Citizenship: In not Of

Paul's letter to the Philippians was written to people in a Roman colony, proud of its Roman citizenship. However, Paul insisted “our citizenship is in heaven.” What does it mean to live in an earthly kingdom, but be citizen of a different kingdom? It doesn't mean withdrawing from society, but remembering our ultimate identity, hope, and allegiance belong to Christ, not to any nation, party, or flag. The tension of living “in” a nation, but not being “of” that nation is what keeps Christians from either total assimilation or total isolation. This class will focus on what it looks like to hold our earthly citizenship loosely because we hold our heavenly citizenship first. (Philippians 3:17-21)