Citizenship


Philippians 1:27-30
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

We are all citizens of a country. With citizenship come responsibilities. Here in the in the U.S. (and really in most countries) that means being willing to vote when the time comes, possibly serve your country in the military, and abide by the laws of the land. You don’t get to just live in a place without responsibility to the community, large or small.

Whatever happens to him personally, Paul tells the Philippians—whether he comes to them as he expects or remains absent from them—they should conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. The root meaning of the verb Paul uses here is “exercise citizenship.” The Philippians, many of them Roman army veterans and their families, were especially proud of their Roman citizenship. Paul now applies that same concept to their part in the Kingdom of God. As members of His Kingdom, they were representatives of the King and should deport themselves accordingly.

We see examples of people who claim to be Christians who do not live well or in a manner that would advance the Kingdom. It makes us all look bad. On the other side of that coin we find people (some of them quite famous and visible to the world) who live their faith out loud and represent Christ with great success. But you don’t have to be famous to be a worthy image bearer for Christ. You live in a family, a community, a social structure that is watching you and listening to you. Have you ever said a word in front of your toddler that was less than ideal? And of course they immediately repeat that word – perhaps numerous times. That’s a tiny example but one that we can probably relate to easily. It doesn’t take much to tarnish that image! So the admonition to “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” is very real. You can do great good for the Kingdom with your actions or words if you are intentionally exercising your citizenship wisely. It is a precious gift and one that is to be guarded and nurtured.

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