Present Reign of Christ

Entering the 'period of explanation and confirmation' (the Epistles), Pastor Martin expounds Romans 14:9 as one of the clearest New Testament assertions of Christ's present kingship. He shows Paul resolving the conflict between the 'weak' and 'strong' in Rome by assuming that both have been received by God in grace and both are now under the government of Christ the King, for Christ died and rose again that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. From this he draws four principles: Christ's rule is a present reality to Him as Savior, a practical reality in every recipient of salvation, a matter of Christian growth in its working out, and a matter of life and death in its initial embrace.

Returning after illness and a trip to New Zealand, Pastor Martin expounds 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, focusing on verses 25-26: 'For he must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death.' After tracing Paul's argument that the bodily resurrection of Christ is the pledge and pattern of the believer's resurrection, he draws two pivotal assertions from the text: Christ is presently reigning as the King of grace (not merely a coming King), and the primary concern of His kingship is the salvation of His people. He closes with four consequences of denying Christ's present reign, and a caution against over-realized forms that would impose His kingship by carnal weapons.