What Are The Characteristics Of The Kingdom Of God?

There are people from all walks of life that aspire to enter into the Kingdom Of God, but asperation and entry are two different things. Quite naturally these same people often wonder, what are the characteristics of the Kingdom Of God and how do I make sure I have them?

The characteristics of the Kingdom Of God are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, and humility. These characteristics can be found sprinkled throughout biblical teachings. They are indicative of Christlikeness and are essential for entry into the Kingdom Of God.

As we continue in this study we will be exploring each one of these characteristics and talking about them in a little more depth, allowing God’s spirit to edify and build us up in the spirit by the studying of His word, let’s get started…

The Characteristic Of Love In The Kingdom Of God

The characteristic of love is a great place to start this study because if it had not been for the unconditional love of God none of us would be here or have access to the Kingdom Of God. In Romans 5:8 the Apostle Paul says, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Christ even died for the men who crucified Him which is incredible in and of itself. In today’s time, the word love is thrown around quite loosely without many of us really meaning it. Another problem is a lack of understanding. Many people don’t know the true definition of love as described in first Corinthians 13th Chapter.

In first Corinthians 13:4, these words are recorded, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things”.

I love this verse because it’s indeed a perfect picture of what God’s definition of love looks like. This kind of love is what God wants all of us to aspire to. This is the type of love that will transform families and relationships. I really want you to re-read that fourth verse and try to internalize it, more love and less hate is what we all need, it’s what God requires.

The Characteristic Of Joy In The Kingdom Of God

A right relationship with God brings joy. The reason is that God gives some very specific promises to those who fear and obey Him. These are promises of well-being, health, and protection just to name a few. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength“, and again Psalms 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”. Joy is indicative of Kingdom citizenship because of the restoring power of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

How can I not be joyful knowing my life has been redeemed from the pits of hell. It is true that we will all face challenges, saved or not but no one who has claimed the name of Jesus should feel hopeless and without joy. Jesus died so that we could have hope and joy, be sure to claim your joy by faith.

The Characteristic Of Peace In The Kingdom Of God

The characteristic of peace is closely tied to your obedience first and then your faith second. You will always know when the peace of God is present in someone. A person who has the peace of God will be fastidious about obeying God’s word and rest in the truth therein. It’s almost like they will do what God says and wait for Him to prove His Word to be true, which He always does. God promises never to leave us or forsake us so there’s no reason not to have peace. All of God’s promises are true.

I will say that usually when a person finds it hard to have peace it’s never a failure on God’s part, it’s always, 100% of the time us. It’s not until we come to our own end and give up our lives to God that we can experience His true peace. As long as we try to hold on to certain parts of our lives God’s peace will evade us.

The Characteristic Of Longsuffering In The Kingdom Of God

Longsuffering isn’t mentioned as much as it should be, but it’s very important to God. God has never punished or rewarded any of us according to what we actually deserve. God has always been longsuffering with mankind. Actually, He’s demonstrating longsuffering right now even as I speak. With all of the evil going on in the world right now it’s a miracle that the judgment of God hasn’t destroyed all of us. Unfortunately, many of us find it incredibly difficult to show one another that same kindness and restraint.

God is looking for people who can put anger and selfishness aside and extend love in the world. We must be longsuffering with one another the way God continues to be with us. We must be gentle with one another. We must challenge ourselves to extend goodness to someone who doesn’t deserve it. God is pleased with us when we demonstrate meekness, temperance, and humility to one another. These characteristics don’t mean that you’re weak as some erroneously perpetuate. In James 4:6 the scripture says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

The Characteristic Of Faith In The Kingdom Of God

As I said before faith is non-negotiable with God. Referencing Hebrews 11:6 the scripture states, “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him”. Everything that a person receives from God has to come by faith. We must believe that what God’s Word says is true above our feelings, above our circumstances, above what it looks like, and above what the doctor says. God’s Word says in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”.

Reading God’s Word increases faith! Anyone who has a problem with faith should incorporate a healthy Bible reading schedule into the day to day lives. When I read the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead after four days of being dead in the grave I knew right then that I could believe God for anything! That one story increased my faith by leaps and bounds and I hope it will increase yours as well.

Amen, Well friends I pray these words were edifying to you and I want to invite you to download our free guide, “5 Ways To Fight Worry, Anxiousness, And Anxiety
With God’s Word”, I’m sure it will bless your soul. I want to thank you so much for studying with us and being here, we love you and we are praying with you that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is extended to you. Until next time we pray that your faith fails not.

The Complete MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 33 Volumes By John MacArthur / Moody Publishers Intellectually stimulating and personally relevant, this commentary series is ideal for pastors, teachers, and laypeople alike. With practical illustrations and clear verse-by-verse exposition, John MacArthur avoids becoming overly technical, even while tackling problematic topics such as the role of women, spiritual gifts, and the rapture. Using a dispensationalist approach, his purpose is to provide life applications.