The church is not the kingdom. The kingdom is the rule of God and the sphere in which his rule is experienced. In this age it is an altogether invisible, spiritual realm (cf. Col 1:13); at the eschatological consummation the sphere of his rule will be universal. The church is the people of the kingdom—those who have received the kingdom of God (Mk 10:15) and thereby have entered into the blessings of God’s rule (Mt 11:11). It is the action of God’s kingdom—God’s rule in Jesus—which creates the church. The church witnesses to the kingdom (Mt 24:14; Lk 10:9). The church is the instrument of the kingdom in the world. As the kingdom worked through Jesus, and then through his commissioned disciples, so the kingdom will continue to work through the successes of his disciples. The church will be in conflict with “the powers of death,” but the church will prevail because it is the instrument of the kingdom, the reign of God. The church is custodian of the kingdom. In rabbinic thought Israel was the custodian of the kingdom of God because to Israel had been committed the Law. The church is to become the custodian of the kingdom (cf. Mt 24:14). The church will thereby be the instrument for the releasing of sins or for their retention (cf. Jn 20:23). The kingdom will be taken away from Israel, the natural “sons of the kingdom” (Mt 8:12), and given to a new people (Mt 21:43; Mk 12:9). George E. Ladd,
Datos bibliograficos
Autor: George Ladd Libro: Baker encyclopedia of the Bible, (Abrir en Logos): 1277
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Reino de Dios, Iglesia, El