How Is Christ King?
It’s a Multiple-Choice Question!
David Bryant
In this blog post, you’ll find that the question is a little more complicated than the average Christian would suspect. There are at least four options as to what the phrase “Christ is King” means in today’s world:
▢“Christ is King”—as an ancient, settled theological concept
▢“Christ is King”—as an annual feast in the Church calendar
▢“Christ is King”—as a rhetorical, right-wing political trope
▢“Christ is King”—as an existential, transforming encounter
Each one of the selections makes sense to specific multitudes of self-identified Christians today. A person’s choice reveals a lot about who they are as well as the trajectory of their life in Christ. Which one is your choice?
Let’s investigate each option by starting with an experiment: Google your name in Google Images. What did you discover? Were you surprised?
When I did this, I was stunned. Here were all these faces looking back at me that looked nothing like me! But my deep response was: “How can they co-opt my name and pretend to be me? After all, they aren’t me!”
I wonder how God’s Son sees all the ways his name—his reputation and position—has been distorted by how we use, misuse, and even abuse it. At times, it’s done innocently, to be sure, by simply diminishing how we think of him when we state the fact that “Christ is King.”
What does the phrase actually refer to? Today, four major choices present themselves. Let’s look at each briefly so you can make your choice.
▢“Christ is King”—as an ancient, settled theological concept
Pilate asked Jesus this question: “So you are a king?” (John 18:37, ESV). Jesus responded, “My kingdom is not of this world. … my kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36, NIV). This fact reaches its culmination in Revelation 19, where we read: “His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. … On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:12,16, NIV).
In his scholarly treatise, Rex Gloriae: The Kingship of Christ in the Early Church, Swedish historian and theologian Per Beskow shows the interfacing of Jewish and Greek/Roman concepts of kingship as the early Church fathers hammered out their understanding of what it all meant.
For example, Beskow records that Cyril of Alexandria wrote:
[Christ] has dominion over all creatures, a dominion not seized by violence nor usurped, but by his essence and by nature. From this it follows not only that Christ is to be adored by angels and men, but that to him as man, angels and men are subject and must recognize his empire; by reason of the hypostatic union, Christ has power over all creatures.
From there, the theology evolved through the reign of Constantine and into the Catholicism of the Middle Ages, when the Pope was said to sit on the “Throne of St. Peter” as a “stand in” for King Jesus who reigns on his throne above.
In Protestant theology, Jesus is already reigning as King of kings (often currently meaning in the hearts of believers and in the Church), yet his kingdom is not yet fully realized on earth, creating a lived tension for Christians.
For example, in the Reformed view, Christ’s kingship extends over every square inch of existence right now. But the Dispensational school places heavier emphasis on the future physical, millennial kingdom, while acknowledging that he still holds all authority in heaven and on earth.
However, for many, these discussions can silo the reign of Christ—now or future—down to theological talking points, even debates, that fail to take the concept of “Christ is King” out of the head and into the heart where it impacts one’s spiritual growth.
Is that you? If not, how about this choice?
▢“Christ is King”—as an annual feast in the Church calendar
We learn about this dimension from this short summary in Wikipedia:
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly referred to as the Feast of Christ the King, Christ the King Sunday or Reign of Christ Sunday,[4] is a feast in the liturgical year which emphasizes the true kingship of Christ. The Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Moravian, Methodist, Nazarene, Reformed and Orthodox churches celebrate the Feast of Christ the King.
The feast emphasizes the true kingship of Christ after the upheavals resulting from the First World War and the end of all four major monarchies in mainland Europe. It was meant to respond to the rise of atheism and secularization. … [On the church calendar], the earliest date on which the Feast of Christ the King can occur is 20 November and the latest is 26 November. (Feast of Christ the King. Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. Last edit February 25, 2026 at 21:24 (UTC), Feast of Christ the King; was accessed 03/22/26).
Unfortunately, much of Christendom thinks about the kingship of Jesus only once a year. Even then, with all the embellishments of the festival, the true meaning gets swamped with distractions in the same way the Christmas holiday traditions mute the true meaning and impact of the Incarnation.
Is this where you come out? If not, what do you think of this choice?
▢“Christ is King”—as a rhetorical, right-wing political trope
In a recent article in The Christian Post, theologian Simone Rizkallah reports on “How ‘Christ is King’ became an internet weapon” (03/23/2026). It is eye-opening!
Her research reveals that it has become increasingly what she terms a “digital chant,” even a “taunt,” sometimes repeated multiple times in a single social media post. She finds it being used by white supremacists, anti-Semites, and Christian Nationalists—partially to provoke outrage or signal hostility toward the outsiders. But most often it provides a mark of allegiance to their cause among the insiders.
They have distorted the phrase into what she defines as a “cultural weapon” and deployed it as a slogan that they feel provides them cultural dominance—especially over racial minorities, Jews, and the political Left.
Dr. Rizkallah concludes:
The doctrine of Christ’s kingship was developed precisely to remind political movements that they are not ultimate. It was meant to humble political power, not sanctify it. Yet online it is increasingly deployed as a weapon in political combat, as if invoking Christ’s authority somehow settles the argument. …
[However,] it meant something far more radical: every worldly power is judged by it. Every nation. Every ideology. Every political movement—including those that try to use His name.
Christ is King. And precisely because he is King, His name cannot be reduced to an internet meme, a partisan slogan, or a weapon aimed at others—least of all the people through whom God first revealed his promises to the world.
Christians should not surrender this confession to internet trolls or ideological opportunists. It belongs to the Church, and its meaning is far deeper—and far more demanding—than any slogan. (Rizkallah, Simone. 03/19/2026.
Is this your choice? Are you possibly leaning in this direction? If not—or if you’re not sure—there is this one remaining option among these choices:
▢“Christ is King”—as an existential, transforming encounter
In Revelation 1, when John met his Savior in his ascended glory on Patmos Island, John fell down on his face before him like a dead man. At that moment, as he records, he encountered his Master in a new way—as “the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (emphasis mine).
This is the “existential, transforming encounter” the Father wants for all his children—not just once in a while but on a regular basis. Like Paul says in Colossians 3, verse 1: “… set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (NIV). Or again, in Ephesians 1, we’re told that the Holy Spirit is ready to reveal intimately in our hearts how (among other things) the Christ who has ascended in power to a place above all other names is the power now at work in all believers.
To say “Christ is King” is to confess that for you personally:
As the Son of God (that is, being the One who is in eternal union with the Father and the Spirit), he has the right to occupy your full attention and keep it fixed on him, exclusively as Lord. He’s the focus for your life.
In the purposes of God (that is, in the Father’s plan to sum up everything in Heaven and among the nations under the Son’s everlasting dominion), he has the right to keep you involved with the advances of his redeeming mission, exclusively as Lord. He’s the fulfillment of your calling.
Owning all the resources of God (that is, being the Supreme Ruler over the outpouring of God’s triumphant grace), he has the right to keep your full dependence on him, exclusively as Lord. He’s the fullness in your fellowship.
As the One who inhabits the people of God (that is, being the Regent of God to whom belongs the affection and allegiance of every subject), he has the right to gather up the devotion of his servants for his everlasting glory, exclusively as Lord. He’s the fervency of your labors.
To that we can only respond: Lord Jesus Christ, as King of kings …
◆You are the Superlative One.
You will forever defy all human categories. No language is adequate to describe you. No analysis can fully record all the roles you must play to advance God’s ever-expanding kingdom (1 Peter 1).
◆You are the Incomparable One.
You will forever remain in a class by yourself—no duplicates, no clones. Your importance will continue to eclipse all others, outranking every other being in Heaven, Earth or hell. You will reign ‘world without end’ (2 Thess. 1).
◆You are the Exalted One.
For eternity, you will forever hold the primary focus of our praises, a position of unrivaled distinction, prestige and majesty in the universe. You will be the joy of all peoples, worthy to receive every treasure, every dominion and every ounce of praise (Rev. 5).
◆You are the Preeminent One.
In time, in space, in history and throughout eternity, You will forever lay claim to the universe. As you held the primacy at the beginning (“firstborn of creation,” Col. 1), so you will at the end (“firstborn from among the dead,” Col. 1). All things to come are your possession to do with as your Father pleases.
◆You are the Sufficient One.
Nothing will ever exhaust your power and resources. You require no “outsourcing.” You will forever prove totally adequate for all our longings, fears, needs, or heart-cries. You are the final inheritance of each of God’s children (Phil. 3).
◆You are the Triumphant One.
None of your enemies will prevail. You will defeat all foes unconditionally—both human and demonic—to emerge forever unthreatened, unhindered, and victorious over all opposition, permanently and forever. You are the everlasting Overcomer (Rev. 17).
◆You are the Unifying One.
Bringing all things under your feet as Lord, you will permanently redeem and reconcile to the Godhead innumerable sinners from all ages and all nations. In the Consummation, all creation, as well as the Church itself, will be held together in perfect harmony by your irrevocable decrees and your indestructible might (Heb. 1).
Well, then, now the choice is yours. Which option feels “right” to you? Which one represents where your relationship with Jesus stands now? Where do you want it to go?
As you ponder that, enjoy this worship song: “King of Kings!”
About the Author
Over the past 50 years, David Bryant has been defined by many as a “messenger of hope” and a “Christ proclaimer” to the Church throughout the world. Formerly a minister-at-large with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, president of Concerts of Prayer International (COPI), and chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee, David now provides leadership to Proclaim Hope! and ChristNow.com, whose mission is to inspire, equip, and serve an American CHRIST Awakening. Download his widely read ebooks at ChristNow.com. Enjoy hundreds of his podcast episodes. Meet with David through Zoom or by in-person events through David Bryant LIVE! Learn much more about David and his mission here.
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