FOR OUR
CITIZENSHIP IS IN HEAVEN: hemon gar to politeuma en ouranois huparchei
(3SPAI): (Phil
1:18-21;
Ps 16:11;
17:15;
73:24-26;
Pr 15:24;
Mt 6:19-21;
19:21;
Lu 12:21,32-34;
14:14;
2Co 4:18;
5:1,8;
Eph 2:6,19;
Col 1:5;
3:1-3;
Heb 10:34,35;
1 Pet 1:3,4) (Isa 26:1,2;
Gal 4:26;
Eph 2:19;
Heb 12:22;
Rev 21:10-27) (Reaching
for the Prize) (Phil 3:20-21: What Is Heaven Like?)
For - Paul is explaining why
we need to be alert to those who are enemies of the Cross. Their focus
is earth. The believer's focus is heaven (see notes
Colossians 3:1;
3:2
for the mindset we are to have continually)
And so Paul presents the truth
about our "position", explaining that our citizenship resides
not in this world which is passing away, even its lusts, but in
heaven. Such a glorious truth should serve to motivate all believers to live lives which accurately reflect our
privileged "heavenly" position (compare where believers are "seated"
in notes on
Ephesians 2:6).
As John Walvoord puts it...
The earthly phase of our experience
is purely temporary, the goal is to be with the Lord forever.
Accordingly, our hope is not simply deliverance from sin in this life
or growth in grace or the knowledge of Christ, but our anticipation
leaps forward to that day when we will see our Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Here again Paul has in mind the time of the resurrection of
the righteous dead and the translation of the living saints...
On that occasion he declares in
verse twenty-one that our vile body, or body of humiliation, will be
transformed and fashioned according to the pattern of the glorious
resurrection body of Christ. This will be a demonstration of divine
power of the One who is able to subdue all things unto Himself. Our
present body will be transformed into a body that will last forever, a
body that will not know pain, or disease, or sin. It will be a body
that is timeless in its character and will never wear out. It will be
suited in holiness for the glorious presence of the Lord. This does
not mean that our bodies will have divine attributes such as God alone
possesses, but our resurrection bodies will reflect to some extent the
beauty, the glory, and the holiness which is in the resurrection body
of our Lord in heaven...
Paul contemplates the fact that the
day is coming when these hours of struggle for attainment and
apprehension of Christ will be over, and we will stand as trophies of
His grace in His presence. (John
Walvoord. Philippians Chapter 3 - To Live is Christ)
(Bolding added) (Ed: Note that "translation" is a word Dr
Walvoord uses as a synonym with the
Rapture).
Citizenship
(4175)
(politeuma
from politeúo = to behave as a
citizen, see note on "conduct" in
Phil 1:27
for Paul's use of the root verb politeuo) refers to the administration
of civil affairs and then to the the place or location in which
one has the right to be a citizen (the nation, state, or other
political unit). Politeuma is that which has been made into a
civic entity. Politeuma has such senses as political
acts, acts of government departments, government, commonwealth,
citizenship, and foreign colony. Vine says politeuma signifies
“the condition, or life, of a citizen, citizenship”. It often denotes
a colony of foreigners or relocated veterans. Our home is in heaven,
and here on earth we are a colony of heavenly citizens.
Vincent
writes that politeuma occurs...
Only here in the New Testament.
Revised Version of the NT = citizenship, commonwealth in margin. The
rendering conversation (KJV) in the sense of manner of life
(see note
1 Peter 1:15),
has no sufficient warrant; and that politeuma commonwealth, is
used interchangeably with politeia citizenship, is not beyond
question. Commonwealth (Webster = "an independent state or
community, especially a democratic republic") gives a good and
consistent sense. The state of which we are citizens is in heaven. See
note on
Philippians 1:27.
Compare Plato:
“That city of which we are the
founders, and which exists in idea only; for I do not believe that
there is such an one anywhere on earth. In Heaven, I replied, there is
laid up the pattern of it methinks, which he who desires may behold,
and beholding may settle himself there” (“Republic,” 592).
(Vincent, M. R.. Word Studies in
the New Testament 3:452)
Christians are
citizens of a kingdom not of this world, Jesus declaring that...
"My kingdom is not of this world.
If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting,
that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom
is not of this realm." (John 18:36)
When we are born
into the world, all men are born into citizenship in the kingdom of
darkness, Satan’s kingdom. The standards of our king became our
standards and the conduct of the citizens of his kingdom became the
pattern of conduct in our lives. We we are born again by by grace
through faith in Jesus Christ, we become citizens
of a heavenly kingdom because at that very moment God
delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred
us to the
kingdom of His beloved Son (see note
Colossians 1:13)
Now, as
believers we are under the authority of a new Ruler and an entirely
new set of standards by which we are to conduct our lives. And now
while still on earth and in contact with the kingdom of darkness, we
function as citizens of
the kingdom of heaven serving as
"ambassadors for Christ, as though
God were entreating through us (and so) we beg (the unregenerate) on
behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Cor 5:20)
This
commonwealth, Paul says, is in heaven. Philippi was a Roman
colony. Its citizens therefore were citizens of the Roman empire.
Roman citizenship carried with it great privileges and honors, also
great responsibilities. The citizen of Philippi was not only obligated
to order his manner of
life in the right manner. He was to govern his conduct so that it
would conform to what Rome would expect of him. He had
responsibilities and duties which inhered in his position as a citizen
of Rome.
"Is"
(5225) (huparcho)
means to be or exist and
refers to an antecedent condition protracted into the present. In the
present context the verb speaks of being securely placed and so the
commonwealth of which the saints are citizens is fixed in location in
heaven.
The stability and security of the citizen under Roman law
filled the thoughts of the time with high ideals of Roman citizenship
and its vaunted value. Philippi, as a Roman colony, with its citizens
as Roman citizens, thought in terms of the concept of "citizenship".
Paul seizes this well known and greatly appreciated truth as a good
opportunity to illustrate to the saints their heavenly citizenship
with its greater privileges and greater responsibilities. What a
contrast with those just mentioned.
William Barclay commenting
on "our citizenship...in heaven" adds that...
Here was a picture the
Philippians could understand. Philippi was a Roman colony. Here and
there at strategic military centres the Romans set down their
colonies. In such places the citizens were mostly soldiers who had
served their time—twenty-one years—and who had been rewarded with full
citizenship. The great characteristic of these colonies was that,
wherever they were, they remained fragments of Rome. Roman dress was
worn; Roman magistrates governed; the Latin tongue was spoken; Roman
justice was administered; Roman morals were observed. Even in the ends
of the earth they remained unshakeably Roman. Paul says to the
Philippians, “Just as the Roman colonists never forget that they
belonged to Rome, you must never forget that you are citizens of
heaven; and your conduct must match your citizenship.” (Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The
Westminster Press)
In a devotional
from Our Daily Bread we read that...
One of the terms used often during
the 1992 Summer Olympics by television sports commentators was dual
citizenship. One athlete with dual citizenship was a swimmer named
Martin Zubero. He was born in the United States, where he has lived
nearly all of his life. He attended the University of Florida and
trained for competition in the U.S. However, he was swimming under the
colors of Spain. Why? His father is a citizen of Spain and so Martin
is too. At the Olympics, he chose to represent his father's nation, to
which he felt greater allegiance.
Christians too have dual citizenship. We are citizens of this world,
no matter what nation we live in, and as followers of Christ we are
also citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20). We have all the rights and
privileges that accompany being a child of God. He is not only our
heavenly Father but our King, and our first loyalty must be to His
kingdom. —D. C. E. (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
We live in this world
But our allegiance is to heaven.
In another devotional
entitled "Heavenly People" (from Our Daily Bread) we read
that...
Christians are a "heavenly" people.
That's what Paul meant when he told the Ephesians that God has "raised
us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in
Christ Jesus" (see sermon note
Eph
2:6). We live on
earth, but "our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil 3:20). We should
therefore "seek those things which are above," (see note
Colossians 3:1)
and store up treasures in heaven.
We see a graphic difference between an earthly minded person and a
heavenly minded person when we look at two Middle Eastern tombs. The
first is the burial place of King Tut in Egypt. Inside, precious metal
and blue porcelain cover the walls. The mummy of the king is enclosed
in a beautifully inscribed, gold-covered sarcophagus. Although King
Tut apparently believed in an afterlife, he thought of it in terms of
this world's possessions, which he wanted to take with him.
The other tomb, in Palestine, is a simple rock-hewn cave believed by
many to be Jesus' burial site. Inside, there is no gold, no earthly
treasure, and no body. Jesus had no reason to store up this world's
treasures. His goal was to fulfill all righteousness by doing His
Father's will. His was a spiritual kingdom of truth and love.
The treasures we store up on earth will all stay behind when this life
ends. But the treasures we store up in heaven we'll have for eternity
(see note on
Matthew 6:19-21).
When we seek to be Christ-like in thought, word, and deed, we will
live like "heavenly" people. —PRV
Wise are those who gear their goals to heavenly gains.
FROM WHICH
ALSO WE EAGERLY WAIT FOR A SAVIOR THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:ex ou kai sotera apekdechometha (1PPMI)
kurion Iesoun Christon: (Acts 1:11;
1Th 4:16;
2 Th 1:7,8;
Rev 1:7)
Why are we eagerly waiting? We are
waiting now for the culmination of our salvation, for the day when we
are free from the presence and even the pleasure of sin. And in the
present context, we are waiting especially for what the Savior will do
for our physical bodies when He returns (See
Table comparing Rapture vs Second Coming). When our Lord Jesus appears
in the clouds as Dwight Pentecost reminds us...
He will summon out of the graves
the bodies of those who have fallen asleep in Christ, and those bodies
will be resurrected, translated, and glorified into the likeness of
the resurrected body of Jesus Christ. At His second coming to the
earth to reign, the resurrected Christ will call from the grave the
bodies of all the Old Testament and tribulation saints, and those
bodies will experience a transformation and glorification so that they
will be conformed to the glorified body of Jesus Christ. In His coming
again, He will not come as the Savior of souls—that work has been
completed. He will come as the Savior of the body...to complete the
work that He began at the cross." (Pentecost,
J. D. The Joy of Living: A study of Philippians. Kregel Publications)
Pastor Steven Cole writes
that...
The bodily return of Jesus Christ
in power and glory is one of the most frequently emphasized truths in
the New Testament. It is mentioned in every book of the New Testament
except Galatians, which deals with a particular doctrinal matter, and
the short books of Philemon and 2 & 3 John. While there may be debate
over the particulars, there is no debate over the certainty of His
bodily return. Just as He promised that He came the first time to die
for our sins and kept His word, so He promised to return. When He
comes, it will be in power to rule and reign.
Two things will happen. First, He
will transform our “lowly bodies,” which are subject to disease and
death and prone toward sin, into conformity to His resurrection body.
This will involve not only an outward, physical transformation, in
which we receive bodies not subject to disease and death; but also an
inward, spiritual transformation, in which we are delivered finally
and forever from all sin. If you wonder how God will do it, Paul
simply states that it is by the exertion of the power that He has even
to subject all things to Himself.
That’s the second thing that will
happen when Jesus comes: He will subject all things to Himself. If you
are not willingly subject to Him, you will be forced into subjection
to Him. His enemies will bow before Him. He will reign as King of
kings and Lord of lords. Because of this, you should make certain that
you are in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ now, so that He comes
as your Savior, not as your Judge. It’s safe to say that the extent to
which we wait for His coming now reveals the condition of our hearts
before Him. Citizens of heaven long for His appearing. (Philippians
3:17-4:1 Right & Wrong Way to Live)
Eagerly
wait
(553) (apekdechomai
from apó = intensifier
[see Vincent below] +
ekdechomai = expect, look for <> from ek
= out +
dechomai
= receive kindly, accept
deliberately and readily) means waiting in great anticipation but with patience (compare our
English expression "wait it out"). To expect fully. To
look (wait) for assiduously (marked by careful unremitting attention) and patiently.
Note the "we" ("we eagerly
wait") indicates Paul included himself among those who had this
attitude toward Christ’s coming.
Apekdechomai
is used 8 times in the NT in the NASB (Ro
3x;
1 Co;
Gal;
Phil;
Heb;
1 P)
and is translated awaiting eagerly, 1; eagerly await, 1; eagerly wait,
1; wait eagerly, 1; waiting, 2; waiting eagerly, 1; waits eagerly, 1.
This verb is not found in the
Septuagint (LXX).
The fulfillment of our life, the
outlook of our citizenship, is in Christ's coming.
Kenneth Wuest explains that
apekdechomai is...
"...a Greek word made up of three
words put together, the word, “to receive,” (dechomai)
which speaks of a welcoming or appropriating reception such as is
tendered to a friend who comes to visit one; the word “off,” (apo)
speaking here of the withdrawal of one’s attention from other objects,
and the word “out,” (ek)
used here in a perfective sense which intensifies the already existing
meaning of the word. The composite word speaks of an attitude of
intense yearning and eager waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus
into the air to take His Bride to heaven with Him, the attention being
withdrawn from all else and concentrated upon the Lord Jesus."
(Wuest,
K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)
Apekdechomai is in the
present tense
indicating this is a heavenly citizen's continual mindset (Do
you frequently contemplate His return beloved?)
and the
middle voice which indicates the
subject is the beneficiary of the waiting. Wuest picks up on this
nuance of the middle voice with the translation "eagerly
waiting to welcome the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and to
receive Him to ourselves" where "to ourselves" is the reflexive
aspect of the middle voice. What a beautiful picture of the Bride, His
Church, waiting to receive Him to herself! A waiting, welcoming
mindset will motivate the bride to keep herself pure and holy.
Marvin Vincent writes
that...
"the compounded preposition apo
denotes the withdrawal of attention from inferior objects. The word is
habitually used in the New Testament with reference to a future
manifestation of the glory of Christ or of His people." (Vincent, M.
R. Word studies in the New Testament Vol. 3, Page 1-453)
A T Robertson adds that apekdechomai is a...
"Rare and late double compound
(perfective use of prepositions like wait out) which vividly pictures
Paul’s eagerness for the second coming of Christ as the normal
attitude of the Christian colonist whose home is heaven." (Robertson,
A. Word Pictures in the New Testament)
Apekdechomai pictures waiting
in great anticipation but with patience. Awaiting eagerly and
expectantly for some future event and so to look forward
eagerly. Note that seven of the eight NT uses of apekdechomai
are related in some way to our "blessed
hope", the return of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
H. A. A. Kennedy wrote
The compound emphasizes the intense
yearning for the Parousia (The Expositor’s Greek Testament)
Alfred Plummer declared that
the first part of the compound word translated “look for”
implies disregard of other things
and concentration on one object. (A Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle
to the Philippians. 1919)
James Montgomery Boice
stated that
the expectation of the Lord’s
personal and imminent return gave joy and power to the early
Christians and to the Christian communities
Below are the seven other NT uses
of apekdechomai
Ro
8:19, 23, 25
For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the
revealing of the sons of God...23 And not only this, but also we
ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as
sons, the redemption of our body....25 But if we hope for what we do
not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it." (Note the
object of the waiting is our future glory = future tense salvation =
which will culminate when
Christ's returns)
1 Corinthians 1:7
so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the
revelation of our Lord
Jesus Christ,
Galatians 5:5
For we through the Spirit, by
faith, are waiting for the
hope of righteousness
(ultimately fulfilled in Christ).
Hebrews 9:28
so Christ also, having been
offered once to bear the sins of many, shall appear a second time for
salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await
Him.
1 Peter 3:20
who once were disobedient,
when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah,
during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight
persons, were brought safely through the water.
For a Savior the Lord Jesus
Christ -
Showers comments that
Philippians 3:20
indicates that the expectation of
Christ’s coming was so intense for Paul and the other Christians of
New Testament times that it was the primary focus of their
concentration. Would it have been so if there were no possibility of
an any-moment coming? (Maranatha Our Lord, Come!)
><>><>><>
HEAVENLY PEOPLE - If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above
(Colossians 3:1).
Christians are a "heavenly" people. That's what Paul meant when he told
the Ephesians that God has "raised us up together, and made us sit
together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). We live on
earth, but "our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil. 3:20). We should
therefore "seek those things which are above," and store up treasures in
heaven.
We see a graphic difference between an earthly minded person and a
heavenly minded person when we look at two Middle Eastern tombs. The first
is the burial place of King Tut in Egypt. Inside, precious metal and blue
porcelain cover the walls. The mummy of the king is en-closed in a
beautifully inscribed, gold-covered sarcophagus. Although King Tut
apparently believed in an afterlife, he thought of it in terms of this
world's possessions, which he wanted to take with him.
The other tomb, in Palestine, is a simple rock-hewn cave believed by many
to be Jesus' burial site. Inside, there is no gold, no earthly treasure,
and no body. Jesus had no reason to store up this world's treasures. His
goal was to fulfill all righteousness by doing His Father's will. His was
a spiritual kingdom of truth and love.
The treasures we store up on earth will all stay behind when this life
ends. But the treasures we store up in heaven we'll have for eternity.
When we seek to be Christlike in thought, word, and deed, we will live
like "heavenly" people. —P.R.V. (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
Wise are those who gear their goals
to heavenly gains.
><>><>><>
PHILIPPIANS 3:20 - One of the terms used often during the 1992 Summer Olympics by television
sports commentators was dual citizenship.
One athlete with dual citizenship was a swimmer named Martin Zubero. He
was born in the United States, where he has lived nearly all of his life.
He attended the University of Florida and trained for competition in the
U.S. However, he was swimming under the colors of Spain. Why? His father
is a citizen of Spain and so Martin is too. At the Olympics, he chose to
represent his father's nation, to which he felt greater allegiance.
Christians too have dual citizenship. We are citizens of this world, no
matter what nation we live in, and as followers of Christ we are also
citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20). We have all the rights and privileges
that accompany being a child of God. He is not only our heavenly Father
but our King, and our first loyalty must be to His kingdom. —D. C. Egner (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
WE LIVE IN THIS WORLD,
BUT OUR ALLEGIANCE IS TO HEAVEN.
><>><>><>
For our citizenship is in heaven - As believers in the Lord Jesus, we are citizens of heaven. Here on earth
we are only pilgrims journeying toward our eternal home. Yet all too often
we act as if this world is our permanent residence.
Many years ago, a man visited his longtime friend, a British military
officer stationed in an African jungle. One day when the friend entered
the officer's hut, he was startled to see him dressed in formal attire and
seated at a table beautifully set with silverware and fine china. The
visitor, thinking his friend might have lost his mind, asked why he was
all dressed up and seated at a table so sumptuously arrayed out in the
middle of nowhere. The officer explained, "Once a week I follow this
routine to remind myself of who I am—a British citizen. I want to maintain
the customs of my real home and live according to the codes of British
conduct, no matter how those around me live. I want to avoid substituting
a foreign culture for that of my homeland."
Christians should have a similar concern. Our true citizenship is in
heaven, so we must beware of substituting the foreign culture of this
world for that of our real homeland (see Ro 12:2). We are not to take on
its sinful ways or adopt its values. We need to live in such a way that
others will see that we are different.
And we need to remember that we are strangers in this world and citizens
of heaven. —R W De Haan (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
The Christian who lives above the world
draws closer to heaven.
><>><>><>
PHILIPPIANS 3:20 - The great preacher F. B. Meyer once asked D. L. Moody, "What is the secret
of your success?" Moody replied, "For many years I have never given an
address without the consciousness that the Lord may come before I have
finished." This may well explain the intensity of his service and the zeal
of his ministry for Christ.
One of the most encouraging teachings in the Bible is that of the Lord's
return to earth. Three times Revelation 22 repeats this promise. As God
was about to close the pages of divine revelation, He called attention to
this grand theme, announcing in the words of Christ Himself, "Surely I am
coming quickly." The last words of our Lord before leaving this earth
twenty centuries ago remind us that He is coming back for us. With such a
forceful assurance closing the canon of Scripture, we can have this hope
continually in our hearts. The expectation of seeing our Savior, being
like Him, and being with Him for eternity should prompt us, as it did
Moody, to serve the Lord.
In this sinful world it's easy to lose our upward look. Yet we must keep
the hope of Christ's return burning in our hearts. The apostle Paul talked
about this when he said, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we
also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20).
The hope of His last words, "Surely I am coming quickly," should motivate
us all to lives of sacrificial service. —Paul R. Van Gorder (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
The hope of glorification
keeps before us the need of purification.
