The kingdom of his beloved Son

Could a people be punished for their king’s sin?  We see just such a thing happen in the Old Testament in 2 Samuel 24.  And the last two verses of Psalm 51 indicate that God’s blessing on the kingdom is tied in with the actions and attitude of its king.

In those instances, the king’s sin was bad news for his people.  However, we have a King who is without guilt and perfect in righteousness:   “He [God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

Jesus Christ is our King.  As people of his kingdom, we are represented by one whom God calls “beloved.”  Our King is loved by God the Father, and so we too are loved by God.  While once we were “following the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), now God has transferred us into a kingdom of redemption and forgiveness.  May we remember each day that we are citizens of this kingdom, freed from sin and no longer subject to the wrath of God!  Rather, we are loved by God and are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, our King.