February 12
________________________________________
WALK AS CITIZENS OF HEAVEN
17 Brothers and sisters, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even as I weep, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who have their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. – Philippians 3:17-21
________________________________________
In these passages, Paul emphasizes the importance of walking as citizens of heaven. In Hebrew, walk is hâlak. According to studylight.org, it is a general term for going and a specific term for walking regularly in relationship or companionship with another or with a set of ideas. Paul pleads the believers to follow his example of walking with Jesus. He warns them of those who claim they are believers, and yet, walk like enemies of God. In verses19, he explains how they are walking opposite of what Jesus taught because of their appetite on the physical or worldly things. In verse 20, Paul reminds them of their citizenship in heaven, where they are eagerly awaiting their Savior, the Lord Jesus. He reminds them of the promise of Jesus in verse 21 where their bodies will be transformed into like Jesus’ glorious body.
Barclay comments that the enemies of Christ were two sets of people within the church. There were those who distorted the principle of Christian liberty. These people turned Christian liberty into unchristian licence and gloried in giving their passions full play. There were those who distorted the Christian doctrine of grace. They said that, since grace was wide enough to cover every sin, a man could sin as he liked and not worry; it would make no difference to the all-forgiving love of God. They may have been misguided Christians who twisted the loveliest things into justification for the ugliest sins. We need to be careful of these kinds of people in the church. Paul wants them to clearly see the difference of those people and how they can derail them from the path that Jesus wants them to take. Paul admonishes the Philippians to focus on living for Jesus and that means that they need to follow the gospel and look forward to the promise of spending eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ.
________________________________________
REFLECTION
• How can we continually walk as citizens of heaven?