“He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” Colossians 1:13
John fulfilled his ministry to prepare the way for the one coming after him. “In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'” Matthew 3:1–2. And when Jesus finally came, he announced that the kingdom of God had come upon mankind (Luke 11:20)
“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, “Here it is,” or “There it is,” because the kingdom of God is in your midst [or within you].'” Luke 17:20–21
The people were eagerly expecting the coming of God’s kingdom but missed it because it didn’t come the way they expected it.
I will advise you to study what happened between when isreal asked for a king and the time of Christ ministry. Particularly the warning that God gave to the isrealites. You will discover the differences in human reality and God ‘s understanding of the kingdom.
So we live in an important moment between what Christ has already accomplished and what he will ultimately complete. Our bodies are still subject to death and decay. Creation is still experiencing the effects of the fall. Romans 8 tells us that creation is groaning, waiting for the day when everything will be made new.
And yet, something has already changed for us.
When we give our lives to Jesus, we become part of his kingdom now. We are still in this world, but we no longer belong to the kingdom of darkness. We have been transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
Notice the tense in our text. He has rescued us. He has brought us.
These are not things we are trying to achieve. They are things God has already done for us through Jesus Christ.
You are not trying to earn your way into the kingdom. You enter the kingdom by putting your faith in Christ, surrendering to him and making him your Lord and Saviour.
And when you do, three things become true about you.
==> You are part of God’s kingdom.
==>You have been adopted into God’s family.
==>Your identity is in Christ.
None of these is a goal you have to reach. They describe who you already are. You are part of God’s kingdom. Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with an announcement:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
The kingdom belongs to those who come to God in humility and faith. We don’t enter it because of our achievements. We enter it because of what Christ has done.
Yes, our dramatic entrance into the kingdom of God is by adoption. We were brought in by His Son. We are adopted into God’s family.
Romans 8:15 says:
“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again. Rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him, we cry, ‘Abba, Father.'”
Being adopted doesn’t reduce or minimise our identity and inheritance in the kingdom. We become co-heir with Christ.
1 John 3:1–2 says,
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” Notice the emphasise “And that is what we are!”
Spiritual life begins with understanding who you are in him; living faithfully is the result of operating from this secure position rather than striving to attain it.
You are already a child of God, an adopted heir, and a citizen of God’s Kingdom right now: not at some point in the future. Your position is fully accomplished by Jesus (rescued, brought in, adopted), not earned through human merit or effort. Your identity is anchored in Christ, separate from your past, failures, circumstances, or others’ opinions.
