What nation holds your citizenship? If you are a Christian, it does not belong to any earthly country. Your citizenship switched from an earthly nation to the heavenly one. I do not mean that we are no longer citizens of our respective countries, but that country no longer holds our chief loyalty. Much like emigrating – our citizenship has changed. We have been born anew in the kingdom and since that birth is not of the earth, our citizenship likewise is extraterrestrial, not of the make, order, or place of this earth.
Our loyalty is now to a new country. We were once foreigners and strangers to this heavenly kingdom but now we are “citizens with God’s people.”[1] So now we are “strangers and aliens in the world”[2] just like all believers before us who were also “strangers and foreigners on earth.”[3] Since our citizenship is to this new country, the laws we follow call from that place, not our earthly homes.
What is the law of God? It is love.[4] The king of our country, Jesus, defined this love when he said “Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”[5] This love is sacrificial, it gives everything. We lay down our life every time we move past our own desires, preferences, and comfort so that we can serve, give, and care for others. This is the new law we are commanded to follow.
The only reason we follow the laws of our earthly countries is out of respect for God.[6] The moment these laws and regulations oppose God’s law of love, we put our loyalty to God first. That is the charge of a true citizen of Heaven. Whether it costs us everything, God calls us to follow with Him first. We are commanded to violate those laws that impede us from fulfilling our duty and obedience to God. So we are the best citizens, and the most dangerous – for what nation can control God?
Peter wrote “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors.”[6] He also repeatedly and directly violated commands from his government. Peter and John were arrested by the religious governing authority, who “commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”[7]They were arrested again and thrown in jail, only to have an angel release them by opening the jail doors. Immediately they went back and preached Jesus again.[8] After being arrested a third time they told the governing authorities, “We must obey God rather than human beings!”[9] The authorities wanted to put them to death![10] Ballsy, and full of conviction, and this is the way God calls us to be. Peter and John understood, sharing God’s truth is an act of love. They could not love others if they were frightened into not sharing the liberating message of Jesus crucified for all. Do not be fooled, our God demands civil disobedience to the state when his laws are being violated.
So it is not an excuse to follow the laws and directions of one’s government. To hide behind them, assuming that they are good and align with God’s desires and ideas. Nothing is to block us from carrying out our duty as Christians, our never-completed debt to continue loving one another.[11]
More importantly, as proper citizens of heaven, our love knows no line or distinction. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, Male nor Female, Slave or Master…”[12] Our favor does not prioritize the people of our own language or culture over anyone else. This is opposite of what our countries call from us – loyalty to themselves. Nationalism is designed to give people a common unity so that a country can move as one. But our unity is in the Holy Spirit – so where does our patriotism lie? Only in Jesus, and yet we often do not move as one. We fight each other, hide, blame, and defame one another, while the enemies of love raid our land.
Our favor does not prioritize the people of our own language or culture over anyone else. This is opposite of what our countries call from us – loyalty to themselves.
Consider nations, they conspire and plan to benefit themselves – they operate by earthly principles. Each country seeks to protect itself, to increase its influence, to secure profit and resources for itself. They wage and profit in war, whether by trade or violence – at the expense of other nations. Do not be naïve that countries move for the benefit of all. This will never change.
Yet, these principles do not belong to God’s kingdom, and neither its citizens. The first question should not be what is best for our country but what is loving to do? What expresses God’s love for all people? If a nation could operate by God’s principles, it would seek to spend its resources to strengthen and care for others, expecting nothing in return. But no! Earthly nations operate like Machiavelli, who wrote The Prince. It is hideous to me when Jesus, America, and our military are combined into one thing. As if Jesus loves America more than Afghanistan, as if guns and warplanes are God’s ideas. As if the US military is endorsed by God above all other counties. It is entirely the opposite. When God made the nation of Israel he commanded them not to acquire horses[13] – the main weapon of war and power of the time. God’s ideas that they never followed.[14] Patriotism is an idol. We worship our earthly country every time we put its interests, desires, and needs above God’s interests. Whenever we are more concerned with our nation than the priorities of our heavenly country, we are telling God that our earthly country is more important than Him.
It is disobedience and defaming to our heavenly country when Christians are more concerned about gun ownership laws, or illegal immigration laws, or political contribution laws, than the law to love others. It is not about the justification, correctness, constitutionality, or politics of these earthly laws, it is ‘what is loving.’ To judge by any other rule would mean we believe the laws of this temporary earth more important than the laws of our true country.
So let our first loyalty be to our true nation – our eternal kingdom – and not our earthly country. Now, we all find identity in where we are from. We are American, or perhaps Mexican-American, we are immigrants, refugees, patriots, or expats. Either way there is a pride and an identity in our race, culture, or the place we identify as home. These things only hamper the love of Jesus. They are no longer who we are.
Nationalism stands in the way of God’s purposes. What place does pride in our land have? Pride that our land is better, our people better, our culture superior. None of these things have a place among God’s people. Rather we are to consider others better than ourselves.[15] How would this change our attitude towards citizens of other countries? We would no longer see lines and distinction! We would see people, deserving of God’s love, slaves of a worldly regime that enslaves and damages. That is because there are only two kingdoms, the earthly and the heavenly. We would find our home not on this earth. Like Paul we would declare: “I would much rather be at home with God.”[16]The country of our home is above, not on this earthly soil, nor is it tied to a place in space. It is a place in our hearts with God.
Now God’s kingdom wages war too, but it is not against people, it is for all people. That mission is to share the love of God and persuade the world that God is here and he speaks.[17] As it says “we are all ambassadors”[18] so let our actions reflect well on our heavenly country. We are not reckless and rebellious without cause, we honor our earthly government and authority as we are called to do.[6] Yet, this is tempered by our duty to our heavenly country. When we answer the question ‘what can I do for my country’ we must mean our heavenly one. The one guided by principles of love and self-sacrifice. As Jesus said: lay your lives down for one another.[19] So our interests are not divided, we put God’s love first.
Are there illegal immigrants around us? What is loving to do? Is it not to extend God’s love to them? To serve them and help them succeed where they are? When should the laws of man stop God’s love? Are there refugees among us? Muslims or others? Then it is our God-given opportunity to love those God has placed near us. What a great gift God is giving us by bringing people to a country where we are free to discuss religion without being imprisoned. Are they changing American culture? Then let us praise God that we have an opportunity to share his love with them! So let us use our hands to serve and love all those around us. Teaching them our language and inviting them to become citizens of a heavenly nation. Because one day all the nations will be gone but our heavenly kingdom will reign forever.[20]
So wherever we see the opportunity to show God’s love, let us not shirk our duty. Let us not hide in fear but boldly love the unloved and act as the hands and feet of Jesus. Let not politics stay our hands but let us continue to press on, as true ambassadors of our true country.
- Ephesians 2:19
- 1 Peter 2:1
- Hebrews 11:13
- Matthew 22:37-40
- John 15:12-13
- 1 Peter 2:13-21
- Acts 4:18-21
- Acts 5:17-5:28
- Acts 5:29
- Acts 5:33
- Romans 13:8
- Galatians 3:28
- Deuteronomy 17:16
- 1 Kings 4:26
- Philippians 2:3-4
- 2 Corinthians 5:8
- Ephesians 6:12
- 2 Corinthians 5:20
- John 15:13, 1 John 3:16
- Revelations 11:15