The Gospel of the Kingdom - Book Review

George Eldon Ladd was born in 1911 and converted to Christianity when he was eighteen years old. He earned several bachelor degrees in biblical studies before finally receiving his PhD in Biblical and Patristic Greek in 1949. As an evangelical scholar, Ladd worked as Professor of New Testament exegesis and theology at Fuller Theological Seminary for thirty years. He finally published his magnum-opus in 1974: A Theology of the New Testament.

The Gospel of the Kingdom is a survey of the Kingdom of God as taught in the New Testament. The book is a more abbreviated presentation than Ladd’s other works on this same topic. In this book, Ladd examined the concept of the Kingdom of God from the perspective of Jesus, Paul, and the other New Testament writers, and then applied that message to the lives of his readers.

SUMMARY

George Ladd’s contention throughout the book was that “the Kingdom of God was the central message of our Lord’s ministry” (7). From text after text, Ladd demonstrated that the Kingdom of God and the good news of Jesus Christ are one and the same thing. In essence, The Gospel of the Kingdom was Ladd’s proclamation of the gospel, as well as an exhortation to the church of God to respond properly to the kingship of God’s Messiah.

Ladd began in chapter one by presenting his definition of the Kingdom of God. When the Bible speaks of “God’s Kingdom, it always refers to His reign, His rule, His sovereignty” (20). The Kingdom of God is not (primarily) the realm or domain in which God’s authority is exercised. Nor is the Kingdom equal to God’s people who live under his authority. Ladd noted that although the Kingdom of God can be defined from some biblical texts as “a realm” or “a people,” the definition of the Kingdom of God is “fundamentally . . . God’s sovereign reign” (22).

After giving a basic description of the Kingdom, Ladd moved into chapter two in order to describe the future aspect of the Kingdom. Ladd pointed out that “this age is evil; The age to come will witness the fullness of God’s kingdom, the perfection of His reign” (34). Even though the sovereign reign of God exists in the present, the New Testament emphasizes the culmination of God’s Kingdom in the future. Ladd also drew out charts demonstrating that God will partially fulfill His Kingdom promises in the millennium, but will bring them to full fruition in the eternal state.

In chapter three, Ladd added more biblical data to his basic two stage model—“This Age” and “The Age to Come”—by explaining the overlap of the ages. “The powers of the Age to Come have penetrated This Age,” wrote Ladd (41). In a very real sense, Satan has been bound and defeated through the cross and resurrection of Jesus. Ladd explained that “this is what the Kingdom of God means: the defeat of the enemies of God” (44). With the dawning of the Messianic era, the people of God can enjoy the blessings of The Age to Come even during this present evil age.

The Kingdom of God contains a certain element of mystery, and Ladd discussed this mystery in chapter four. The mystery of the Kingdom is “a new truth about the Kingdom of God which was not revealed in the Old Testament but which is at last disclosed in the earthly ministry of our Lord” (52). Ladd examined the parables of Jesus and came to the conclusion that instead of a glorious, political kingdom as most people expected, the Kingdom of God invaded the world through the servanthood of Christ—“humbly, unobtrusively” (64).

Ladd explained in chapter five that those which enter the Kingdom of God must have the life of the Kingdom. God’s reign in a person’s life is called, particularly in the Gospels, eternal life. According to Ladd, eternal life consists of two main concepts: knowledge of God, and the life of God’s Spirit indwelling a believer. “The future has already begun,” wrote Ladd, and these two elements of eternal life are just a taste of the blessings of The Age to Come (78).

In chapter six, Ladd gave an exposition of the Sermon on the Mount and explained the righteousness of the Kingdom. He showed that the scribes and Pharisees did not have the righteousness that was required to enter the Kingdom because the redemptive reign of God was not active in their lives. Ladd called the church to obey Jesus’ commands concerning anger, honesty, purity, and love, but concluded that this righteousness “must be of grace or [he would be] lost” (93).

If the Kingdom of God is the sovereign and redemptive rule of God through Christ, every man is confronted with a decision. Ladd called his readers to make a resolute and radical decision in chapter seven: “The Kingdom demands a response so radical that it may be described in terms of violence and force” (99). The cross is a place of death, and Ladd explained that only a complete self surrender, a “death-to-self,” is an adequate response to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

In chapter eight, Ladd expounded on the relationship between Israel, the Church, and the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom was taken away from ethnic Israel when they refused to acknowledge Jesus as God’s Messiah. They rejected Jesus because he “appeared neither as a conquering Davidic King nor as a heavenly glorious Son of Man” (110). Ladd explained that, instead, God would create a new people who would bear the fruit of the Kingdom. Even though God has only one people, Ladd pointed out that ethnic Israel will indeed be grafted back into the olive tree of God’s believing church.

Ladd wrote his final chapter in order to answer the question, “When will the Kingdom come?” He answered that question using Matthew 24: When the entire world has been evangelized. The church must fulfill its mission of carrying the message of the Kingdom to every nation, and then the Lord Jesus will return. Ladd rebuked the church for being disobedient to the Great Commission, and he reminded God’s people that the motivation for evangelism should be a desire to see Christ return to earth in glory. Although sin will increase before the Lord returns, Ladd reminded the church that God’s sovereign plan will prevail and his Kingdom will be fully consummated.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

George Ladd’s purpose for writing The Gospel of the Kingdom was to give a panoramic, New Testament exposition of the Kingdom of God. The concept of the Kingdom remained the central theme of instruction throughout the book, even though the concept was approached from many different angles. This method is an extremely helpful teaching tool. Each progressive chapter held up the jewel of the Kingdom of God, slowly turning it to allow light to reflect on every contour. Ladd started with a definition of the Kingdom in chapter one, and then he added layer upon layer of teaching as the book progressed in a logical fashion.

Ladd derived the material for the book from his own public speaking engagements. As he noted, “These studies were originally delivered as addresses in the pulpit and in Bible conferences and have been recorded and adapted for publication” (7). This adaptation shines through as a positive aspect of the book. Each chapter reads like a short sermonette, complete with life application at the end of each one. Paragraphs at the beginning and end of every chapter summarize what came before and what was to be discussed next. Ladd’s constant reiteration of the thesis of the book—that God’s sovereign redemptive reign has broken into the present through the person of Jesus—keeps the reader grounded in the topic at hand. Overall, the book had a logical flow and was structured like a series of systematic teaching lessons.

The Gospel of the Kingdom could be considered a primer on “living between the times” (42). Reading this book gave me a fresh appreciation, not only of the Kingdom of God, but of the already-not yet tension which exists for those who have entered that Kingdom. A healthy understanding of this doctrine makes reading the New Testament a whole new experience. Ladd repeatedly emphasized the fact that the arrival of the Kingdom of God in the present means the defeat of God’s enemies. “The Kingdom of God has invaded this evil Age that men may know something of its blessings even while the evil Age goes on” (42).

The enemies of God and his people, according to Ladd, are threefold: sin, Satan, and death. Through the cross and resurrection of Christ, God “has already broken the power of death, defeated Satan, and overthrown the rule of sin” (130). This is extremely encouraging in my Christian walk. I can live in the present in light of the future, knowing that God’s victory is secure because of the earthly ministry of Jesus.

The manner in which God will defeat Satan, however, happens in three different phases according to Ladd. “Now we have these three stages in the defeat of Satan: at the end of the Millennium, the lake of fire; at the beginning of the Millennium, the abyss; and at the cross the initial defeat” (46). His presupposition of historic pre-millennialism, therefore, guided his discussion throughout the entire book. I would have liked to see a fuller engagement with the relevant texts on the millennium, but Ladd quickly dismissed all amillennial interpretations as “unlikely” (49).

Nevertheless, Ladd’s exposition of Matthew 12:29 is outstanding. He admits that Christ truly has entered the “strong man’s house” and bound him. “What sort of bond will hold him? Will a rope due? Is a straight-jacket adequate? Is iron strong enough, or forged steel, or perhaps titanium?” (48). At the end of his explanation, Ladd was forced to conclude that, in fact, “Satan is bound” in a metaphorical sense (48). Yet, in spite of his confession that the binding of Satan always uses symbolic and figurative language, Ladd refused to connect Revelation 20:2 with Matthew 12:29 in any sense. He said that “these two verses refer to two entirely different events” (49). Revelation 20:1-2 reads, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years” (Rev 20:1-2). I would simply ask Ladd this question: Could not “a great chain” and a “bottomless pit” (Rev 20:2) be figurative language, just as the binding of a “strong man” (Matt 12:29) is figurative language? Ladd gave essentially no defense of his millennial position, and I was forced to disagree with him at this level.

Ladd made it clear, however, that one’s view on the millennium is not a point of doctrine at which fellowship should be broken. He was correct when he wrote, “It is unfortunate that the discussion has often been attended by more heat than light” (35). This remains true even today. Many theologians and church leaders seem to be arguing right past one another in regard to theological systems. I can discern in my own heart an unwillingness (and laziness) to listen patiently to the positions of other Christians. I appreciated Ladd’s humble stance when he wrote concerning the millennial issue, “This question . . . should be discussed within the household of faith in a spirit of Christian liberty and charity” (35).

Another weakness of the book is Ladd’s view of the future of ethnic Israel in the redemptive plan of God. He did, however, preface his discussion with the statement that “the most difficult aspect of the Biblical teaching of the Kingdom of God is its relationship to Israel and the Church” (107). I agree wholeheartedly, and for the same reason which Ladd gave: “This relationship is not explicitly set forth in Scripture but must be inferred” (107). It is not that Ladd’s overall conclusions were unwarranted, but individually they were less convincing. For example, Ladd contended that the olive tree in Romans 11 refers to the one people of God: “There is one olive tree; it is the people of God. . . . However, because of unbelief, some of the natural branches were broken off and no longer belong to the tree (v.16)” (118). Ladd claimed that the true people of God are represented by the tree itself, but the analogy of the tree does not seem to work if you interpret it that way.

It seems to me that the tree itself is the same as “the rich root of the olive tree,” (Rom 11:17) and this symbol should be interpreted as the promises given to the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The branches are what represent God’s true people. Believing Gentiles are, after all, now called true sons of Abraham, “heirs according to promise” (Gal 3:29). All people who possess true faith in the Messiah are grafted in to receive the promises of God which are all fulfilled in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 1:20). Ladd did not disagree with my general conclusions, but his insistence on a future ingathering of ethnic Israelites is an unnecessary conclusion from Romans 11 (in my humble opinion).

One of the richest and most important contributions of the book is Ladd’s chapter on “The Life of the Kingdom” (66). He began by looking at Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, focusing on Jesus’ statement: “I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Ladd wrote that “frequently we disassociate eternal life from the truth of the Kingdom of God [but] . . . they are in fact inseparable” (66). This point is enormously important for any discussion on eschatology and Christian ethics. What God plans to do to the entire cosmos at the end of the age, namely new creation, he has already begun in the hearts and lives of his people through the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 5:17).

Ladd tapped into Old Testament prophesies from Isaiah to show what God’s plans are for the whole universe: “When the Kingdom of God comes, it will effect also a transformation of the very physical order (Isa. 11:6-9)” (67). The Scriptures of Israel looked forward to a time when God would remake the world, delivering his people from bondage and defeating all their enemies. The Jews expected God to bring in his Kingdom all at once with a burst of new creation, but Ladd pointed out that “the Kingdom which will one day change the entire external order has entered into This Age in advance to bring the blessings of God’s Kingdom to men and women without transforming the old order” (67). God has officially inaugurated, through the work of Jesus and the gift of the Spirit, the Kingdom which he will one day return to consummate.

The evidence of inaugurated eschatology is the indwelling Spirit. “The indwelling of the Spirit is the down-payment of that life which we shall one day experience in its fullness. The new birth is the beginning, partial but real, of the life of The Age to Come,” wrote Ladd (76). The Spirit gives the life of the Kingdom, and Jesus is its rightful King. The resurrection of Christ distinctively points toward what God will do to the creation in the future: “Some day the life which flows from Christ’s resurrection will renovate the whole structure of human existence” (77). This has huge implications for my daily life as a disciple of Jesus. If new creation is truly the goal toward which history is headed, a time in which God’s love and justice will completely fill the earth, then I should give my full effort to “keep in step with the Spirit,” who is the guarantee of my future inheritance (Gal 5:25).

Since the gift of the Spirit is mainly an eschatological promise associated with the God’s New Covenant (Jer 24:7; 31:33; Ezek 11:19-20; 36:26-27; 2 Cor 3:6), I was perplexed with Ladd’s application of the New Covenant. Specifically speaking about Jeremiah’s predictions, Ladd wrote that the New Covenant “properly belongs to The Age to Come, to that day when God’s will is perfectly consummated upon the earth. This is the vision of Jeremiah 31” (73).

It seems that Ladd integrated his understanding of prophesies concerning the New Covenant with his belief in a future mass ingathering of ethnic Israel. He does not make this integration explicit, but this seems to be the only way to make the New Covenant a completely future event. Our Lord, in his last Passover meal with his disciples, took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me" (1 Cor 11:25, emphasis mine). The apostles of the Lord considered themselves to be “servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:6). The Holy Spirit is the salient confirmation that God has inaugurated the New Covenant, taking out hearts of stone and giving hearts of flesh in their place. In Ladd’s chapter on the Spirit’s role in the Kingdom of God, I was disappointed that he did not recognize the present fulfillment of Jeremiah’s words. It is clear from Hebrews that Christians have already “come . . . to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant” (12:24-26).

CONCLUSION

The Gospel of the Kingdom has been in print since 1959, and after reading this book I understand why. George Ladd has left the church of Jesus Christ a rich, yet concise, study of the Kingdom of God. Despite some minor objections I had on peripheral issues, I would recommend this book to pastors, teachers, and laymen as a solid introductory manual for living in the “overlap of the ages.” All Christians should understand the biblical gospel—the good news that God is exercising his redemptive rule in and through Jesus Christ. Even after fifty years since its first publication, The Gospel of the Kingdom is still worthy of a wide readership because Ladd accurately defines the gospel according to the Lord Jesus and makes it accessible and applicable to all of God’s people.