Citizenship

Are you a good citizen? How do you define that? Voting? Paying taxes? Obeying laws?

Hebrews 11 is known as the “Faith Hall of Fame.” The writer of Hebrews defined faith in verse 1, then described faith initially using the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Sarah. Abraham was a citizen of that land of Ur, but was a stranger in a strange land seeking the country God had promised him.  Abel was one generation removed froth the Garden and his parents were literal exiles. These men and women died never fully having received the promise God made in verse 12, but they looked to the future and trusted God. Their desire was to pass through this world without taking on its character.  Psalm 84:5 tells us: “How blessed is the man whose strength in in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion!” As believers, we have got to keep that path in mind.

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. Hebrews 1:13-14

These folks knew they didn’t belong to the world. They were strangers and exiles here. It is as if they had a homing instinct within them – they knew they were supposed to be somewhere else. Not necessarily a land of their own, but something better that God had promised. They lived in the light of promises God had made to them; promises they knew would never be realized in their lifetimes.  We are in the same state, living with the promise of eternity.  We must trust God while walking the path on earth, knowing He will keep his promise to us.

We learn in verses 15 and 16 that this better country is a promise of Heaven. God honors the faith of the faithful and has prepared this better country for them. I wish I could describe Heaven, but I believe it is indescribable. It is sufficient to say the faithful will be in the very presence of God and experience the fullness of His love. Everything will be pure and there will be no sin and rottenness.

Philippians 3:18-19 tells us that the unfaithful (enemies of the cross of Christ) walk a path that leads to destruction, their minds set on their needs and earthly things. Paul reminds us in verse 20, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

We are citizens of earthly governments, and the Scriptures tell us we are to be good citizens, but our loyalty, our allegiance, belongs to God. I spent a great deal of time in Laredo, Texas several years ago. Laredo is a border town with Mexico. One hotel I stayed in backed up to the Rio Grande River. I saw people walking from Mexico to the US early in the day and back across in the evening. I learned that many of them held dual citizenship, and that Laredo and Nuevo Laredo (in Mexico) are almost considered one city because of the close relationships.

In a sense we are dual citizens.  There is deliberate tension in this; we live in this world while representing another. As citizens of Heaven, God expects us to have an impact on this world we live in. In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” We cannot isolate ourselves from the world, but neither should we delve deeply into its mess as if this world and its politics are all that matter. We must be intentionally citizens of Heaven while simultaneously serving as citizens of the world. Your American citizenship comes with certain rights, protections, and responsibilities. Your heavenly citizenship comes with great responsibility.

Many years ago, I stood in front of a crusty Coast Guard Master Chief and said, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” Some time later, I stated very similar words as I was sworn in as an Ensign. Years before that, my father stood over me and said, “I baptize you my son in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

The oaths were important to me and governed my behavior for 25 years of my life.  But the words of my father and pastor, though not an oath, were symbolic of the promise I made to Jesus when I accepted him as my Savior, and of His promises to me.  Those words represent an eternal impact.

We live in a world of loudness, of many voices trying to drown out each other in the name of individual rights and justice, often with diametrically opposed views of what those words mean. Here are your rights:  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; the wages of sin is death.  But here is your privilege: But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Depending on your point of view, you are elated or discouraged by the results of yesterday’s election. Let me remind you that when you ultimately arrive in that wonderful place where your true citizenship lies, this election will be immaterial, except in ways yet unknown that bring people to Christ; and those ways will not happen on a national or international stage but through people sharing with people. I certainly encourage you to be good Americans and citizens; to be patriots.  But God commands your allegiance as citizens of His kingdom. That is a much higher calling and commitment where there is neither red nor blue but the spotless glory of a loving God.