5 Simple and Meaningful Ways to Live Out Your Heavenly Citizenship

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:20: “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior.” Does this mean we are simply biding our time here in America until we have a chance to go up to heaven? That’s not what the Philippians would have understood when Paul wrote these words. Here is how N.T. Wright describes it:

Being ‘citizens of heaven’ doesn’t mean you’re supposed to end up there. Many of the Philippians were Roman citizens, but Rome didn’t want them back when they retired. Their job was to bring Roman culture to Philippi. That’s the point that all the gospels actually make, in their own ways. Jesus is risen, therefore God’s new world has begun….Jesus is risen, therefore his followers have a new job to do. And what is that new job? To bring the life of heaven to birth in actual, physical, earthly reality.

N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, 293.

So how do we bring this kind of transformation to the earth? A popular but mistaken route is to try and establish the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, by aligning with political parties. Consider this critique:

People often complain that the political agenda of conservative Christians looks suspiciously like the political agenda of conservative secularists—the Republican party on its knees. And it seems inconceivable that an agency of any mainline, Protestant denomination should espouse some social position unlike that of the most liberal Democrats. The church is the dull exponent of conventional secular political ideas with a vaguely religious tint. Political theologies, whether of the left or of the right, want to maintain Christendom, wherein the church justifies itself as a helpful, if sometimes complaining, prop for the state.

Hauerwas and Willimon, Resident Aliens, 38.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus did not die on the cross to purchase a people who are a prop for the state! Peter tells us why he purchased a people in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

The primary political task of the church is not to be a prop for the state, but to be a colony of heaven, proclaiming the excellencies of the one who has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son!

So what should you do?

Here are five very practical applications to live out your heavenly citizenship as an American citizen:

1. Pray. As a citizen of heaven, your primary battles are spiritual, and so are your weapons. You can do what the world cannot; namely, approach the throne of grace with confidence and cry out to your Father for justice and mercy in our land.

2. Study the Word and imitate those living well. It is not enough to know what the Word says. You must ingest it and digest it and allow it to become part of your very flesh. Look for good examples around you and imitate them. Set your mind on heaven’s priorities for earth and actively get involved with groups and ministries that are advancing heaven’s cause.

3. Invite others to experience Christian community. As you live out the call to love and serve one another, you will present a different kind of community than many experience on a daily basis. Invite people into your home, your small group, or the Sunday morning worship service to experience the beauty and goodness of Christian community.

4. Share the gospel of hope. The most important thing you can do for anyone here on earth is to share with them how to become a citizen of heaven. Some will reject it; the cross is an offense. But others will embrace it and experience the life-transforming power of the grace of God!

5. Vote your conscience. As you pray, as you study the Word, and as you set your mind on things above, you will increasingly desire the welfare of all who live within our boundaries. When you go to the polls, love God, love your neighbor, and let your vote be an expression of those two greatest commandments. Remember especially those who are most vulnerable: the poor, the orphan, the elderly, the unborn, the immigrant, the minority, and the disabled. Christians may disagree about what policies best care for these groups, but we should be united in our commitment to love the least of these.

Of course, there are more ways to be engaged but these would be a great start. You are a citizen of heaven. Through the cross, Christ has freed you from your slavery in darkness and made you a citizen of his kingdom of light. Embrace that identity, and share it with the world.