I have a family member who was born in 1965 as an American citizen, but he was not born in America. He was born 4,8000 miles away in Germany, yet his birth certificate lists him as an American citizen.
That is possible because he was born on an American Army base in Germany. As Christians, we have a similar situation to my family member who lived in one country while being a citizen of another country. We are here on earth temporarily until we arrive at our permanent home in heaven.
Because of this we face the challenge of living like citizens of heaven on earth in a culture that does not match our Christian values and priorities. While we want to honor God with our actions, we live in a culture where people get honor from culture because of the shameful things they do. Have you ever noticed that? The more shame someone brings on himself or herself, the more fame he or she gets through media coverage, book contracts, social media following, documentary series, etc.
Conversely, the honorable way we live on earth should bring honor to our God in heaven. We do this in many ways such as through how we love our family, how we care for our community, the effort we put into our work, and the way we use our money. People in our culture should look at us as Christians and recognize that something is different. We should be so different that they might not even understand why we do what we do.
Paul tells us to do this and how to do this in his letter to the Philippians. “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Phil 3:17–21, NASB).[1] This text forces us to examine our behavior as Christians compared to the behavior of the world.
In previous weeks we looked at 2 Timothy 3:16–17 about the belief we have that all Scripture is inspired by God and useful. In the coming weeks we will look at Philippians 3:17–21 which addresses behaviors we have because of those beliefs.
Before we carefully examine the individual parts of Philippian 3:17–21 I think it’s healthy to summarize these few verses. Here’s my summary of what Paul is telling us: Follow the example of a mature believer that is less imperfect than you, reject the example of those that reject Christ, and live according to heaven’s agenda. In other words, being a member of God’s kingdom requires that we live on earth like a member of that kingdom.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
- What are some areas where people get attention and accolades because of the shameful things they do?
- What pressure do you regularly feel living as a Christian in a culture that does not match your values and priorities?
- How can you gain more confidence to live as a citizen of heaven while on earth?
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.