THE KINGDOM OF GOD

^[p. 289] THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Romans 5:1-11; Romans 5:21; Romans 14:16 - 23; Romans 15:1 - 7

JT I have in mind to speak about the kingdom of God. The Lord may help us to unfold what it is, and how it is entered into, and then how as believers we become a kingdom. It is said in Revelation 1 that Christ has made us a kingdom. Romans generally opens up the truth of the kingdom for us, and particularly so in chapter 5, where in the last verse we get a formal statement of it: grace reigning “through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. The formal allusion to it is found there, grace being on the throne and reigning. Thus it is active, reigning through righteousness; the result or end is eternal life; so that in its present form, the kingdom is to that end, eternal life.

IWL Then is “our Lord” a feature of this kingdom?

JT That is the formula, a phrase much used in Romans and which conveys the thought that there are those who own Him as Lord. Some do so, but fail to honour Him in it, they fail in obedience; but ‘our Lord’ is an expression which implies characteristic subjection on our part to the Lord, and also that in the kingdom He is apprehended intelligently by us as administering the bounty of God. A variety of things are enumerated in this chapter all of which have moral sway; they are beneficial to the soul as it bows to their moral sway; they have influence over it.

AB Do you mean that “peace with God” is one of the things you have referred to?

JT That is one very important item, is it not? “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. These ^[p. 290] things come in through Him, hence a great feature of the kingdom is the mediatorial character of that which comes through Him, and which carries with it a certain moral authority; just as the sun shining in the heavens has a certain moral authority, symbolising rule.

EuR “Of the increase of his government ... there shall be no end”, Isaiah 9:7.

JT Yes, of the increase of it; that is its beneficial character; and is intended to produce an effect upon us. To use a figure, good government has influence in that way because of its goodness. We may have to submit to bad government, but a good government has influence because of its benefits. The kingdom of God is all good, hence the moral sway that it exercises where its benefits are appreciated in faith; it is “on the principle of faith”. “The principle of” is the translation of a word that involves entering into the kingdom.

First there is peace, and then the idea of access, meaning that the believer, who tastes of the benefits of the kingdom founded on redemption, and brought in through Christ, begins to move. Hitherto he has been passive, except for the exercise of faith, but now he begins to move in his soul. The way the thing is shown to be beneficial and appropriated rightly is that we begin to move. “We have access” — that is on our side.

JR What is the difference between entering into the kingdom and seeing the kingdom of God as the Lord spoke of it to Nicodemus? What would be preparatory to that?

JT What is preparatory is the sovereign work of God, without which a man would not move at all in the direction of the kingdom of God; he would never even think of it, although he might receive benefit from it. The light of christianity is a benefit to every one in christendom, but all do not move in ^[p. 291] that light, so that we find men and women going in for the kingdoms of this world, taking their part in voting and the like; that is to say, they move according to the things that open up to them in those kingdoms. Time was when government belonged to a certain class; men in general had nothing to do with it save to submit and share the benefits coming to them through it; but now to a large extent they have it in their hands, and they move accordingly. Seeing and entering into the kingdom of God is entirely a matter of God’s sovereign work. One must be born anew to see the kingdom of God, and be born of water and of Spirit to enter into it; John 3:3,5. That is where Romans 5:2 comes into it with the suggestion of access or entering. Following on that the Lord speaks of the character of the little child (Matthew 18:2,3), to show that one born anew and in any way enlightened by the kingdom takes on that character; he is unsophisticated as regards this world, and he is at the call of Christ. Christ can call him, as He called the little child — as if it were ready for His call, and available to Him. The Lord says, “Unless ye are converted and become as little children, ye will not at all enter into the kingdom of the heavens”. Matthew 18:3.

Ques I was wondering whether being led by the hand in Acts 9:8 would fit in there?

JT Well, Saul was there amenable spiritually to the Lord’s direction, though he did not yet see anything. When his eyes were opened in the house he would understand what he did see; he saw Ananias. Will Ananias represent the kingdom? He himself had come under the influence of the kingdom, but he had been questioning whether Saul should be received at all, and so the Lord had to adjust him; when he spoke to Saul he put his hands on him and said, “Saul, brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus that appeared to thee”. Acts 9:17. That is the idea: but was ^[p. 292] Saul ready for it? He was, for when Ananias told him what to do he was submissive.

FI Is “access by faith into this favour” the practical entering into that into which we have been brought by God’s sovereignty?

JT It shows that there is the idea of access; you are moving in the instincts of the new birth, you are not always passive. It is well to be passive for a time so that things may come to you, but the moment comes when you may move; the word ‘access’ implies that.

FI What do you understand by the thought of ‘the favour’? To what does it refer?

JT It is not very specific, but there is enough to indicate that it is attractive. God is favourable, and the throne is favourable. As in the book of Esther the sceptre is held out, All that God is in Christ is favourable, which is an immense thing to get hold of.

EuR When you speak of moving, do you mean moving towards God?

JT That is the general thought, but here it is access into favour. It conveys the idea of the benefits into which the soul comes. It is, of course, the favour of God. “This favour in which we stand” suggests that it is a thing already known by some, and it is mentioned here that it might be known by others.

HEF Would it be set forth in Christ, for it says “by whom”?

JT Yes, it is a question of instrumentality. The Lord’s administration to us by the Spirit conveys to us that there is such a realm as this. The effect of the gospel is that I move toward it. Later, I move toward the holiest, and ultimately Ephesians teaches me that I have access to the Father by one Spirit by Christ. Here it is very initial. There is a realm of favour, and the Lord helps me to see it, and to draw near ^[p. 293] to it.

PJB Would that be an intelligent understanding of the divine thought?

JT Quite so; Christ helps you in that. Many things enter into this, prayer being one of them. “Behold, he prayeth” Acts 9:11 is what the Lord said of Saul; it was a commendation. It is well for young souls to have before them the importance of drawing near to God, entering into one’s closet to pray.

Ques Was it through the Lord that Saul entered into the favour which was seen to be towards him in the Lord speaking to Ananias?

JT Yes, that amplifies what we have here. Had one asked Saul afterwards how he came into the kingdom of God he would have referred to the service the Lord had rendered him. He would doubtless know what had transpired between Ananias and the Lord. Whatever persons might be used, he would attribute everything to the Lord. The result was the Lord’s work.

AW And is the access seen in “behold, he prayeth”? Acts 9:11.

JT Yes, he was moving in that direction. The voice from heaven to him would induce liberty in his soul. His name was mentioned — “Saul, Saul” Acts 9:4 in the Hebrew language — which would liberate his soul, and give him to understand that he was an object of interest to heaven. That is a very touching thing. The gospel comes to us just in the same way, and the effect intended is that we might turn and pray. The Lord knew that; He was watching over this soul. Not only has He established the kingdom, but He is leading souls into it; it is through Christ that we enter into the kingdom. He was doing all this for Saul that he might enter into it. Many young people get relief for the conscience, and that ends the matter; they want the world. But if the Lord speaks about you in heaven, how does He speak? If you are on such a line, He would never speak of you like this. Of Saul He says, “behold, he prayeth”. Acts 9:11. That commends one to heaven. Then it says here, “this favour in which we stand”. This is a challenge as to whether we are really standing consciously in favour, because the idea of the kingdom is that we have access into it.

TEW ‘Boasting’ would give the thought of a distinct sense of activity.

JT “We boast in hope of the glory of God” — it shows there is a certain sense of victory. You say, ‘What a place I have come into! What things are mine!’ God, Christ, the Spirit, the saints, and the other things that you find in this chapter — all this induces such boasting; it makes the believer buoyant.

Ques Why is God brought into the epistle to the Romans? Is He the One to whom we are responsible?

JT You understand that God is in every overture. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” Genesis 1:1; it was an overture, a movement on His part. Then, chaotic conditions arising, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the deep. That is God, but God in His Spirit, meaning that He is there feelingly, and near the state of things, so as to give us to understand that He is near us, feeling for us. That is the idea in Romans which unfolds “the gospel of God ... concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord”, Romans 1:1,3. It is a very touching thing that God moves towards us, and however backward we may be in our souls, He would say, ‘I am there by you; I know all about it’. He hovered over the face of the deep, brooding over all that was there. He would give us to understand that He is conversant with the matter, having first-hand information as to it. The epistle to the Romans shows us God coming in, understanding perfectly how things are in our souls, and then setting up this kingdom. In the very opening of the epistle it speaks of “the gospel of God ... concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 1:1,3.

^[p. 295] AB So that in Saul He has secured one who is in the good of the recovery. Conditions that came out in Adam are reversed, and Saul is in the joy of that recovery.

JT That is the thought; he is delivered out of the chaos. Is that how you preach the gospel?

AEM-o I would like to.

JT It is a question of being delivered out of the chaos. God draws near, and then it is for you to draw near; He makes it attractive.

Rem It is magnificent grace.

EuR So that the convert should get God definitely before his soul, and begin to move on this line of access.

JT That is the thought. Then the boasting: “We boast in hope of the glory of God”. That brings out what the conversation of christians is characteristically. If you analyse the ordinary conversation of the brethren, what do you find? Do we speak about God, or about the things of the world, or about ourselves? Here it says, “we boast in hope of the glory of God” — not in our glory, but in the glory of God. God is to be glorified, and for that we are hoping. It is soon to take place publicly; that is our prospect.

EuR Paul’s converts were to turn from darkness to light and from Satan to God, and receive remission of sins and an inheritance.

JT The idea of turning is very important. The gospel has in view that we should turn. While our ordinary conversation should be marked by this boasting, the assembly is properly the sphere where this is fully effected and amplified, where we speak of and to God, and of His glory and the hope of it.

Ques Is the true thought of conversion set forth in 1 Thessalonians 1?

JT You mean turning to God from idols? Just so. I have no doubt that we should have found this ^[p. 296] whole chapter unfolded and amplified in Thessalonica if we had gone there. It is said that they were “beloved by God” 1 Thessalonians 1:4 — a remarkable testimony to their lovableness, and to the way they had taken up the gospel.

JR Would the “eating and drinking” Romans 14:17 be Judaism, and “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” be christianity?

JT The expression “eating and drinking” is what the chapter is dealing with. One might eat things that would be offensive to a young christian’s conscience. It alludes, I think, to what is material, and nothing else, because what the apostle is dealing with is the danger of partaking of these things if they were tainted by idolatry; it might stumble young christians. I do not think it stands in contrast to Judaism there, but it is a question of ordinary meat and drink of which anyone might partake.

Ques Is “eating and drinking” material, and “righteousness, and peace, and joy” Romans 14:17 more a moral thought?

JT Quite so; “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking”; it is not material food. Paul speaks of certain “whose god is the belly” Philippians 3:19, they would think only of what they ate and drank, whereas that is not the kingdom of God at all; “the kingdom of God is ... righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”. Romans 14:17 We want to come to that. Are we that? Because we are said to be made a kingdom. If a man is stumbling the saints by anything of this kind he is certainly not a part of the kingdom.

Ques Were you going to say something about the favour in which we stand? Would that precede boasting in hope of the glory of God?

JT Yes, that precedes the boasting. If we have a sense of favour we have something to boast in; but this boasting is “in hope of the glory of God”. We are thinking of how God is going to shine out ^[p. 297] by and by in His glory; what a subject of boasting that is! It is really God apprehended in the gospel.

HEF Do you mean that what is now taking place in our souls is going to take place publicly — God has already shone in one’s soul?

JT Quite so; the gospel is the shining out of God. It is said to be “the glad tidings of the glory”. 2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Timothy 1:11. There are many forms in which it is presented to us, the idea being that God is apprehended in it. Romans 3 alludes to the holiest in the tabernacle in the wilderness. God was there; the mercy-seat was the lid of the ark. He is called upon in the Psalms to shine forth: “Thou that sit test between the cherubim, shine forth. Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy strength”, Psalm 80:1,2. Ephraim was in the rear of the tabernacle, on the western side; the ark was there immediately inside, and God is called upon to shine forth on the tribe there. The epistle to the Romans is all the shining forth of God.

HEF Would you say that as our souls are in the shining out of God in the gospel so we would move into the kingdom?

JT Yes, it becomes attractive to us. If we are born again, we have characteristically divine instincts, and God is attractive to us, so that the attitude of our souls is Godward.

EuR In chapter 3 it says, “All have ... come short of the glory of God”, Romans 3:23 but here we boast in hope of the glory of God. Would that be the work of God in our souls through Christ?

JT That is an excellent contrast. Romans 3 shows how we came short of the glory of God, and now, according to Romans 5, we are boasting in hope of it. We are essential to that glory, for the assembly comes down from God out of heaven having the glory of God. That bears on the suggestion that the saints are themselves a kingdom. Romans 12 - Romans 15 develop this thought of the saints being ^[p. 298] constituted a kingdom; their influence toward one another and toward all is after that character.

AB Would the secret of it be “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” Romans 3:24, redemption being the basis of it all?

JT Yes, the allusion being to the type of the mercy-seat upon which the cherubim looked down. From that position it was that God spoke to Moses in the wilderness, and it became known as “the glory”. Glory shone; it was God shining out. “Whom God has set forth a mercy-seat” Romans 3:25 refers to that, and it forms the basis of that glory.

FI What is the difference between boasting in hope of the glory of God, and our boast being in God (verse 11)?

JT I think the latter is a deeper and greater thought: “not only that, but we are making our boast in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we have received the reconciliation”. Receiving the reconciliation is a further thought, but it is included in the gospel and means that I receive the thought of being pleasing to God through redemption. God is pleased with me as having faith in Christ; He has taken me up in the sense of pleasure.

FI That is, not only are you in the good of being, so to speak, part of this great system connected with the kingdom, but you realise your position in relation to God personally.

JT Yes, to God Himself. That is a good point to bring up, because in our service Godward we rightly speak much of Christ and of what He is to God, and we offer Him to God; that is perfectly right, but God loves us to say something to Him about Himself.

FI Does “through whom now we have received the reconciliation” mean that we have entered into the truth that we are so pleasing to God, that we can draw near to ^[p. 299] Him?

JT That is right; it gives you fresh assurance in drawing near. The nearer you get to God, the more sensible you are that He loves you. Reconciliation conveys the idea that God loves us. He selected David because He loved David; the first time he is mentioned he is called “David”, which means ‘beloved’. God loves us; He has brought us into accord with Christ, and He loves Christ. Reconciliation is the extension of this thought as made good in the saints.

EuR What about the love of God shed abroad in the heart?

JT That follows after the boasting, “Not only that, but we also boast in tribulations, knowing that tribulation works endurance; and endurance, experience; and experience, hope”; and so on. Other things are now brought in. You might say, ‘It is all very well to boast in hope of the glory, but I am full of tribulations; they are rolled in on me’. Each one of us experiences that as a present thing. How do you look at them? What is in view is moral superiority in all our circumstances here. That makes for being a kingdom, because if I am above my circumstances, I can help and influence others; but if I am weighed down by circumstances, I cannot help anyone; I am likely to discourage others. If a person is able to boast in tribulations it is a great moral victory. To say that I am pleased when I am experiencing tribulation is one of the things of which we know least. It is a question of moral victory, a change has come into my mind through my knowledge of God. I understand that everything that comes to me from God is for my good, though it may be grievous at the time. Paul tells us that he besought the Lord three times to take away the thorn in his flesh; but the answer came, “My grace is sufficient for thee”, 2 Corinthians 12:9. Paul says, ‘I bow to it; I do not ask any more for the thorn to be taken away’ — “^[p. 300] Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities ... for when I am weak, then am I strong”. 2 Corinthians 12:10. The thorn was a tribulation, but it made him more powerful than he was before.

PJB Would knowing the end in tribulation and pressure help us to boast?

JT Yes, that is the idea, as it says here, “knowing that tribulation works endurance”, etc. How do I know that? Because I have come through it; it is a knowledge gained by experience. Paul says to the Philippians, “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content”, Philippians 4:11. That is like knowing that tribulation works patience.

HD'AC Do you know that it is true unless you have been in the tribulation?

JT I think not; that is what Paul was thinking. It is experimental. The opening verses give us the positive side, the favour and the hope of the glory coming in by and by. In verse 3 the apostle begins to speak of these adverse things. The point is to bring in moral victory, to show that the believer is superior to his circumstances.

Ques Would this tribulation be in connection with the testimony, or with the circumstances in which we find ourselves?

JT Anything and everything that arises in the government of God. The government began with driving out Adam and Eve from the garden, setting the cherubim with the flaming sword to guard the way of the tree of life. Anything that arises after that in His government, whatever it be, finds the believer superior. That I am superior to my circumstances is a great moral victory.

FI Does that depend on what follows: “because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts”? Are these things — tribulation, and so on — boasted in as a result of what has been wrought in our souls in relation to the love of ^[p. 301] God?

JT Quite so. The person who is speaking knows: “knowing that tribulation works endurance; and endurance, experience; and experience, hope; and hope does not make ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us”. The word ‘knowing’ is an important one to bear in mind. It is a question here of what you have learnt.

FI Is there not a difference between learning God in our circumstances, and being able to enter into circumstances as having already learnt God? Is not the latter the great thought — then you can boast in God in relation to it?

JT Quite so. This is where I am afraid we all go astray, because the adverse things are often regarded as being against us, whereas the believer learns that God is for him, and that nothing can be really against him. Caleb and Joshua said of the big men in Canaan: “they shall be our food” Numbers 14:9; that is, the difficulties will be food for you; they will bring strength of soul to enable you to overcome them. In the conflict that you are going through you find that God is with you.

Rem Such would be in the good of the kingdom.

JT Quite so; we are now becoming useful as taking on kingdom character. God has made us a kingdom that we might influence others. We influence people either for good or bad. If we are unable to go through tribulation in the way here described, we might discourage.

Rem In that way we more than conquer, through Him that loves us.

JT That is right; so in Romans 8 it says, “we do know that all things work together for good to those who love God”. Romans 8:28. They may seem to work for bad, but no, they work together for good. All these things become workers, effective servants, from this point ^[p. 302] of view.

WLC I should like to know how, in relation to our circumstances, you link up the two thoughts of all things working together for good to them that love God, and the love of God shed abroad in our hearts.

JT I think chapter 8 gives us the full development of the thought; you are on higher ground there: “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose”. Romans 8:28. You are on the line of the knowledge of God, as loving Him, and you are on the line of His purpose. We ought to notice that: we love God now. Chapter 8 shows that what we have been considering in chapter 5 is effective; the love of God shed abroad in our hearts is now turned round, and acts in us towards God. The purpose of God being introduced in chapter 8 places all on a higher line.

EuR Would you say a little more as to our being made a kingdom?

JT I want to come to that in chapters 13 to 15; but first let us note the last verse of chapter 5, where grace reigns, i.e., the kingdom of God to, or in view of, eternal life, a realm lying outside and beyond all such things as tribulations. The apostle runs on from verse 12 to verse 20, where he says, “law came in, in order that the offence might abound; but where sin abounded grace has overabounded, in order that, even as sin has reigned in the power of death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Romans 5:20,21 is a verse to be noted. We may wonder why God allowed so much in the history of Israel from Sinai to the cross. A harrowing history it was! What an exposure of man in circumstances designed by God for that very purpose! Nowhere is man so morally exposed as in the history of Israel, in which are detailed so minutely the circumstances and the exposures of the flesh. God has taken such pains to ^[p. 303] bring out what sin is for christians to see it. Sin has abounded in Israel. The law brought out, as nothing else could, the abounding of sin, and the cross is the culmination of it. The perfect presentation of God’s love in Christ has only made manifest murderous hatred on man’s part. But there where sin abounded, grace has overabounded. The abounding of sin is to bring out what grace is; in spite of all that man is, grace is on the throne; grace is reigning, not simply as an abstract principle, but as an active principle. It reigns efficiently and absolutely “through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”.

HEF Do I understand that if we do not come into the good of the kingdom, we are not likely to enter into eternal life?

JT That is true; that is the setting of this last verse.

FI Do you speak of the joy of eternal life as a present joy?

JT Quite so: grace reigns “through righteousness to (or unto) eternal life”; it leads up to that.

HEF Where do we see the sphere of the enjoyment of eternal life today?

JT In the assembly; it is more or less present in our meetings as being the atmosphere among the saints whenever they are found together in a holy subject way.

Ques Do you confine it to the assembly?

JT In the main; it is a spiritual sphere. Not simply am I made to live, but I am made to live in a sphere and order outside of things here.

FI It is a sphere where the life that has been received can be enjoyed in a scene of death.

JT That is right. The next chapter tells us where it is. Chapter 5:21 presents the thought of eternal life as being brought to us: grace reigns “through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”; it is made effective through Christ;

^[p. 304] whereas in chapter 6 the preposition is changed: “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23. That is where we apprehend it. It involves a certain sphere where the saints are together by the Spirit. We know it; the atmosphere where we are found in this place is quite different from the atmosphere in the street; it is even different from that which is in our houses, because we are here in relation to Christ; we are here as “in Christ”. All that is unsuited to the thought of life is shut out, more especially when we are in the assembly and Christ is before us.

HEF I was wondering whether you would get a little taste of it on an occasion like this.

JT That is one idea at least of these meetings — the atmosphere we come into and the enjoyment that we find is of an entirely spiritual kind. We are here together, not socially, but spiritually.

Ques Is it the result of being of the kingdom?

JT The kingdom includes these meetings because of the great moral influence that they exert. The influence that we exert over one another is due to God having made us a kingdom. What would the young people do if they had not these things? The influence that others exert over them is very important.

EuR Making us a kingdom is essential if we are to enjoy eternal life. The last verse of chapter 5 is clearly the kingdom.

JT It shows the end that the kingdom has in view. But in chapter 6 we read of “the act of favour of God, eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Romans 6:23. It is given to us “in Christ”, showing it is a fixed position. All that is “in Christ” is available in the realm of the Spirit. It is more here the status of eternal life, enjoyed as “the act of favour of God”, and on the line of purpose.

CEWB Would you say a bedridden saint would be able to enjoy it in spirit, though not able to be present at the ^[p. 305] meetings?

JT Quite so, but there are measures in things. God sets out His things in Christ. Things that are in Christ positionally are in the assembly relatively, because the assembly is His body, and the things that are in Him all become effective practically in the assembly.

JR So we must be established in the epistle to the Romans to understand the assembly.

JT Romans is fundamental; that is the reason why I thought we might have it today so as to see what the kingdom means, and the end in view, namely, eternal life; and that we might also see how we are constituted a kingdom, which is perhaps seldom thought of amongst us. The apostle John says that Christ “has washed us from our sins in his blood, and made us a kingdom”, Revelation 1:5,6. We ought to understand this. How do we influence other people?

Ques When the Lord Jesus was here, was the kingdom seen in Him, and is it now to be seen in the saints?

JT Quite so. He could say, “the kingdom of God is in the midst of you” Luke 17:21; wherever He moved about, there it was, and there its power and influence were exerted. It is now extended to the saints.

WRP Having “made us a kingdom” Revelation 1:6 would bring in the thought of unity.

JT I think it does; it is a collective idea. It is a very practical matter, that we have that sort of thing here in this city; not only persons having individual influence, but there is a power in the saints for good, and that power and the benefits of it carry moral weight and authority. These things are brought in by the presence of the saints. You bring the persons in. If a man is stumbling another saint, he is not acting in kingdom power, he is against the kingdom; but if I am thinking in love, I say, ‘That is the brother for whom Christ died: I must do everything for him because he is weak’. That is how kingdom power is exercised. Chapter 15 begins: “But we ought, we that are strong, to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbour with a view to what is good, to edification. For the Christ also did not please himself; but according as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproach thee have fallen upon me. For as many things as have been written before have been written for our instruction, that through endurance and through encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. Now the God of endurance and of encouragement give to you to be like-minded one toward another, according to Christ Jesus; that ye may with one accord, with one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. That conveys what is meant by the statement that we are made a kingdom. It is the very opposite of oppressing or disregarding a weak brother. The whole of chapter 14 deals with caring for the weak brother. Chapter 13 relates to the kingdom that we come into, not to any external kingdom centred in London or any other capital. We pray for those in authority, but only that we might not be hindered by the external kingdom from working out our own kingdom. We pray “for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”, 1 Timothy 2:2. Thus the whole world benefits by the kingdom of God. Everyone should understand that he is set here to be a benefit, not only to the brethren, but to all.

Rem In that way the gospel would be presented to men as we are in the good of the kingdom.

JT Quite so; there is a testimony. There is a power here that can help souls.

RMB Is that why David would not have Shimei’s head taken off though he was cursing ^[p. 307] him?

JT David was in the power of the kingdom, and the result proved that he was right.

Ques Would you say that the fact that this kingdom is in existence prevents Satan from taking control of the world altogether?

JT I think it does; there is “he who restrains” and “that which restrains”, 2 Thessalonians 2:6,7. I have no doubt the kingdom of God is included in “that which restrains”.

EuR Does it all result in praise to God?

JT That is what we get here.

Ques You said just now it was in a meeting like this that we had the enjoyment of eternal life. Is it only in a meeting like this?

JT It was pointed out that eternal life can be enjoyed in a meeting like this. Its position is in Christ, but it works out amongst the saints. The atmosphere for it is here, because the saints are together in subjection in a holy way; they are not here with fleshly feelings; that may enter into our social affairs, but in a meeting like this we are together in a holy attitude that affords conditions suited for the atmosphere of eternal life. We are here to help one another; we are here together with Christ before us. We might sit together and say nothing, yet we could enjoy the place, the atmosphere, the feelings of affection that are the result of the presence here of the Holy Spirit. As the hymn says, “By the Spirit all pervading”. (14:5).