Reformed Reading Guide · 12 books
The Best Books on the Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God is the saving reign of God through Jesus Christ, the King who rules over his redeemed people in the place he prepares for them. Scripture presents this kingdom as both a present reality inaugurated at Christ's first coming and a future hope to be consummated at his return, the tension often summarized as the already and the not yet. Understanding the kingdom ties together the storyline of the Bible, the mission of the church, and the goal of all creation.
Few themes unify the Bible like the kingdom of God, yet few are as easy to misread. This guide gathers the best confessional Reformed and evangelical books on the reign of God, the already and not yet, and the relationship of kingdom and church. The recommendations are sorted into basic, intermediate, and advanced tiers so you can start where you are and grow from there. Every title below is currently in print and verified by author, edition, and ISBN.
Basic
4 books
God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible
Vaughan Roberts · 2018
A clear, short Bible overview that uses the kingdom of God as the thread tying Scripture together, ideal for a first read.
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The Kingdom of God and the Glory of the Cross
Patrick Schreiner · 2018
A concise, accessible biblical theology that defines the kingdom as the king's power over the king's people in the king's place and shows how the cross brings it.
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The Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God
George Eldon Ladd · 1959
A warm, practical introduction to the already and not yet from the scholar who popularized the phrase for evangelicals.
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Far as the Curse Is Found: The Covenant Story of Redemption
Michael D. Williams · 2005
Frames the whole biblical story as God's unfolding covenant kingdom, recovering the earthy, creation-wide scope of redemption.
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4 books
The Goldsworthy Trilogy: Gospel and Kingdom, Gospel and Wisdom, The Gospel in Revelation
Graeme Goldsworthy · 2001
Collects the classic Gospel and Kingdom, whose grid of God's people in God's place under God's rule has shaped a generation of kingdom teaching.
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The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective
Russell D. Moore · 2004
Traces the modern evangelical kingdom consensus and shows how an inaugurated kingdom grounds the church's engagement with the world.
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The Bible and the Future
Anthony A. Hoekema · 1994
A definitive Reformed treatment of eschatology, structured around inaugurated and future stages of the kingdom, the already and the not yet.
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The Crucified King: Atonement and Kingdom in Biblical and Systematic Theology
Jeremy R. Treat · 2014
Argues that kingdom and cross belong together, with the kingdom as the goal of the cross and the cross as the means by which the kingdom comes.
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4 books
The Coming of the Kingdom
Herman N. Ridderbos · 1962
A monumental exegetical study of Jesus' kingdom preaching in the Synoptics, a treasure house on the parables and the Sermon on the Mount.
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The Presence of the Future: The Eschatology of Biblical Realism
George Eldon Ladd · 1996
Ladd's scholarly case for the kingdom as both present and future, the mature academic foundation behind his popular work.
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The Teaching of Jesus Concerning the Kingdom of God and the Church
Geerhardus Vos · 2018
The classic Reformed biblical-theological essay carefully distinguishing and relating the kingdom and the church, still foundational after a century.
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Kingdom Prologue: Genesis Foundations for a Covenantal Worldview
Meredith G. Kline · 2006
A demanding, original study rooting the kingdom in the covenant structure of Genesis, essential for advanced covenant theology readers.
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