Our citizenship is in heaven
Philippians 3:20-21 - Do what you can in this life to bring respect and honor to God as a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
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“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
Philippians 3:20-21 NIV
Do you ever wonder if God is trying to tell you something? I sure do! My last devotional was also about Heaven. These devotional verses are randomly selected, so it’s pretty obvious to me that the Lord is working at growing the knowledge we (Barb and I, as well as you wonderful readers) have about our eternal home.
Today’s verses are at the end of Chapter 3 of Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians. In the rest of this chapter, Paul explains the futility of having a relationship with God based on the principle of law (Mosaic law, starting with the Book of Deuteronomy), and then expresses his complete confidence in a living relationship with the resurrected and living Jesus. In the last section of the chapter, Paul admonishes the readers to follow his example and to avoid the enemies of the Cross.
The Philippians were citizens of Rome, just as Paul was, and all Roman citizens attributed great value to that citizenship. Paul begins these verses by pointing out that the Christians in Philippi have a dual citizenship, both as citizens of Rome and citizens of Heaven.
Citizenship of a country means that our conduct must follow that country’s governance. David Guzik of Enduring Word has this interesting commentary on being a citizen of Heaven:
ii. If we are citizens of heaven, it means that we are resident aliens on earth. Foreigners are distinct in whatever foreign land they go. Christians must be so marked by their heavenly citizenship that they are noticed as different.
Aliens should seek to do good works in the land they sojourn in.
Aliens should not seek to interfere in the affairs of the land they sojourn in.
Aliens have privileges as well as duties; they are not under the same obligations as citizens of the land they sojourn in.
Aliens are not eligible for the same rewards and recognitions as the citizens of the land that they sojourn in.
Aliens should not focus on building riches in the land they sojourn in.
iii. We also have a certain character as citizens of heaven.
As citizens we are under the government of heaven.
As citizens we share in heaven’s honors.
As citizens we have property rights in heaven.
As citizens we enjoy the pleasures of heaven.
As citizens of heaven we love heaven and feel attached there.
As citizens of heaven we keep in communication with our native home.
After establishing the fact that the Philippians were also citizens of Heaven, Paul goes on to make some additional comparisons to drive home the point (also from the Guzik commentary):
b. From which we also eagerly wait for the Savior: As Philippians would eagerly await a visit from the emperor in Rome, even more so should Christians eagerly await the coming of their King — Jesus Christ.
i. Savior was a title given to the Caesars. In 48 B.C. Julius Caesar was declared to be “the universal savior of mankind.” It then became a common title for the ruling Caesar. Paul means something when he applies the title to Jesus in the context of citizenship.
c. The Lord Jesus Christ: The title Lord was also applied to the Roman Caesar. It wasn’t long after the time of Paul that Christians were martyred for refusing to call Caesar Lord, claiming that Jesus was the only Lord.
As an aside, I’d like to remind our readers that Christians are still being martyred today for their belief. This article points out that of the estimated 70 million Christian martyrs since Saint Stephen was stoned to death with Paul watching, half of those died for their faith in the 20th century…
Paul continues in verse 21, explaining the future work of our Savior — that of transforming “our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” This must have been an astounding statement to the Philippians, as our Savior could accomplish what no Roman emperor could do. Jesus could (and still will!) give resurrected believers the same type of body that He had after His resurrection. That new body was human in appearance, yet perfected for Heaven.
How is Jesus able to do this? “By the power that enables him to bring everything under his control.” The God we serve is all-powerful, and He can resurrect our bodies in the same way He resurrected Jesus! In the same Enduring Word commentary quoted earlier, Guzik quotes early 20th-century evangelist and pastor F.B Meyer, who said this about the power of God:
“There may be sins within your heart that have long resisted control. Do with them as you will, they still defy you… But if you will hand over the conflict to Jesus, He will subdue them; He will bring them under his strong, subjecting hand. Be of good cheer. What you cannot do, He can.”1
Do what you can in this life to bring respect and honor to God as a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, I thank You that I am a citizen of Heaven, and pray that during my earthly life I may glorify Your holy name in both my conduct and my conversation. You have assured me that through my belief in the resurrected Christ, I will be transformed into the image and likeness of our Savior. Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, AMEN.
Scripture quotations taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica US, Inc.®. Used by permission.
Commentary quotations from Enduring Word are used with the written permission of the author
Meyer, F.B. "Our Daily Homily: Matthew-Revelation" Volume 5 (Westwood, New Jersey: Revell, 1966)