REVISITING THE BELIEVER'S POSITIONAL RICHES IN CHRIST

Part XIV: Applying The Truth That Believers Are Transferred Into The Kingdom Of God's Dear Son

 

I.                 Introduction

A.    Some believers express anxiety over the current political situation they  face in this world, fearing godless parties may gain positions in government that may cause the country to deteriorate in various ways.

B.     One of the 33 positional truths every believer possesses the instant he trusts in Christ for salvation is the fact that he is transferred into the kingdom of God's dear Son. (Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. III, "Soteriology," p. 248)  Applying this truth edifies the believer regarding concerns in this life about his nation:

II.              Applying The Truth That Believers Are Transferred Into The Kingdom Of God's Dear Son.

A.    Many Christians are aware that Scripture predicts the future earthly kingdom of Christ, Revelation 20:1-4.

B.     However, besides this hope, the instant he trusts in Christ as Savior from sin, the believer is removed from Satan's spiritual rule that dominates this world and is placed into Christ's spiritual kingdom (as follows):

1.      As we learned in our last lesson in this series, before one trusts in Christ, he belonged to Satan's worldwide dominion and carries out Satan's bidding, Ephesians 2:1-2; 1 John 5:19b.

2.      However, the instant one trusts in Christ for salvation, he is wonderfully delivered from Satan's power of darkness and is transferred into the spiritual kingdom of God's dear Son, Colossians 1:13a,b ESV:

                             a.         Dean Alford (New Testament for English Readers, new ed., in loc. as cited in Chafer, Ibid.) stated the action described in Colossians 1:13 is "'strictly local,'" that it is accomplished in this life [cf. also Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, 1856 ed., vol. III, p. 191].

                            b.         Accordingly, the instant one trusts in Christ, he becomes a member of God's kingdom on earth in this earthly life before Christ's physical kingdom is established at His Second Coming to the earth!

3.      The blessings that can flow from this truth IF the  believer HEEDS God prepare him for blessing on earth regardless what occurs in the political realm of the lost world around him that is controlled by Satan:

                             a.         At faith in Christ, one becomes a member of Christ's kingdom while living in this life, John 3:3,5.

                            b.         Thus saved, the believer is called of God to function righteously [by the Holy Spirit's power, Gal. 5:16] in this life regardless what occurs in the current worldly political landscape around him, 1 Thess. 2:10-12.

                             c.         The believer is thus a foreign ambassador for Christ on the earth, even in his humanly native land, and as an ambassador, he represents the coming kingdom interests of Christ before the lost world, 2 Cor. 5:20.

                            d.         As such, the believer is a good ambassador for Christ if he heeds the laws of the earthly governmental landscape around him to testify of the law-abiding, sensible, gentle nature of His Lord, 1 Peter 2:13-17.  He must live in harmony with every governmental power and ordinance with the exception that he must obey God instead of these earthly powers wherever God's directives conflict with man's laws, Acts 5:29.

                             e.         The believer has confidence that regardless how evil or foreboding the political landscape around him becomes, His Lord is proceeding to build His Church on the earth so that the powers of Satan are not able to overcome it, Matthew 16:18.  The believer is thus motivated to keep doing God's will in discipling others, knowing Christ is spiritually with him to help him in this ministry effort, Matthew 28:19-20.

                             f.          If the believer who thus obeys God as a good ambassador of Christ is raptured by Christ (2 Thess. 4:13-18) or if he dies naturally or even if he is martyred for his faith by an evil earthly entity, his soul leaves the earth to enter his heavenly capital, the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:1-27) with great honor, 2 Peter 1:11; Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 867.

                            g.         In the end, the believer will return to the earth when Christ comes to set up His Kingdom, and he will rule with Christ in triumphant glory, cf. Revelation 5:8-10; 19:1-21; 20:1-4.

 

Lesson: Once one trusts in Christ for salvation, he is transferred from Satan's power into the kingdom of God's dear Son to enjoy a meaningful "foreign ambassadorship" of representing Christ's future rule on earth before a lost world.  If the believer then performs God's assignments in life, nothing can deter his experiencing current personal spiritual blessing and success, not even evil rulers or powers in this life, and he can joyfully anticipate the day Christ returns to take Him to heaven and then to return with Him as Christ sets up His Kingdom on earth.

 

Application: (1) To handle the strain of having to co-exist with sinful earthly powers, may we trust in Christ for salvation and function by the Holy Spirit's power for God's glory regardless what occurs in the world around us.  (2) Since the spiritual kingdom to which we have been transferred is the kingdom of God's DEAR Son, and we are positionally IN the Son, may we realize that we are loved by God, and thus joyfully, confidently serve Him.