Living as Dual Citizens: Navigating Earthly and Heavenly Kingdoms
In a world increasingly polarized by politics and cultural divisions, how should followers of Christ navigate their dual identities as citizens of both earthly nations and the kingdom of God? This question is not new – it has challenged believers for millennia. Yet in our current climate of heightened tensions and tribal loyalties, it’s more crucial than ever to reexamine our primary allegiance and how it shapes our interactions with the world around us.
The concept of Christians as “resident aliens” in this world traces back to the early church. A letter written around 130 AD, known as the Epistle to Diognetus, beautifully captures this paradox:
“They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers.”
This ancient wisdom resonates deeply with the teachings of Scripture, particularly in 1 Peter. The apostle Peter addresses believers as “elect exiles of the Dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1), emphasizing that their primary identity and citizenship lie not in their earthly nations, but in God’s kingdom.
Peter goes on to describe this new identity in powerful terms:
“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. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)
This language deliberately echoes God’s words to Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:5-6), now applied to all believers in Christ. It’s a radical redefinition of identity and belonging. No longer are we primarily defined by our ethnicity, nationality, or cultural background. Instead, our core identity is rooted in being chosen, loved, and redeemed by God.
This shift in primary allegiance has profound implications for how we live and interact with the world around us. Peter outlines several key principles:
1. Abstain from sinful desires: As citizens of God’s kingdom, we’re called to a higher standard of behavior. This includes resisting the sexual immorality prevalent in the surrounding culture and guarding our speech from harmful, divisive rhetoric.
2. Do good works: Our heavenly citizenship should manifest in tangible acts of kindness and service, even towards those who may oppose or criticize us.
3. Fulfill our earthly callings: We’re to be diligent and faithful in our various roles – as family members, employees, church members, and citizens of our earthly nations.
4. Live with an eternal perspective: Everything we do should be motivated by the spread of the gospel and the coming day of judgment.
Navigating this dual citizenship is challenging. We’re called to be engaged in our earthly communities and nations, while always remembering that our ultimate loyalty lies elsewhere. This tension is perhaps most acutely felt in the realm of politics.
As citizens of earthly nations, we have a responsibility to be informed and engaged. Voting, for instance, can be seen as part of our calling. However, we must be vigilant against allowing politics to consume us or become an idol. The political sphere, while important, should not dominate our lives or conversations to the detriment of other callings and relationships.
Moreover, our engagement in politics and cultural debates must always be tempered by our primary identity in Christ. This means:
– Resisting the temptation to demonize or dehumanize those with whom we disagree
– Speaking words of blessing, even when facing hostility
– Prioritizing the spread of the gospel over winning cultural battles
– Remembering that every person we encounter is made in God’s image
The apostle James warns against the hypocrisy of praising God while cursing those made in His image (James 3:9-10). This is a sobering reminder in our age of harsh political rhetoric and social media vitriol.
Living as dual citizens requires constant vigilance and a reorientation of our priorities. We must regularly remind ourselves of our true home and primary allegiance. The Lord’s Supper serves as a powerful reminder of this reality – a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that awaits us in God’s eternal kingdom.
As we navigate the complexities of our earthly sojourn, let us hold fast to the words of C.S. Lewis, who reminds us of the eternal significance of every person we encounter:
“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree helping each other to one or the other of these destinations.”
This eternal perspective should shape our interactions, our priorities, and our engagement with the world around us. While we care for and seek the good of our earthly nations, we do so as ambassadors of a greater kingdom – one built on truth, beauty, and goodness.
As we approach contentious elections or navigate divisive cultural issues, may we be marked by our primary citizenship. Let our speech be gracious, our actions guided by love, and our ultimate concern be the flourishing of God’s kingdom and the salvation of souls.
For in the end, it is not the outcome of any election or cultural battle that will define us. Rather, it is our faithfulness to our true King and our effectiveness in drawing others into His marvelous light. May we live in such a way that, like the early Christians described in the letter to Diognetus, our lives provoke curiosity and point to a higher reality – the eternal kingdom where our true citizenship lies.