Citizenship

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

CITIZENSHIP

Acts 22:26-30

26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "This man is a Roman citizen." 27 The commander went to Paul and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" "Yes, I am," he answered. 28 Then the commander said, "I had to pay a big price for my citizenship." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied. 29 Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. 30 The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them.

NIV

We are at the conversation between Paul and the Commander regarding Roman citizenship. Two types are being shown to us here, one as Paul was, born a citizen, and that of the commander who had to pay a high price to be one. Apparently it was possible to buy your citizenship. This could be our life lesson here. It might seem this is just a conversation, which it is, but we could also see a truth about being a citizen of the Kingdom of God. In most organizations of man, it is possible to buy in. That is to say, every membership or citizenship comes at a cost, some higher than others, but all have a cost. There is no free membership, at least ones that count, in the world. However there is a free citizenship to be had, but we must be born into it, well at least reborn into it. In order for us to be citizens of the Kingdom of God we must be born again. That is it, it is one that comes from birth. It costs absolutely nothing, as it is free, everyone can become a citizen no matter of their ability to pay or not, in fact, no one can buy their citizenship. No one can earn this citizenship either, so that none can boast has to how they became a citizen of heaven. We see here the importance of being born or being able to buy Roman citizenship. It held a special meaning with special privileges, such as not being put in chains, or flogged without a trial, at least those are evident in this narrative. There are most likely other privileges of being a Roman citizen for people like the commander to buy their way in at a high cost. But we do not have to buy in, nor can we to be a citizen of heaven yet our citizenship provides us with exceptional privilege. We have the privilege of living forever. We have the privilege of not only being a citizen, but also being adopted into the family of God. We have the privilege of being able to ask for anything in the name of Jesus. The list of our privileges could take a book to enumerate. So we should rejoice because we have been reborn a citizen of heaven.