Who Can Inherit God’s Kingdom?

Jesus proclaimed God’s Kingdom as the hope God has given to those who believe in him and his Son. But who can inherit God’s Kingdom? Is it enough to believe in Jesus, or does the Bible also set other conditions?

Many people assume that all believers will automatically enter God’s Kingdom. Jesus and the apostles, however, present a different picture. The Bible shows that not everyone who professes to follow Christ will enter the Kingdom. At the same time, it emphasizes that God wants people to repent, follow Christ, and live according to his will.

In this article, we examine what the Bible teaches about who can inherit God’s Kingdom. We will consider both the qualities God desires in those who will inherit the Kingdom and the things that can prevent a person from having a share in the coming Kingdom.

What Does It Mean to Inherit God’s Kingdom?

The Bible uses several different expressions for those who will have a share in God’s Kingdom. In some places, it speaks of entering God’s Kingdom, while in others it speaks of inheriting God’s Kingdom. Both expressions describe the same future salvation.

To inherit God’s Kingdom means the same as to enter God’s Kingdom. The person who is allowed to enter God’s Kingdom has also inherited the salvation and life that God has promised to those he calls to his Kingdom.

At the same time, Jesus emphasized that not everyone who professes to follow him will have a share in the Kingdom. The Bible describes both the qualities God desires in those who will inherit God’s Kingdom and the things that can exclude a person from this inheritance.

Let us therefore take a closer look at what Jesus and the apostles teach about who can inherit God’s Kingdom.

Not Everyone Who Calls Jesus Lord

Many people profess faith in Jesus Christ and call him their Lord. But Jesus made it clear that a verbal profession of faith is not in itself enough to have a share in God’s Kingdom. He said:

“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but the ones who do the will of My Father in Heaven.” (Matt. 7:21, Interlinear Bible)

Jesus went on to say that some would even point to their religious works and claim that they had prophesied, cast out demons, and performed mighty works in his name. Yet he would reject them with the words:

“I never knew you. Depart from Me, those working lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:23, Interlinear Bible)

These words show that what matters is not what a person calls himself or herself, which church or religious denomination they belong to, or what religious works they perform. What matters is whether they live according to God’s will.

Inheriting God’s Kingdom therefore begins with a sincere relationship with God, in which faith is demonstrated through obedience to Jesus Christ.

Sinners Must Repent

The Bible teaches that God wants all people to repent and be saved. Therefore, it is not a person’s past that determines whether they can inherit God’s Kingdom, but whether they repent and follow Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul writes that people who continue to live a life characterized by sin and refuse to repent will not inherit God’s Kingdom. Among other things, he mentions sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, men who have sex with men, theft, greed, and drunkenness as examples of a way of life that is incompatible with inheriting God’s Kingdom (1 Cor. 6:9–10; Eph. 5:5–7; Gal. 5:19–21).

If a person wants to inherit God’s Kingdom, it is therefore necessary to turn away from the way of life Paul describes. Repentance does not simply mean acknowledging that something is sinful, but also rejecting it, turning away from such a way of life, and instead living according to God’s will.

But Paul also adds an important message of hope:

“And some were these things, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11, Interlinear Bible)

What matters, therefore, is not what sins a person has committed in the past, but whether they accept God’s grace, repent, and allow their life to be transformed. The Bible’s message is that there is hope for every sinner who repents and follows Jesus Christ.

God’s Kingdom Must Come First

It may seem like a demanding requirement that God’s Kingdom must come first in a person’s life. But that is exactly what Jesus taught. He taught that God’s Kingdom must have first place in a person’s life:

“But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33, Interlinear Bible)

Jesus did not merely tell his disciples to seek God’s Kingdom first. He also compared God’s Kingdom to a precious pearl that a merchant was willing to sell everything to possess. In this way, Jesus showed how valuable God’s Kingdom is and how important a place it must have in a person’s life (Matt. 13:45–46). The parable shows that God’s Kingdom is of such great value that nothing else can compare with it.

At the same time, Jesus warned against the deceitfulness of riches. When the rich young man was unwilling to give up his wealth, Jesus said:

“How hardly those having riches will enter into the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:23, Interlinear Bible)

He also explained that the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this world can choke God’s word so that it does not bear fruit (Mark 4:18–19). Jesus therefore warned against allowing the love of wealth to take such a prominent place in life that God and his Kingdom are pushed into second place.

“No one is able to serve two lords. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. You are not able to serve God and mammon.” (Matt. 6:24, Interlinear Bible)

Paul emphasizes the same truth:

“For the love of money is a root of all evils, by means of which some having lusted after it were seduced from the faith, and they themselves pierced through by many pains.” (1 Tim. 6:10, Interlinear Bible)

Inheriting God’s Kingdom therefore requires that God and his Kingdom come first in our lives. Nothing else must be allowed to take the place that belongs to God and his Kingdom.

We Must Become Like Children

Jesus made it clear that no one can enter God’s Kingdom without the right attitude. He pointed to little children as an example for those who want to inherit God’s Kingdom. He said:

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child may in no way enter into it.” (Mark 10:15, Interlinear Bible)

On another occasion, he said:

“And He said, Truly I say to you, unless you convert and become as the little children, not at all can you enter into the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt. 18:3, Interlinear Bible)

Jesus was not telling his disciples to become immature or childish. Rather, he was pointing to the qualities that characterize a little child. A child is willing to learn and accepts guidance. Many people, however, develop an attitude in which they think they know better and do not want God to teach them. Anyone who wants to inherit God’s Kingdom must therefore put aside such an attitude and instead receive God’s word with a humble and willing heart. Such an attitude stands in sharp contrast to that of someone who thinks they know better than God or refuses to be guided by his word.

To become like a child therefore means to receive God’s word with a humble and willing heart and allow it to guide us.

Faithfulness and Endurance

Jesus said that it is not enough simply to begin following him. Those who want to inherit God’s Kingdom must also remain faithful and bear fruit.

In the parable of the talents, Jesus told of a master who entrusted his servants with different responsibilities before going away. When he returned, the faithful servants were rewarded, while the lazy servant was judged because he had not made use of what had been entrusted to him (Matt. 25:14–30).

Similarly, Jesus told the parable of the minas, in which the servants were instructed to make use of what they had been given until the king returned (Luke 19:12–13).

Jesus also used the illustration of the vine and the branches to show that his disciples must bear fruit. A branch that does not bear fruit is removed (John 15:1–2).

He also emphasized that anyone who loves their life in this world more than God’s Kingdom is not fit for God’s Kingdom:

“And He said to another, Follow Me. But he said, Lord, allow me to go first and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, Leave the dead to bury their dead, but going out, you announce the Kingdom of God. And another also said, I will follow You, Lord, but first allow me to take leave of those in my house. But Jesus said to him, No one putting his hand on the plow, and looking at the things behind, is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59–62, Interlinear Bible)

These examples show that those who want to inherit God’s Kingdom must remain firm in the faith, bear fruit, and put God’s Kingdom above everything else.

False Teaching Can Keep People from God’s Kingdom

Jesus repeatedly warned against false teaching. He said that it not only leads people astray but can also prevent them from entering God’s Kingdom.

When the disciples misunderstood his words about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus explained that he was not speaking about bread, but about their teaching (Matt. 16:6–12).

At the same time, he made a serious accusation against the religious leaders of his day:

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven before men. For you do not enter, nor do you allow those entering to go in.” (Matt. 23:13, Interlinear Bible)

Jesus’ words show that false teaching is a very serious matter. It can keep people from God’s Kingdom by hiding the truth from them and causing them to believe something that is not true. As we have already seen, Jesus warned that not everyone who calls him Lord will enter God’s Kingdom. Some will even believe that they have served him, yet still be rejected because they have not done the will of his Father.

False teaching can therefore give people a false sense of security and lead them to believe that they are on their way to God’s Kingdom, when in reality they are following a path that leads away from it because they base their faith on human teachings and traditions rather than on God’s word.

Therefore, everyone must test what religious leaders teach against the Bible and hold firmly to the teaching handed down by the prophets, Jesus Christ, and the apostles.

Flesh and Blood Cannot Inherit God’s Kingdom

The Bible teaches that no human being can enter God’s Kingdom in their present body of flesh and blood. Therefore, those who are to inherit God’s Kingdom must undergo a transformation so that they become spirit beings.

The apostle Paul writes:

“And I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood is not able to inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption.” (1 Cor. 15:50, Interlinear Bible)

He goes on to explain that this transformation will take place when Christ returns. The dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible, and those of God’s children who are alive at Christ’s return will be transformed:

“Behold, I speak a mystery to you: we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in a glance of an eye, at the last trumpet; for a trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.” (1 Cor. 15:51–52, Interlinear Bible)

Paul also describes this transformation in these words:

“And as we bore the image of the earthly man, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly man.” (1 Cor. 15:49, Interlinear Bible)

And elsewhere he writes concerning Jesus:

“For our citizenship is in Heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our body of humiliation, for it to be conformed to His body of glory, according to the working of His power, even to put all things under Himself.” (Phil. 3:20–21, Interlinear Bible)

These passages show that those who are to inherit God’s Kingdom will not remain flesh and blood. God will transform them into spirit beings so that they are fit to inherit the heavenly Kingdom together with Jesus Christ. In other words, they were originally born as earthly beings, but must be transformed into spirit beings in order to inherit God’s Kingdom.

Brief Summary

The Bible shows that not everyone will inherit God’s Kingdom. It is not enough simply to profess faith in Jesus or call him Lord. Those who want to inherit God’s Kingdom must repent, follow Jesus Christ, and live according to God’s will.

Jesus taught that God’s Kingdom must come first in a person’s life. He urged his disciples to become like little children, remain faithful, bear fruit, and hold firmly to the faith. At the same time, he warned against false teaching, which can lead people away from the truth and prevent them from entering God’s Kingdom.

The Bible also teaches that flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s Kingdom. Therefore, God will transform those who belong to Christ so that they are fit to inherit the heavenly Kingdom together with him.

To inherit God’s Kingdom is the greatest hope the Bible offers. Therefore, the question of who can inherit God’s Kingdom is of vital importance to everyone who has placed their hope in God and Jesus Christ.

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