Identify with your heavenly citizenship

The writer and her husband, David, mostly participate at home fellowships and occasionally visit the United Church of God. They live in Germany and often visit brethren in various parts of the world.

By Eva Roe

LANDAU, Germany--When I saw the towers of the World Trade Center crumble, I was not only shocked and disbelieving but angry. I'm sure most readers felt the same. I just couldn't grasp the blind hatred and fanaticism behind this act. I can relate to wanting to see the people behind this punished.

The events of Sept. 11 have shocked and outraged the world. After the shock, a wave of patriotism has gripped the United States. There seem to be flags everywhere: in front of buildings, on cars, on lapels.

It has surprised me to see Christians join in these patriotic feelings wholeheartedly, as it seems. Some are discussing wanting to be involved in killing the enemy--to defend their home, they say.

Come out of her

I'm not discussing the appropriate response of a nation that is attacked in this way. But just how much should a Christian be involved? How much should we identify with the nations and the wars in this world? When God says, "Come out of her, My people" (Revelation 18), what all is He referring to?

I was speechless when President Bush said in a press conference: "We are good!" Is that so? Do you think God would agree? Does God overlook corruption, crime, selfishness and greed and every perversion and sin the Western society is so full of?

Sinfulness of other societies doesn't make our society any more righteous. There certainly is no righteous nation. I think we have to be careful to whom we profess allegiance.

In Romans 13 Paul is clear that we are not to rebel against our governments. We should pay our taxes and be a positive example wherever we are.

Our new identity

But when he says in Galatians 3: 28 that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus," he refers to a new identity we have as Christians.

Though we still live in this world and are to reflect God's love to everyone around us, we are no longer a part of this world. Rather, we are strangers and pilgrims; in other words, people without a homeland in this world (Hebrews 11:13).

We are "fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household" (Ephesians 2:19). "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20).

Our patriotism should be toward God's people and God's coming Kingdom: the only "nation" that will truly bring justice and peace to everyone. We have a war to fight too, a spiritual war that might not get us as excited as the wars in this world, but it is a lot more dangerous for us.

Some ask: Shouldn't we defend our safety and freedom?

In Jesus' time some of His followers were eager to fight against the Roman occupiers and defend the freedom of the Jews. Even His disciples had hoped Christ would lead such a movement (John 6:15; Acts 1:7).

Not yet time for fighting

He had no such thing in mind. It was not the time for Him or His disciples to get involved in world affairs. I am convinced that that time still has not arrived. When Christ will return, His saints will get involved, but they will fight for a righteous kingdom or nation and only at God's command.

However much we appreciate the freedoms of the Western society we live in, we should not lose sight that it is still a sinful and corrupt society full of suffering that God hates and will destroy. Have we become so accustomed to this society that we forget that it is filled with all kinds of violence and sexual perversion, with greed and corruption, a society in which murder, drug abuse, abortion, abused children and broken homes are commonplace?

We know from prophecy that a time will come when nation will fight against nation. We don't know exactly which turn world events will take, but can you imagine true Christians fighting against each other in wars, each to defend his "nation"?

Aliens and strangers

In the end it will become quite clear who is part of the "kingdoms of this world" and who is part of God's people. God loves all people, but He will allow these events as an important and necessary lesson to mankind.

God works with some people at this time and tells them to come out of the world. I believe that means more than abstaining from the sins of the world; it also means adopting a new identity.

While God's people are to be caring and helping wherever they see a need, they don't consider themselves part of this world anymore.

Hebrews 11:13-16 makes this so clear: "All these people were still living by faith when they died . . . And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God."

They're aliens and strangers, just on a journey to their homeland. They have left national pride and their former country behind and admit that they don't have a homeland on this earth but seek a better country!

While we should be shining examples of God's love in the country we live in as strangers, let's profess allegiance to the only righteous Kingdom, a nation that is not of this world. Let's not forget that we are strangers and aliens in this world waiting for the coming of our King, who will bring justice and His Kingdom!