Where is the kingdom of God?

Within you or among You?

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Is this where you find the kingdom of God? (Picture: Public domain)

A few days ago my friend James Inman messaged me. This is most of what he wrote (used with permission):

Here's a funny mysticism vs. church story you might like. I was at a party once talking to this guy about religion and he's a very devout Christian. He said he'd been going to church all his life and been a believer since he was like five years old. Prays and reads the Bible every day etc etc.

I was telling him I study all the world religions and also read a lot about the history of the early church. Trying to relate to him and talk about the similarities of Buddhism to Christianity. 

Somewhere in the conversation I mentioned, "I'd compare that to the Kingdom of God is within." 

Right away he says, "No it's not." I'm thinking that's weird. What the? He sounded really adamant about it, so I said, "Well, it does say in the Gospels the Kingdom of God is within." 

And he says, "No it doesn't." I say, "Jesus does literally say the Kingdom of God is within. I'm pretty certain it's in Luke. Something like Luke 17:21. Tolstoy wrote a book called The Kingdom of God is Within. I used to have a copy of it." He says, "I've never read that and it's not in the Gospels." 

So I say, "Ok, when you go home tonight pull out your Bible and go to Luke 17:20-21 and I'll guarantee you it's in there". 

That kind of thing is a great example of some Churches in America not teaching even basic Christianity. 

I responded that I bet the fellow grew up on the New International Version. I said this is theological chaos, as people with the newer translations are growing up with a different understanding of God than their Christian ancestors. James then wrote:

After I sent that I do remember thinking it might be because of the translation itself since other translations say, "among you" or "in your midst". That one subtle change makes a huge difference.

I had already been curious about it. From mystic teachers like Neville Goddard, I had taken "The kingdom of God is within you" to heart, not aware that the Bible I was raised with (Revised Standard Version) doesn't actually say that. I was also told by an evangelical pastor that "within you" was a mistranslation.

So, where did "within you" come from? If it's wrong, where did people like Tolstoy and Goddard (and James Inman) get the idea?

I looked at several mainstream English translations of Luke 17:20-21 at BibleGateway.com, from oldest to newest. The King James Version (1611) and other versions up to the 1950's say "the kingdom of God is within you."

So for 340 years "within you" was taught to virtually all Christians of the English-speaking world. 

Presumably, the Russian Tolstoy wouldn't have been raised reading an English Bible, but his understanding that the kingdom of God is "within" you was foundational to his pacifism and anarchism. Without studying the topic, I suspect it inspired the Quakers and other pacifists all across Christendom. 

For better or for worse, it also helped inspire the New Thought movement and mystics like Goddard. (I personally think for better.)

Beginning with the Revised Standard Version (1952), however, most new versions say "in the midst of you" or "among you" and contain a footnote, that most people probably won't read, saying "or within you." 

Of the best-selling English translations in the United States, only the King James and the New King James say "within you." (The Spanish-language Reina-Valera does mean "within you" in its older versions; I'm not certain about newer editions.)

The rest of the Top Ten, as well as the unranked New Revised Standard Version, say "among you," "in the midst of you," or "in your midst."

A couple of years ago I came across this article about the New International Version (NIV), which says "It is important and comforting to note that no doctrines of the Christian faith are affected by differences between the KJV and translations such as the NIV that follow more reliable sources."

I disagree. Changing "the kingdom of God is within you" to "in the midst of you" or "among you" is a major theological difference.

I think of it this way: the American federal government is in my "midst." So are my state, county, and village governments. But they aren't within me. We are all anarchists, all the time. We always do what is "right in our own eyes" and obey the government only to avoid trouble. Even those who show off their patriotism and are innately loyal, and even those who ideologically prefer "big government," will never have the speed limit, fire codes, or highest marginal tax rate written in their hearts.

Is the kingdom of God also in our midst or among us? Perhaps if you understand that God is in the air we breathe and in all of nature. But that just sounds like the creation, not a kingdom. I've often heard that kingdom of God is "the Church," broadly defined not as an organization, but as the body of believers in Jesus.

And this means the kingdom of God, like the government, is an external force in your life. Your life as a Christian is a response to what other Christians say and do. Some find peace in that, while others can't conform and feel alienated. Those who believe in Jesus, but don't fit in with the church, may feel lost and hopeless because they don't know where else to connect with God.

Whereas, if the kingdom of God is within you, that's an acknowledgment that you are a god yourself, a child of the Most High. It's an invisible kingdom of consciousness that is outwardly expressed as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The government is unable to prohibit these virtues. But also, significantly, the church is incapable of requiring these things from you. You can express them only as you feel them, and no external force can command how you feel. They come only from within you.

Whether or not you are a member in good standing with a church, you are of the kingdom of God due to your own godhood.

I don't know what prompted the change away from "the kingdom of God is within you." to "among you" or 'in your midst" I would hope it was an honest change based on better documentation of what the original Greek word meant.

If, however, it was a theological judgment of modern scholars that "among you" makes more sense considering the overall teaching of Jesus and the Bible as a whole, I must say it's a mistake and possibly a tragic mistake. Consider the young man James Inman conversed with: he was alienated from his own divinity. 

Regardless of what may be the correct translation of Luke 17:21, I still say that the kingdom of God is within you. 

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles (subscribe), The Daily Bible Chapter (subscribe), JL Cells (subscribe), and The MVP Chase (subscribe). Thanks for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.