“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” Philippians 3:20.

So many today are starving for a sense of community and will rally around many negative, even sinful, behaviors to belong with certain groups. The world has an external sense of belonging and will even redefine biblical concepts such as family, marriage, or love in an effort to replicate ‘citizenship’ as God meant it.

Sadly, many who should understand the beauty, soundness, and depth of what God intended in the citizenship found only in His Son don’t grasp the belonging and community that could be theirs, even after they’ve obeyed the gospel. Though Christ has died for their sins and risen for their redemption to open up the possibility of them making it their own, they haven’t pressed on to make citizenship their own.

So those who should be living for Christ will seek belonging in worldly communities rather than in the church. This is the basis of culturalism that deceives us into believing that we can have one foot in the world and one in the church, but being lukewarm, Jesus says He will spit us out!

Rather, let’s return to our primary citizenship and hold out that hope to others.