God Is Good

Many people misunderstand God. How we understand God, impacts how we both view Him and how we deal with life. Jesus revealed a forgotten aspect of who God is. In the Old Testament, the Jews understood God to be Lord who maintained a holy distance from them. They could not approach him. Even in the temple the Holy of Holies was off limits to them except for one person once a year, on the Day of Atonement. This holy distance tended to create a fear reaction in the people toward the Lord God. However, when Jesus arrived, he began to reveal a different aspect of God. Jesus spoke of God as Father, his Father and the disciples’ Father. Curiously Jesus never referred to God as “our Father”, indicating that his relationship with God the Father was different than the disciples’ relationship with Him. When he taught the disciples’ to pray “Our Father”, he did not include himself in “our”, but referred to the disciples praying to God as “Our Father”. (For more on God as Father, see my book, “Outrageous Prayer”, chapter 2. See the link below.)

Jesus went on to describe the kindness of God toward his followers. He would take care of them and give them what they needed. He would not give them a stone, if they asked for a loaf of bread or a snake if they asked for a fish. In this way, Jesus’ disciples were to respond to God the Father as children, God’s children. He was a Father who rejoiced when he reconnected with those children who had wandered away as portrayed in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, when the father ran to the son and embraced him when he returned. He accepted the son back into the family and celebrated his return, even though the son requested to be made a servant. This parable reveals the affection that God has for those who follow Jesus.

Although God was revealed in the Old Testament as Father; he told David that David’s son, Solomon, would be like a son to God himself. This prophecy was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. However, the predominant understanding of God was that he was Lord and Judge, creating a respectful fear in the Jewish people, that at times bordered on holy terror. So much so that they would not even pronounce God’s name, because it was too holy for them to say out loud. With this perspective of God it was difficult for them to perceive God as good, because their fear kept getting in the way. Even today, many people perceive God as being angry and focus on God’s wrath. This perspective came out in Jonathan Edward’s famous sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”. People came to God out of fear of the fiery pits of hell. However, this perspective loses much of what Jesus revealed about God as a merciful, kind and loving Father.

If you believe that God is angry with you then your view of life will be controlled by fear of that anger and a negative outlook on life. You expect God to punish you for any and every mistake you have made, your sins. You tend to view life from a pessimistic perspective. Life can become very much like children growing up in an abusive home. However, if we take Jesus’ at his word, yes God is displeased with sin, but he is overwhelmingly good. While he will correct his children, he does so for their good. God, as Father, desires to have relationship with his children, in the same way parents today delight in their own children and grandchildren. This was the mission of Jesus, to bring God’s children back into relationship with God the Father. It is why the curtain in the temple was torn in two when Jesus died so that the way back to God’s own presence was open again.

However, once you are convinced that God is good pessimism becomes optimism. While you may face difficulties, you deal with them from a position of hope, not fear of the future. Jesus told us we would face difficulties in his world, but we are to take courage, because Jesus has overcome the world. Why did Jesus overcome the world, because God is good.

Citizenship

While we were living in Italy two of our sons were born there. Growing up some would tell one or the other that they could not be president because they were not born in the United States. That statement reflected a misunderstanding of our Constitution, because our Constitution requires the President to be a naturally born citizen, as opposed to a naturalized citizen. My grandmother was a naturalized citizen, because she was born in Canada to Canadian parents and moved here when she was 13, then she went through the naturalization process to become a US citizen. Constitutionally my grandmother could never have been elected to the presidency, because she was not a naturally born citizen. However, our two sons were born in Italy to American citizens. They have an Italian birth certificate and a document from the State Department declaring them to be naturally born US citizens, born Overseas. Likewise, they are not Italian citizens, because Italy requires Italian parentage for citizenship, while Donelle and I are American citizens.

When I think of what Paul wrote to the Philippians that we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20), I am reminded of our two sons when we lived in Italy. Neither of them had ever physically set foot in the United States, but yet they were citizens with all the rights and privileges of a US citizen. Likewise, those of us who love and follow Jesus are citizens of heaven even though we have never physically been there. However, according to Paul, we are seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6), speaking of our identity and connection with Jesus and therefore our spiritual presence in Jesus in the heavenly places. We are citizens of heaven not because we were born there, but because we were born again in Christ Jesus, so that our family identity was transferred from Adam to Jesus according to Paul in Romans 5:12-15. Likewise, our sons, are citizens of the US not because they were born in this country, but because they are our sons. We are citizens of heaven because we belong to Jesus, therefore his citizenship is transferred to us who love and follow him.

That is why our connection to heaven is dependent upon Jesus, not on our behavior. You don’t become a naturally born US citizen by behavior, but by a connection to your parents. Likewise, you don’t obtain heaven by your behavior, but by your connection to Jesus. Having said that, loving and following Jesus will result in transformed behavior, just like our love for our parents will influence our behavior as well. This being the case, for those of us who love Jesus, we are actually foreigners living on earth, because our citizenship is elsewhere, just like when we lived in Italy, where we were categorized as foreigners (stranieri). I find it significant for me to remember that truth as I go about my daily affairs and activities living as a Kingdom citizen while dwelling in the United States.

Jesus, Son of Man

Jesus’ title for himself was not Son of God, nor was it Messiah, but he used a rather common phrase from the Old Testament, “Son of Man” found 193 times in the Old Testament. Virtually all of the usages translate literally the phrase from Hebrew “Son of Adam”. Psalm 144:3 is different and translates the Hebrew for “Son of mortal man”. Over 80 times the phrase “Son of man” is used; God’s title for the prophet Ezekiel. In Daniel 7:13 occurs another outlier, where “Son of man” translates the Hebrew “son of a human”. In Daniel’s vision he saw one like a son of man to refer to a human, heavenly being who went to the ancient of days and would come and rule upon the earth. The Old Testament understanding of “son of man”, was that it referred to a man, a human person. Only Daniel 7:13 added an apocalyptic understanding of the term. At the time of Jesus it was not a term in common usage. It is also interesting that the early church did not continue to use the title Son of Man for Jesus as Jesus did but preferred to refer to him as the Son of God. Jesus was the only one to use that title to refer to himself and he used it frequently with several different connotations.

So the question arises why did Jesus use this phrase to refer to himself, when he could have used other titles such as Son of David, Son of God or Messiah? Concerning those alternate titles, Jesus didn’t refer to himself as Messiah or the similar title Son of David, because those terms were so closely tied in the people’s minds with a Davidic warrior king. Although those titles were accurate for Jesus, their connotations would mislead the people into thinking Jesus had come to be a political king like David or a Roman Caesar. During the triumphal entry, the people referred to Jesus as the Son of David, thinking he had come to overthrow the Romans, like the Maccabees had defeated the Greek rulers several hundred years before. The Jewish leaders succeeded in portraying Jesus in this political light before Pilate leading to his execution. Jesus also avoided using the title Son of God, which the early church picked up, probably because it emphasized his divinity. It would also have confused him with the Roman Emperors and other ancient rulers who portrayed themselves as a Son of God. Jesus used the Old Testament term Son of Man as a human man, and Daniel as a human heavenly being and infused new meaning to them. He was a human man who brought the heavenly authority to earth to forgive sins. When he healed the paralytic, he told him that his sins were forgiven. When the religious leaders objected to Jesus declaring sins forgiven, he told them that they would know the Son of Man had authority to forgiven sins, then he commanded the paralytic to take up his mat and walk. The man’s doing so underscored Jesus’ authority, as Son of Man to forgive sins, something that only God could do. Although he had heavenly origins, on earth the Son of Man had no place to lay his head. The Son of Man had come to give his life as a ransom for mankind’s sins, but one day he would come as a heavenly judge. To his disciples he revealed that, yes, he the Son of Man was the Messiah, but a Messiah not as they and their contemporaries expected. By use of the Son of Man, Jesus redefined the disciples understanding of the Messiah.

Jesus’ choice of that title demonstrated his comprehension of his contemporaries as he sought to clarify his human and heavenly role, so that they would not confuse him with their own misunderstanding of the Messiah. The gospels reveal that even the disciples had difficulty understanding Jesus’ duel role as suffering servant and victorious conqueror of sin. Even today, we continue to ponder and debate this person, Jesus, who walked upon the earth, taught men and women such as ourselves, suffered and died so that we might receive forgiveness for our foibles and failures before God and live in fellowship with God and fellow man, rather than in fear and animosity. Even today, Jesus is often misunderstood when cultural definitions of him color and distort how Scripture presents him.

250 Years

Today is the 4th of July, celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 250 years ago. This weekend, many churches are celebrating, decking their facilities with flags, as well as red, white and blue bunting. While there is nothing wrong with celebrating the founding of our nation and praying that God would continue to bless America, as we pray for our national, state and local leaders, I have found myself having mixed feelings for this holiday. After living overseas for 13 years and growing to love another language, culture and people, I’m reminded that the Kingdom of God is global, more than national. Our first allegiance is to the Kingdom of God even more than to the American flag. Jesus instructed us to seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness even more than national prosperity and blessing. Jesus’ great commission to his followers instructs us to disciple all nations, not just our own.

Before we left for Italy, we were instructed not to export our American culture. Required reading included a book, entitled “The Ugly American” a 1958 bestselling political novel written by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer . The phrase “Ugly American” has come to refer to the arrogant and loud behavior of some Americans living and traveling abroad. The warning of that book was for Americans living overseas not to have an attitude toward the local culture and avoid having an air of superiority toward local people. I found the book eye-opening begin to see our own culture through the eyes of others as well as challenged to learn to respect the culture, language, history and people of Italy.

As we celebrate 250 years, let’s remember that there are more followers of Jesus living outside of the United States than in it, more who speak other languages than English. They too, are our brothers and sisters and fellow citizens of heaven.

Jesus Is King

Recent “No Kings” protests in the United States illustrate the anti-monarchical sentiment that historically exists in this country. This sentiment goes back to the rebellion against the authority of King George III of Great Britain, which established what is now known as the United States. However, for those of us who call ourselves Christians, meaning followers of Jesus as Lord and Savior, we recognize that we do have a King. He is known as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As Christians, we are citizens of his Kingdom. Scripture reminds us that we are citizens of heaven from where we await our Savior (Philippians 3:20).

One of the titles attributed to Jesus during his lifetime was “Son of David”, as such Jesus fulfilled the promises God made to Israel’s king, David, that God would raise up for him a descendant who would reign over an eternal kingdom (2 Samuel 7:13-14). While David’s son Solomon partially fulfilled this promise; Solomon built the temple and was disciplined when he disobeyed, Jesus ultimately fulfilled God’s promise by being the perfectly obedient son, who has built an eternal temple and dwelling place for God’s Spirit in those of us who follow Jesus.

As citizens of heaven and the dwelling place for the Spirit of God there is the expectation that Christians walk according to the truth. Scripture again instructs us to walk in the light as He is in the light, which is the foundation for our fellowship with Jesus and one another (1 John 1:5-7). Walking in the light reveals why Jesus instructed his followers to teach others what he had commanded (Matthew 28:20). Some assume that walking in the truth is the foundation of their acceptance by Jesus, but Scripture teaches that it is the result of what Jesus has already accomplished in us, because it was through God’s grace that forgiveness is offered to all of us, even though we don’t deserve it (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Wherever we live in the world, we live under rulers, who, no matter what their title, may at times act like royalty. At times they may even abuse their legal powers, whether they are kings, presidents, prime ministers, governors or mayors. Nevertheless, our responsibility as citizens of heaven is to show them honor, whether they deserve it or not, just as God forgave us through Jesus, when we did not deserve it. We must combat the tendency to show honor to those leaders with whom we agree, while withholding honor from those with whom we disagree. When we follow the Scriptural mandate to show honor to all governmental leaders, we reveal ourselves to be citizens of heaven who walk in the light.

How Do We Know What Is True?

This is an important question, that we often don’t think to ask ourselves. Why? Because we assume that what we believe is already true. If we discovered that it was not true, we would change our belief or opinion, because no one intentionally believes a lie. There is something innate within us that rejects lies and seeks that which is true. What we believe is often built upon what we have heard and learned from trusted sources: parents, relatives, teachers, authors etc. Upon that information, believing it to be true, we make decisions and live our lives.

When it comes to what a person believes about Jesus, there are many different opinions based on the information an individual considers credible. Historic Christianity is built upon the belief that what the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John include is an accurate testimony of Jesus’ life. This was the belief of most people until the Enlightenment of the 1700’s applied rationalism to what Christians believed about Jesus. Since it was not rational to believe in the miracles that are described in the Gospels, especially the resurrection of Jesus, the miracles were believed to be added to the original story of Jesus. This explains why Thomas Jefferson edited his Bible removing all aspects of the miraculous. In the 1800’s this led to a study of the search for the historical Jesus, popularized by Albert Schweitzer’s landmark book “The Quest For the Historical Jesus”. This position advocated that while Jesus did live, what is found in the Gospels is mixed with myth, and is not actual history. Some scholars used the discipline of textual criticism, specifically the preference for a shorter reading of an ancient text, to conclude that Mark was the original of the four Gospels, because it was the shortest. Matthew and Luke used Mark’s Gospel as a source and expanded upon it. This of course assumed that the four Gospels were not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, because Matthew and John being an eye-witnesses of Jesus’ life, would not have needed a source such as Mark for their Gospels. Along with what became known as the “Priority of Mark”, was the theory that an original document, now lost, known as “Q”, was the source of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Along with this view, was the belief that the four Gospels were written much later than the 1st century. However, in the 1900’s archaeological discoveries proved that the Gospels were written in the decades following Jesus’ death, which required a rethinking of the views proclaimed by those advocating that the Gospels contained myth.

Since the Gospels were written within decades of Jesus’ life they would not have been credible to the readers if they contained mythical information about Jesus’ life, because there would still be people alive who had known those events and could easily dispute them. For example the early church father, Irenaeus, writing in the 2nd century, recorded that he learned Christianity from Polycarp, who personally had known the apostle John. Such a reaction against “mythical” information in the Gospels would have prohibited the growth of Christianity in the late first century and early second century. Meaning if the Gospels contained myth, we likely would not even know who Jesus is today. To illustrate, this would be like if today biographers of Martin Luther King Jr. wrote that he rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Such a mythological portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr’s life would not be credible today and be ridiculed out of existence, because many of us were alive during his lifetime and remember him. The same would have happened in the first century, the fact that Christianity was not ridiculed out of existence, even though the Jewish leaders and the Roman authorities attempted to eradicate it, points to the historical accuracy of all that was written in the Gospels.

So whatever one believes about Jesus, it is no longer reasonable to believe that the Gospels found in the New Testament included myth. Which leaves everyone of us to deal with Jesus’ claims to be Lord and King, along with his invitation to follow Him as such.

How Did Christianity Become So Complicated?

Several weeks ago I posted how Christianity is really simple, not complicated. However the reality for many of us is that Christianity seems and feels complicated. The simple reality of Jesus seems to get drowned out in history, doctrine and theology. How did that come about?

Jesus gave us a very simple message to proclaim, repent and follow him, by living out a new command, love one another as Jesus loved us. That message has transformed the world. However along the way Christianity has become more complicated. When Jesus declared to Pilate, that his kingdom was not of this world, he didn’t mean that his followers were to withdraw from the world. He meant his kingdom was unlike any kingdom that had ever existed upon the earth. He told his followers to be in the world but not of the world. In effect, they were to be resident aliens in the world. That means that Christianity has always interacted with culture.

This interaction with culture began immediately when the apostles, recorded in Acts, began to preach Jesus’ message to the Jews and explain it in a Jewish context. Within a short time they, particularly Paul, began preaching to the Gentiles and explaining that it was not necessary for a Gentile to follow the Jewish religious dietary practices and circumcision. Paul’s teaching to the Gentiles resulted in conflict with certain Jewish Christians who disagreed with him, causing Paul to clarify with letters to various churches. Various of these apostolic interactions have been collected into what we now call the New Testament.

Following the passing of the apostles, the next generation of Christian leaders, such as Irenaeus, Athenagoras and Justin, to name a few, responded to a philosophical interpretation of Christianity called Gnoticism, as well as defending Christianity against accusations of immoral living. They clarified Christianity and distinguished it from what the Gnostic teachers proclaimed and defended the morality of Christians, demonstrating the inconsistency of the accusations and subsequent persecutions against Christians.

After Constantine, Christianity became a tolerated and eventually the official religion of the Roman Empire; there emerged at the urging of the emperors a desire to codify and unify Christian teaching, regarding the Trinity, the nature of Jesus and other theological topics. These efforts to unify Christianity resulted in what are now known as ecumenical councils, such as Nicea (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), Chalcedon (451), Constantinople 2 (553), Constantinople 3 (680) and Nicea 2 (787). These Councils established creeds that orthodox Christians were required to affirm. These creeds became the foundation for what are now referred to as “Statements of Faith”. The Orthodox Church recognizes only these seven councils, while the Roman Catholic Church recognizes other later councils. What began as an attempt to unify Christianity has resulted in one division of Christianity after another. Just consider all the various versions (denominations) existing now, with each one implying that their version of Christianity is more original or accurate.

These practices of explaining Christian thought and interacting with culture resulted in academic studies called “Systematic Theology”, “New Testament Theology” and “Church History” to name a few. These efforts to clarify Christian thought and practice added to the simple teaching of Jesus and the apostles found in the New Testament resulting in Christianity seeming much more academic and theological, as well as divided into various Christian churches and denominations. While the study and debate regarding differing opinions and views of theological topics is of interest to some of us, we should never forget the simplicity of what Jesus taught or feel like it is necessary to understand all the various opinions regarding Christian theology. Nor should we forget that those who confess Jesus as their Lord and believe that he was raised from the dead are our brothers and sisters, even though they may hold some different theological views. While it may be useful to have the capacity to explain the Trinity and the nature of Jesus etc., we should never forget that Jesus asks a more basic question and message, “Do you love me? If yes, then love your brothers and sisters in the same way as I love you.”

Affections and Freedom

Freedom is more than merely enjoying civil rights. It is more than Jefferson’s life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. True freedom can only be received from the hand of God, otherwise, we are at the mercy of our affections. What we desire and organize our life around. It may be our possessions; it may be a career; it may be a relationship; it could be anything. Whatever holds our affections has influence over us and our decisions. It drives the words “I don’t have a choice”, which really means I don’t want to sacrifice my affections, when in fact it is possible to make that sacrifice. We do have a choice. The phrase, I don’t have a choice, is code for I don’t want to make that sacrifice.

This connection between affections and freedom sheds light on several of Jesus’ statements. Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom of God. That means to set our affections on God’s kingdom first and let everything else take a lesser priority in our life. Later Jesus said to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. From what are we to deny ourselves? We deny our affections that seek to take the primary position in our life, that seek to control our decision making, that seek to deceive us into thinking we don’t have a choice. Jesus means for us again to place those things that call for our affections in proper perspective in relationship to God’s Kingdom and keep following Jesus.

This was the problem with the Rich Young Ruler. Jesus saw the man and loved him. He desired to set this man free. Therefore he told the man to sell his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor and follow him. Why did Jesus tell the man this? Because wealth is evil, of course not. If wealth were evil, Jesus would have told all his followers to sell their wealth, but he didn’t. He only told this man to take that step. Why would Jesus do that? In this case, the man had allowed his wealth to take hold of his heart, which was revealed when he refused to follow Jesus’ advice and walked away downcast. For this man it was his possessions, but for others it might be relationships, friends and family, or a career, which have taken control of their heart.

What happens when we live in the manner that Jesus calls us to? We experience freedom. While we enjoy possessions, friends, family and a career, they do not control us and we do not fear losing them. Freedom from fear of losing what attracts our affections, because our affections are focused on what we cannot lose, Jesus’ love for us. Freedom from thinking that we no longer have a choice, because we always have a choice, because we are free to sacrifice and deny ourselves to follow Jesus. This freedom reminds us of the wisdom of the words penned by Jim Eliot prior to his being martyred. “He is no fool, who gives up what he cannot keep, to attain what he cannot lose.” Ultimately this freedom give us true contentment, so that we can experience contentment in whatever circumstances that come our way. This is what the apostle Paul was talking about when he wrote to the Philippians from a Roman prison, telling them that he had learned to be content in all situations, with both plenty and in lack. Now that is a way of living worth choosing.

Simple Christianity

The Christian faith is really very simple. Jesus did not give us complicated doctrines to affirm, rather he had a very simple message. Repent and follow me. It is more personal than intellectual. Those two commands, repent and follow, are connected. We are to repent from living our own way, from being our own master. The word repent, “metanoia” in Greek, means to change the way you think, which implies a change of direction of your life. We think we can fix ourselves, that we can change ourselves and while that might be true in a limited and temporary way, fundamentally we cannot change ourselves, because to change we need an inner transformation. The way we think needs transformation from what comes natural to us to what is supernatural and foreign to us. To put it another way. We need to learn a new language that no one can teach us but the Spirit of Jesus. To embark on that path, we need to repent.

While repenting is a one time action, following takes a lifetime. Jesus called men and women in the past and calls men and women now to follow him, not to learn doctrine and theology. Unless by theology, you mean what theology actually means, the study of God, following Jesus to learn and understand what he reveals about God so that it can transform the way you think and in turn change your life. Some turn theology into an end in itself, by acquiring more and more information, but never seem to realize that the purpose of theology is to know Jesus and let that knowledge transform you.

Today many believe that Christianity is a religion. A religion is a belief system that requires following a set of rules and practicing a certain set of rituals. Religion is a human way to understand God. A human effort for men and women to “improve” themselves so that they can make themselves acceptable to God. Christianity is not a religion, anymore than a friendship or marriage is a religion. The concept of religion is fundamentally flawed, that is why we need a savior, someone who will put us on a different path. Someone who can do for us, what we are helpless to do for ourselves. Jesus claims to be that person, which leads us to a decision. Believe Jesus and change or stay on the same path we’ve always been on. We can continue putting band aids on our bad behaviors, which is why the world is filled with individuals identifying themselves as “recovering ‘you fill in the blank’”, but no one is “recovered”. We can discipline ourselves to appear humble, generous and benevolent, when we know in our heart of hearts that hidden ulterior motives are lurking. We are what Jesus called the Pharisees, outside they appeared all clean and gleaming, but inside they were nothing more than tombs carrying around death. The only way to enter into the “recovered” category is to humbly accept what Jesus offers to us and let him teach us that “new language”, a new way to think. To put it another way, we let him transform our thoughts and life one layer at a time. The choice is ours.

A Peculiar People?

Why does the King James Version of the Bible call Christians a peculiar people? In that version of the Bible, 1 Peter 2:9 refers to Christians as a peculiar people. That phrase sounds odd to our modern ears, because today the word has taken on somewhat of a negative connotation that it did not have several hundred years ago when the King James was translated. So what does the phrase “a peculiar people” mean? This phrase is part of Peter’s description of who Christians are. They are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people. The phrase “peculiar people” refers back to what was said of the nation of Israel in Exodus 19:5, where God refers to Israel as His “treasured possession”. In the New Testament the word is found several times in the New Testament where it refers to “a purchased possession”. This meaning explains why modern translations translate “peculiar people” as “a people for God’s own possession”. The modern translation underscores the truth that Christians are a treasured and valued possession of almighty God through the redemptive work of Jesus.

This understanding of who we are as Christians, as followers of Jesus, explains why Peter went on to exhort his readers to live in a certain manner in verse 11. There he writes “I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul”. Here Peter instructed his readers, Christians, to live in this present world, no matter what nation they call home, as foreigners and exiles. Why would Peter tell Christians to live as foreigners and exiles in their own homeland? Paul shed light on this when he wrote to the Philippians, that our citizenship is in heaven from where we await our Savior, Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20). If Christians have their citizenship in heaven, then wherever they may dwell on earth, they are foreigners. How do foreigners live? Well, they are different. Their affections are placed elsewhere. They are not as emotionally attached to what is taking place where they live. They have different values and may appear out of place at times and feel a certain measure of discomfort and displacement. They constantly feel as if they are not completely at home. This understanding explains why the early Christians after being arrested and questioned if they were Jewish, Greek or Roman, would simply reply that they were Christians. They no longer identified with Jewish, Roman or Greek culture. When we lived in Italy for a number of years, we had feelings such as these. Each year we had to go to the authorities to renew our “sojourners’ permit” at the police station, a constant reminder that we were not Italian. At times we were asked why we lived there. At times we felt discomfort and very much as foreigners. This is how Peter tells us we are to live, even in our country of birth. Why does he do that? So we would not adopt the values of this present evil age. Peter, and Paul, call us to live apart with values that come from our new homeland, heaven. That means sometimes we will appear different; we will feel discomfort in certain situations, and that is ok, because our citizenship is in heaven, not here.