members of Christ. Our kingship is the result of our redemption
4. It is kingly service.—We are kings (Rev. 1:6), in virtue of our being members of Christ. Our kingship is the result of our redemption (Rev. 6:10), and follows upon our being adopted into the royal family of heaven. "As many as received him, to them gave he power [rather it should be right or privilege] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12). And then we read elsewhere, "If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). Faith, sonship, heirship, kingship—these are the steps in our promotion.
But our kingship does not interfere with our obedience and service, any more than did Christ's kingship interfere with his. He was at once servant and king. So are we: for we are "kings unto God," not to ourselves, as the kings of this world seek to be. Our royalty enables us to render royal service to him who has set us upon thrones; and thus we specially glorify him, as the King of kings and Lord of lords.
It was the ambition of ancient monarchs to be served by kings (Judges 1:7). The proud Assyrian is represented as saying, "Are not my princes altogether kings?" (Is. 10:8). Darius set over his kingdom "an hundred and twenty princes" (Dan. 6:1). And of Solomon it is written, that "he reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. He had dominion over all kings on this side of the river" (1 Kings 4:21–24). Thus were these ancient sovereigns served by kings; and thus it is that by kings is the King of kings to be served. His servants are not merely the honourable of the earth, but kings—kings whose right of royalty is that of relationship to his own Son.
This royal service which we render is of many kinds. We serve when we come with Christ to execute the Father's long-suspended vengeance upon the ungodly (Ps. 149:9; Jude 14). This may be said to be our first act of kingship, the first forth-putting of our royal authority. We serve when we act as judges along with Christ (1 Cor. 6:2, 3; Rev. 20:4), judging the world. We serve when we reign;