Are the church and the kingdom synonymous within Scripture? How do we differentiate the two from a biblical perspective? In this message, Pastor David Platt explains the key differences between the church and the kingdom, and how Christians should conceptualize the two.
- Are Church And Kingdom Synonymous?
- The Church Proclaims the Kingdom
Watch Full Message Of “Secret Church 9: The Body of Christ“
Transcript
The church and the Kingdom of God. Is the church the same as the kingdom? And the answer is no, the church is not the kingdom. Church and kingdom are not synonymous in scripture, they’re very closely related but not synonymous.
Are Church And Kingdom Synonymous?
You look through these passages I put there in Acts, you would not put church where you see kingdom here. We don’t preach good news about the church of God. We don’t persuade them about the church of God. Proclaim the church will see my face again, it’s not the picture. So what we see in the New Testament is the kingdom creates the church as the Kingdom of God is proclaimed the reign of God, the rule of God, and the people under his reign and his rule, we come into the kingdom of God and the church is created. That’s the picture we see and I put some references there from Jesus words in Matthew.
The Church Proclaims the Kingdom
In turn, the church ends up proclaiming the kingdom then, so the kingdom creates the church, and then the church proclaims the kingdom. This gospel of the kingdom is preached from the church. The church is the instrument of the kingdom, that the kingdom is advancing through the church. The church is the guardian of the kingdom. When Jesus is talking to his disciples and especially Peter in Matthew 16 about the Kingdom of God, he says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bound on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” This is the picture of the church being entrusted as a guardian of the kingdom.
Two closing truths, church and kingdom. Jesus will return for his church. The King is coming back for his church and when he does, he will consummate his kingdom, his kingdom, his rule, his reign will be asserted once and for all and finally.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
