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Originally Posted by juststartingout
I don't know if this belongs here or under the Citizenship discussion, but seeing as it is about Citizenship and Religion I will post it here.
In my journey I have come across quite a few that believe/write that as Believers, our citizenship is in Heaven and we should not claim citzenship anywhere else. While it all sounds good and makes sense - how these Sovereigns get to their conclusions - one thing still lingers in the back of my mind.
If they are claiming this based on Scripture - what about Paul, who mentioned that he was a citizen of Rome? He was CLEARLY a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, but yet claimed citizenship of another country here on earth and put himself under that jurisdiction (or so it seems) for that moment in time.
What I have been trying to grasp at and have not been able to put together is: What does this mean for us? The example of Paul claiming he was a citizen of Rome and yet he is a citizen of Heaven at the same time. I have read some person's interpretation that we cannot serve two masters that it means we cannot have two gov'ts that we serve. So how does this all come into play?
I appreciate anyone's thoughts on this.
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WITHOUT PREJUDICE
What comes to mind is the NT exhortation to work as though you are working for God. To obey the statutes, ordinances--the applicable ones. If you are working for a boss and God says obey that boss, are you doing what the boss is telling you or are you doing what God is telling you. If God says obey the statutes but obey God above and beyond the states are you obeying God or the state? I am convinced those exhortations are there as a blanket protection to keep us single-mastered.
Relevant to the temporal issues, even in the military (contrary to what may be popular opinion), obeying a command does not mean doing something inherently wrong. A senior officer who demands a lower ranking solider to betray one's fellow soliders to which one has an oath of allegience, for example, would not be obeying an order because the senior officer's directive would not be an order by definition.
"Well, see God my Grand Dragon KKK leader told me that since their skin is brown we should..."
"Well, see God the president told me to put my baby on the lap of Molech and..."
"Well, see God..."
"We were only obeying orders..." -Nuremberg trials
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As far as citizenship in heaven.
"Our conversation is in heaven."
Conversation is used in various places in the Epistles and I'd say its worth looking up the definition of conversation.
Ephesians 1,2 indicate that we were raised to sit together in Lord Jesus the Christ who himself was set in the heavenlies at the right hand of God above all power, and principality and might and dominion and above every name that is named. The word sit/set are governmental terms not necc. just about a comfy place to sit down.
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ..." Phillipians 3:20
politeuma - conversation ->
1) the administration of civil affairs or of a commonwealth
2) the constitution of a commonwealth, form of government and the laws by which it is administered
3) a state, commonwealth
a) the commonwealth of citizens
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American Hertiage Dictionary:
1. a. The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk. b. An instance of this: held a long conversation on the subject. 2
. An informal discussion of a matter by representatives of governments, institutions, or organizations.
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The seat of governance is where _____? (Hint: begins with 'h')