Philippians 3:17-21: Citizens of Heaven
We’ve seen Paul refer to the Philippians as “citizens” once already (chapter 1:27). He does so again in chapter 4:20. The people of Philippi (not just the church members) were very proud to be Roman citizens. They had privileges and an “identity” that others would like to have had. But Paul wants the Philippian church to be most thankful for their identity as “heavenly citizens”.
First, Paul says citizens of heaven look to their role models. Rome was the trend-setting city of the ancient world; the city of Philippi was like a “Rome-wannabe”, copying the fashion tastes and culture trends of the capital.
Citizens of heaven should act like other citizens of heaven (verse 17). If there’s a Christian couple who have shown you what a healthy marriage looks like, or a believer who is a great evangelist, or a great host, or a great youth leader, imitate them. One preacher says it’s ok to be a copycat as long as you copy the right cat!
Secondly, Paul says heavenly citizens look forward to their future. Life for a citizen in a foreign country can be at best strange, at worst dangerous. Christians know we are citizens of heaven, only passing through a hostile world. Paul says there are “enemies” of the cross of Christ (verse 18) that we must watch out for. These may be false teachers in the church or opponents in the world. Whilst we cannot take them lightly, we know that they will not topple Christ and his church. And so, we can look forward to receiving what Jesus has promised us: glorious resurrection (verse 21)! Maybe right now you have a body full of aches and pains; maybe a horrible illness is threatening your life; maybe age or injury has slowed you down.
One day, all of that will be different. We need to think about our future more often. It will be truly awesome: bodies that never grow weak or tired, a new world to explore, and a wonderful Saviour to enjoy. Our heavenly citizenship comes with a guarantee of a glorious future.
Questions
- Are there Christians you have read about or know personally whom you should imitate?
- Why don’t we think more often about the resurrection?
Prayer Points
- Pray that God would help you to imitate other godly believers – and that you might be an example to others.
- Praise God and give thanks for the glorious resurrection that we will one day experience!
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.