Below is the next in our series of articles written by A. R. Wright for children and young people. Alexander R. Wright grew up in Northern Ireland. He became a minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1934 and served in the Ballylaggan Congregation, until his retirement in 1971.
He was specially interested in young people and cared deeply for them. As a result, he wrote “The Pages for the Young People” in the denomination’s monthly church magazine, “The Covenanter”, from 1935 until 1966. We have republished these articles in digital format, with the permission of Rev Wright’s family.
Of all the titles which are applied to Christ in Scripture, perhaps that of King is the one which makes most appeal to Covenanters. Our Covenanting forefathers laid great stress upon the kingship of Christ. They regarded him as King of the individual, King of the Church, King of the nation. They wanted Him in all things to have the pre-eminence. Their motto was, “For Christ’s Crown and Covenant”. And today we follow in their footsteps. We say to church and nation- “Behold your King”.
Let us think of certain characteristics of Jesus as King.
1. He Is A Good King
There have been many bad kings in history. In the Bible we have such names as Pharaoh and Manasseh and Herod. And in ordinary history we have such names as John and Charles II, of England and Charles IX, of France. But then there have been good kings as well as bad kings. You could mention, I am sure, some of the good kings of the Bible; David and Hezekiah and Josiah. And you could also mention some of the good kings of history; Alfred and Edward VI, oh, and yes, our late King George V. It is a well-known fact that he was a good king in the Christian sense of the term. He honoured the Bible and the Sabbath and public worship. In 1881 he promised his mother that he would read a chapter of the Bible daily, and we are assured that he kept his promise to the end.
But then we must remember that there is only one king who is absolutely good, namely, Jesus Christ. All earthly kings have had their faults and imperfections. Christ is perfect. He is absolutely sinless. He is good in Himself, and good in His dealings with His people.
2. Christ Is A Gentle King
By this we do not mean that He is weak and frail and unfitted for His kingly duties, for Christ is strong and powerful. Neither do we mean that Christ deals tenderly with all men alike. No, for there is such a thing as the “wrath of the Lamb”.[1] No, when we say that Christ is a gentle King we mean that He rules by love and not by force. Many earthly kingdoms have been won by the power of the sword, but Christ kingdom is won by the power of love.
Napoleon, on one occasion said, “Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I, have founded great empires. But upon what did these creations of our genius depend? Upon force. Jesus alone founded an Empire upon love and to this day millions would die for him”. Yes, Christ’s kingdom is founded upon love. He draws his people gently into the Kingdom, and He deals gently with them when they become His subjects. A bruised reed shall He not break.[2]
3. He Is A Generous King
There have been many kings in the world who have been anything but generous. Instead of being generous they have been grasping. We think, for example, of Charles I who was always thinking of self, and inflicting such heavy taxation upon his people that at last they rose in arms against him. But then, there have been generous kings as well. We think, for example, of Alfred the Great, whose one great aim was not to advance the interests of self, but to advance the interests of his country.
However, when we desire to think of real generosity on the part of kings, we have to turn to our Lord Himself. Think of what He gave to us. He gave Himself. He died in our room and stead. And today He offers to us all the benefits which He purchased for us on the cross; provision for the needs of the body, and the needs of the soul. He freely offers, we receive.
4. He Is A Great King
There have been great kings in the past; Alfred, and Alexander, and Napoleon. But the greatest of all Kings is Jesus Christ.
He is great as regards power. The power of earthly kings is limited, but the power of Christ is unlimited. All authority is given to Him in heaven and on earth. We should never despair as we see evil rising its monstrous head in the various nations of the world. Christ is greater than the devil. Christ is all-powerful, and one day He will subdue all enemies under His feet. The forces of Christ will ultimately triumph, the forces of evil will be overthrown. Such is our faith and hope.
Again, Christ is great as regards to the extent of his Dominion. King Edward VIII had great dominions. He was ruler over 450,000,000 people. But Christ is ruler over the whole world. And not only over the world of men, but also over the animal and vegetable world. It is true that His rule is not yet universally acknowledged, but we believe that the time will come when all will know and acknowledge Him as King. (See Psalm 72:8, 17.)
Finally, Christ is great as regards the length of His reign. George III reigned for 60 years. Christ reigns forever. Earthly kingdoms rise and fall. The kingdom of Christ endures forever. He is from everlasting to everlasting.
Young people, we have been talking about Jesus as King. The call for us today is to acknowledge Him King of our hearts and lives, to crown Him Lord of all. And the call for the nations is precisely the same, acknowledge Christ is King and Lord. Kiss the Son.[3]
Let us never think that the principles of our forefathers are out of date. We believe that what the world needs today is the application of those principles.
[1] Revelation 6:16
[2] Isaiah 42:3
[3] Psalm 2:12
