My adopted son became a naturalized American citizen when we flew in from Uganda on 3rd June, 2011 and passed through immigration. Though we were in America only for the summer, and would return to Uganda a few weeks later, by law my son’s citizenship is his for life.
His rights as a citizen include voting in elections, serving on a jury, bringing family members from abroad to America, traveling with a passport, running for government positions, and eligibility for government grants and scholarships. With privileges come responsibilities. As a citizen, he is to support and serve his country when required, participate in the democratic process and respect and obey government, state and local laws.
As fortunate as my son is to be a citizen of a country, such membership pales in comparison with citizenship in heaven. Without residency in Jesus we are “foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12 NIV). But by the blood of Christ, you and I are “no longer strangers and foreigners” (Ephesians 2:19). To the contrary, we “are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. [We] are members of God’s family. Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself” (Ephesians 2:19-20).
Paul states in Philippians, “We are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior” (Philippians 3:20). As such we’re to “live as citizens of heaven, conducting [ourselves] in a manner worthy of the good news about Christ” (Philippians 1:27). Consider today how your words and actions convey where your citizenship lies.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Matthew 2:13-23
More:
Read Philippians 1:27 and note what marks a responsible citizen of heaven.
Next:
How can you more actively participate in the community of believers? What are the rights and responsibilities that come with being a believer in Jesus?
daisymarygoldr on June 13, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Great post, Roxanne! In some situations, when people become citizens of another country they have to renounce their previous citizenship and passports along with the privileges they enjoyed in their country of origin. A day after we became American citizens, my husband was called to appear for a job interview in his former country. However, his change in citizenship caused him to lose the opportunity of a lifetime for getting his dream job of a permanent position right there in his hometown— where his entire family lives. So, for some of us the cost of citizenship involves loss of family, friends, and financial security.
Similarly, once we become citizens of Heaven, we relinquish our former citizenship in the world. And sometimes this means we may have to renounce relationships and the privileges of this world. The “world” is the culture in which we live— its values, standards, goals, and conduct. Paul says in Phil 3:19, we must not be like the locals.
Our citizenship in Heaven comes at a price far beyond our ability to pay. It was bought with the blood of Christ. And so, yes, as part of the world system, we were alienated from God and strangers to His kingdom. Now, as citizens of God’s kingdom and members of His body, we have become strangers and pilgrims to this world.
The privileges of our citizenship include spiritual blessings and the power of the Holy Spirit that grants us freedom from sin. All that is nearest and dearest to us is in heaven; God our Father, Jesus our King, our treasure and our hope of eternal life is there. We therefore set our affections on things above.
No one can become a naturalized citizen of Heaven. We cannot enter the kingdom of God except by birth (John 3:3). The Kingdom of God is not altogether a distant future, but the power of a new life, a new allegiance, and a new citizenship, hear and now.
mike wittmer on June 19, 2012 at 10:02 pm
What a beautiful thing you did, Roxanne. I think that your son’s citizenship mirrors our heavenly citizenship in another way. He is a US citizen even though he is not living in America, just as we are citizens of heaven even though we are living on earth. Neat!