These days we may take our citizenship for granted. We are generally called citizens of the country where we were born or reside. But this
was not the case in 1st century Rome.
Roman citizenship offered advantages like special legal
protections, representation, and power and was held by only a fortunate
few. The Apostle Paul himself benefitted
greatly from his citizenship as recorded in the book of Acts.
All of this made the words of Philippians 3:20 truly
striking to the initial readers:
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…”
As citizens of heaven we are given legal access to the God
of the Universe.
We are also of a particular heavenly culture that is
expressed most fully in the character of Jesus Christ. Finally, regardless of our earthly citizenship or residence
we are constantly acting as official Ambassadors for our Ultimate Home, which
is a high calling indeed!
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