Resident Aliens

                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                              

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.     (Romans 12:2)


No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.     (II Timothy 2:4)


Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.     (I Peter 2:11)


But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.     (Philippians 3:20)


The most basic operative fact of life for every believing Christian is that we are subjects of the King.  We live in His Kingdom.  Jesus said His Kingdom is not of this world...and therefore, He said, His servants don't do things the way the world does. (John 18:36)

It's a fact we have to keep in the forefront of our mind, because for our time on earth we live in enemy-occupied territory.  People do everything differently here, because the laws of their ruler are different than ours.  And his first law is that everybody do things his way.

For those of us who don't, and won't, it's an uncomfortable and dangerous place to live.  That's why Jesus' prayed for us:

"I have given them Your 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 You 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; Your word is truth.  As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."     (John 17:14-18)

It's no accident that we're here.  Jesus sent us here.  He doesn't ask the Father to take us away from here (I have to believe whatever Jesus asked the Father, would happen)...rather, He asks the Father to keep us in truth, while we live in this foreign kingdom that hates truth.

But some of those whom Jesus sent here have "assimilated."  That's what this foreign kingdom wants from us: we can always get comfortable with living here, and not be in any danger, if we'll just do things their way a little.  Especially if we'll just relax our insistence on truth a little.

Actually, the assimilationists tell us, we should relax a little, because if you squint hard enough the rulers of this kingdom could almost seem to be Christians.  And hasn't God blessed this kingdom more than any other nation: doesn't that prove He loves this nation, above every other ?  This is a Christian nation (if you squint really hard): why shouldn't we make ourselves at home, and do things the way the people here do ?

Since they believe here that "the people rule," why shouldn't we ?  And if we go along with them, we can take power and exercise power the way they do.  We can keep the Presidency, and the Congress, and the Supreme Court Christian, as they are today...and isn't that really what Jesus meant by "the Kingdom of God" ?

What most recommends doing it this nation's way is that the only alternative is living here as "resident aliens," people whose allegiance is to a different ruler and different laws than they have here.  If we do that, all we can expect is that the people we live among will fear, and hate, and mistreat us.

Jesus said so Himself.  But even if we didn't have His word for it, we've seen firsthand how this "Christian nation" treats its resident aliens.  Really, do we want that for ourselves ?