'CITIZENS OF HEAVEN' : NOT JUST PEOPLE ON A HIGHER RUNG OF THE SAME LADDER !!

BY

CAMERON  PAINE

    INTRODUCTION: NOT EVERY DIFFERENCE IS THE SAME THING ON A DIFFERENT RUNG

Not every difference is just a variation of 'degree', that is, a different location (higher or lower) on a common scale--like rungs on the ladder. The movement of items (molecules, storm clouds, waves, etc.) may be extremely fast or extremely slow but the scale is the same. One day differs from another in being a degree hotter or colder than other days but they are both on the same scale. Does a 'saint' or citizen of heaven differ from any other person only in degree? Does a 'saint' or citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20) differ from other people because he or she displays a greater 'degree' of 'goodness' or 'niceness' or other 'virtues' that God approves of? Does a fish differ from an ant or an elephant because it behaves differently? No, the differences are much more profound than that.

There are different kinds of differences. Some can be clear and indisputable while others are vague or subtle. Many kinds of differences are differences of degree. Items on the same scale can be compared. Differences of temperature show up on the same scale--as degrees on a thermometer. Differences of weight show up on a scale of pounds. Differences in area can be compared with other areas that are measured in the same scale. A later stage in the evolution of electronic devices can be compared with earlier stages in the development of electronic devices. Simpler organisms can be compared with more complex organisms. The color red differs from the color blue but they are in the same category: they are both colors. One point of view may differ tremendously from another point of view but they are in the same category: they are both points of view.

But in this world there are other kinds of differences, differences that are not just a difference of degree, or the same kind of item on a higher or lower rung of the same ladder; differences of kind or category. Who can compares the accomplishment of a pianist with the accomplishment of the batter who hit 3 home runs? Who measures a star and compares the results with measurements of the mind of an human being (I.Q)? Who knows enough to compare time and eternity? What scale, 'ladder' or standard do such 'different' items share? There are many items in this world that cannot be compared because they share no common standard or characteristics. The difference between citizens of this world and citizens of heaven is like that. Citizens of this world are not merely on a different (lower) rung of the same ladder or grade of the same scale that the citizens of heaven are on. Citizens of this world cannot grow into, or gradually become, citizens of heaven. Citizens of this world do not progress or evolve into citizens of heaven any more than creatures that are dead turn into creatures that are alive. It is the purpose of this meditation to set forth some of the verses that point to this truth or fact. Citizens of heaven (i.e., believers) are radically, incomparably, 'different' from every non-believer--as different as death and life. The dead do not give birth to the living. Jesus says, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.' "(John 3:6-7;see also John 1:13)

This meditation looks at 4 ways in which the citizens of heaven are in a unique category, a category which contains only believers. The 4 ways that this meditation considers are not separate truths but only different ways of viewing the single truth that citizens of this world and citizens of heaven are not on the same scale or 'ladder' of existence.

--1- The homeland of citizens of heaven is entirely different.
--2- What the citizens of heaven   are   is entirely different--but not because of anything they have done.
--3- The homeland to which citizens of heaven   look    is entirely different.
--4- The objective of their 'behavior' is different.

  WAYS IN WHICH THE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN ARE DIFFERENT





           (1) THE HOMELAND OF CITIZENS OF HEAVEN IS DIFFERENT FROM THE HOMELAND OF EVERYBODY ELSE

Do natives of Chile, Finland, Zimbabwe, or Mongolia look and act the same way? Each country on earth has a particular identity. Who chooses what homeland he or she is a born into? Believers, citizens of heaven know they have a distinct or particular homeland. What do citizens of heaven look and act like? As if they came from their homeland. What is true of their particular homeland that is not true of any other homeland? A truth that characterizes that homeland, a truth that characterizes that kingdom, is that all the inhabitants (citizens) thereof acknowledge that God is king, creator and redeemer. To state the same truth in negative terms is this: Nobody is there who doesn't belong there. That is, nobody is there who with the greatest pleasure does not acknowledge in his or her heart that God is king, that God is his or her Creator, that God is his or her Redeemer. People who do not acknowledge these facts are excluded or have been removed from that kingdom, the kingdom of God. Sin itself has been eliminated; sin itself cannot co-exist with a holy God in his very own kingdom. It is because of the absence of sin and the necessarily related universality of this acknowledgment of God that in that homeland of citizens of heaven there is peace and every other 'blessing'. Believers there will not have to contend with intentional or unintentional evildoers (individuals under the power of sin or Satan--(Galatians 3:22;John 8:41-44); because there won't be any such people present. Some verses in the Bible says evildoers are excluded (Revelation 21:8,27) In other verses the bible speaks of evildoers as mbeing removed. (Matthew 13:30) While in this world both believers and the wicked (unbelievers) are present, in the kingdom of heaven there will be no unbelievers, no 'non-acknowledgers' present.

• "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.^: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ... But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:3-4,8)
  

How could the unrighteous feel at 'home' or be at home in the land of righteousness , a land permeated exclusively by righteousness? An unrighteous individual would not be able to survive in such a land anymore than human beings could survive on a planet that was not surrounded by oxygen.

That heaven is the homeland of believers has a very important consequence in this world. And what is that? That this world is not their home. The Bible says very clearly that on earth believers are strangers and pilgrims. Strangers and pilgrims. Aliens. Does this fact penetrate and pervade our thinking? Does this fact cause us to behave differently from non-believers? Does this fact affect the way we see life? Does our behavior reflect the fact that we understand and believe what the Bible teaches--that the time believers spend on earth is but a momentary sojourn in a 'foreign land', in a land that is not our home?

An Old Testament illustration of the difference between the believer's home and where they are physically located on earth while in their body is the sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt. "God spoke to him (Abraham) in this way: 'Your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years." (Acts 7:6) Even after the Exodus from Egypt when Abraham and his descendants had entered the earthly land of 'Promise' --Canaan--they were still sojourners on earth. "By faith he (Abraham) made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:9-10)

Believers need to recall and feed on this truth. It is a thread of truth which was well illustrated in the life of Abraham, the father of those who share the faith (Romans 4:11b-12)

• "By faith he (Abraham) made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise." (Hebrews 11:9)
  
  
• In that same magnificent 'Heroes of the Faith' chapter of Hebrews the Bible records the way believers (saints, citizens of heaven) in Old Testament times viewed their life on earth. "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." (Hebrews 11:13) (More quotes from this chapter are included in a later section of this meditation--'Where citizens of heaven look') 
  
  
• In New Testament times it was to such people as these that the apostle Peter addressed his letters. "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia," (1 Peter 1:1)
  
  
• Later in the same letter the apostle wrote: "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." (1 Peter 1:17)
  
  
• Still later in the same letter the apostle said, "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul." (1 Peter 2:11)

When believers forget who they are--citizens of heaven, when believers forget that this world is not their home they get caught up in the currents of this world.

• The apostle Paul reminds the believers in the congregation in Corinth that they are not behaving as people who understand who and what they are, saying, "If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! (1 Corinthians 6:1-3)
  
  
• James addresses believers with these words, saying, "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight." (James 4:1-2)

What the citizens of heaven are is different but it is not anything they have done that has made them different. It is not anything they have done that has made them what they are. It was God who made them different; it was God who set them aside. They are new creatures, not merely the same old creatures with a few patches which God put on them to make them appear 'new'. External behavioral adjustments rarely even touch the basic condition of human beings and they don't 'give birth' to new creatures. The Bible points to this fact. The Bible points to the insurmountable gap that separates citizens of heaven from every other human being in the world. It refers to, or implies, the existence of this gap in many ways, sometimes explicitly, sometimes quite subtly or indirectly.

• "If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."(1 Corinthians 15:19)
  
  
• The apostle makes his meaning even clearer when a few verses later in the same chapter, he says, " If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.' " (1 Corinthians 15:32) Clearly it was not to drink more fully of the pleasures that this world has to offer that the apostle Paul went through all the trials and tribulations he described in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29 !

• "By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.  Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! " (1 Corinthians 6:14-15)
  
  
• The New Testament puts the question, 'What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?' For we are the temple of the living God." (2 Corinthians 6:16)
  
  
• "For what hope has the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life? (Job 27:8)
  
  
• "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16)
  

In various ways the Bible describes believers or the citizens of heaven as belonging to very special and unique groups of people--as 'members of Christ's body', as 'fellow heirs with Christ', as 'born again', as 'new creations', as heirs of an eternal life of blessing (Romans 6:22-23;1 Timothy 1:16;Titus 1:1-2;3:7; 1 John 2:25;5:11-13)

• This is the way the apostle Paul expressed this truth about the status of believers when writing to the congregation at Ephesus, "for we are members of his (Christ's) body." (Ephesians 5:30)
  
  
• This is the way the apostle Paul expressed this truth about the status of believers when writing to the congregation at Rome," Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:17)
  
  
• This is the way the apostle Paul expressed this truth about the status of believers when writing to the congregation in Galatia, ^" If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. " (Galatians 3:29)
  
  
• Jesus pointed to this incredible truth, saying, " "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." (John 3:3)
  
  
• As few verses later in the Gospel according to John Jesus said, "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' " (John 3:6-7)
  
  
• This is the way the apostle Paul expressed this truth about the status of believers when writing to the congregation at Corinth, " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  
  
• " But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:22-23)
  

The 'world' or kingdom that believers are citizens of is so different from this world. "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. " (Revelation 21:1-4)

• At times God's words in the New Testament are clearly rebukes to believers. We are rebuked for forgetting our new status in God's eyes: "You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? " (1 Corinthians 3:3)  
  
  
• The apostle Paul says to the saints at Corinth, "If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! (1 Corinthians 6:1-3)

• "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24)
  

Believers or people who may think they are believers are warned not to get entangled in the passions of the old self. "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day (the day of the Lord--when we will stand before the Lord) will close on you unexpectedly like a trap." (Luke 21:34)

• "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. " (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Believers are no longer the same kind of creatures that they were (and which unbelievers still are).

Individuals who are citizens of heaven, because they are new creations of God have abilities other people do not have: they are able to hear God. As the English idiom puts it, 'believers walk to a different drummer.' Only believers hear God expressing himself in the Scriptures. Unbelievers are unmoved. Unbelievers do not hear him at all. An analogy may illustrate this kind of difference: What believers 'hear' is in a range that cannot be heard by unbelievers the same way that the human ear cannot hear sounds certain animals can hear.

• "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)

The "Citizens Of Heaven" Are Different Because Of What God Has Done

• "He (God) saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit," (Titus 3:5)
  
  
• ."Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand:  not by works but by him who calls--she was told, "The older will serve the younger."  Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.  What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all!  For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. It (=who is a citizen of heaven?) does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy." (Romans 9:11-16)
  
  
• The Bible tells believers what God did for them, saying, "while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,  who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:13-14)
  
  
• It was God himself who " rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Colossians 1:13-14)
  
  
• The Bible says to believers, "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" (1 Corinthians 4:7)
  
  
• "For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. (Romans 8:3)

•  "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:44)
  
  
• "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—" (Ephesians 2:8)
  
  
• Jesus said to his disciples, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name." (John 15:16)
  
  
• "To this John (the Baptist) replied, "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven." (John 3:27)
  
  
• "And this is what he promised us—even eternal life." (1 John 2:25)
  
  
• "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:11-13)

• The apostle Paul is an example of this truth. He said, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." (1 Corinthians 15:10) And on another occasion, " I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service."         (1 Timothy 1:12) And a few verse later added, " But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." (1 Timothy 1:16)

"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness— a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time," (Titus 1:1-2)

(3)    WHERE CITIZENS OF HEAVEN   LOOK   IS DIFFERENT 

Another way of expressing the idea is to say, 'Where' their heart is is different or 'where' their eternal roots are (in their eternal homeland) is different.

What believers focus on makes a difference because what they are told to focus on are matters that have eternal consequences. What they focus on are not fleeting experiences or realities that are transient, that are passing away or will pass away in the future. The consequences are forever. Believers are not looking just at the present. They are not judging the value of 'happenings' in the present in terms of how much comfort, how much pleasure or pain they feel in the present. What do athletes say, 'no pain, no gain'. The boxer who runs so many miles a day is doing so because of what he/she believes that activity will foster the development of -- a stronger heart, bigger muscles, more endurance, etc. The person who practices scales or finger exercises on the piano or other instrument over and over and over and over again does not do so because of the level of enjoyment that that activity produces at the time the scales or other exercises are being practiced feels is so high. No. They are looking to potential rewards in the future--the ability to play the instrument better.

It matters where a person's treasure is. It matters where a person's heart is. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." (Matthew 6:19-20; see also Luke 12:18-21)

• "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God." Note the sequence. What God did comes first. What God did comes before the exhortation to set your heart on the things above. Then the apostle explicitly says two things, where not to set your mind and where to set your mind: "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." "  (Colossians 3:1-2)
  
  
• Believers are warned about where their affections should be. "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." (James 4:4)
  
  
• "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world." (1 John 2:15-16)
  
  
• "The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful." (Matthew 13:22)
  
  
• "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. "(Luke 12:33)
  
  
• "In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:19)
  
  
• Listen to the words that the apostle Paul and his associates addressed to the citizens of heaven at Corinth. "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (ch. 5) Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,  because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.  For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
  
  Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.  We live by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18;5:1-10) It makes all the difference in the world (and for eternity) where our treasure is, where our focus is!
  
  
• The apostle Paul instructed his protégé Timothy to "command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19; see also Luke 12:16-21)
  
  
• "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever." (1 John 2:17)

The apostle Peter tells believers to do this: "set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. " (1 Peter 1:13) And again, in the apostle's second letter we read what we should be doing: "But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2 Peter 3:13-14)

• The apostle Paul speaking about himself: "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:20-21)
  
  
• "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. " (1 Peter 4:1-2)
  
  
• "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." (Romans 6:11)

In the book of James we read this declaration of God-- "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1:2-3;see also 1 Peter 1:6-7) How utterly different are God's standards!

• God gave the apostle a 'thorn' in the flesh. At one time the apostle pleaded with God that he take the thorn away-but God didn't. First, the apostle Paul tells us of God's 'answer' to his pleadings--"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" Then Paul declares how that truth influenced his subsequent life and behavior, saying, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9)    How utterly different are God's ways!!
  
  
• "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." (Colossians 3:23-24)

Jesus told a parable that illustrated the difference between the objectives of the citizens of the world and the objectives of the citizens of heaven, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'  "Then he said, `This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' : "But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?" Then Jesus concludes his illustration, saying, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:16-21)

• Where are believers looking? In the letter of the apostle Peter he refers to the eternal inheritance that is in the believer's future--it is "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:4-5)
  
  
• To the 2nd church or gathering of believers in Europe that the apostle Paul had planted and later wrote to, he said, "We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 1:3) Would the apostle write those immortal words about you or about me?

Another way the apostle Paul describes the different view that believers have (or should have) is with the use of an analogy taken from the sports competitions of his day--the Olympics. "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown (a trophy) that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:25) That is the issue -a crown in this world that soon turns to dust or crown in the next world that does not decay and disappear with the passing of time. At a time in the apostle's life when he believed he was near the end of his earthly race he said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Believers should be reminding themselves that they were made new creatures, that they were made citizens of heaven and they should act accordingly--as sons of light. 

• ^"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." (Ephesians 5:8)
  
  
• ^"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy." (Romans 13:12-13)
  
  

• ^"But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.^{" (}John 3:21)

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:25-26)

Because of their faith, because of where they are looking--to the promises--the citizens of heaven behave differently from the 'citizens' of this sin-dominated world, differently from individuals who believe that death terminates all life, all comforts, joys, blessings' or pains. The way believers or citizens of heaven thought and behaved in the past was different from the values of the societies they had been born into (as the New Testament itself makes clear; especially in the entire 11th chapter of Hebrews) and it is just as true now. Believers know that their circumstances--what they are experiencing now in this dark, sin-dominated world whether they are pleasant or painful--are not permanent; they know that the 'rewards' God promised--eternal peace and all other eternal blessings will not be experienced in this life on earth.

• Moses illustrates this focus of believers. "He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward." (Hebrews 11:25-26) 

Many 'citizens of heaven' or saints who lived in Old Testament times exhibited this same response. They had earthly bodies with its passions and sensitivities to grief and pain just as believers do now but that didn't stop them from behaving like citizens of heaven.

• "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. 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. ...  they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-14,16)
  "And what more shall I (the author of the book of Hebrews) say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,  who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,  quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.  Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—  the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised." (Hebrews 11:32-39)
  
  "God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:40)
  
  
• The saints or citizens of heaven who lived in Old Testament times are our example.  The Bible says to us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood."  (Hebrews 12:1-4)
  
  
  

(4) THE  OBJECTIVE OF THEIR 'BEHAVIOR' IS DIFFERENT

Because unbelievers are unbelievers the purpose or objective of their behavior can never be the same as that of believers (citizens of heaven). What is that purpose or objective of believer's behavior? It is not to grab as much of what this world has to 'offer' as possible. But it is to please the One who showed them mercy, their creator, their rescuer, their savior.

• "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light  (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. " (Ephesians 5:8-10)
  
  
• Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." ( (2 Corinthians 7:1)
  
  
• "But in keeping with his (God's) promise we (believers) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.  So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." (2 Peter 3:13-14; see also Romans 12:1-2)
  
  
• "So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." (2 Corinthians 5:9)

Will the Son of God say to me or to you, "'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21) or "Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.' " (Luke 19:17)

While the objective of believer's behavior is to please God no one including believers should dare to think that having that different purpose 'to please God' somehow makes up for a lack of obedience or is an additive that mysteriously turns partial obedience into adequate (perfect) obedience. Believers know that. They know that while they remain in this world they do not behave perfectly (or even nearly perfectly; James 2:10; 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, Philippians 3:12). However, at the same time they have the confidence that comes from knowing they are treated as incorporated in Christ which means that they are covered by the successful mission of the Christ, that is, by the perfect obedience of Christ on earth and by the shed blood of Christ on the Cross which 'paid for their sins.'

God's word makes it clear that as long as believers remain in this dark, sin-dominated world the battle or conflict between the desires of the Old Self and the desires of the New Self or the nature-of-the-new-creature (the creature that has been born 'again' or born 'from above') is never ending.

• "Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)
  
  
• "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." (Galatians 5:17)
  
  
• Because citizens of heaven while sojourning in this world still have the residual desires of the Old nature or self the Bible is full of exhortations about how to behave and how not to behave. "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." (Romans 13:13-14)

Flawlessness or perfect behavior is not the response that God insists upon from believers who are in this world. If the behavior of mature believers were perfect, if the behavior of mature believers were totally godly the New Testament (which was written down after Christ accomplished his mission and rose from the dead) would not be abounding in constantly repeated reminders addressed to believers in Christ which exhort them to exhibit the kind of behavior that pleases God.

• "It was he (Christ) who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,  to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13)
  
  
• Listen to the apostle Paul's description of the standard and goal that guided his behavior when he became a believer: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.  Only let us live up to what we have already attained." (Philippians 3:6,8-16)
  
  
• That is the apostle Paul's exhortation to the 'citizens of heaven': "let us live up to what we have already attained." And, if the apostle's example is to be followed, to "press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of (us)."(Philippians 3:12)  
  
  
• The apostle Peter sets forth God's standard this way: First he lists the 'virtues' or behavioral qualities that God values and then says, "For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:8-11)

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

The citizens of heaven are in a unique category of existence. They are not just creatures on a higher rung of that 'ladder' which the world labels 'evolution'. No one progresses from citizens of this world to become 'citizens of heaven'. While a seed of a living plant turns into the mature plant what is dead never turns into a living creature of God.  "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, `You must be born again.' " (John 3:6-7)  

We have looked at 4 ways in which the insurmountable gap that separates 'citizens of heaven' (Philippians 3:20) from other human beings shows up: A different homeland, a difference in what they are, a difference in where their 'heart' is, and a difference in the objective of their behavior.

Does our behavior reflect the fact that we understand and believe what the Bible teaches--that believers or citizens of heaven are new creations of God and that the time believers spend on earth is the tiniest part of our life--but a momentary sojourn in a 'foreign land', in a land that is not our home?

Every believer can look at where his or her treasure is--in heaven or on earth where death ends it all. Where is your treasure? Where is mine?

 

(If you appreciate what you read here please tell your friends about this URL and sign my guest book on the homepage. Also, if, as you read any of the meditations, you feel you know of a situation that beautifully illustrates any of the points made I would be delighted to learn of it. I might incorporate it.)      mailto:camppp21355@comcast.net

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