Doctrine of the Royal Family of God

Definition
1. As the manifest person of the Trinity, our Lord wears the crown of divine royalty. His first royal title is “Son of God.” The members of His royal family are God the Father and God the Holy Spirit with whom He has eternal and infinite coexistence.
2. Jesus Christ is descended from the lines of two of the sons of David by Bathsheba. The line of royal descent from Solomon, listed in Matthew, ends with Joseph (not the real father of our Lord). The line of royal descent from Nathan, given in Luke, comes down to Mary, our Lord’s real mother. Jesus is, therefore, Jewish royalty. His second royal title is “Son of David,” and His royal family is the dynasty of David.
3. As a result of our Lord’s strategic victory on the cross and His resurrection, ascension, and session, He received His third royal patent: “King of kings and Lord of lords” and “the bright morning star” (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 19:16; 22:16).
4. When our Lord received His third royal patent, He had no royal family to accompany the title. A third royal family therefore had to be formed. God the Father interrupted the dispensation of Israel and inserted the Church Age for the calling out (formation, election) of a royal family to accompany Christ’s third royal title. All believers of the Church Age are the royal family of the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:6).
5. While regeneration has occurred in every dispensation since the beginning of time, it is only the regenerate of the Church Age who form this royal family.
The nomenclature for the royal family of God
1. “Church” emphasizes the function of the royal family of God during the present dispensation (1 Cor. 11:18; 14:19, 34–35; Phil. 4:15; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Rev. 2–3).
2. “Body of Christ” emphasizes the utilization of the same divine power and Bible doctrine used to sustain the humanity of Christ in hypostatic union (Rom. 7:4; Eph. 4:12).
3. “Bride of Christ” emphasizes the royal family of God after resurrection (Rev. 19:7; 21:9).
4. “Temple” emphasizes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19).
Basis of royalty in the Church Age
1. The mechanics for the formation of this royal family is the baptism of the Spirit, which places the believer in union with Christ. By being entered into union with Christ, all believers of the Church Age are adopted as royal family of God (Acts 1:5; Rom. 6:3–4; Gal. 3:26–28).
2. In every dispensation the believer is regenerated by the Holy Spirit at the moment he believes in Christ, but in the Church Age at the moment he believes the Holy Spirit also baptizes him into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
3. No believer before or after the Church Age receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The baptism is unique to this dispensation (Col. 1:25–26).
Precedent for royalty
1. The order of Melchizedek provides both the pattern and precedent (Heb. 5:6–10).
2. Melchizedek acquired his royalty in becoming king of Salem, while Jesus Christ was born royalty in the line of David (Matt. 1).
Relationship to the King
1. As a member of the Body of Christ, every believer of the Church Age is eternally and personally related to the King of kings (Gal. 3:26–29).
2. Christ is the absolute ruler of the Church (Eph. 5:24a; Col. 1:18).
3. When the Body of Christ is completed, the Church Age terminates with resurrection or the Rapture at which time the Body of Christ becomes the Bride of Christ (Matt. 25:1–13; 1 Thess. 4:16–18).
Sign of royalty
1. The sign of royalty is the unprecedented, universal indwelling of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19–20).
2. The Holy Spirit indwells the body of the Church Age believer to provide a temple for the indwelling of Christ.
3. Church Age believers are indwelt forever and are therefore royalty forever.
4. The purpose of this indwelling is to glorify Jesus Christ (John 7:37–39).
Security of royalty
1. The sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit guarantees the eternal security of the Church Age believer (Eph. 1:13–14).
2. Positional sanctification qualifies every Church Age believer to live in heaven forever (Eph. 1:3–4, 11).
Function of royalty
1. All Church Age believers are in full time royal service for Christ as royal priests and royal ambassadors.
2. The believer fulfills the status of royalty in the modus operandi of the new priesthood (Heb. 7—13).
3. The believer must advance toward the objective of supergrace, at which time he receives the accouterments of royalty as well as the tactical victory of the angelic conflict.
Future of royalty
1. At the Rapture of the Church, the royal family is transferred to heaven and transformed into the Bride of Christ (1 Cor. 15:42–57). The Bride is presented to her Groom “as a pure virgin,” a reference to the resurrection body (2 Cor. 11:2b; Eph. 5:27).
2. In heaven during the Tribulation, the Bride is prepared for her triumphant return with the Groom at the Second Advent (Rev. 19:7–14). The royal family will be present to observe Operation Footstool, when all enemies are put under Christ’s feet (Heb. 1:13), and will rule with Christ during His millennial reign (1 Thess. 3:13; Rev. 5:10).
3. After the Millennium, the royal family will be with Christ forever in the new heavens, new earth, and new Jerusalem (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21—22).

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