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 (1Pe 1:15-note), 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 Php 1:27-note. 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 (Col 1:13-note) 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. (2Cor 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) ><>><>><> GOOD MEDICINE FOR THE SOUL DEAR BELIEVER = PONDERING THE THINGS ABOVE - Some say, "It is not worth so much time and trouble to think about the joys above. If we can be sure we are saved, we know heaven will be wonderful; so why spend any time in heavenly meditation?" These people do not obey God's command, which requires them to set their "affections on things above" (Col 3:2-note). Our homeland or citizenship "is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ—who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Phil 3:20, 21). Thus these people who ignore their homeland voluntarily make their own lives miserable, by refusing the delights which God has set before them. And if that were not all, it were a small matter—but see how many other problems follow the neglect of these heavenly delights. This neglect will dampen, if not destroy, their love of God. It will make even the thinking or speaking of God unpleasant. It weakens their desire to engage in His service. It tends to pervert their judgment concerning the ways of God. It leaves them in the power of every trouble and temptation. It will also make them afraid and unwilling to die; for who would want to go to a God or a place he has no delight in? Who would leave his pleasure here, if he did not know a better place to go? (From Concluding Encouragement) ><>><>><> A little girl who was taking an evening walk with her father. She looked up at the starry sky and exclaimed? “Oh, Daddy, if the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what must the right side be!” (Charles L. Allen in Home Fires) ><>><>><> ILLUSTRATION - 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. ><>><>><> Heavenly People - 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-note). We live on earth, but "our citizenship is in heaven" (Phil 3:20). We should therefore "seek those things which are above," (Col 3:1-note) 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 (Mt 6:19, 20, 21-note). When we seek to be Christ-like in thought, word, and deed, we will live like "heavenly" people. —P R Van Gorder (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. 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; 2Th 1:7,8; Rev 1:7) EXPECTANTLY, EAGERLY AWAITING OUR SAVIOR 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)