Your Kingdom Come - Mining the Catechism

The Heidelberg Catechism teaches “your kingdom come” starting with me and moving into bigger and bigger spheres: rule over me, build your church, destroy the devil’s work, bring your kingdom in all its fullness.

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Q & A 123

Q. What does the second petition mean?

A. “Your kingdom come” means:
Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way

that more and more we submit to you.¹

Preserve your church and make it grow.²

Destroy the devil’s work;
destroy every force which revolts against you
and every conspiracy against your holy Word.³

Do this until your kingdom fully comes,

when you will be all in all.⁴

¹ Ps. 119:5, 105; 143:10; Matt. 6:33
² Ps. 122:6-9; Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:42-47
³ Rom. 16:20; 1 John 3:8
⁴ Rom. 8:22-23; 1 Cor. 15:28; Rev. 22:17, 20

From “Our World Belongs to God: A Contemporary Testimony”:

From the beginning,

through all the crises of our times,

until the kingdom fully comes,

God keeps covenant forever:

Our world belongs to God!

God is King: Let the earth be glad!

Christ is victor: his rule has begun!

The Spirit is at work: creation is renewed!

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

For God’s faithfulness, see, among many passages, Psalm 89, 117, 145; Romans 8:31-39; and Hebrews 10:23. For the victory of God in Christ and the rule of Christ, see 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, Philippians 2:9-11, and Revelation 1:13-18. For the Spirit’s work renewing creation, see Genesis 1 and Romans 8.

The Mission of God's People

41. Joining the mission of God,

the church is sent

with the gospel of the kingdom

to call everyone to know and follow Christ

and to proclaim to all

the assurance that in the name of Jesus

there is forgiveness of sin

and new life for all who repent and believe.

The Spirit calls all members

to embrace God’s mission

in their neighborhoods

and in the world:

to feed the hungry,

bring water to the thirsty,

welcome the stranger,

clothe the naked,

care for the sick,

and free the prisoner.

We repent of leaving this work to a few,

for this mission is central to our being.

On our part in God’s mission, see Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 14:45-49, and John 17:18; on seeing our mission beyond our local community, Matthew 24:14 and Acts 13:1-3; on meeting the needs of people, Matthew 25:31-46 and Luke 4:18-19; and on the centrality of mission to our being, John 20:21.