For our citizenship exists in heavens, out from which also we eagerly await a Savior, Lord Jesus Christ – Philippians 3:20.
Citizenship (πολίτευμα) originates from the Greek word πολίτης (polítēs), meaning “citizen.” The suffix -μα (-ma) indicates an act, condition, or result associated with the root verb. Therefore, πολίτευμα refers to “citizenship.”
The world system we live in today is designed to pacify humans under Satan’s control, as he rules it. Satan uses the world system to maintain control over the unsaved through the desires of the eyes, the desires of the flesh, and the pride of biological life (1 John 5:19). Since the citizenship of the believer is in heaven, they are strangers and sojourners in the world. Thus, we are not to use the world system to its fullest. Unlike doing the desirous will of God, which does not change, the world system’s outward form is continually passing away, 1 Corinthians 7:31. Our rejection of the world includes not loving the world. The love of God is not in it; instead, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of biological life are out from the world (1 John 2:15-16).
Although we are in the present malignantly evil age, we have been delivered from it because Christ gave Himself for our sins (Galatians 1:4). Now that we belong to Christ, the world is indifferent to us. It has no concern about Spiritual things and will only use the Church to further its agenda (John 15:19). It is important to distinguish between hatred and indifference. In most cases in our English translations the word translated “hatred” actually conveys “indifference.” In its indifferent, the world has no issue with making the Church feel at ease when the local assembly is serving its purposes. The assemblies that get involved with the government, through grants and community activities, fall into the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans—treating the saints as merchandise and separating the Clergy from the people (Revelation 2:14-15).
Although Satan is currently the prince of this world (Ephesians 2:2), the Heavens still rule over the earth (Daniel 5:21). All the boundaries and times of the nations are determined by God (Acts 17:26). Thus, although we are strangers and sojourners on earth, we are to subject ourselves (submission for the benefit) to the governments that we live among (Romans 13:1). For there is no authority that exists except what is appointed by God. We are not to arrange ourselves in battle against what God has appointed (Romans 13:2). This does not restrict us from standing against lawlessness within governments, for those appointed to positions within the government are not given the right of absolute power. They are appointed to reward those who do good and punish those who do wrong. As citizens of heavens, we are to live a life that exposes lawlessness, even within government. We are children of the light and are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them (Ephesians 5:8).
We are not called to bring the kingdom of the Heavens to earth. It already rules. Instead, we are called to walk in a worthy manner of our Lord while being fruitful in every good work and increasing in a full experiential knowledge of God. We are enabled through Christ to do this in a malignantly evil age where the institutions of humans seek to disregard the truth, usurp authority over the people, and spread Satan’s lie of independence from God (Daniel 5:21; Colossians 1:10-14).
Therefore, let us set our minds on the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, not on the earthly things. We are to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11). These desires are used by the world system to manipulate us into following Satan’s will rather than God’s.