Part III, Chapter XXXV, 2

And in the New Testament the angel Gabriel says of our Savior (Luke 1.32,33), “He shall be great, and be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord shall give him the throne of his father David; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his Kingdom there shall be no end.” This too is a Kingdom on earth. For claiming it, as an enemy of Caesar, he was put to death; the title on his cross was Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews; he was crowned in mockery with thorns; and of the disciples who proclaimed him it is said (Acts 17.7.) “That they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another King, one Jesus.” The Kingdom of God, therefore, is a real and not a metaphorical Kingdom; and it is understood so not only in the Old Testament but in the New. When we say, “For yours is the Kingdom, the Power, and Glory,” we must understand God's Kingdom by virtue of our Covenant, not by the Right of God's Power; for God always has such a Kingdom. Thus it would be superfluous to say in our prayer, “Your Kingdom come,” unless we meant the restoration through Christ of that Kingdom of God which the Israelites' revolt had interrupted when they elected Saul. Nor would it have been fitting to say, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” or to pray, “Your Kingdom come,” if it had continued without interruption.

There are so many other passages confirming this interpretation that it would be surprising it has attracted no greater attention, were it not that it gives Christian kings too much light by which to see their right to ecclesiastical government. These men have taken care to translate a priestly Kingdom instead as a Kingdom of priests; yet they might as well translate a royal priesthood (as it is called in St. Peter) as a priesthood of kings. And where they put a precious jewel or treasure for a peculiar people, one might just as well call the special regiment or company of a general that general's precious jewel or his treasure.

In short, the Kingdom of God is a civil Kingdom. It consisted first in the obligation of the people of Israel to those laws Moses would bring them from Mount Sinai, and which afterward the High Priest of the time would deliver to them from before the cherubim in the Sanctum Sanctorum. The prophets foretold that this Kingdom, cast off at the election of Saul, would be restored by Christ. For its restoration we pray daily when we say in the Lord's Prayer, “Your Kingdom come”; its Right we acknowledge when we add, “For yours is the Kingdom, the Power, and Glory, forever and ever, Amen”; and its proclamation was the preaching of the apostles. The teachers of the Gospel prepare people for it. To embrace that Gospel—that is, to promise obedience to God's government—is to be in the Kingdom of Grace, because God has freely granted such people the power to become subjects, that is, children, of God hereafter, when Christ comes in majesty to judge the world and actually to govern his own people: this is called the Kingdom of Glory. If the Kingdom of God, called also the Kingdom of Heaven because of the splendor and marvelous height of its throne, were not a Kingdom that God exercised on earth through his lieutenants or vicars, who deliver his commandments to the people, there would not have been so much contention and war over who it is through whom God speaks to us; nor would so many priests have concerned themselves with spiritual jurisdiction, or any king have denied it to them.

From this literal interpretation of the Kingdom of God arises also the true interpretation of the word HOLY. For in God's Kingdom it answers to what people in their kingdoms call public, or the king's.

The king of any country is the public person, or representative, of all his own subjects. And God, the King of Israel, was the Holy One of Israel. A nation subject to one earthly Sovereign belongs to that Sovereign, that is, to the public person. So the Jews, who were God's nation, were called (Exod. 19.6.) “a holy nation.” For holy always means either God himself or what belongs specifically to God, just as public always means either the person of the Common-wealth itself or something belonging so exclusively to the Common-wealth that no private person can claim ownership of it.

Therefore the Sabbath (God's day) is a holy day; the Temple (God's house) a holy house; sacrifices, tithes, and offerings (God's tribute) holy duties; priests, prophets, and anointed kings under Christ (God's ministers) holy men; the celestial ministering spirits (God's messengers) holy angels; and so on. Wherever the word holy is used properly, it still signifies something of ownership acquired by consent. In saying “Hallowed be your name,” we simply pray for God's grace to keep the first commandment, to “have no other Gods but Him.” Mankind is God's nation by right of ownership; but the Jews alone were a holy nation. Why? Because by Covenant they became his own.

And profane in Scripture usually means the same as common; consequently their opposites, holy and proper, must also mean the same thing in the Kingdom of God. Figuratively, however, those people too are called holy whose godly lives suggest they have abandoned every worldly design and wholly devoted and given themselves to God. In its proper sense, something made holy by God's appropriating or setting it apart for his own use is said to be sanctified by God, as the seventh day in the fourth commandment; and as the elect in the New Testament were said to be sanctified when endowed with the spirit of godliness. What is made holy by human dedication and given to God for use only in his public service is also called SACRED and said to be consecrated: temples and other houses of public prayer and their utensils, priests and ministers, sacrificial victims, offerings, and the outward matter of sacraments.

There are degrees of holiness: some things set apart for God's service can be set apart again for a closer and more particular service. The entire nation of Israel was a people holy to God; yet among the Israelites the tribe of Levi was holy, among the Levites the priests were holier still, and among the priests the High Priest was holiest. So the land of Judea was the Holy Land, but the Holy City where God was to be worshiped was holier; the Temple was holier than the City, and the Sanctum Sanctorum holier than the rest of the Temple.

A SACRAMENT is the setting apart of some visible thing from common use and its consecration to God's service as a sign either of our admission into the Kingdom of God, to join the number of his peculiar people, or of remembrance of that admission. In the Old Testament the sign of admission was circumcision; in the New Testament, baptism. Its commemoration in the Old Testament was eating the Passover lamb at a fixed annual time, recalling the night on which they were delivered from bondage in Egypt; in the New Testament it is the celebration of the Lord's Supper, recalling our deliverance from the bondage of sin through our blessed Savior's death on the cross. Sacraments of admission are used only once, because one admission is enough; but because we must often be reminded of our deliverance and our allegiance, sacraments of commemoration must be repeated. These are the principal sacraments, and are, as it were, the solemn oaths of our allegiance. There are also other consecrations that may be called sacraments, insofar as the word means only consecration to God's service; but insofar as it implies an oath or promise of allegiance to God, there were no others in the Old Testament but circumcision and the Passover, and none in the New but baptism and the Lord's Supper.

CHAPTER XXXVI. OF THE WORD OF GOD, AND OF PROPHETS

In the New Testament, the angel Gabriel says of our Savior (Luke 1.32,33), “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his Kingdom will have no end.” This too is a Kingdom on earth. He was put to death as an enemy of Caesar for claiming it. The inscription on his cross read, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” He was mockingly crowned with thorns. And when the disciples proclaimed him, they were accused (Acts 17.7.) of “acting against Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.” The Kingdom of God, then, is a real Kingdom, not a metaphorical one. That is how the phrase is used in both the Old and New Testaments. When we say, “For yours is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory,” we mean God’s Kingdom established by our Covenant with him, not his dominion by right of his power. He has always had that dominion. It would be pointless to pray, “Your Kingdom come,” unless we meant the restoration through Christ of the Kingdom of God interrupted when the Israelites rebelled and elected Saul. Nor would it make sense to say, “The Kingdom of Heaven is near,” or to pray, “Your Kingdom come,” if that Kingdom had continued without interruption.

So many other passages support this reading that it is surprising people have paid so little attention to it. The reason may be that it shows Christian kings too clearly their right to govern church affairs. Some have noticed this: instead of translating “a priestly Kingdom,” they write “a Kingdom of priests.” By the same reasoning, they might translate “a royal priesthood,” as St. Peter calls it, as “a priesthood of kings.” And where the text says “a special people,” they write “a precious jewel” or “treasure.” One might just as well call a general’s own regiment or company his precious jewel or treasure.

In short, the Kingdom of God is a civil Kingdom. At first it consisted in the obligation of the people of Israel to obey the laws Moses brought them from Mount Sinai. Later they were to obey the laws delivered by the High Priest of the time from before the cherubim in the Holy of Holies. This Kingdom was rejected when Saul was elected. The prophets foretold that Christ would restore it. We pray daily for its restoration in the Lord’s Prayer when we say, “Your Kingdom come.” We acknowledge his right to it when we add, “For yours is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, forever and ever, Amen.” The apostles preached to announce this Kingdom, and teachers of the Gospel prepare people for it. To embrace that Gospel—that is, to promise obedience to God’s government—is to be in the Kingdom of Grace. For God has freely given such people the ability to become his subjects, or children, later on. This will happen when Christ comes in majesty to judge the world and actually govern his own people, in what is called the Kingdom of Glory. The Kingdom of God is also called the Kingdom of Heaven because its throne is glorious and wonderfully high. If it were not a Kingdom God exercised on earth through his deputies or representatives, who deliver his commands to the people, there would not have been so much dispute and war over who speaks to us for God. Nor would so many priests have sought spiritual jurisdiction, or any king denied it to them.

This literal understanding of the Kingdom of God also gives us the right meaning of the word “holy.” In God’s Kingdom it means what people in their own kingdoms call “public” or “the king’s.”

A country’s king is the public person who represents all his subjects. God, the King of Israel, was the Holy One of Israel. A nation under one earthly sovereign belongs to that sovereign, the public person. Likewise the Jews, who were God’s nation, were called (Exod. 19.6.) “a holy nation.” “Holy” always means either God himself or something that belongs specifically to God. Similarly, “public” always means either the person of the Commonwealth itself or something belonging to the Commonwealth that no private individual can claim as property.

The Sabbath, God’s day, is therefore a holy day. The Temple, God’s house, is a holy house. Sacrifices, tithes, and offerings, which are God’s tribute, are holy duties. Priests, prophets, and kings anointed under Christ, who are God’s ministers, are holy men. Heavenly spirits serving as God’s messengers are holy angels, and so on. Wherever “holy” is used in its literal sense, it means something belongs to God through consent. When we say, “Hallowed be your name,” we ask God to give us the grace to keep the first Commandment, “Have no other gods but him.” Humanity belongs to God as his nation, but only the Jews were a holy nation. Why? Because through a covenant they became his own people.

Scripture generally uses “profane” to mean “common.” Their opposites, “holy” and “belonging specifically to someone,” must therefore mean the same thing in the Kingdom of God. In a figurative sense, people who live godly lives are also called holy, as if they had abandoned every worldly aim and given themselves entirely to God. In the literal sense, something is said to be sanctified by God when he makes it holy by setting it apart for his own use. This applies to the seventh day in the fourth Commandment and to the elect in the New Testament, who were said to be sanctified when they received the spirit of godliness. Something made holy by being dedicated and given to God by people, for use only in his public service, is also called sacred and said to be consecrated. Examples include temples and other houses of public prayer, their furnishings, priests and ministers, sacrificial animals, offerings, and the physical materials used in sacraments.

There are degrees of holiness. Some things set apart for God’s service may be set apart again for a closer and more special service. All Israelites were a people holy to God, but the tribe of Levi was a holy tribe among them. Among the Levites the priests were holier still, and among the priests the High Priest was the holiest. Similarly, Judea was the Holy Land, but the Holy City where God was to be worshiped was holier. The Temple was holier than the city, and the Holy of Holies holier than the rest of the Temple.

A sacrament sets some visible thing apart from ordinary use and dedicates it to God’s service. It serves as a sign either of our admission to the Kingdom of God, among his special people, or of our remembrance of that admission. In the Old Testament the sign of admission was circumcision; in the New Testament it is baptism. In the Old Testament the act of remembrance was eating the Passover lamb at a set time each year. This reminded people of the night they were freed from slavery in Egypt. In the New Testament it is the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. This reminds us that our blessed Savior’s death on the cross freed us from slavery to sin. Sacraments of admission are performed only once, since admission is needed only once. But we often need reminders of our deliverance and our allegiance, so sacraments of remembrance must be repeated. These are the principal sacraments, like solemn oaths of our allegiance. Other acts of dedication may also be called sacraments if that word means only dedication to God’s service. But if it means an oath or promise of allegiance to God, the Old Testament has only circumcision and Passover, and the New Testament only baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Chapter XXXVI. On the Word of God and Prophets