Philippians 1:27 Above all, you must live (politeuomai [1]) as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
3:18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. (NLT)
Everything we know about ancient Philippi was that it was a very proud colony of the Roman Empire. Although they lived far away, citizens of Philippi, as a reward for the victory over the army of the assassins of Julius Caesar, were citizens of Rome (2). It was important for Philippians to live as true Romans. The Greek word Paul used in Philippians 1:27 (noted above) basically means to live as a citizen. Yet, in both of the above passages, and specifically in 3:20, Paul speaks of our true citizenship being in heaven, where Jesus, not Caesar, is King. He never told Philippian disciples to not love their country nor to cease praying for it. However, he wanted them to live for their true King, Jesus.
In our country right now, we are in an intense political season, where partisan loyalties can eclipse or, at least compromise, our Christian witness. As Americans we can love and appreciate our country, and certainly pray for her. We can thank God for her founding and for richly blessing her. What we dare not do is confuse our country with Jesus’ Kingdom. We can pray that our country will reflect God’s purposes, but not assume that our partisan desires will always reflect God’s will.
Hyper partisanship is all around us. It seems folks are saying, “If you don’t hate those I hate, then I hate you!” Our political affiliations should never go that far! Be a Republican, if you will. Be a Democrat, if you will. Be a Libertarian, if you will. Be an Independent, if you will. But above all, be a citizen of Heaven whose first loyalty is with King Jesus, and His ways!
Tim Kelley
(1) “Middle voice of a derivative of polites; to behave as a citizen (figuratively) -- let conversation be, live.” (https://biblehub.com/greek/4176.htm)
(2) For the Battle of Philippi see, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Philippi