Citizenship in heaven (Php 3:20) does not involve abandonment of the earth or humanity's cultures. Rather, the citizenship metaphor is employed by Paul to contrast the identity and consequent motivation and desires of the believers with those who derive their identity solely from this fallen world. Indeed, these "enemies of the cross of Christ" have their mind set on "earthly things." But Paul's pejorative use of "earthly" in contrast to "heaven(ly)" should not be construed in a Gnostic manner that regards the material world to be intrinsically evil. If that were the case, why did the Son of God incarnate and why would Paul's heart beat so passionately with the hope of the transformation of the human corpus into one of immortality at the resurrection. It is sin and human adherence to it that is to be disdained, not the creation itself. It is a major mistake to equate the "earthly-heavenly" contrast to mean anything more than an ultimate juxtaposition between the fallenness of humanity and the righteousness of God.
It should also be kept in mind that Paul's metaphor regarding citizenship was written to believers who were Philippians, members of a Roman colony located in Greece whose citizens were endowed by law with full Roman citizenship with all its rights, privileges, and responsibilities. Even as the general citizenry of Philippi derived their civil identity from Rome, so the believers were to derive their spiritual identity from the exalted Christ. These recipients of Paul's letter would have clearly understood his exhortation to mean that they should live in a manner worthy of the honor with which they had been graciously bestowed, not as an implicit abandonment of their local responsibilities. Indeed, that is the overall thrust of the passage in which the phrase "citizenship...in heaven" appears.
Furthermore, the immediate context of the phrase states that as citizens of heaven believers "eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ." When we read all of the various letters traditionally ascribed to Paul, we understand this expectation to involve the resurrection of the dead and the renewal of creation. It is the time when, as Jesus put it, "the meek shall inherit the earth" and Christ will consummate the establishment of his kingdom on earth so that God's will might be fully done here as it is in heaven.
Let us therefore live, labor, and pray for Christ's return as honorable citizens of heaven seeking to be transformative salt and light in a world of fallen humanity.
fidworks.blogspot.com
2 comments:
Pastor Bruce,
Thank you for "quick peek" into this blog entry that you shared with us in the ENLI class tonight.
I feel a "tugging" to study this same subject and appreciate the insight you've shared. I'm currently going through Ephesians in a Bible study at work, and this same subject came up when we talked about verses 1:9-10:
9 "And he [fn] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ."
I believe the "mystery of his will" is the renewal of creation, through Christ. I would love to hear more of your thoughts on this.
Jason Beique
Yes, I do think the renewal of creation is the larger backdrop to Paul's discussion of the mystery of God's will. As the epistle unfolds, he does center in, though, on the "mystery of the gospel," which he identifies to be the uniting of redeemed Jew and Gentile into one new man, a true humanity, indwelled by God's Spirit, which will inherit the blessing of God's greater purpose of uniting all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Post a Comment