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side. This is done, however, in the last named definition, for faith reveals itself in confession
and conduct.
3. FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF BAPTISM AND PROFESSION.
From the point of view of
baptism and profession the Church has been defined as the community of those who are
baptized and profess the true faith; or as the community of those who profess the true religion
together with their children. It will readily be seen that this is a definition of the Church
according to its external manifestation. Calvin defines the visible Church as “the multitude of
men diffused through the world, who profess to worship one God in Christ; are initiated into
this faith by baptism; testify their unity in doctrine and charity by participating in the Supper;
have consent in the Word of God, and for the preaching of that Word maintain the ministry
ordained of Christ.”[Institutes IV., 1,7.]
D. THE CHURCH AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
1. THE IDEA OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.
The Kingdom of God is primarily an eschatological
concept. The fundamental idea of the Kingdom in Scripture is not that of a restored theocratic
kingdom of God in Christ — which is essentially a kingdom of Israel—, as the Premillenarians
claim; neither is it a new social condition, pervaded by the Spirit of Christ, and realized by man
through such external means as good laws, civilization, education, social reforms, and so on, as
the Modernists would have us believe. The primary idea of the Kingdom of God in Scripture is
that of the rule of God established and acknowledged in the hearts of sinners by the powerful
regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, insuring them of the inestimable blessings of
salvation, — a rule that is realized in principle on earth, but will not reach its culmination until
the visible and glorious return of Jesus Christ. The present realization of it is spiritual and
invisible. Jesus took hold of this eschatological concept and made it prominent in His teachings.
He clearly taught the present spiritual realization and the universal character of the Kingdom.
Moreover, He Himself effected that realization in a measure formerly unknown and greatly
increased the present blessings of the Kingdom. At the same time He held out the blessed hope
of the future appearance of that Kingdom in external glory and with the perfect blessings of
salvation.
2. HISTORICAL CONCEPTIONS OF THE KINGDOM.
In the early Church Fathers the Kingdom of
God, the greatest good, is primarily regarded as a future entity, the goal of the present
development of the Church. Some of them regarded it as the coming millennial rule of the
Messiah, though history does not bear out the exaggerated claims of some Premillenarian
writers as to their number. Augustine viewed the kingdom as a present reality and identified it
with the Church. For him it was primarily identical with the pious and holy, that is, with the
Church as a community of believers; but he used some expressions which seem to indicate that