Whenever I address the
subject of the kingdom of God with almost-Christians, I realize most of our
countrymen are not even remotely aware that Jesus’ central teaching was about
God’s kingdom: “ ‘The time has come,’ Jesus said. ‘The kingdom of God has come
near. Change direction and believe this good news!’” (Mark 1:15). If they are
aware of the concept, they seem completely oblivious to how crucial the kingdom
of God is for ordering their lives. Instead, they repeat a dubious mantra that
goes something like one of these: “We have to be active in voting and
campaigning to keep our nation Christian,” or “We need to take our nation back
for God,” or “It is our responsibility to be good citizens.” I agree with this
last point, but ask this: where does
our citizenship lie? This is not an idle question, but crucial for serious
followers of Jesus.
“Our citizenship is in heaven,”
writes the apostle Paul to the Philippians, “and we eagerly await a savior from
there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). The word Paul uses that we
translate “citizenship” in English (politeuma
in Greek) had a very proud and stark meaning for the city of Philippi. When
the Romans invaded Greece 60 BCE, the Philippians betrayed their fellow Greeks
by aiding the Romans in a quick occupation of their country. As a reward,
everyone born in the city of Philippi was considered the same as if they had been born in Rome itself,
with all the rights and privileges that go along with being a Roman citizen. It
is hard to overstate what a privilege it was to be born in Philipi. They lived
in Greece, but their citizenship, their politeuma,
was in Rome. Being born in Philippi was like winning the lottery. Being born in
the United States is a lot like winning the lottery, too. We, too, have a lot
to treasure in being citizens of the United States. But…
When Paul tells the Philippian
followers of Jesus that their citizenship
is in heaven, he is simply noting what happened to New Testament Christians
when they were baptized into Jesus: they died to this world kingdom—and to
their obligation to it—and they were given new life as citizens of the kingdom
of God. This is what it means to claim, “Jesus is my Lord.” It means you
recognize Him as king of kings, and you recognize your exclusive loyalty is to
Him as king by submitting to His rule, His authority, His kingdom.
As a result, to become a
follower of Jesus should really cost something in America, as it did in
Philippi. We should subordinate our American citizenship to our kingdom obligation.
“Our citizenship is in heaven,” and our primary loyalty has shifted to King
Jesus. Once we really get this, we begin to understand why Christians from
everywhere else consider our pledge of allegiance to the flag to sound like a
form of idolatry. That is not easy for me to write as an Eagle Scout. But, as a
devoted follower of Jesus I recognize that I am a citizen of a different
kingdom.
What then is the civic
responsibility of followers of Jesus in our country? Because we are Kingdom citizens, our role here is as ambassadors to
America: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making
his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God!”
(2 Corinthians 5:20). If you read the preceding verses in that chapter, Kingdom
Christians’ role here is not to “keep America Christian” or “to take America
back for God,” but to appeal to our countrymen that they be reconciled to God prior
to his return, the second coming of Jesus. When He returns—the Scriptures
repeat again and again—the opportunity to be reconciled to Him will be past.
Our job, now and urgently, is to make an appeal as ambassadors from our
homeland in heaven, from where our savior is coming soon.
“Therefore, you kings, be
wise; be warned you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate
His rule with trembling” (Psalm 2:10-11).
