“For our citizenship is in heaven; from which also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ:” (Phillipians 3:20)

Having eternal life is bigger than just being able to make heaven as you may have thought, there’s a lot more in the package. In the first place the reason you have access to heaven is because you are a citizen of heaven by the reason of your salvation (Eph 2:19, Phillipians 3:20). You become a member of the family of God and have access to heaven and it’s resources. Being born again is beyond just being qualified to make heaven, it is to share in the very nature of God. To have his life resident in us. We are not just striving to make it to heaven by our good works, Jesus Christ has fulfilled the requirements needed to help us gain that access and we become qualified by accepting his sacrifice.

Consider the following passage:

“For by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified.

The Holy Spirit also is a witness to us: for after this he had said before,

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
(Heb 10:14-17)

We are from heaven and our mandate is to establish the Kingdom of God here on earth. In teaching people how to pray, Jesus said, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Luke 11:2). The mission of the Christian is to spread the Kingdom of God. How can you spread a kingdom you are still struggling to be a part of? The Bible call us ambassadors (2Cor :17-19), we represent God and his kingdom. This is why the bulk of the epistles were written to Christians to admonish them to live a godly life that corresponds to kingdom values. (Colossians 1:9-17)

One cannot ordinarily wish to be the citizen of the country he is already a citizen of. Where that occurs, it would be evident that the person expressing such desires is living in ignorance – this is the state of many Christians. They are aspiring to attain that which they are already in possession of.

Know and acquaint yourself with these understanding. You will be more effective as a Christian equipped for the life you have been called to live.

Stay edified.

Written by Ademola Aderibigbe