Citizens Have Obligations

Thanks to Johnny O. Trail from the Sycamore Chapel Church of Christ for the content of this post.

---

Obligations of Citizens

Discharge your obligations as citizens in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel

The McCord Translation of the Everlasting Gospel says in Philippians 1:27, “Finally, discharge your obligations as citizens in a manner worthy of Christ’s gospel, so that, whether I come and see you, or am away, I may hear how things are with you: that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one heart, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” Philippians 1:27 KJV says, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Our manner of life must reflect the fundamental message and nature of Christ’s gospel. As citizens of heaven, we must live faithfully, obediently, and godly so that others might see the message of Jesus living in us.

Citizens of various states and nations have obligations

From a political standpoint, there are obligations that come with being the worldly citizen of various states and nations. One of the major obligations over the millennia is the payment of taxes. All citizens are expected to pay their fair share of money for the continuation and support of the government. This has been the case for most all of recorded history. It is a true axiom that death and taxes are constants in this earthly existence.

Another obligation for citizens is for the defense of the city state. Most nations expect their citizens to serve in the military. Some nations practice forced conscription. Some countries draft in a time of war. Still, some want people to volunteer for service. The point is that most organized governments expect something of their citizenry.

God wants His people to be active citizens

By the same token, God wants His people to be active and working in His kingdom. New Testament Christianity is not a religion of complacency. Many have reached the false conclusion that all they had to do was done at the time of their baptism – nothing could be farther from the truth. We are expected to be laboring in the kingdom to fulfill the obligations of being His citizens.

Most Christians know this, but we are all citizens of Heaven. Philippians 3:20 ESV says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20 KJV says “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” As citizens of the Heavenly city, we are expected to behave in a certain manner. Certain actions are obligatory in nature.

Just as some nations expect citizens to serve in the military, God expects His people to engage in spiritual warfare. Per Paul’s discussion of the armor of God, God wants us to wage an offensive and defensive battle against Satan for our own souls and the souls of lost humanity. Ephesians 6:11-13 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” When one considers the entire context of Ephesians 6, it becomes evident that God wants His people to do more than merely defend themselves. He wants us to engage others with the sword of the spirit. One cannot fight a battle that is singularly defensive in nature and expect to win any ground.

As citizens of the kingdom, we are expected to contribute to the work for the purpose of growing the church. James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” All Christians are expected to be actively and constructively involved in the work of the church. Evangelism, edification, and benevolence are things that every child of God is expected to do. We are privileged to be Christians in the service of our king.

As citizens of the kingdom, the Philippian saints were to stand firm in one spirit and strive together for the faith of the gospel with one mind. Philippians 2:2 says, “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” The biblical concept of “one” was valuable in the mind of Paul to the first century church, and it is valuable to our age as well. For any effort to be successful there must be a unified front. Division among those serving in the kingdom can create confusion and problems in the body of Christ.

The concept of one is described by Paul in Ephesians 4:3-6, “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” A kingdom that is not united will ultimately fall apart.

Unity should be the hallmark of all believers. Jesus made this point in the prayer He uttered to the Father just before His crucifixion. John 17:21 says, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” In matters of doctrine, there is no compromising for the sake of unity. Citizens of the kingdom should avoid the very appearance of rebellion by seeking and obeying God’s will in all matters.

It should be a joy to serve God as citizens in His Kingdom

As Christians we are privileged to be citizens of Heaven; however there is a great degree of responsibility that comes from such a wonderful privilege. It should be a joy to serve God in His Kingdom and to teach others about Him. We must fulfill our obligations by being about our Father’s work (Luke 2:49).

---

Johnny O. Trail preaches at the Sycamore Chapel Church of Christ
2699 Old Clarksville Pike
Ashland City, TN 37015

615-746-8624

Citizens of the Kingdom

You are a citizen of a kingdom, not an island affecting only yourself.

There was a time, not that long ago, when news traveled slowly. That time is no more. Now we are inundated with information almost instantly about anything that happens anywhere in our world. It drives home the very real nature of our global environment. And, it reaffirms the validity of Paul’s statement: “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself” (Romans 14:7). Truly, each of us is a citizen of one kingdom or another.

John Donne may have been thinking of that very passage when he wrote: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

In the sixteenth century Francis Bacon observed: “If a man be gracious and courteous to strangers, it shows he is a citizen of the world, and that his heart is no island cut off from other lands, but a continent that joins to them.” We would do well to remember our interconnectedness!

The premise of the Bible is that we share a common origin, and thus a common ancestry. We are all the offspring of God. One blood flows through all our veins (Acts 17:24-29). We may live in different parts of the world, speak different languages, and differ in color and size, but we are still one family, one humanity.

However, though we are one humanity, sin divided God’s creation. Christ came to repaire and reunite it in a ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:14-21). The Scriptures do not call us to embrace a one world government and be a citizen of a single earthly kingdom, but they do call us to be an active citizen in the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ (John 18:36). That kingdom knows no borders, in space or time. It is a brotherhood of believers sent forth to conquer, not with the sword, but with the sword of the Spirit – the word of God (Ephesians 6:17). The battle of today is for the hearts and minds of men. Truth is our only weapon. Satan our only enemy! Victory in Christ our certain end!

Are you a citizen in the kingdom of Jesus Christ? Are you part of the brotherhood of believers? Are you wielding the sword of the Spirit in the fight for the hearts of men? Salvation is in Christ’s kingdom and nowhere else. It is for those who choose to be a citizen, and no one else. Where do you choose to be a citizen?

---

Salvation:  Hear - Believe - Repent - Confess - Be Baptized - Live Faithfully