John 20:21 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Just as Christ was not of this world, we too are not of this world. Jesus said in John 17:16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” What makes a Christian not of this world anymore? Is it just a mind trick or are they really of a different World? Once God changes you are no longer a citizen of earth, but of Heaven. We are adopted into the Heavenly Fathers family as sons. We are now citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem and simply sent here to the earth to do a work for God, just like Christ was. Let’s look at the Scriptures that teach this amazing truth.
Born of God / Born of the Kingdom of God
John 1:10-13 10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (Just like Him, the world knows us not. We don’t fit in with the world because we have nothing in common.)
To Be from a different World you Must be born from above or born again John 3:3-7 3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Peter addresses us as from a different place 1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Define Pilgrim : one who journeys in foreign lands : WAYFARER
We Are Sojourners just passing through Psalms 39:12-13 12Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. 13O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.
Define Sojourner : to stay as a temporary resident
What Happened to make us not of this World? We Believed His Word!
God’s Word makes us not of this World John 17:13-19 13And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. (What Separates and sanctifies us from the world is the Word of God.)
The Word is working in us Mightily! 1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
We are the seed of Abraham - We are the True nation of Israel
Why is it a big deal to be a child of Abraham? Because it was to Abraham and His Seed the promises were made. So whoever is Abraham’s seed are, they are the children of God and have the covenant promises. Abraham's seed is the true eternal predestined nation of Israel.
Who is the seed of Abraham? Galatians 3:6-9 6Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. ( Who is the seed of Abraham? The seed is Christ. And all those are in Christ are the seed of Abraham. Galatians 3:29 says “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”)
The natural descendents of Abraham are not the children of God, but those of faith counted as the seed. Romans 9:6-8 6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (Those who are of Abraham are the same people who are of Israel, the children of faith.)
Israel was God’s chosen predestined people and the promised seed to come through Isaac Romans 11:20-28 20Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 22Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 23And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. 24For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree? 25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. 30For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Those who are of Abraham do the Works of Abraham John 8:39-41 39They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. (Jesus is teaching them that their works show that they are not of Abraham, but of the devil. If they had faith like abraham they would be working righteousness like Abraham did. Our Works always follow our faith.)
The Mystery Made known: The Heavenly Israel is the Kingdom of God and Made for all men, Jew and Gentile
The mystery revealed Ephesians 3:1-7 1For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Now the gentiles are fellow citizens of heaven along with the Jews Ephesians 2:11-22 11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Define Alien: relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government : FOREIGN
Define Commonwealth : relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government : FOREIGN (So we are now fellow citizens of the commonwealth of Israel. Does that mean we are anti-America? Is it a sin to salute the flag or put your hand over your heart during the pledge of allegiance or national anthem.)
We are Citizens of Heaven Hebrews 12:22-23 22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
We are Israel / We are Jews
Everyone that is Circumcised is a Jew Romans 2:28-29 28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Romans 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: (Israel is those who are born from above. The heavenly Jerusalem.)
Philippians 3:17-21 17Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.) 20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
We are Ambassadors of a Foreign Land 2 Corinthians 5:15-21 15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. 16Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Define Ambassador - an authorized representative or messenger sent from a foreign land
The Adoption of the Sons of God
Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (We are waiting for our adoption to be completed. And these bodies will be redeemed.)
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (The Holy Ghost is the earnest payment until the adoption.)
Ephesians 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Galatians 4:4-7 4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Ephesians 1:3-5 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Even though we are citizens of heaven first, does that mean it is sinful to salute a flag or put your hand over your heart while singing the national anthem? No
There is nothing sinful about saying a pledge, as long as the pledge does not take away from our commitment to the Lord Jesus. The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States certainly does not contain any wording that would usurp the authority of Christ in our lives. The Bible, therefore, does not forbid the pledging of allegiance to our flag.
A pledge is a formalized promise, and there is nothing wrong with making a promise. When a couple gets married, they exchange vows, pledging faithfulness to each other. When a witness takes the stand in a courtroom, he promises to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me God. And when a person lays a hand over his heart and recites the pledge to the flag, he is promising loyalty to his country, recognizing that we are all “under God.” And as Christians we know that our citizenship in heaven always supersedes our citizenship here on earth. So if there is a conflict in loyalties we always choose our loyalty to God above man. That is a given.
Allegiance in the context of saying a pledge to a national flag simply means “loyalty as a citizen.” To pledge one’s allegiance to a country is to subject oneself to that country’s rule and promise to abide by its laws, as the bible commands. 1 Peter 2:13 says to Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. Since a nation’s flag is the symbol of that nation, to pledge allegiance to the flag is the same thing as pledging loyalty to the nation itself. The Pledge of Allegiance is simply a promise to be a good citizen of the United States, which is lawful and good.
Also, we see Paul himself being loyal to the unsaved fellow countrymen of Israel. In Romans 9:3 he shows that he had a special burden for “my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” It doesn’t seem to me that he would have written like that if it weren’t appropriate for him to feel some kind of special affection for his fellow Jews, a kind of allegience for his ethnicity of Jewishness.
Furthermore, being a good citizen is a Christian duty. In Acts 24:16 Paul said he always had a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. So we are no threat to our country, but a blessing to them. Titus 3:1 says that we should “be subject to rulers and authorities, obedient, and ready to do whatever is good.” The only time we should disobey the ruling authorities is when they issue commands that directly conflict with God’s Word (Acts 5:29). In Matthew 22:21 Jesus said, “Give to Caesar’s what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Jesus obviously acknowledged that civil government/authority plays a role in this earthly realm and that we should submit to it. How can we teach a lost world the ways of God if we can’t even obey the laws of this land? So, to the extent that our government is our “Caesar,” we are to render it the proper respect—paying our taxes and obeying the laws of the land.
Some people say we should never take a pledge or oath because of Matthew 5:34. There, Jesus says, “Do not swear an oath at all.” However, in context, Jesus is speaking of rash or flippant oaths. He could not have meant that all oath-taking is wrong—God Himself takes oaths (Isaiah 45:23; Hebrews 6:17), and Paul took a vow (Acts 18:18). Besides, pledging loyalty to a nation is not the same as taking an oath; a pledge is a solemn promise, but an oath carries the extra weight of an appeal to God. Within the context we are speaking, we should be loyal to everyone we can be without being unloyal to God.
Romans 13:7 says “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.” Pledging allegiance to the flag is but a form of paying “respect” and “honor” to our country, as we are commanded to do. Remember, anything can be idolatry if it is out of order, including patriotism. But Jesus didn’t tell the Centurion that he had to quit the Army and never fight in a war again, or break all the vows he had made to Rome. No, he said I have not seen such great faith in Israel. In conclusion, God has always blessed our land because our land has always historically blessed and honored the righteous and that includes God. We must judge righteously in these matters and not condemn people for saluting a flag or putting their hand over their hearts during the pledge of allegiance or national anthem. And all because our country, as of late, is choosing wickedness doesn’t mean we, the righteous, should hate or disrespect our country. No, I say America bless God and God bless America! Praise the Lord!
Romans 14:23 23And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
If you have a personal conviction then keep it. (Testimony of my veteran hat) But don’t make blanket laws for everyone. Because when you do that you end up condemning the righteous and when you condemn the righteous you yourself are condemned. Be careful how you judge your brethren.
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