Editorial

I like the guy on the cover of this issue of One Body. He appears to be a bit of an Everyman, a citizen from anywhere and from anytime. He could be an American, contemplating the semiquincentennial celebration of his country. He could be one of the revolutionary forebears from any number of countries. Too, he could be a citizen of the Greco-Roman world. Or perhaps he is an ancient Israelite. His face shows courage, though with a hint of vulnerability. He seems capable, but in search of wisdom. He is confident, albeit concerned. I think he loves his country. 

In Acts 17:26-27, Paul refers to another everyman, Adam, when he wrote that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.” Beyond pointing out our shared ancestry and our human dignity that comes from being created in the image of God, these verses highlight God’s sovereignty over all nations in every era – and, by extension, the citizens thereof. God has planted me in this land, and I will love it and strive to thrive in it, even as I seek Him. I will be civic-minded and patriotic, but also salvation-minded and pacific. I will always seek the face of God and the place of God, knowing that “here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). In His sovereignty, the Lord has given us our earthly citizenship; in His love, He has beckoned us to our heavenly citizenship.   

In this issue, you will find twelve articles on the theme of The Citizen. Each article is distinct in its focus, but in each there is consideration of our dual citizenship – our roles here as we prepare for our eternity there, our often awkward and paradoxical positions of being at once a citizen and an alien. It seems that our call to Christian stewardship demands that we not only judiciously manage our resources and selflessly employ our talents, but also wisely tend to our communities. In “The Primacy of Christ,” Leonard Andrie connects this aspect of stewardship, this calling, to the Lord’s Prayer. He says that when we petition God for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, we essentially ask Him to give us leaders “whose ways of thinking, relating toward, and serving the democratic body best reflect the beauty and reality of heaven,” and that we thus have the duty to “strive to help build a culture of justice and love that is perfectly expressed in heaven” (Evangelism & Culture, Fall 2024). 

On pages eight and nine of this issue, Dr. Mark Scott writes on “Leveraging Your Citizenship for the Gospel.” In his article, he says, “A Christian is a member of two kingdoms – one from above and one from below. Since the believer is a citizen of heaven, should not that believer be the best citizen on earth?” I believe the answer should be “Yes!” If we are to shine like stars in the sky or bright lights in the world (Philippians 2:15) and maintain honorable conduct among the non-believers (1 Peter 2:12), then shouldn’t our citizenship, which God gave to us, be part of that brilliant reflection? Should it not be part of our salt and our light? 

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, gives us a glimpse of what the Kingdom citizen should look like: coming in our spiritual poverty to hunger and thirst for His righteousness, out of which comes our demonstrated love for those around us. Jesus has given us spiritual direction with a heart-understanding of His law. And God has given each of us our gifts and talents, from which we make our living and from which we create and sustain in the time and place that God has given us. 

The Christian citizen, even while seeking the kingdom of God, should be decidedly and demonstrably virtuous, as virtue must uphold the civic arena in which God has placed us. The American founding fathers understood that. John Adams said of the Constitution that it was good “only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to govern any other.” Benjamin Franklin knew that “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.” The bright and salty Christian ought to be Christlike, while living the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, courage, and temperance. He ought to bear the virtuous spirit-fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He ought to be orderly, industrious, generous, dutiful, and responsible. He ought to love his land and his fellow man, all the while faithfully plowing for truth, goodness, and beauty in God’s world – the place from which we seek Him, feel our way toward Him, and find Him.