The Body of Christ and Participation in the Earthly Kingdom

Colossians 1:13 is often used to argue that believers in the present dispensation are already in a “spiritual form” of the kingdom. The verse reads, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” The key issue is the pronoun “us.” If “us” includes the entire body of Christ, then the verse would seem to place the body of Christ into the kingdom. If “us” is more limited, the argument collapses.

In the King James Version, “us” in the second clause is italicized, indicating it is supplied in English because it is implicit in the Greek verb. Grammatically, however, it clearly refers to the same “us” as in “delivered us” in the first clause, where the pronoun is explicit. The real question is not whether the pronoun belongs, but who “we/us” are in Colossians.

Following the first-person and second-person pronouns in the chapter is crucial. In Colossians 1:2, “you” are defined as “the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse.” In Colossians 1:3 we read, “We give thanks to God…praying always for you.” There, “we” and “you” are clearly distinct groups. The “you” are the Colossian believers; the “we” must therefore be someone else.

Back in Colossians 1:1, Paul introduces “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother.” The plural “we” that appears in verse 3 most naturally refers to Paul and Timothy as the authors and speakers. They are giving thanks to God and praying for “you,” the saints and faithful brethren in Colosse. This distinction between “we/us” and “you” continues into verses 4–8.

In Colossians 1:7–8 we read:

"As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit."

Here we have:

• “ye/you” = the saints and faithful brethren in Colosse.
• “our/us/we” = Paul and Timothy (the writers).
• “Epaphras” = a third party, a minister for “you” who reports to “us” about “your love.”

So in the immediate context of Colossians 1, “we/us” consistently refers to Paul and Timothy, not to all believers in general, and certainly not explicitly to the body of Christ as a doctrinal category. Unless the context later redefines “we/us,” we should carry this identification forward.

When we arrive at Colossians 1:13, nothing in the intervening verses has redefined the pronouns. Therefore, the most textually defensible reading is that God “hath delivered us [Paul and Timothy] from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” At minimum, the verse speaks directly and certainly of Paul and Timothy, both Jewish believers with a distinct apostolic role in God’s program.

Could “us” here implicitly extend beyond Paul and Timothy to other Jewish believers of that era? Possibly, but that would still not establish that the entire body of Christ, which includes all believing Gentiles in this dispensation, is presently in the kingdom. To move from “Paul and Timothy” (and perhaps some Jewish co-laborers) to “the whole body of Christ” is not a move the text itself makes. It is an imposition upon the text.

Therefore, Colossians 1:13 does not answer the question, “Does the body of Christ have anything to do with the kingdom on earth?” It neither teaches that the body of Christ is in the kingdom now nor that it will administer the earthly kingdom. At the same time, it provides no evidence that the body of Christ participates in the earthly kingdom in any way. To derive such a doctrine from this verse is to read into the text what is not there.

The safest conclusion from Colossians 1:13 is:

1. The verse speaks directly of “us,” contextually Paul and Timothy.
2. These individuals, as Jewish apostles, may have a future role related to the kingdom.
3. This text does not place the body of Christ into the present or future Davidic kingdom on earth.

Thus, from this passage, we must answer: the body of Christ, as such, is not shown to have anything to do with the earthly kingdom.

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