“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;” (Ephesians 2:19).
Paul is somewhat softer in this Scripture than he was in other parts of his letter to the Galatians and to the other churches, calling our former selves before Christ, strangers and foreigners to denote that we were apart from Christ and cut off from God. In Romans 5:10, he writes that we were enemies of Christ. In Titus 3:3 he says we were foolish.
We belonged to another citizenship before Christ. It was the citizenship of the world system which is ruled by the devil. “And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Ephesians 2:1-3) But Paul writes that now we are no longer apart from God and no longer citizens of this world, but fellow citizens with the saints. If you are familiar with citizenship, you know how difficult it is to become a citizen of another country. It’s a lot of red tape and takes years. It’s a big deal because to become a citizen of one country, you must denounce your allegiance to the place where you were born and grew up, denounce your loyalties and your life in that country, denounce basically who you were to become a citizen with new loyalties and allegiance, another person actually. For instance, a German who becomes an American would no longer be a German, but an American with full rights as one born in America and so on with any citizen of any other country that becomes an American. Therefore, when we become fellow citizens with the saints, all our allegiance and loyalties are to that citizenship, the citizenship of heaven.
When one becomes a citizen of another country, should there be a war, we side with our citizenship. To act for our former country would be treachery and traitorous. Well the devil is the enemy of God. He is at war with God and with us. To allow sin in our lives and to live in sin is the same as siding with the enemy. It is treachery and traitorous. But I have stated before that I feel this is almost an impossibility. When we believe on Jesus and make Him our Lord, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. The Holy Spirit seals us and makes our citizenship sure. Our nature is changed, born of God. And we have the promise from Jesus, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) So I believe our citizenship with the saints is secure. We’re no longer strangers and foreigners of heaven.
Paul writes that we are now members of the household of God. This is more than just citizenship. We are family. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.” (1John 3:1) The world did not understand, recognize nor accept Jesus. And it doesn’t understand us, recognize us as children of God, nor accepts us. We shouldn’t try to be understood and be accepted by the world. We won’t be. And because we are the children of God, we are also heirs. “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Romans 8:16-17) Are we misunderstood? Do we suffer persecution? Ridicule? Jesus suffered this. Why should we be different? They called Jesus Beelzebub, satan or god of dung. “It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of His household?” (Matthew 10:25)
In the second coming of Jesus, when He sets His feet again on earth, the world will see Him as conqueror and victor over all the world and His enemies, big and small. Their words and name calling were only hot air without power or meaning. And His children with Him will be heirs with Him, sharing in His victory and glory. “And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” (Revelation 19:14) Some argue that these are angels. But angels don’t ride horses. Jesus comes riding on a horse and we follow Him on horses also. This is something to study and to check out if you’re not sure.
We are citizens of heaven, not of this world, but of another world. We are soldiers of Christ. Paul wrote the following to Timothy. “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” (2Timothy 2:3-4) When we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we became children of God and soldiers of Christ. We owe no loyalties to this world and its sinful ways. We are true soldiers and not traitors, loyal to Christ. Our allegiance is to Him. And we will return with Jesus when He steps on this earth again at His Second Coming.
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