“Church = Kingdom”

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Where in the Bible does it say that the kingdom is the church?  From my reading, the kingdom is still in the future when Christ comes back.

Sincerely,
Looking For Citizenship

Dear Looking For Citizenship,

Jesus and John the Baptist said the kingdom was near (Matt 3:1-2, Matt 4:17).  Jesus taught His disciples that the kingdom would come within their lifetime (Matt 16:28).  Jesus also taught that His kingdom wouldn’t be a physical kingdom, but a spiritual one (Lk 17:20-21, Jhn 18:36).  Jesus used the terms ‘church’ and ‘kingdom’ interchangeably (Matt 16:18-19).  The Bible teaches that you enter them both through baptism (Jhn 3:3, Acts 2:41).  The Bible teaches that God is calling people into the church (1 Cor 1:2), and He is calling people into the kingdom (1 Thess 2:12).  Lastly, Paul says that the christians who are in the church are also in the kingdom (Col 1:13).  The church is synonymous with the kingdom.

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