Our Heavenly Citizenship
Our Heavenly Citizenship OUR HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP
By Chas. H. Roberson “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Php_3:20—ARV),
“Our conversation is in heaven” (AV). Our citizenship or commonwealth of the Revised ver-sion, is indeed, the conversation of the Authorized ver-sion. It is in the sense of citizenship that one gets the full import of Paul’s words. He knew what citizenship meant; he was a citizen of the Roman Empire, and more than one time do we find him escaping personal suffering and violence by simply declaring that he was a Roman. It is in allusion to this that the metaphor of heavenly citizenship, so full of meaning and consola-tion, is used. No attempt is made to define heaven, for at best, only a partial and an incomplete answer can be given. It is clear that the church must depend upon the revelation of her divine founder himself. Heaven lies beyond the range of human intuitions and discoveries. “No man has seen God at any time”; and no man has seen heaven. There is simply placed before the Christian that his relationship to the heavenly world is that of citizenship. It is quite clear that there are in the New Covenant two great lessons which stand out in relief: The enjoyment of the heavenly life depends on the character and conduct in this life; and the access to the heavenly life lies in the method and the revelation of the gospel. It is not in man to merit heaven. A good citizen and still more a good Christian, is not two beings, but one. And if it were good and glorious to be a citizen of Rome, how unspeakably precious the prerogative of a citizenship in heaven! Men are tempted to essay the task of making others better; but the one infallible service which they can render is to make themselves better. Political schools, parties, ad-ministrations, cabinets, rise and fall, and often it is difficult to appraise the good or the evil they have done; but there is no one, not even the poorest or the humblest, who may not, if he will, be enriched in the treasure most enduring and ennobling—that of his own sincere, honest, upright, virtuous Christian life. Each Christian needs to live more and more not as a worldly man or woman, whose soul is bound by the range of mere temporal and lerrestial aspirations, but as a citizen of an eternal commonwealth, a son or a daughter of Almighty God, redeemed and consecrated by the Passion of the Lord JesusChrist. Thus, and thus alone will each live on earth the life of heaven; and thus also may each lift the society in which he moves to himself, by lifting himself to God.
There is no better way to learn how the heavenly life may be lived than by studying carefully the content of Paul’s letter to “the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi.” The More Excellent Way
“That ye may approve the things that are excellent” (Php_1:10). In this remarkable prayer the apostle is guided by a conception of what the Christian religion really is. There is described a most important aspect, namely, the approvals of a life, its unforced choices, instinctive preferences, and habitual consents. There are in speech and thought and manner and action two possible courses which may be justifiable, but one is the finer course, and belongs to the things that are excellent. Here then is a prayer for the type of character founded upon the habitual choice of such things. One may be well assured that if he lives worthily among plain and ordinary issues; if he trains his mind to think accurately and dispassionately; if he keeps his eyes open and gains experience of the world, that he will acquire the power of spontaneous and immediate discernment of the lower and the higher ways.
Magnifying Christ
“According to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magni-fied in my body, whether by life, or by death”—Php_1:20.
These words give us a portrait of a minister of Jesus Christ. There is presented for our instruction a portrait of Paul drawn by his own hands. There is set forth a confidence that knows no wavering, though a prison door should open at any moment, and the executioner enter to take him to a shameful punishment, a public execution. As Paul looks at the two things, life and death, each is so excellent that he says, “I am in a strait betwixt the two. What I shall choose I know not.” And then he thinks of the Fhilippinns, and remembers how necessary he is for their guidance and help, and he says, “Having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, yea, and abide with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith,” and he is content that it should be so. Here is confidence that belongs to every Christian man and Christian woman. Can there be any higher aspiration in life than that set before us here? But one may ask, “How can I magnify Christ who is so infinitely great?” You cannot make Christ any greater than he is, but you can magnify him, for each life may become a magnifying lens, and men may observe Jesus Christ through your conduct even as they looked at Jesus Christ through the conduct of his servant Paul. You may make him appear infinitely greater than he does in the eyes of men and women whom you meet in business and in your social circle. Paul said that his “earnest expectation and hope is ... Christ shall be magnified in my body,”
Against Controversy
“Doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself’ (Php_2:3). In the letter to the Philippians there are two great notes.
The first is the note of joy. Paul keeps saying, “Rejoice,” and this is the more noble when it is re-membered that he is a prisoner and as one in chains. And this also reminds the child of God that no chain can ever fetter the free spirit: Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage, for in every case the citizen of the heavenly kingdom finds more in Christ to make him glad than in the world to make him sad.
'The second is the note of love. At no other place does the fire of love bum more brightly. It is an anxious love that is expressed for the Philippian Christians. Paul commends their faith and purity and charity; and yet they are not perfect. He has heard of discord and differences; he has noted the growth of party spirit and personal rivalry. So he argues that “nothing be done in the spirit of strife or vain glory.” This warning is needed today, for there are not wanting certain signs of the rekindling of party spirit. Every matter which affects the worship of Almighty God is tremendously important. The Master declared that the heart of all good lies in the worship of God in spirit and in truth. Here is the exhortation that the heavenly citizen he far removed from party spirit and self-assertion.
Christian Altruism
“Not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others”—Php_2:4. This is a fine piece of advice, and is one of the wisest and noblest things each Christian can do. It was what our Lord was always doing, and what every person does who shows any likeness to Jesus Christ. “Every man for himself” mars the beauty and the strength of life. Look at that little “also,” and remember that no one is fit to take care of his neighbor, until he has learned to take care of himself. It is vitally important for the goodwill and usefulness of a community that each of us realize that other people have tastes and convictions as well as ourselves. Nine-tenths of all quarrels and disputes would be prevented or would be speedily healed, if each took as much pains to read his brother’s view of the question as he is to insist upon his own. Surely there would be more considerate attitudes and more lenient judgments if each man tried to understand the circumstances of others, their difficulties, their temptations, as he understands his own. This “looking on the other side” has the power to make you happy, cheerful and to enjoy peace of mind. It is manifesting heavenly citizenship when you have pieties, sympathies, and affections which go out on every side; when you have hearts that compassionate the wretched, hands eager to help the needy, hearts that bleed for human wrongs, hands that are always ready to soothe human pain. There must be regard of the things of others because the Master thought of our things. This trait of character may be manifested in the lives of philanthropists and saints, in the lives of our own homes, and in the lives of Christian friends, but it issues in resplendent and eternal character from the cross of Jesus Christ.
Christian humility is not an alternative to greatness of soul. It is a protest against the limitations by which it is too often hedged. The reign of humility goes back to the time when the morning stars sang together, and it flows among men out of recognition of bounteous Providence and the riches of an infinite liberality. It is this which gives it true dignity and value in the character of the heavenly citizen. It is for this reason that many definitions, or better said, descriptions—fall far short of its true proportions. Humility, like every aspect of the character that is truly and properly Christian, must find its spring no less than its goal in the character of God. It is from him that the Christ comes forth, as it is to him that he returns. The Mind of Christ
“Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus"—Php_2:5.
Paul says here that a Christian ought to have the mind of Jesus Christ; to think as he did, to have some-thing of his spirit, at all times. Particularly should he desire to understand that mind when his thinking centers about the cross. One is not able to believe in the cross, is unable to understand it, unless he has something of the spirit which led to the cross. The mind of Jesus Christ as here presented comprehends both his infinite compassion and his infinite humility. No one has need to be told that there is sin in the world, and that it brings upon men unhappiness and ruin in every shape. The Lord Jesus came to heal the diseases of the soul, to bring the great remedy. He met with “the daily contradiction of sinners,” submitted to stand before the judgment seat of fools and hypocrites, and to have sentence passed on him by blind and wicked judges. No one of us is able to measure accurately what such humiliation means. There is in Jesus the union of strength and tenderness which gives his character a unique charm and attractiveness. The source of this compound of strength and attractiveness is found in the unique intensity with which our Savior realized the presence of God. .Paul, who entered the secret of his life and teaching as none other has done, puts into maxima the mind of Christ. "Pray without ceasing.” “In everything give thanks.” “Whether, therefore, ye eat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” If the Master felt the burden of that comparatively simple state of society, it seems that he would surely say to the heavenly citizen to try earnestly a simpler life for his soul’s sake. The Master hated intensely three sins: hypocrisy, selfishness, and worldliness. The double heart makes a double head, and the hypocrite ends always in deceiv-ing himself. The lack of sympathy is a cardinal sin in the Christian religion as it is in no other system to which men subscribe. Worldliness is based upon a radically wrong standard of values. As men attempt to work apart from God, tasks are assumed and wages are wrung which have no connection with the work God intends us to do, or the reward he intends us to receive. Our Example
“Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedi-ent even unto death, yea, the death of the cross"— Php_2:5 ff.
These sublime and important words set forth to men with singular distinction the foundation truth of the Christian religion, God’s becoming man. It has been called the ladder of our Lord’s humiliation. It leads us to understand that the Master surrendered his rights and his liberty, and to realize that in his sacrifice he chose the hardest way. How often do Christians choose the easiest way in a duty that must be done! The citizen enjoying heavenly privileges must emulate the character of the Master, and that entails the free surrender of his will to God, Worship is the highest act of service, and to be genuine it must be the expression and the crown of a life of obedience. Sendee must also rest on filial fellowship with God, for without this, it may be no more than the assertion of self-will, and therefore, lack freedom, and will not be profitable to carry with it the power of an endless life.
“A Heart at Leisure From Itself”
“He longed after you all, and was sore troubled, be-cause ye had heard that he was sick”—Php_2:6.
Here is given a singularly beautiful type of Christian character. Epaphroditus was the bearer of gifts to Paul from the Philippians, and he is presented as sorrowful because his friends had heard that he was ill. In trouble, it is perhaps true that it is best for ourselves not to speak much about it. Only inexperienced sufferers are voluble. Those familiar with the secrets of anguish are silent. Even while one suffers, doubt may arise whether there is any just cause for pain, and the memory of a slight or disappointment fades away if it is not cherished. Epaphroditus knew that the Philippians were hardly hearing up under the weight of their own sorrows, and with the generosity of a great nature, he believed that they loved him well —that his illness would sadden them deeply—and it lay with a double weight on his heart because it had burdened theirs. The true requital of pain faithfully borne is the assurance that God will bring one through all that awaits him, triumphantly. Not only must the Christian not burden others needlessly; he must be kind. One wrote, “Above all other things be kind. Kindness is the one thing through which we can most resemble God and the most disarm men. Kindness in mutual relations is the principal charm of life.” Heavenly citizenship enjoins upon one to increase the innocent happiness of others, to gladden the weary, to lift the worn spirit from the dust.
Spiritual Concentration
“This one thing I do”—Php_3:13. No one becomes very great, very useful or very happy who has not the power of spiritual, concentra-tion. May it be urged that the quality of true heavenly citizenship lies in setting one’s aims to definite attainment, and then using his whole being to achieving the goal. Decision is energy; energy is power; power is confidence; and confidence is success. The work of grace in a man’s heart should be the happiest of all things. It is the sole thing that gives to man any real satisfaction in the world. To be Christian demands all the powers one possesses—his intellect, his memory, his judgment, his affection, his courage. It is a work not to be done in any given period of time, but a work life-long. It is done by going about it as the highest work that is ever given man to do. “This one thing I do.”
Perfect But Not Perfected
“Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do, forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus"—Php_3:13 f.
Christian perfection reaches forth into a higher goal in the future. As many as be perfect have a vision of a goal beyond the shifting scenes of time. According to this, Christian perfection is that stage of life that realizes most intensely its imperfection, and at the same time involves a certainty of mind with respect to future glory. No man has yet done well in the present who has no vision of the future. Christian perfection recognizes its ground, its goal and its inspiration in Jesus Christ. “I press toward the mark unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” There is not one thing beyond that. The high calling is designated in the book of Hebrews, “the heavenly calling.”
Ought not those who believe there is such reward, such crown, and such attainment, to be ashamed that the little troubles and vexations of the world disturb them? Can any one who is going home keep from being ashamed if he made much of the troubles of the journey, heat, or dust, or crowd?
Euodia and Syntyche
“I beseech Euodia, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of one mind in the Lord”—Php_4:2. In this dual biography, some interesting facts are given. It is fair to think of these two women as being good women. They were "laborers in the gospel,” and their "names are in the book of life.” But they were not of the same mind. It appears that their disagreement was about a trifle, indeed, much ado about nothing. It might have been merely a bit of gossip, or a flash of temper, or an inadvertent word. The earnest Christian finds it quite difficult to account for his likes and dislikes, and it becomes almost impossible to justify bitter disagreements. Both women were to blame. It takes two to make a quarrel. The results of the quarrel here, whatever may have been its origin, has come down through all the centuries of the Christian era. There is no record that they were ever reconciled on earth. The application for one participating in heavenly citizenship is plain: If there be bitterness to be healed or differences to be composed, do not wait until the shadows enfold. The Golden Mean
“Let your moderation be known to all men”—Php_4:5. In the realm of faith, here is a warning against bigotry and dogmatism. The admonition is by no means out of date. There is the constant need to be on guard lest any one drift into haughtiness and exclusiveness. An intolerant attitude is not a mark of heavenly citixenship.
There is also a warning respecting matters of character. It is almost a universal tendency for one man to find fault with another. The heavenly citizen must be careful lest he judge his fellowman harshly, and conclude that he is inferior in wisdom and devotion, and be led to deal offensively with one who does not see “eye to eye” with him.
Likewise, there is the call to moderation in matters of conduct. The daily life must portray reasonableness, not severe judgment. The lesson here and the high duty of the Christian is, “Reasonableness of dealing, not strictness of legal right, but consideration for one another.” The strong, sincere, pure heavenly citizen has a quick sense of the essential, and that which is not—is ready within well understood lines to give and to take, and to preserve that aspect of ease and beauty which belongs to whatever is strong and free. The Discipline of Thought
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things"— Php_4:8. In the Christian life the thought-realm is the seat of the greatest difficulty with which man is confronted. One’s thoughts are so elusive, so difficult to control, so entirely independent of any law, that to order them aright well nigh seems impossible. This difficulty is honestly met and frankly dealt with here, and its solution proposed, the worth of which can be known only by personal test. The power of thought is the strongest force in the life of man. The holiest moments are often invaded by unholiest imaginations, and thought uncontrolled at such times makes vivid things long since past. On account of this it is that thought manifests its greatest strength as an avenue of temptation. Hence, for the heavenly citizen God has imposed a rigid self-discipline, and lays upon him the responsibility of thought-selection. And when one has learned his own helplessness, he yields himself to the Master and relies upon his promise to undertake the responsibility of guarding his heart and his thought. This passage sets forth the prescribed liberty of Christian manhood, It is a sort of inventory of the mental furnishings of the heavenly citizen. Here are the things given for meditation and practice, and which, if sincerely used, has the glorious assurance of peace “which passeth understanding.”
Man’s Care Conquered by God’s Peace
"In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus”—Php_4:6 f. This is one of the finest and the wisest precepts God ever gave to his children. It is that to which full obedi-ence will relieve all burdens, and produce peace in the midst of storms, It is clear that some cares are wholly justifiable. The injunction to pray about them implies as much, and obedience to divine precepts necessitates them. On the other hand, there are cares that are certainly wrong, and for the reason they flow from an evil source. Too often, such cares originate in envy, suspicion, ambition, consciousness of guilt, pride, or ill-temper. And besides these there are cares that are not easily classed as lawful or unlawful. Is there a touchstone by which these may be tested as to whether right or wrong? It is quite clear that there is, and the passage before us names it. It is prayer. Any care that you can confidently pray about is lawful. To let in the light of heaven on anxieties and cares, that is, to pray about them, is to expel the evils in them. Christians need a power which can drive out the strong man armed, being stronger than he. And this power is wrought in the abiding ministry of prayer. The result of obedience to this lofty and gracious precept is among the most abiding things in time and eternity: “And the peace of God, which passeth understanding, shall guard your hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus.” The Power of the Cross
“I can do all things in him that stvengtheneth me” —Php_4:13.
Paul is the most vigorous, efficient, self-realizing character in the pages of the New Covenant. He who bids the heavenly citizen imitate the humility of the Master who took upon him the form of a servant is him-self one of the world’s masters. He knows his mind and carries through his purpose. There is no doubt that he was impatient of dull wits, and maybe was too ready to call a tiresome unbeliever a fool, the priestly bully a white wall. Yet he is accorded the honor of the strong man, one who leaves his mark, creates ideals, and makes history. “I can do all things” seems to portray him in his highest excellency. The heavenly citizen is one who can do all things, or to express it in the words of the Master, who through faith can remove mountains. The characteristic note of the gospel is not sacrifice but salvation. Calvary is the symbol not of renunciation but of life. The true citizen of heaven may find with assurance the due proportions of Christian discipleship in the witness of the saints to the manifoldness of Christ, The gospel of the cross is the proclamation of power. It presents for the contemplation of men a spectacle of divine tenderness solely for the cause that it is the message of victorious life. For Paul the gospel is the fixed tiling in the Christian reli-gion; the inviolable unchangeable center of authority; the standard presentation of the fact of Christ which gives unity, cohesion, and solidity to all the riches of wisdom and knowledge which are hid in him.
Finally, Heavenly Citizenship carries in it the power of the world invisible, and the grandeur of the fact that the redeemed man’s life is lived always and in the whole of it within the possessing hand of God.