30 SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN GOD'S KINGDOM AND

CHRIST'S CHURCH

By Mario Olcese Sanguineti

Many Christian Churches confuse God's Kingdom with the Church of

Christ without realizing that there are substantial differences
between the two.

1.- God's Kingdom has an earthly headquarters: Jerusalem (Mat.

5:33-35), while Christ's Church does not.

2.- God's Kingdom is one, singular, while the Church of Christ can
be pluralized (example: Churches of God, or Churches of Christ,
Rom. 16:16 ).

3.- In God's Kingdom all the members are saved, while in the Church
of Christ not everybody that is a member will be saved (remember
the Parable of the Wheat and tares).

4.- In God’s Kingdom discipline will be not practiced, while in the

Church of Christ's it is applied for correction (Heb 12:7).

5.- God's Kingdom is a theocracy (Isa. 32:1), while the Church of

Christ is a democracy (Acts 15:22-25).

6.- In God's Kingdom there are not Teachers, Pastors, and Deacons,
while in the Church of Christ, there are. (Eph. 4:4).

7.- In God's Kingdom there are not rituals and ordinances, while in
the Church of Christ, there are. (example: baptism, communion,
marriage, prayer, Praise, etc ).

8.- In God’s Kingdom membership is for ever, while in the Church of

Christ we can lose our membership (Acts 15:24, 1 John 2:19).

9.- The Church of Christ preaches the Kingdom of God (Matt. 24:14),
while God's Kingdom never preached the Church.
10.- God's kingdom is entered with immortal bodies (1 Cor. 15:50),
while in the Church of Christ one enters with mortal bodies (1 Cor.
15:53).

11.- Only the spiritually mature enter God's Kingdom (2 Pet 1:5-11),
while the Church of Christ is entered by spiritual babies that will be
made perfect by their Pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:4; 1 Pet.2:2;
Heb. 5:13).

12.- One enters God's Kingdom after having borne many tribulations
(Acts 14:22), while one enters the Church of Christ to begin
suffering many tribulations (John 16:33).

13.- God's Kingdom is a Christian promise and an inheritance for

the future (James 2:5; Matt. 25:31,34), while the Church of Christ is
a Christian possession for today.

14.- God's Kingdom is something that is to come (Matt. 6:10), while

the Church of Christ is already here (1 Cor.1:2).

15.- God's Kingdom existed in David's times (1 Chron. 28:5), while

the Church of Christ began with Christ (Matt. 16:16-18).

16.- God's Kingdom belonged to the Jews (2 Chr. 28:5; Acts 1:3,6),
while the Church of Christ is composed of born again believers (Jews
and gentiles alike).

17.- God's Kingdom will be restored in the future (Acts 1:6), while
the Church of Christ is being built now (Matt. 16:16-18).

18.- The Father gives God's Kingdom to the Church of Christ (Luke
12:32), but it is never said that the Father gives the Church of
Christ to God's Kingdom.

19.- Sinners and unworthy people enter the Church of Christ (Matt.
9:13), while God's Kingdom is only entered by the saints and those
who are worthy (2 Thes. 1:5,11; Rev. 3:4).

20.- The unrepentant sinners can see the Church of Christ, on the
other hand, God's Kingdom will be seen only by “born again” people
(John 3:3,5).

21.- Many rich people can enter, and even belong to the Church of
Christ, but God's Kingdom will hardly be entered by rich people
(Matt. 19:23).
22.- God's Kingdom comes without warning (Luke 17:20), but the
Church of Christ definitely came with warning, when it was founded
on Pentecost with the Holy Ghost's coming was with signs and
wonders a few days after the announcement (Acts 1:5,8 ).

23.- God's Kingdom was conceded to Christ in heaven (Luke

19:11,12), while the Church of Christ was conceded on earth.

24.- It is said of God's Kingdom that it is eternal (2 Pet. 1:11), but

the Church of Christ is never said to be eternal.

25.- God's Kingdom has thrones (Ps. 122:5, Rev. 20:4), while the
Church of Christ it is never said to have thrones.

26.- God's Kingdom is named ‘the gospel’ (Matt. 24:14), but the
Church of Christ is never called this way.

27.- It is necessary to look for or long for God's Kingdom (Matt.

6:33), on the other hand, the Church of Christ is now in all parts of
the world, and we are never commanded to look or long for her.

28.- God's Kingdom was composed of many unbelieving or unfaithful

Jews (Matt. 21:43), while the Church of Christ was first (and still is)
composed of many believing Jews (and gentiles) that came to believe
in God and His Son Jesus as the messiah, and repented of their sins,
and were baptized by immersion (Acts 2:36-47).

29.- God's Kingdom will appear and will be inherited at the Second
Coming of Christ (Matt. 25:31,34), while the Church of Christ is
already present and has been since the First century AD.

30.- Christ's Kingdom is not food and drink (Rom. 14:17), but the
Church of Christ definitely consists of food and drink (Remember
the communion service, John 6:55).