Citizenship
and the Disciple

The view put forward by many is the Christian has dual citizenship.  He is simultaneously a citizen of heaven and a citizen of an earthly nation.  He has dual allegiance. He is to be loyal to God and loyal to his nation.  He owes duty to both God and to the State.  The question that disciples of our Lord must deal with, is this biblical or even possible?

What did Jesus say? First, "No one can serve two masters" (Matthew 6:24). "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)  Christ separates the kingdoms of the world from the kingdom of God.   There are many who use and have used this second passage as an excuse to conform to the world and participate in its evil for the sake of self-preservation.  We can be sure it was popular among "christians" in Nazi Germany.  But we must realize that Jesus said this in response to a plot destroy Him and He said to give those things that are Caesar's (the coins bore his image), to Caesar.  He also said to render to God what belongs to God.  Where does God draw the lines of ownership?

First of all, to whom do we owe obedience, to God or to the State?  As long as the two agree the issue is of spiritual interest only, but what happens when God and the State are not in agreement?  We must remember that the kingdoms of this world are controlled more or less by Satan.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.(1 John 5:19)

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory;  and he said to Him, "All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus *said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"(Matthew 4:8)

Here, in the passage about Satan's temptation, we find Jesus' answer as to where God draws the line.  Worship, that is, the acknowledgment of final authority and ownership, and service (the greek word latreuo [service] cannot be restricted to religious service as some are want to do) belong to GOD ALONE. 

Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (NAS Romans 13:1-7)

Though government is established by God in this world for the restraint of evil, that government was not established for Christians, but for sinners.   The governments of this world are provisional and have no authority in the kingdom of heaven.  We need to recognize that God established earthly government in this age for a purpose and we are to be in subjection to it in accord with His purpose.  However subjection is not the same thing as loyal obedience.  When one travels in a foreign country, one is expected to be subject to the laws of that country within reasonable bounds.  But one is not expected to give their allegiance and unconditional obedience to a foreign government or to serve in that government or in their military; to do so would be considered treason.  A foreigner in any land ought to expect that the government of that land will afford him the same protection from crime and abuse that is afforded to others.  He is to be treated with justice, he is expected to pay taxes as long as he is in the country, and he is expected to obey the laws of the land in so far as he is not asked to betray the trust of the one he owes true allegiance to.  So it is with us.  We are to live in subjection to the governing authorities in whatever country we find ourselves as foreigners, not as citizens.  Our allegiance belongs to the Lord Jesus alone.  We are not to regard ourselves as Americans, or Mexicans, or whatever, even if the government regards us as citizens.  We are citizens of the Kingdom of God!

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God. (1 Peter 2:9-16)

Notice Peter's point of view.  We are now citizens of the kingdom of God and have become strangers and aliens among the kingdoms of this world. We are to keep are behavior here excellent for the sake of God's name.  Our submission is for the Lord's sake, not for the sake of worldly rulers.  Peter like Paul grounds our submission to the governments of this world in our obedience to the Lord.  We submit because we love and obey the Lord.  But when these government command what is contrary to Christ, we refuse obedience for the Lord's sake.  Our obedience to the governments of this world is always conditional.

But Peter and the apostles answered and said, "We must obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)

Paul used the fact that Roman law recognized him as a Roman Citizen but there is no indication that he regarded himself as such or had a sense of love and loyalty to the Roman state.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; (Philippians 3:20)

Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. (1John 2:15-17)

In view of this, what should our attitude be toward participation in the politics and the affairs of worldly government?  What should our attitude be in regard to projects that seek to improve the systems and institutions of this world which are passing away?  To those who place their hope in political action:  If you can outlaw abortion today, can it not be legalized again tomorrow?  Those who think that by changing man's environment they can change man are one with the Marxists for that was Karl Marx's vision.  If law could make man good, why did Christ need to die?  All sin has been illegal for 3500 years.  Yet Moses was unable to bring the people into the promised land, that task fell to Yeshua (Joshua /Jesus).  The Law has no power to save, only condemn.  We are to represent our (God's) government and our King (Jesus).  To the decree we are turned from that to pursue other goals, to that degree we have become worthless servants to our King.  Let us therefore live as disciples of our Master and be faithful ambassadors of His and our kingdom.

"I have given them Thy word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.   They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth.  As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." (John 17:14-18)