Sons Of The Kingdom

By Allan E. McNabb

We’ve been talking about descriptive phrases used of Christians in the Bible, children of Promise, sons of the Resurrection, and sons of Light.

In this article we want to talk about another phrase we don’t hear very often, sons of the kingdom.

Sons of the Kingdom: Not By Physical Birth
After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus entered Capernaum and a centurion begged Him to heal his servant, who was paralyzed at home.

Jesus told the centurion He would come to his house and heal the servant, but the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it” (Matt. 8:7-9).

When Jesus heard the centurion, He marveled and said, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel.  I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:10-12).

Note that Jesus said, “the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness” (Matt. 8:12).

Here, the sons of the kingdom are Jews claiming to be God’s children based on their physical birth.  But Jesus says they’ll be cast into outer darkness, which is hell, the place of eternal punishment (Matt. 25:30, 46).

We’re not sons of the kingdom because of our earthly heritage, but because of our spiritual heritage.

Christians: True Circumcision, Spiritual Circumcision
Christians are the true circumcision – true children of God.
“Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:2-3).

We were circumcised with the circumcision of Christ when we were baptized.  This is the moment we became of the true circumcision, and a child of God.
“And in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Col. 2:11-12).

Christians: Born Again, Enter the Kingdom
When we were baptized into Christ, and spiritually circumcised with His circumcision, we were born again of water and the Spirit.
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.  . . .  Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God’” (Jn. 3:3-5).

Having been born again, we’re members of God’s kingdom, and sons of the kingdom.

Christians: Good Seed, Sons of the Kingdom
Jesus taught the parable of the tares by the Sea of Galilee to a crowd of people.  In the parable He compared the kingdom of heaven “to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.  But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also” (Matt. 13:24-26).

At the harvest the tares were gathered up first and burned, then the wheat  was gathered up into the landowner’s barn (Matt. 13:30).

Later, Jesus explained the parable of the tares to His disciples.
“And He said, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels’” (Matt. 13:37-39).

The sons of the kingdom are the good seed sown by Jesus.  And the tares are the sons of the evil one, the devil (cf. 1 Jn. 3:10).

After the sons of the devil are cast into hell, the sons of the kingdom remain, shining forth in the kingdom of their Father.
“‘Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear’”  (Matt. 13:43).

Conclusion
Everyone is either a child of God or a child of the devil (1 Jn. 3:10).

As Christians, we’re God’s children and sons of His kingdom.

And as sons of God’s kingdom, we’re blessed with innumerable gifts, the greatest of which is a home in heaven.