John 3:5-6 “Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of heaven unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”

The Jewish leader Nicodemus was drawn to Jesus’ and his teaching. He saw the miracles, he saw the love, and he was convinced that Jesus had been sent from God. But some of the things that Jesus taught weren’t clear to him. Nicodemus was part of a movement in the Jewish faith that believed a good relationship with God was based on two things: the right family heritage, and the right way of life. If you could trace your family tree back to Abraham, and if you worked very hard at being good, then God accepted you. Jesus turned this idea on its head.           

Jesus wasn’t saying there was anything wrong with having Jewish blood running through your veins. He himself was certainly Jewish. But all that did was give you citizenship in Israel. Jesus wasn’t saying that there was anything wrong with trying to be good. It certainly beats the alternative. But the kingdom of God isn’t a Jewish state, nor is it a moral reform society. It’s the kingdom of God. Let’s explore that concept a little.

You can’t equate the kingdom of God with an earthly nation, not Israel of the past, nor America of the present, nor any other country in the future. There may have been Christians involved in founding our nation, but America never was, nor will it ever be, God’s kingdom. It would be better if we put the idea of a territory or real estate out of our heads altogether.

A kingdom is what a king rules, and a king doesn’t rule dirt or grass, or roads and buildings. He rules people. There is a relationship here. Sometimes the Kingdom of God has what we call “heaven” primarily in view. Even then, we should think less of the clouds, or the pearly gates, or some lavish visions of extreme luxury. We should think of the special situation where God rules unopposed over angels and people who live in perfect obedience. The relationship of ruler to citizen is the thing.

In heaven God may rule unopposed. But here on earth there are more candidates for king than candidates running for president. Not everyone lives under the God of the Bible. They may live under the idol gods, the false gods, of other world religions with names like Allah, Vishnu, the Great Spirit, Mother Earth, or the Universal Consciousness, to name a few.

Others live under the “Spirit of the Age,” sort of a universally agreed upon set of standards for society that often flatly contradict what God has to say about life.

Still others may declare themselves king, like the poet William Ernest Henley does in his poem Invictus. He declares, “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”

Then there are those who have surrendered control of their lives to some vice, or substance, that robs them of their dignity and makes them hate themselves. They have lost control, and they can’t get back the reins. They lose more of themselves every day.

But all of these kings are “front men.” Behind them all is a dark and sinister Power, the Prince of this world, pulling the strings on his puppets and keeping people from entering the kingdom of God and becoming its citizens.

The difference between these two sets of citizens isn’t just a matter of behavior. Often their behavior is hard to tell apart. Those who have entered the kingdom of God often show themselves to be unsteady, imperfect citizens guilty of various crimes and misdemeanors.

Still, God is their King, they are his people, and the relationship remains. It has always been a relationship based on grace and forgiveness, anyway. Those on the outside, in the other kingdom, often come to see the benefit in things like modesty, self-control, faithfulness, generosity, kindness. With God or without him, it’s just a better way of life. But they have no interest in the God who should be their rightful ruler, or the Jesus that he sent. They have no life with the King, because they have not been born again.

Members of God’s kingdom live under his gracious rule, enjoying his gracious blessings. This citizenship itself is a gift to be cherished, a part of the “good news” Jesus came to proclaim.