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New Citizenship

December 8th, 2022

1 Peter 1:13-21

I’ve met far too many people of faith who seem to reduce the significance of salvation to an avoidance of hell and an anticipation of heaven. When this belief is embraced, it impacts what we believe about the gift of Jesus.

If “salvation” is nothing more than securing our eternal destination, then what Jesus accomplishes on the cross is nothing more than a transaction that purchases us an advanced ticket. But I wonder if what is revealed in the cross of Christ is less about an advance ticket and more about new citizenship papers.

According to Peter, redemption is as much about the journey as it is the destination. The value and significance of what has been sacrificed on our behalf means a present departure from a former identity. We are now strangers, foreigners here on this earth. We no longer fit. We live as those whose lives testify (now) to the immense grace afforded to us, bearing witness to a new kingdom, with new citizenship papers.

Author: Jeff Stark

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