The City of God (vs. the City of Man)

Augustine wrote: The City of God and the City of Man are two cities ruled by two competing loves.

A comparison between Jesus’ kingdom and earthly kingdoms do reveal some similarities, but without question, greater are the contrasts between the Roman world empire, of which Pilate is a representative, and the kingdom of Christ. Today there is much confusion in the church over what is meant in the Scripture by the kingdom of God. In one sense, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal sovereign God over all creatures and things (Ps 103:19; Dan 4:3). It does not refer to a place, but to God's righteous reign in the earth, mediated by His Son, Jesus Christ. The kingdom of God begins in the hearts of redeemed men (Col. 1:13). The kingdom of God is also the designation for the sphere of salvation entered into at the new birth (Jn 3:5-7). Wherever the gospel breaks the stony heart of sinful man and brings him to Christ, the kingdom of God advances.

The kingdom of God, though not preeminently physical or political does have implications in this life. As men are converted and their minds are transformed by the Bible, the kingdom of God extends throughout the earth, yet it is not of this world. It is a spiritual reality that all Christians partake in and that is seen presently by faith, but will be grasped by sight at the final consummation.