A common misconception about the kingdom of God is that it is the same thing as the Church, i.e., the universal body of believers. Thus, this misconception holds, if you are in the kingdom of God, you are in the Church. Here’s the problem with that.
Tares are Taken out of the Kingdom not the Church
When Jesus explained the Parable of the Wheat and Tares to His disciples he said, “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire…” (Matt. 13:41-42) (emphasis added). Non-Christians are obviously not in the Church, meaning they are not part of the universal body of believers. Yet, Jesus says that in the end they will be taken out of the kingdom.
This must mean it is possible for non-Christians to be part of the kingdom of God on earth without being part of the Church. Another way to look at it is that the kingdom of God includes the Church, but the kingdom’s borders lie outside the borders of the Church.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
Jesus confirmed this in the Parable of the Mustard Seed, where He described the growth of the kingdom of God from a small see into a garden plant that becomes like a tree, “and the birds of the air nest in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32. The “birds of the air” are a reference to pagan nations. See Ezekiel 31:5-6. So, if the tree is the kingdom of God and pagan nations are in the tree, there must be a way in which non-Christians can be within the earthly borders of the kingdom of God and enjoy some of its blessings.
Non-Christians do not Inherit the Kingdom
This is not to suggest non-Christians will inherit the kingdom of God when they die. See I Corinthians 6:9-10. That is reserved for those who have been truly born again and become citizens of the kingdom of God. But to truly understand how the kingdom of God works is to understand that the borders of the kingdom of God on earth are such that they can contain both Christians and non-Christians. In other words, there is a way in which non-Christians can be “in the kingdom” on the earth but not in the Church.
More in a later post on how that can be. GS
