Citizens of Heaven: Where Do You Truly Belong?

In the last blog post (read here), we established our identity in Christ, that we are God’s workmanship, the result of His creative and purposeful work. Each of us, a masterpiece lovingly fashioned by God’s hands. This identity comes with a strong sense of belonging, influencing how we speak, how we act, what we eat, even our value systems. As believers, we are citizens of Heaven – but what does this even really mean and how does this change our lives?

Looking at what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:20

 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ

See, every analogy, choice of word in the Bible is carefully selected as they carry important meaning. When Paul wrote to the church in Philippi about “Citizenship” it wasn’t a random choice of word. Philippi at that time was a Roman colony, and if you know anything about the Romans, they prided themselves in being citizens of Rome. You had rights, privileges and protections, even status by simply being a Roman. So, when Paul says, “our citizenship is of Heaven”, he knew that the Romans were a passionate and patriotic people, and the metaphor would resonate with them.

In simple terms, a citizen is simply someone who is legally recognized as belonging to a specific nation or community. When you think about it, there’s nothing you can do about the country you are primarily a citizen of, it is simply outside your control – your parents’ nationality, or the country you are born into is what determines your primary citizenship – it is in the same way, there was absolutely nothing we could do in and of ourselves about being born into the body of sin – Adam sinned, implicating mankind and we were all born into it.

However, you can decide later that you want to relocate, apply to become a citizen of another country and upon meeting all the requirements of that country, you undergo a process called “naturalization” which is the admittance of a foreigner to the citizenship of a country. It is also in the same way that we become citizens of Heaven. The only requirement being placing our faith in the finished work of Christ i.e., His death, burial and resurrection, after which we switch passports, not from one country to another but from darkness to light. The Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:13-14 put it this way:

For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty]

This is the identity of the man in Christ, forgiven, free and redeemed. Our nationality is now Heaven, the kingdom of God. This new citizenship is marked by a shift in values, priorities, and beliefs that align with the laws of your new country, in this case being the Word of God i.e., the Bible. Colossians 3:1-2 says

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

There are things that must change once we become citizens of Heaven. Our perspectives, we are not of this world, and it must be evident in our worldview and how we make our decisions. Our priorities, our allegiance is now to God and His Kingdom, and we must love the Lord with all our heart, soul and strength. Our behaviour, it must be evident in our behavior that we belong to Kingdom of Heaven, the fruits of the Holy Spirit must be clearly visible in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law

In simpler terms, in our day – day life, being a citizen of Heaven means:

1. Walking in a way that honours Jesus. Walking in a manner that is worthy of the calling that we have received. Ephesians 4:1 – 2

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love

2. Making Christ known to our world. We are not only citizens of Heaven, but we are also ambassadors and God has given us the responsibility to shine His light to our world. 1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light

3. Living set apart. As citizens of Heaven, we may live in this world, but we are not of this world, and we must maintain a distinct separation from worldly values. We must not be conformed to this world John 17:16

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world

Our Heavenly citizenship gives us hope and assurance amid life’s challenges, our strength and comfort stems from the fact that our true home is with Christ. This Heavenly citizenship also unites us as believers, regardless of our race, nationalities or backgrounds. We may come from different places, but we have the same constitution, the Bible, we speak the same language, we have the same Father and most importantly, we are headed to the same destination Galatians 3:28

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

It’s easy to get caught up in the world around us, politics, pressure, pain. But if you’re in Christ, you have a different citizenship. You have a different King, and you have a different future. You’re not just trying to survive on earth—you’re preparing for eternity.

So live like it. Let heaven shape your mindset, your choices, your values, and your vision.

And if you haven’t yet accepted Jesus, know this: heavenly citizenship is open to anyone who believes. The door is always open. If you would like to make the decision to become a citizen of Heaven today and you would like us to pray with you, please reach out to us at info@theananexperience.com or via a phone call to +1 (431) 294 - 3988.

Heaven isn’t just a destination. It’s your home. Hebrews 13:14 (NLT)

For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come

Writers Credit: Jubilee Agba

Edited By: Tilewa Badmus