# Jesus Christ — The Kingdom of God Is Within You character guide > Jesus Christ in The Kingdom of God Is Within You by Leo Tolstoy. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Christ, innocent Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ **First appearance:** 0002-the-kingdom-of-god-is-within-you ## Snapshot The teacher whose Sermon on the Mount Tolstoy reads literally, stripping away centuries of church doctrine to recover a radical command: resist evil only with love. ## Who they are Tolstoy treats Jesus not as a divine miracle-worker but as the hinge of humanity's slow passage from animal self-interest through social loyalty to a divine life-conception grounded in love. The tension is sharp: churches that claim his name have, in Tolstoy's reading, buried his plain commands under Trinity, redemption, and sacrament. His teaching matters because it supplies the book's central test — whether a man can sacrifice personal and national good to do God's will. ## Relationships ### [Adin Ballou](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/adin_ballou) _friendship_ Adin Ballou deeply admires and aligns his Christian anarchist philosophy with the teachings of Jesus Christ, viewing him as a spiritual ally. ### [Farrar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/farrar) _psychological_ Farrar, likely a theologian or writer, engages with the figure of Jesus Christ as a subject of scholarly and spiritual analysis. ### [Petr Chelčický](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/petr_chelcicky) _friendship_ Jesus Christ is invoked as a foundational influence on Petr Chelčický’s pacifist and egalitarian Christian teachings. ### [Peter Sidorov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/peter_sidorov) _psychological_ Peter Sidorov is portrayed as a peasant who internalizes and struggles with the radical teachings of Jesus Christ, leading to personal transformation. ### [David](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/david) _family_ David is considered a forefather of Jesus Christ according to biblical genealogy, linking them as ancestor and descendant. ### [William Lloyd Garrison](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/william_lloyd_garrison) _friendship_ Jesus Christ is cited by Garrison as the ultimate moral exemplar for his abolitionist and nonresistance activism. ### [Max Müller](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/max_muller) _psychological_ Max Müller, a scholar of religion, examines Jesus Christ comparatively within the context of world religions and mythology. ### [Noah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/noah) _family_ Noah is a biblical patriarch whose lineage is connected to Jesus Christ through the genealogical tradition. ### [Moses](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/moses) _family_ Moses is a key prophetic figure in the Hebrew Bible whose law and teachings are seen as a precursor to Jesus Christ’s ministry. ### [Joseph de Maistre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/joseph_de_maistre) _rivalry_ Joseph de Maistre’s authoritarian and pro-monarchy views stand in opposition to the anarchist and pacifist interpretation of Jesus Christ in the book. ### [Adin Ballou](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/adin_ballou) _friendship_ Adin Ballou deeply admires and aligns his Christian anarchist philosophy with the teachings of Jesus Christ, viewing him as a spiritual ally. ### [Farrar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/farrar) _psychological_ Farrar, likely a theologian or writer, engages with the figure of Jesus Christ as a subject of scholarly and spiritual analysis. ## In the story ### [Epigraph](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/epigraph) Quoted from the Gospels of John and Matthew, and referenced in the Epistle to the Corinthians. ### [The Kingdom of God Is Within You](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/the-kingdom-of-god-is-within-you) Central figure whose teachings are reinterpreted as a practical guide for life. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/i) Central figure whose commandment 'Resist not evil' (Matthew 5:39) is the foundation of the nonresistance doctrine discussed. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/ii) His teaching on nonresistance to evil is the central subject of the chapter. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/iii) Christ's teaching is presented as the true standard, directly opposed to the churches' principles; the Sermon on the Mount is highlighted as incompatible with church doctrine. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/iv) Central figure whose teaching is contrasted with previous social teachings; his Sermon on the Mount and commandments are discussed as expressions of the ideal of divine perfection. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/v) His teachings on brotherhood, equality, and love are referenced as the standard against which modern life is measured and found wanting. ### [Chapter VIII: The Inevitable Choice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/viii) His teaching on nonresistance to evil is presented as the only solution to the crisis of modern society. ### [Chapter IX: Christian Liberation from Human Power](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/ix) Teacher whose law of love is the sole guide for Christians, referenced through the prophecy 'he shall not strive, nor cry'. ### [The Process of Christianization and the Inevitability of Moral Progress](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/x) Quoted as predicting the vanity of power and wealth: 'Woe unto you that are rich, that are full now, and when all are glorified.' ### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/xii-conclusion) Quoted as condemning hypocrisy and teaching that the kingdom of God is within. ### [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/ii) Referenced as the source of the Gospel teaching that murder is a terrible sin, which is contradicted by state and church practices. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/iii) His teaching is invoked as the basis for rejecting violence and the doctrine of an eye for an eye. ### [Chapter IV: The Corrosive Power of Hypocrisy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/iv) Referenced as the one whose only harsh speech was against hypocrites, underscoring the central theme of hypocrisy. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/v) Quoted in the Gospel of John (6:44) regarding the recognition of truth being drawn by the Father. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/vi) Quoted as the source of the teaching of the Kingdom of God within and the call to 'Seek ye the kingdom of God and His righteousness'. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/chapters/endnotes) His teachings on meekness, sacrifice, and nonresistance are discussed and defended against critics who dismiss them as unscientific. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters/jesus_christ - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_kingdom_of_god_is_within_you_se/characters