The Kingdom of God and the Church

This influential yet underappreciated study of the kingdom of God was first published in 1903 by Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949), who served as Professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. The work examines Jesus' teachings on the kingdom of God, exploring topics including the kingdom's Old Testament foundations, the biblical terminology of kingdom and kingship, the kingdom's present and future dimensions, its essential nature, how it relates to the church, and the spiritual blessings that come with kingdom entry. Vos also addresses and challenges several interpretations of the kingdom that had emerged in late nineteenth-century scholarship, which troubled him. Despite its significance, this work has received surprisingly little attention in academic discussions of the kingdom of God. Notably, Vos articulated the concept of an inaugurated kingdom with future fulfillment well before G. E. Ladd brought this understanding to wider recognition.