BLOG 11/29/16. THE PREDICAMENT OF OUR PRIMARY CITIZENSHIP
It may be that in this present political chaos into which we, in this country, are called as Christ’s people, we take moment and revisit a historical document: Letter to Diognetus 2nd Century BC. After all, we are told quite plainly by the Apostle Peter that we, who are followers of Christ, are always aliens and exiles. We can never give our primary allegiance to any other than to that of our Lord Jesus, as impractical as that may sound to the secular mind. We live as those people, who are the light of the world, the salt of the earth, in other words, our praxis is right in the midst of all the evidences of the dominion of darkness. It is in this very chaos, and as pilgrims/migrants, that we are to shine as lights in the world. That’s our calling. So read this historic document … and gain a new sense of our purpose in the design of God in this land of our sojourn. It was written by an amazed Roman official to his overseer about the emerging prominence of the ‘sect’ of the followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
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“For Christians are not differentiated from other people by country, language or customs; you see, they do not live in cities of their own, or speak some strange dialect, or have some peculiar lifestyle.
This teaching of theirs has not been contrived by the invention and speculation of inquisitive men; nor are they propagating mere human teaching as some people do. They live in both Greek and foreign cities, wherever chance has put them. They follow local customs in clothing, food and other aspects of life. But at the same time, they demonstrate to us the wonderful and certainly unusual form of their citizenship.
They live in their own native land, but as aliens; as citizens, they share all things with others; but like aliens, suffer all things. Every foreign country is to them as their native country, and every native land as a foreign country.
They marry and have children just like everyone else; but they do not kill unwanted babies. They offer a shared table, but not a shared bed. They are at present ‘in the flesh’ but they do not live ‘according to the flesh’. They are passing their days on earth, but are citizens of heaven. They obey the appointed laws, and go beyond the laws in their own lives.
They love everyone, but are persecuted by all. They are put to death and gain life. They are poor and yet make many rich. They are short of everything and yet have plenty of all things. They are dishonored and yet gain glory through dishonor.
Their names are blackened and yet cleared. They are mocked and bless in return. They are treated outrageously and behave respectfully to others. When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as if being given new life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens, and are persecuted by Greeks; yet those who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility.
To put it simply – the soul is to the body as Christians are to the world. The soul is spread through all parts of the body and Christians through all the cities of the world. The soul is in the body but not of the body; Christians are in the world but not of the world.” (Letter to Diognetus, 2nd Century AD.)
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In other words, we are Christ’s disciples, are to be those who are the incarnation of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), those who build our houses upon the rock of who he is and what he taught, and this is never in predictable or ideal circumstances. Christ’s people overcome the darkness and the works of darkness: “… by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:11). Take heart.
