remains. Man cannot free himself from his sin and is miserable. Stress and hopelessness eventually prevail, with good reason, for real future judgement awaits.

True life, both in time and eternity, can only be received when we have our guilt taken away and we are reunited with our Creator God. Thus, by ourselves we are doomed to death. But thanks be to God! He is gracious and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who is fully God and fully man, to take His people's sins upon Himself. He gave Himself as the only, perfect, and complete sacrifice for us and our guilt. By faith in Him we received this forgiveness and true life to the fullness. No longer are we consumed in atoning for our sins. No more do we have reason to be stressed or hopeless. Instead we believe in Christ's work for us and live a life of joy, peace, and righteousness in the Holy Spirit, a life filled with purpose and meaning.

It is true that trials may come and our doubts may arise, but not only may we rely on the Holy Spirit's power to overcome by our faith, but God has also given us help through one another. If you are cast down or doubting, confess to and pray for one another (James 5:16) and use the gifts of the body of Christ.

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God." -Romans 5:1-2

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." -Hebrews 10:19-25

The Deadly Fruit of Darwinism

The following quote is taken from Robert L. Dabney's article, "The Influence of False Philosophies Upon Character and Conduct" (1896):

"The old saw, "Extremes meet," was never truer than it is of pantheism and atheism. The latter says: 'There is no God at all'; the former: 'Everything is God.' But the moral results of both are closely akin. In this, my indictment includes genuine Darwinism; for there is now no doubt that Dr. Darwin, like his most consistent pupils, Haeckel, Buchner, etc., believed that the doctrine ought to exclude both spirit and God. Their logic is consistent; for if all teleology is banished out of nature, and if that in man which thinks, feels, and wills is but an evolution of brute impulses, inherent in sensorial matter, there is no spiritual substance. We must have materialistic monism. Then every moral restraint arising out of the expectation of future responsibility, rewards, and punishments, is utterly swept away. Why should men conclude anything but. "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die?" To borrow Carlyle's rough phrasing: 'If mine is a pig's destiny, why may I not hold this 'pig philosophy'?' Again, if I am but an animal refined by evolution, I am entitled to live an animal life. Why not? The leaders in this and the sensualistic philosophy may themselves be restrained by their habits of mental culture, social discretion and personal refinement (for which they are indebted to reflex Christian influences); but the herd of common mortals are not cultured and refined, and in them the doctrine will bear its deadly fruit."

Faith and Good Works

I have been reading through The Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin for the second time and just finished the third chapter of the third book, which especially is excellent. It is entitled, "Regeneration By Faith. Of Repentance." Here is one quote from it,

"...for repentance being properly understood it will better appear how a man is justified freely by faith alone, and yet that holiness of life, real holiness, as it is called, is inseparable from the free imputation of righteousness, viz. that we are not without good works, and yet that we are accounted righteous without works." (3.3.1)

In other words, we are justified by faith alone, which faith is not alone in the person justified. This is basic to life in Christ's kingdom. Without justification by faith alone, we have no peace or joy. Without holiness of life coming with that faith, we have no righteousness. 

"For the kingdom of God is…a matter…of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." ~Romans 14:17

The Importance of the Visible Church

The organized, visible Church is looked down upon by most people today. Especially in America, individualism has infiltrated our thinking, and the Church has suffered for it. While this is not a new problem for us, recent years have seen a greater move from fracturing the Church to simply leaving it. The younger generations especially are seeing the hypocrisy of the Church and want nothing to do with it. It is considered a burden and a waste of time. In some respects they are right. The Church is in a sad state today. Nevertheless, it is not going to get any better by our abandoning of it. The Bible puts a great deal of importance upon the Church, including its visible aspects, and must have its reasons for doing so. When we see it for what it truly is, it is clear that the visible Church is vitally important and should be enthusiastically embraced by the believer.

The Church is not a voluntary society created by men but is created and maintained by Christ its Head. As the Head of the Church, Christ organizes and directs its workings. He sets up its government in His word, and it cannot operate apart from His commands; it is subject to Christ in everything (Eph. 5:23-24). The place of the Church cannot be taken by any other institution, but it has been given certain authority that it wields on behalf of its Head. Moreover, Christ not only organizes the Church, but also gives it life and ability. As Paul explains,

“we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:15-16).

This body which is mentioned here is visible, with pastors and baptism (Eph. 4:5, 11). It is Christ that gives His Spirit to His people so that they may believe in Him and minister to one another. This union that the Church has with Christ is not merely theoretical, but real and living. “An organic and Spirit-produced relationship exists between Christ and His Church, more intimate than that of a husband and wife, and more complete than that of the head and the body” (Morecraft, 382). How dare we think lightly of the Church when Christ nourishes it with this special care? If we are to be built up in love, we must be in the Church, because the Church is where Christ gives life and growth.

Not only is Christ the Head of the Church, but the Church is His body. If we have union with our Head, we must have communion with His body. We are renewed by Christ into this communion. Our gifts, which are given by the one Holy Spirit, are meant for the body. They have little or no use besides. As a church we are “the body of Christ” and are each “individually members of it” (1 Cor. 12:27). We all need one another. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you’” (1 Cor. 12:21). These gifts covers all sorts of needs, spiritual and material. To abandon this body of visible believers is an amputation of Christ’s body. Instead we ought to use the gifts that Christ has purchased for us by His humiliation and ascension (Eph. 4:8-9). When we use what Christ has given us in the Church, then the body will be “joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped” (Eph. 4:16). It is when we are equipped by the gifts of the visible leadership that Christ has ordained in the Church, that we will “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12-13).

This visible leadership of the Church is instituted by God with real authority and power. The elders of the church have a duty to teach and preach the Word and guard it from falsehood. We are not left completely to ourselves to learn God’s Word, but have been given the ministry of the Church to teach us. Right after describing the officers of the Church, Paul declares that the Church is “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). He also exhorts Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” and to “exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you” (Titus 2:1, 15). The elders of the Church in council also have valuable authority. In Acts 15 the Jerusalem council takes up a problem and renders a decision, one that was reached by the council and “the Holy Spirit” and lays down a “burden” upon the Church. The preaching of the Church is also vital. It is in the preaching of those sent by Christ for that purpose that Christ is heard (Rom. 10:14-16). Preaching is the “power of God” to those who are being saved, and God is pleased to save those who believe through preaching (1 Cor. 1:18, 21). Christ calls specific men to preach His Word. He started with the Apostles (Mark 3:14, 2 Tim. 1:11), and continues to call preachers for, and by, His Church in our time (1 Tim. 4:11-16, 2 Tim. 1:6, 2:2). While the individual Christian does benefit much from his own study of Scripture, he ought not ignore God’s ordained preachers and teachers of His Word, through whom God works in His people.

The elders of the Church also have authority concerning the sacraments of the Church. The Church’s mission of discipleship is not only accomplished by teaching, but also by baptizing (Matt. 28:19). This Christ-ordained baptism is very connected to the visible aspect of the Church because we are baptized into a body of visible believers (1 Cor. 12:12). When Peter says in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized every one of you...and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” we not only see that baptism is commanded, but also that baptism is connected with this “gift of the Holy Spirit.” As we have discussed above, the Spirit unifies us to Christ and His redemption and thus also to Christ’s people, His Church. Thus the close connection between “one body and one Spirit” and “one baptism” (Eph. 4:4-5). And not only is baptism a bond of union with Christ and His Church, but the Lord’s Supper is as well.

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16-17).

Our communion with Christ in the Lord’s Supper is affected by our relations with others in the Church (1 Cor. 11:17-34). Thus the Church has a duty to guard the Lord’s Supper against those who would corrupt the Church. If a church does not judge and purge the evil person from itself and its communion, Christ will judge that church (1 Cor. 5, 11:31-32). The Church has authority from Christ to define the membership of Christ’s body, out of which there is no ordinary forgiveness (Matt. 16:19, 18:17-20, John 20:21-23). And to voluntarily seek Christ apart from His visible people and communion is to excommunicate one’s self. As The Catechism of the Church of Geneva says concerning the sacraments of the Church,

“M. Were any one to despise the use of them, in what light should it be regarded? S. As an indirect denial of Christ. Assuredly such a person, inasmuch as he deigns not to confess himself a Christian, deserves not to be classed among Christians” (Q. 363). 

With this discussion of the importance of the Church it is easy to become too inwardly focused. The Church is not important merely for the sake of Church members, but also for the sake of the world. Its visible purity and unity is not only for avoiding the judgement of Christ, but also so that it might be a bright light to the world. Christ prayed to the Father that those who believe in Him may be one “so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20). Because Christ is the light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32), so also is His people, that they “may bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (Acts 13:47). As prophesied in Isaiah 2:1-5, the nations will learn the ways and law of the Lord from the Church and will walk by its light (Rev. 21:24). From the Church we will see “the whole Word of God going out as the universal principle of righteousness, encouraging prosperity and peace in the world” (Gentry, Lecture 5). While we each ought to faithfully serve God and bear witness to the gospel, we do that as individuals and families who are members of the Church and who bear good witness, in part, by loving one another as the Church.

When considering the “Great Commission” of Matthew 28:18-20 we ought to pay attention to the thing upon which Christ bases the commission: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore...” In Christ’s resurrection and ascension, the Father “put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:22). All things, then, are subservient to Christ and His purposes. He cares for His Church and directs all things for its good and the good of its members. His enemies and the enemies of His Church shall be shattered (Ps. 2, 110). It is the Church that Christ said He would build and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against” (Matt. 16:18). This is also how Christ ends the Great Commission, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Because Christ has all authority, and because He will not abandon us, we may work in hope of victory for Christ and His Church and Kingdom. “With the power and authority of Christ the King behind the command, and with the outcome resting in His hands, ultimate failure is not possible” (Mathison, 116). Why would one not embrace the Church when Christ’s universal authority over the world is for its sake and victory?

The Church in its visible manifestation is dear to the believer. As 1 John 4:20 points out, how can any man love God whom he has not seen if he does not love his brother whom he has seen? It cannot be. Because we love Christ, we love the Church He died for. We love the Church because it is Christ’s body. We love the Church because it is where Christ has established His Word and sacraments, by which, through the Spirit’s work, we are bound tightly to Him and His people. We love the Church because we understand that its purpose is beyond itself. It seeks the dominion of Christ’s Kingdom in all areas of life, in all the world, and in this mission Christ promises protection and victory. As John Calvin said concerning the “visible church,”

“let us learn, from her single title of Mother, how useful, nay, how necessary the knowledge of her is, since there is no other means of entering into life unless she conceive us in the womb and give us birth, unless she nourish us at her breasts, and, in short, keep us under her charge and government, until, divested of mortal flesh, we become like the angels” (Institutes, 674).

Thus may we live in constant union with Christ and His Church, always seeking the Church’s good and building up one another in love. May we hold on to one another with tenacity and fervor. May we ever submit to one another, not letting difficulties and trials separate us, but ever growing up together in Christ.

---------

Calvin, John The Catechism of the Church of Geneva. http://www.reformed.org/documents/calvin/geneva_catachism/geneva_catachism.html
Calvin, John Institutes of the Christian Religion. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2008.
Gentry, Dr. Kenneth. “Lecture 05” SYS 106 Christian Doctrine III. Lakeland, FL: Whitefield,
2008.
Mathison, Keith A. Postmillennialism. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing, 1999.
Morecraft, Dr. Joseph C. Authentic Christianity, Vol. 2. Powder Springs, GA: Minkoff Family; American Vision, 2009.
The Holy Bible (ESV). Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2003.

David Balfour

To my knowledge Robert Louis Stevenson was an apostate who left his solid Christian upbringing, but in some of his writings his good upbringing came out. The following passage is from his book, David Balfour, the sequel to Kidnapped. It's been a little while since I've read it, but this passage has stuck out to me as a good reminder of the responsibilities of life that one must learn to embrace. In the story, David Balfour, age 17 and in danger of execution for reputed treason, is contemplating marrying a certain girl, but then thinks thus,

"I wondered at myself that I could dwell on such considerations in that time of my peril and disgrace; and when I remembered my youth I was ashamed. I had my studies to complete; I had to be called into some useful business; I had yet to take my part of service in a place where all must serve; I had yet to learn, and know, and prove myself a man; and I had so much sense as blush that I should be already tempted with these further-on and holier delights and duties. My education spoke home to me sharply; I was never brought up on sugar biscuits but on the hard food of the truth. I knew that he was quite unfit to be a husband who was not prepared to be a father also; and for a boy like me to play the father was a mere derision." (p. 72)

John Owen on God's Relation to Rulers and Kingdoms

"If once it comes to that, that you shall say you have nothing to do with religion as rulers of the nation, God will quickly manifest that he hath nothing to do with you as rulers of the nation....The rejection of the gospel by any people or nation to whom it is tendered, is always attended with the certain and inevitable destruction of that people or nation; which, sooner or later, shall, without any help or deliverance, be brought upon them by the revenging hand of Christ...Hence, when Christ is tendered in the gospel, the judges and rulers of the nations are exhorted to obedience to him, upon pain of being destroyed upon the refusal thereof, Ps. ii. 12. And we have the experience of all ages, ever since the day that the gospel began to be propagated in the world. The quarrel of it was revenged on the Jews by the Romans, — upon the Romans by the Goths, Vandals, and innumerable barbarous nations; and the vengeance due to the anti-Christian world is at hand, even at the door. The Lord will certainly make good his promise to the utmost, that the kingdom and nations which will not serve the church, even that kingdom and those nations shall utterly perish, Isa. lx. 12."

-John Owen 

From "Christ’s Kingdom and the Magistrate’s Power" (1652)

Puritanism and Music

Something I read recently that I found to be very good is an article in The Journal for Christian Reconstruction - Volume 6 - Number 2 titled "Puritanism and Music." You can read it online here: http://chalcedon.edu/research/publications/the-journal-for-christian-reconstruction-volume-6-number-2/ (it is on page 139). It goes through the history of the Puritans' view and practice of, and contribution to, music and art in general (including dance), and worship music specifically. 

Benjamin Franklin On the Age of the Earth

Here is something interesting concerning the the age of the earth. This is taken from the title page for the first issue of Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack:

An

ALMANACK

For the Year of Christ

1733, 

Being the First After LEAP YEAR 

And makes since the Creation 

By the Account of the Eastern Greeks   7241 Years
By the Latin Church                              6932 Years
By the Computation of W.W.                5742 Years
By the Roman Chronology                    5682 Years
By the Jewish Rabbies                           5494 Years

The Kingship of Christ

Jesus Christ has been viewed in many ways over the centuries. His redemptive work has been known among men since man’s fall into sin, and since the days of Calvin it has been customary to speak of the offices of Christ as mediator as prophet, priest, and king. Different men and theological traditions have often emphasized different offices, and modern evangelicalism often emphasizes the priestly role of Christ. While each has great importance, and while they all do work together, the kingship of Christ is often only given lip-service or wrongly conceived. Jesus Christ is king, and His kingship, when rightly conceived, is a great encouragement and motivation for believers.

When we speak of Christ’s kingship we do not mean His dominion from all eternity that He has as God, but we mean His kingship that He has as mediator. From eternity God has covenantally planned salvation for His people, each member of the Trinity working in a different way. Part of this eternal plan of salvation is that Jesus is promised a kingdom by the Father for the salvation of His people. This kingdom of Christ has been prepared for us from the foundation of the world (Matt. 25:34) and has been assigned to Christ by the Father so that Christ might assign it to us (Luke 22:29). While His kingship was typified and prophesied in the Old Testament, it is specifically granted to Him by the Father as part of His exaltation after His accomplishment of redemption for us on earth (Phil. 2:8-11, Matt. 28:18, Rev. 5). Because this kingdom is founded in God’s promise to His Son (Ps. 2) it is not an earthly kingdom. This kingdom does not originate with earthly rulers or the like; it is “not of this world” (John 18:36). Instead it is the kingdom belonging to Heaven, to God, to Christ.

Christ has been given this kingdom for His people’s sake. Christ’s priestly work is closely related to His kingly work. As priest He accomplishes redemption by atoning for our sins and fulfilling the requirements of the law for us. As king He is reconciling all things to Himself by subjecting everything under Him, by judging the wicked and applying salvation in its fullness to His people (Ps. 110, Col. 1:20, 1 Cor. 15:20-28). Atonement for sin is not an end in itself, but because of Man’s sin it is necessary for man’s restoration in Christ to His creational role under God. Thus His atonement is done with the purpose of creating us anew in Christ Jesus for the purpose of “good works” (Eph. 2:10). In Daniel 7 an awesome picture is given where the Ancient of Days is in judgement over the kingdoms of men and the Son of Man comes and receives from Him a kingdom which the saints possess, and in which they are justified. This kingdom is given to the Son so that “all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him” (Dan. 7:14, emphasis added). In other words, "The goal of atonement, of redemption, is the rule of God over a kingdom wholly subject to the law of the covenant, and joyfully so....Without the dimension of law, life is denied the meaning and purpose of re-birth." (Rushdoony, 73)

The way Jesus Christ administers His kingdom is powerful and effective. He starts on the inside by subduing our hearts by the Holy Spirit. In this manner we are born again and lovingly submit our whole persons to the will of God. This happens definitively and progressively in life as the Spirit regenerates us and sanctifies us by His sword, the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). Those who have not been born of the Spirit cannot enter the kingdom of God (John 3:3, 5). By this authority He bestows saving grace upon His people (Acts 5:31). In response to the salvation that the Spirit applies to us, and by His power, we love God and manifest our new nature. Thus the kingdom is said to be what the Spirit manifests in us, i.e. “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Christ also governs His kingdom by exercising His universal authority by chastening and defending His people and judging His and our enemies. All people must side with or against Christ’s kingdom and there are awesome consequences enforced by Christ attending this alinement, both in history and in the final, eternal judgement. Those who remain in rebellion against Christ will be broken with a rod of iron, but those who serve the LORD with fear and take refuge in Christ will be blessed (Ps. 2).

Christ’s kingly rule is rooted in the hearts of believers, but it is by no means limited to it. The visible church is very important to the kingdom. The leaders of the church have been given the “keys of the kingdom” to rule the visible church, and by them Christ visibly rules His people (Matt. 16:19, see also Matt. 18:15-20). The church is the visible organization of His kingdom as it is His people gathered, renewed, and unified in the Spirit, and as the Spirit builds it up in giving it various gifts for the mutual upbuilding of the whole (1 Cor. 12), including church government (Eph. 4:1-16). The kingdom also extends beyond the church and is the “new condition of things which results from the application of the principles of the kingdom of God” (Manual, 207). In 1 Corinthians 15 it is said that all things will be subjected to Christ the King. This includes nations, cultures, kings, economics, etc. In short, all of life will be subjected to Christ and His law (Matt. 28:18-20). “The Kingdom may be said to be a broader concept than the Church, because it aims at nothing less than the complete control of all the manifestations of life. It represents the dominion of God in every sphere of human endeavor" (Systematic Theology, 570). To live otherwise, in any endeavor, is to live that much in rebellion to Christ.

This doctrine of Christ’s kingship has great import concerning the nature of the gospel. When we believe in Christ and His redemptive work for us, we then believe in Him as Lord and King. “Unconditional surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ is of the essence of saving faith” (Morecraft, 164-165). It is when we believe in the “Lord Jesus” and that “Jesus is Lord” that we “shall be saved” (Acts 16:31, Rom. 10:9). To have faith in Jesus but not to submit to Him in good works is to have a dead faith (James 2:17). “The Biblical concept of saving faith has the basic ingredient of a disposition to obey Jesus” (Morecraft, 166). Thus our lives are lived by this faith in King Jesus in loving submission to His law. This gives meaning to everything we do and creates a constant dependance upon Christ’s redemptive power for our lives. This means that the gospel will exercise great effect upon societies as the kingdom grows like leaven in the lump (Matt. 13:33). Our great commission given to us by Christ, based on Christ’s kingly authority over all, is that we might disciple all nations, teaching them to submit to His commands (Matt. 28:18-20). We are called to manifest Christ’s reign in our civilizations and cultures as we bring all things in submission to the Lord. If our kings, nations, and cultures submit to Christ they will be blessed, otherwise they will be obliterated.

This brings us to the consideration of the kingdom’s growth on earth. Since this kingdom is Christ’s and since He governs all things, blessing His kingdom and judging His enemies, this kingdom “is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14). Like the rock in Daniel 2, the kingdom will shatter the kingdoms of man and will fill the earth. Like the field in Matthew 13 the world will become the kingdom (Matt. 13:38, 41). This gives us great hope amid the wickedness of our day. Although we know that we are engaged in a conflict and that we will always have “weeds” who will rebel against the Lord’s Anointed, we can work in the confidence that Christ is on our side and will give us the victory. His enemies will be defeated in history and eternity and we who serve the Lord in faith will be blessed now and forever. This ought to give us great boldness. Christ has all that we need and will never abandon us. We ought to go forth and preach His Word, knowing that this is what His subjects are called to do and that the success of our labors is in Christ’s hand.

To ignore or minimize Christ’s kingship is to minimize the gospel. This is not a dry doctrine but is one from which “faith derives manifold advantages” (Calvin, 336). It gives us confidence in a secure eternal salvation. By it faith discerns Christ’s power, “on which depend our strength, might, resources, and triumph over hell” (Calvin, 336). Seeing that we have so great a king and protector we can fear none but Him and follow Him against the very gates of Hell. No earthly power can overcome our king. Because of our union with our king, we reign with Him (Rev 5:10). Whether our enemies be our sinful flesh, the world, or Satan, they are being defeated by our king and by us (Gal. 5:24, 1 John 5:4, Rom. 16:20). We may thus continue to pray that God’s kingdom would continue to come to earth in its fullness and that His glory would shine throughout the earth in the work of His saints. We may continue to look forward to the great consummation of the kingdom at the end of time when the kingdom will be purified and God will be all in all.

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Berkhof, Louis Manual of Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1933.

Berkhof, Louis Systematic Theology. Edinburgh, UK, Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1958. 

Calvin, John Institutes of the Christian Religion. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2008.

Morecraft, Dr. Joseph C. Authentic Christianity, Powder Springs, GA: Minkoff Family;
American Vision, 2009.

Rushdoony, Rousas John The Institutes of Biblical Law. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and
Reformed Publishing, 1973.

The Holy Bible (ESV). Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2003.