JESUS IS KING (?) – Part 1

INTRODUCTION

The belief that Jesus is King is widely considered to be a basic teaching of the New Testament (NT). The traditional understanding is that after Jesus’ resurrection “all authority in heaven and on earth” was given to him (Matthew 28:18), and upon his ascension to heaven he took his seat on the throne and now rules as king over heaven and earth.  

But if he really is ruling the earth then it is a strange sort of rule, since conflicts, strife, wars, and endless manner of injustice and oppression have characterized life on earth almost continuously since his “rule” began. As a matter of fact, did Jesus not prophesy that those conditions would in fact be the case?

” As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many.6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs…”           Matthew 24:3-8.

It is remarkable that neither the Apostle’s Creed nor the Nicene Creed nor the Athanasian Creed mentions that Jesus is King. The Apostle’s Creed states only that he now “…sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty”, and implies that he will function as a king in the future when “…he will come to judge the living and the dead”. Mark Saucy has noted that “…Christ is seldom or never portrayed as king in the art of the pre-Constantinian Christian Church.” (Mark R. Saucy, Exaltation Christology in Hebrews: What Kind of Reign?, Trinity Journal, 14:1 (Spring 1993), p. 41-62). That  implies that it was the shift from persecuted church to triumphant church and the rise of Christendom with a “Christian” Emperor that necessitated a new emphasis on Christ as reigning now.

So where, when and how does he exercise his kingship? Does he rule in heaven or on earth? Does he rule both heaven and earth, but from a heavenly throne? How is his reign manifested? How is it observable? Does his reign have a starting point in history? When did Jesus receive his kingship and his kingdom? Are there several stages of his kingship, reflecting the “already/not yet” eschatology so strongly implied by the NT scriptures?

This series of four posts looks at these and related questions using the two principal Reformed Doctrinal Standards – the Belgic Confession (BC) and the Heidelberg Catechism (HC) – as starting points. The approach is to first list the key statements in the BC and HC that appear relevant to the issue of Jesus as King, including the cited scripture texts, then provide quotations of the cited texts followed by a discussion of what the texts do and do not state and how they support (or not) the confessional statements. The final post includes a summary of the main points.

The critiques on this blog of statements and claims in the Belgic Confession and the Heidelberg Catechism are NOT directed primarily at the original authors of those documents. I believe that the original authors did their best to summarize the main Christian doctrines, based on their concerns and priorities, the extent of their knowledge, and the theological assumptions and paradigms of their time and place. What I am critiquing is the apparent failure of today’s Reformed community to review, update, revise and reform these documents to reflect the current state of knowledge in the various fields of Biblical studies (see also the ABOUT ASKING QUESTIONS page).

PART 1 – THE BELGIC CONFESSION (BC)

ARTICLE 27 – THE CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN CHURCH

“We believe and profess one catholic or universal church….This church has existed from the beginning of the world and will be to the end, for Christ is an eternal King who cannot be without subjects.5 …”

Note 5: 2 Sam 7:16; Psalm 89:36; Psalm 110:4; Mat 28:18-20; Luke 1:32.

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To keep the discussion manageable only the statements and text citations considered relevant to the matter of Jesus as King are quoted. Scripture quotations are from the NASB unless otherwise noted. The texts cited in the BC Article are quoted in bold font; adjacent verses are included (in plain font) where relevant to help establish the context.

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Note 5 Scriptures

2 Samuel 7:16 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” 17 In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

Psalm 89:36 34 “My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. 35 “Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. 36 “His descendants shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before Me. 37 “It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful.”

Psalm 110:4 1The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 2 The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” 3 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power;
In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Matthew 28:18-20 16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. 17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Luke 1:32 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

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Discussion of Note 5 Scriptures

The meaning of “eternal” in BC Article 27 clearly means from the beginning of the world, as Christ’s “eternal” kingship is used to “prove” that the church has existed from the beginning of the world. However, not one of the cited scriptures state that Christ has been a king since the beginning of the world: rather, the cited texts imply that his kingship has a beginning and is future oriented.

The identification of Jesus’ “subjects” in the cited texts is limited to the statement that “…He will reign over the house of Jacob forever…”. That raises the question as to whether it is legitimate, as implied in Article 27, to equate the “church” with the “house of Jacob”. The New Testament never identifies the church with the “house of Jacob” (which always refers to physical Israel), and never describes Jesus as “reigning” over the church.

    • The first two scriptures (2 Samuel 7 and Psalm 89) state that David’s throne will endure for ever. That would thus apply to David from the time he obtained his throne; not from the beginning of the world.
    • Psalm 110:4 is about priesthood, not kingship. Although verse 2 does imply kingship, it is not cited in the BC, perhaps due to the fact that it is never quoted in the NT (why not?). Furthermore verse 2 is in the future tense. Hebrews quotes or alludes extensively to Psalm 110 – but only verses 1 and 4. Hebrews quotes verse 1 to prove that after Jesus made atonement in the heavenly tabernacle for sin, he sat down and now waits (Heb. 10:12-13) – a decidedly passive role not suggestive of active ruling and reigning.
    • Matthew 28 does speak of kingly authority and thus is relevant to the claim of BC Article 27. Jesus apparently received that authority after his resurrection. However there is no mention of kingly rule or kingdom. Rather, Jesus here uses this authority with reference to his apostles only, as the basis (..”go therefore“..) for extending the gospel to all nations and making disciples; previously he had restricted the gospel preaching to the House of Israel alone (Matt. 10:5-7). Jesus’ instruction is to make “disciples” – those who respond willingly to his teaching – not “subjects” who are subdued by force; i.e. there is no reference to any typical ruling or kingly function here.
    • Luke 1:32, rather than supporting the claim of an eternal kingship, states that Jesus’ kingship will commence in the unspecified future: “…God will give him the throne of his father David…” and thus does not support the claim of BC 27.

The cited texts show that Jesus’ Kingship has a beginning. The earliest possible date supported by the texts appears to be after the completion of his earthly ministry – i.e. after his resurrection. Therefore the argument that the church has existed from the beginning of the world has no basis in the cited texts as such. Further, from the cited texts Jesus’ kingship is characterized as future and earthly rather than in terms of a present rule from heaven. The notion that he “cannot be” without subjects is simply not addressed in these or any other Scriptures to my knowledge.

Pro Sola Scriptura