Christians have typically been described as “so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good”—that’s, overfocused overmuch on the life to come back and never involved sufficient with the right here and now. Some believers, reacting to that accusation, have as an alternative sought to emphasise the right here and now, turning into uninterested and even agnostic concerning the life to come back.
After we search the Scriptures, although, we uncover a wholesome stability. Actually, if something, it’s protected to say that the alternative of that previous noticed is nearer to the reality: The issue for most individuals is that they’re so earthly minded that they’re no heavenly good. A biblical understanding of the promise of heaven really empowers a lifetime of righteous motion on earth.
We are able to see this dynamic at play in Paul’s pondering as he seeks to encourage the church in Philippians 3:17–21.
The Believer’s Designation
In Philippians 3:20, Paul says of himself and the Philippians believers, “Our citizenship is in heaven.” Now, Philippi was a colony of Rome, and its individuals had been, by worldly reckoning, residents of Rome. Their gown, their language, their legal guidelines, their safety, their authorities, and their spiritual institution all pointed away to a different place that gave Philippi its id.
This similar dynamic is at work in Christian id. Sure, the believers lived in Philippi, within the Roman Empire, on the planet; but they had been residents of heaven, topics of heaven’s King, working towards a heavenly tradition. The church, each again then and nonetheless at present, is a heavenly colony on the planet, drawing on that heavenly id to tell and empower a life on earth.
What a distinction that is to the individuals Paul describes in verses 18–19! He says, “Many, of whom I’ve typically advised you and now inform you even with tears, stroll as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their finish is destruction, their god is their stomach, and so they glory of their disgrace, with minds set on earthly issues.” Their minds are fastened upon the earth, and they’re motivated by the appetites of the flesh—with the end result that they’ll go the way in which of all of the earth and die of their sin.
The church is a heavenly colony on the planet, drawing on that heavenly id to tell and empower a life on earth.
Our citizenship just isn’t an accident of our delivery; it’s a consequence of religious realities. Whoever could be a citizen of heaven have to be born once more of the Spirit of God and enabled to set their minds on heavenly issues. By nature, we’re residents of the world, useless in our sins. However when God forgives us on account of the cross and transforms us by the ability of His Spirit, we develop into new creations (2 Cor. 5:17).
The Believer’s Expectation
As residents of heaven, we’re capable of stay on this world with out relying on it. The wealth of the world wants not tempt us, since we’ve got the promise of heaven’s riches. And the hazards of the world needn’t frighten us, since we belief that our life is hidden with Christ in God, and we’ll seem with Him in glory (Col 3:3–4). Paul thus says of our heavenly house, “From it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).
In different phrases, Christians stay in a sphere of hope that transcends our current location. We stay on this international land with the assured expectation that our personal Sovereign will come right here. That expectation determines and directs our affections as we wait. Just like the saints in Hebrews 11, we aren’t fixated on the guarantees of this world. No, we “want a greater nation, that’s, a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:16).
The Bible is reserved in its descriptions of heaven. In spite of everything, how might we probably start to grasp it? Even essentially the most exalted language is insufficient. You possibly can’t clarify to a tadpole what it’s going to be like to leap round as a frog or to a caterpillar what it can imply to sooner or later have wings. The story’s advised of a younger boy who made his first journey into the countryside. He noticed a songbird on a department, and he mentioned, “Poor little chicken! He has no cage to stay in.” His perspective was ruled by the understanding of life as he knew it.
Our confidence of heaven at present lies not in our capacity to visualise it however within the complete reliability of the one who promised it. Jesus mentioned to His disciples, “In my Father’s home are many rooms. If it weren’t so, would I’ve advised you that I am going to organize a spot for you? And if I am going and put together a spot for you, I’ll come once more and can take you to myself, that the place I’m you might be additionally” (John 14:2–3). The Christian hope, ultimately, is finally the hope of Jesus, the Savior we eagerly await.
The Believer’s Transformation
When our Savior arrives, He “will rework our lowly physique to be like his wonderful physique” (Phil. 3:21). Our our bodies are uncovered to the curse of sin, to illness and weak point and loss of life. However He’ll remake them within the kind and nature of His gloriously risen and ascended physique.
Our confidence of heaven at present lies not in our capacity to visualise it however within the complete reliability of the one who promised it.
Many in our world worship on the shrine of their our bodies, making each effort to prop up sagging youth and maintain on to fading magnificence. Sure, we must be stewards of our our bodies—however the money and time many people spend on them reveals the reality that we’ve got set our hopes on them. Quickly they are going to be gone! But when our hope is in Christ, we could have new our bodies with simply the suitable form (and never the world’s concept of the suitable form!), freed from sin, freed from loss of life, freed from frailty. We will “bear the picture of the person of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:49)—that’s, the Lord Jesus Himself.
And Jesus will do that “by the ability that permits him even to topic all issues to himself” (Phil. 3:21). The risen and ascended Jesus is the Grasp of all the things. He made the world, so there isn’t any downside about His altering us. If we all know that that is our sure future, we’ll maintain our earthly our bodies with an open hand and cling to Jesus with all eagerness.
Three Questions
As we think about our heavenly citizenship, we must ask ourselves three questions:
- Are we trying ahead to being reworked? Can we perceive the promise of bodily resurrection and transformation, or are we nonetheless slaves to the concern of loss of life (Heb. 2:15 )?
- Can we await our Savior? Does the hope of the return of Jesus Christ purify our minds, inspire our motion, and provides us a zealous love for our brothers and sisters?
- Do our solutions to the primary two questions give us confidence that we’re certainly residents of heaven? Have we been born once more—our sins forgiven and our minds reworked?
The Lord Jesus will come once more. Earlier than He does, allow us to be present in Him—amongst His individuals—in order that we might set our hope on His coming.
This text was tailored from the sermon “The Greatest Is But to Come” by Alistair Begg.
