Citizens of Heaven

What does it mean to be a citizen? When we look this term up in the dictionary we find it to mean:

"A native or naturalized individual who owes allegiance to the government and is entitled to the enjoyment of governmental protection and to the exercise of civil rights."

In Ephesians 2:19, the New American Standard Bible states,

"You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household."

I am sure if you are Bible believing Christian you have read and heard this verse many times. I am sure if you are not a believing Christian you may be asking yourself, "how can I be a citizen of a nation I cannot see?" I have often stumble on these questions myself. And, today is not an exception. However, when I read this today, I had some amazing clarity that I believe God wants me to share with you!

Because we are US citizens, we have privileges that allow us many things. I do not want to give you a history lesson but, I do want to show you some of our rights as citizens of the US. As a US citizen, Amendment V of the US Constitution allows us the presence of a Grand Jury when we are charged with a crime. Several individuals must decide we are punishable for a crime rather than the arresting officer deciding we committed the offense and thereby placing us in prison for his desired sentence. Amendment VII of the US Constitution protects us against excessive bail requirements and cruel and unusual punishment being subjected to us if in prison. And finally, Amendment XIV of the US Constitution ensures us that as deemed a US citizen no state or party can take away our privileges of life, freedom, and property without the process of the law.

I chose these three Amendments of the Constitution in particular to contrast with our privileges in heaven. How blessed are we that if we are accused of a crime a jury is carefully selected and chose to determine our fate?! Thankfully, because we are citizens of heaven our privilege is that Jesus has wiped away every offense or offenses that we intend to commit. There is no jury or committee in heaven, and here on earth, which decides our punishment. Jesus suffered the punishment with his death on the cross. We are no longer in a state of balance waiting to hear the verdict. We are never charged guilty.

Luckily if we were charged with a crime here in the US, no one person could subject us to punishment that is cruel and unjust. There is no flogging. There is no water boarding. Although there are many stories about how violently intense prison can be, an officer of the US cannot hurt us without being punished by the law. As a citizen of heaven, we have freedom from punishment. When people on earth try and enforce punishment on you, Jesus says no way Jose! We do not deserve to be punished for any sin no matter the weight or gravity, because Jesus abolished all kinds of punishment, just and unjust. That also means as citizens of heaven we do not enforce our punishment on anyone else. That one is harder to celebrate...I know.

Finally, as a US citizen, no one person or group of persons can take away our life or freedom without being charged by the government. The US government protects our rights and allows us to receive recompense when it is taken from us. As true in heaven, we belong to God and he protects our life and our freedom guaranteed to us through the life of Jesus. No one person or group of persons can take these privileges away from us. Just like no one can take our citizenship to the US away, no one can take away the fact that we belong to Jesus. The main difference between citizenship to the US and citizenship to heaven is that in the US we could easily do something that would separate us from this privilege. However, in heaven we are granted entrance both here on earth, and in our final day simply because Jesus died for all.

What a joy it is to belong to heaven. Being a citizen of the US affords us many things, but these things are not even comparable to that of heaven. We must not forget that we have these privileges right here and now not just when we go to heaven. God is alive and active and willing to provide us with life and freedom today, tomorrow, and for the rest of our lives!