The Christian’s testimony distinguishes itself from the culture around us as we find our hope and joy in the kingdom to come. While there are endless factions all trying to convince each other what form of godlessness is best to bring their own utopia, we are settled and secured, ready to suffer as we look past the borders of our life to a land prepared by God.

Paul’s Citizenship

Paul was a man who knew great abundance and great lack. He was a well-regarded, highly educated teacher of the law with more to boast about than any man (Philippians 3:4). He was, in his own words “a Hebrew of Hebrews,” from the tribe of Benjamin, a teacher of the law, and blameless in the sight of man (3:5-6). He knew abundance, but that all changed when he was knocked from his high horse and called for the purposes of the One who he was persecuting (Acts 9:1-6). Christ took this man of prestige and humbled him. He did this for His purposes, and He used His servants to bring the one who persecuted them into their fold (Acts 9:10-19). The scales fell from his eyes physically and spiritually and he came to know the truth of the gospel. The blessing of God comes by grace, not by works, and now Paul was to be a messenger for this good news.

As a result of his repentance, Paul received greater labors, imprisonments, countless beatings, stoning, shipwreck, danger from every group he encountered, sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, cold and exposure, and was often before the face of death (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). On top of that, every church he encountered in his new role of apostle was facing encroaching forces from without and gave Paul pastoral concerns for their wellbeing (11:28-29). He had to stand before the Roman government to account for the trouble that seemed to follow him (Acts 24-26). He needed to repeatedly give an accounting of his own qualifications to the churches he ministered to despite being given his office from God Himself (2 Corinthians 10-13). He was a man who became a true sharer in the sufferings of his Lord.

It is against this backdrop that Paul came to say to the Philippians, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4). He further exhorted them to “reasonableness,” not being anxious about anything but relying on God, and he assured them that the peace of God would guard their hearts and minds (4:5-7). From imprisonment, Paul spoke about peace and called his readers to think on that which is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise (4:8). He reminded them, despite his appearance, that he did not rejoice in their provision for his need, but rather in the fruit of the increasing grace being poured out from their hearts (4:10-13). His concern was for their souls. Earlier in the letter, he talked about the utter worthlessness of the estate he had before Christ and his willingness to count it all as rubbish all to the gain of Christ (3:7-8). Paul longed to know Him and the power of His resurrection as well as the suffering that led His Lord to death (3:10-11).

Citizenship in Heaven

Jesus was a man of sorrows who was acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). He suffered, as Paul recounted in Philippians 2:1-11, the infinite humiliation of the incarnation and subsequent death on the cross. The perfect Son of God became flesh, emptying himself of the prestige and rightful claim to worship for the sake of servant-hood, and He did this for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). He took upon Himself a wrath that He never deserved to win for us an estate we could never claim (Eph 1:11, 18). This estate was not of this world. He said as much in the upper room in John 14:1-4 when He told His disciples to not be troubled as He would be preparing a place for them to which He would one day take them. He stood before Pilate and told him the kingdom that Christ would rule was not of this world (John 18:35-37). It was the same kingdom Abraham sought (Hebrews 11:10). And it is in this kingdom where Paul assured the Philippians they would find their citizenship (Philippians 3:20-21).

Likewise, we must remember that our life on this earth, in this earthly kingdom, is not our final home. We must consider the stark contrast of the enemies of the cross as compared to those who await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:17-21). Those who sit as enemies of the cross, no matter what blessings they tasted in this life, have a mind set on the things of this world. Because of this, their end is destruction as their true god is their belly, and the things that ought to bring them shame are things they find worth glorying in (3:19). For those of us who have a citizenship in heaven, our bodies will be transformed. We will be raised from our lowly estate to a glorious body through the power of the One who saved us (3:20-21).

The apostle Paul, like Moses, considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward (Hebrews 11:24-26). Paul’s striving was not to have and build for himself a life worthy of appreciation here. He strove after that which could not be seen but was promised. Therefore, what he sought was built on a firmer foundation than the countless blessings he enjoyed as a Jew or a Roman citizen. He knew that there was a better nation to come where his citizenship was already secured. He didn’t long to stay for the better things of life, only as long as he needed to in order to serve those he cared about. 

Implication & Application

For many Christians here in America, the sweet taste of freedom and abundance has been an uncommon blessing not often tasted by the people of God throughout the history of His church. This is not something to mourn over as God is sovereign over the times of prosperity as well as adversity (Ecclesiastes 7:14). That being so, we do not want to be lured in by the siren-song of a nation never promised to the people of God in this life. We can glory in the mercies of God to give His people a respite in this life with a nation to live where we do not share the same daily experience of the apostle Paul. However, let us not forget that we long for a kingdom better than this.

We live in this nation knowing that there is a better one to come. Therefore, we are grateful to God with what we have, and even though we are concerned with the welfare of this nation because we are concerned with the welfare of our neighbors and that of our children and grandchildren, we must not become lost in a sea of concerns. This life is not our own and this nation is not our home. Therefore, we live and move with a character steadfast and built up in the hope we receive in our knowledge of the gospel we preach and our home with eternal foundations.