Philippians 3:20,21

Citizens of Heaven

The Philippian brethren would have understood very well what the apostle meant when he said a Christian's citizenship is in heaven. Remember that many of the people at Philippi were Roman citizens. A baby born at Philippi should have had its name recorded in Rome. They would have enjoyed the rewards of Roman citizenship, though away from Rome.

Wiersbe states, "The spiritually minded believer is not attracted by the 'things' of this world. He makes his decisions on the basis of eternal values and not the passing fads of society." Lot chose the fertile plain of Jordan because of its productive value. He did not take time to consider the moral decay which finally cost him everything (Genesis 13:5-13; Genesis 18:16-33; Genesis 19:1-28). Abraham, on the other hand, let God be his guide because his mind was set on heaven (Hebrews 11:8-10). In similar fashion, the Christian should long for heaven and live as if it was his goal (2 Corinthians 5:1-10). Paul concludes the verse by saying that Christians look forward to Christ's second coming. If more emphasis were placed upon the Lord's return, greater commitment and joy would be ours (1 Peter 3:20; Matthew 25:1-13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The Lord will, at his coming, change this mortal body into an immortal one fitted for heaven (1 Peter 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:42-53; 1 John 3:2). Instead of "lowly body" as we find here, it would be better to put "the body of our humiliation," as the American Standard Version does. The body is not despised by God. However, it is in our physical body that sin has been committed and the terrible reward of death was faced (Romans 7:23-24). Paul assures us that the same power Christ has to cause his enemies to submit to his will enables him to effect a great change in our bodies.