by David Landrum, Christian Today
Citizenship is about the relationship between the people and the powers. It expresses our legal and cultural status. It defines our place in society. Yet, on a day-to-day level, most people rarely consider it – until there’s a problem. Then, when our place in society is challenged, it becomes of paramount importance, and we are reminded of how precarious our life is in this world.
Every Christian is a citizen of heaven – an ambassador of God here on earth, representing his ‘now, but not yet’ coming kingdom of Jesus. This citizenship is sovereign. Meaning that it takes precedence over any national citizenship. So, when we pray, “Let your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are in effect advocating for regime change. That’s pretty radical. And for two millennia it has struck fear into worldly leaders and generated huge friction.
Even so, despite these tensions, for the most part, Christian citizens have made extraordinary, indeed unparalleled contributions to society and to the nature of citizenship. Much of this can be attributed to the guidance that the Bible gives for engaging with the ‘earthly powers’, especially in passages such as Romans 13.
Here, Paul confirms: that the authorities have been instituted by God and should reflect God’s character; that power should be limited and is to restrain evil and promote the common good; that authorities can be corrupted by various idolatries; that Christian prayer, service, and leadership are important for good government (including participating in politics); that we should be model citizens; and that Christians can never give uncritical allegiance to any state, or government, since their first loyalty is to the Lord Jesus Christ.