I. THE PHILIPPIANS

Luke wrote that the city of Philippi was a colony (kolonia, Acts 16:12). Critics doubted Luke’s accuracy until archaeological inscriptions showed that in 42 B.C. Julius Caesar designated Philippi a Roman colony. Then about 31 B.C. Augustus Caesar made the city even more distinctive by designating it a military colony (B-G-D, 442). Coins inscribed Colonia Julia Augusta Philippensium have been found (David Smith, THE LIFE AND LETTERS OF ST. PAUL, 126). Once more the spade of the archaeologist has falsified Bible critics.

The use by the two Caesars of the Latin word colonia, which Luke changed into the Greek word kolonia, "often denotes a colony of foreigners or relocated veterans" (B-G-D, 686). Colonial status meant (1) libertas, self-government; (2) immunitas, immunity from imperial taxes; and (3) jus Italicum, same rights as Italian citizens (INTERPRETERS’ BIBLE). People in Philippi took pride in saying that they were "Romans" (Acts 16:21), though they were some three hundred miles distant.

The usual word for "behavior" (anastrophe, Galatians 1:13; Ephesians 4:22; 1 Timothy 4:12; Hebrews 13:7; James 3:13, and in eight places in Peter’s books) in the KJV is "conversation." In 1611 the word "conversation" meant "behavior," but now it represents only one aspect of a person’s behavior.

As the word "conversation" in our time represents only one aspect of behavior (a person’s language), so Paul’s word (politeuomai represents only aspect of behavior: a person’s conduct as a legal member of a community. He commanded the Philippian Christians to "discharge your obligations as citizens worthily of Christ’s gospel" (1:27, FHV). The margin of the ASV says that Paul’s Greek word means "behave as citizens."

Inspired letters were written to Timothy, to the Hebrews, to "the scattered strangers throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia" (1 Peter 1:1), and directly to the cities of Thessalonica, Colosse, Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and to Philippi, but among these only with reference to the Christians in Philippi could the word politeuomai (Philippians 1:27) have been used accurately.

The inhabitants of the other districts and cities were all subjects of Rome, not citizens of Rome. But the inhabitants of Philippi were citizens of Rome as if they live in the seven-metropolis. Was Paul’s singular use of the word politeuomai accidental? Or should one simply stand in amazement at the preciseness of verbal inspiration (1 Corinthians 2:13)?

Paul used a form of politeuomai a second time in the Philippian letter, not to teach them how to behave as citizens of Rome, but, building on their political citizenship, to emphasize their spiritual enfranchisement in a commonwealth better by far that the Roman: "our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). On this earth Philippi was a colony belonging to Rome, but the citizens of Philippi who obeyed the gospel had become "a colony of heavenly citizens" (Dibellus, B-G-D, 686), "a colony of heaven" (James Moffatt).

II. PAUL

The apostle Paul was a Roman citizen, though born neither in Rome nor in a Roman colony. Tarsus in Cilicia, his birthplace (Acts 21:39), though an Urbs Libera, a "free city" (free of foreign magistrates, free of a Roman garrison), was not a colonia, a colony (Conybeare and Howson, 41). Paul’s Roman citizenship was inherited: his father had that distinction, and so Paul said, "I am Roman born" (Acts 22:28). Paul’s Roman citizenship (1) allowed him to demand in Philippi a dignified release from prison (Acts 16:37); (2) in Jerusalem saved him from a savage beating (Acts 22:25-28); (3) Jerusalem rescued him from an assassination attempt (Acts 23:12 27); (4) in Caesarea allowed him to appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:1 12); and (5) in Rome spared him the ignominy and suffering of a death by crucifixion. But of much more value in Paul’s eyes than Roman citizenship was his enfranchisement under another government: "our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20).

Paul’s word "our" apparently puts him in a class to himself among the apostles. He is the only one of the twelve known to be a Roman citizen, and so the only one with a dual citizenship, one of Rome, and one of heaven. Paul was united with the Philippian Christians, both being enfranchised in the City of Rome and in the City of God (Civitas Dei, "the Heavenly Commonwealth" (Augustine, cited by David Smith, ibid., 512).

A visit by Paul and the Philippians to earthly Rome would have brought no bodily change, but when they both visit heavenly Jerusalem, their clay bodies will disappear readying them for spiritual bodies conforming to the body of Christ’s glory (Philippians 3:21).

III. CHRISTIANS TODAY

Not only the Philippians and Paul, but thousands of Christians today enjoy a dual citizenship. Under the flags of benign governments they are citizens living exemplary lives in their communities (Romans 13:1-9; 1 Peter 2:13-17), but their more valuable citizenship is heavenly.

They look forward, not to an earthly abode, but to a "city which has foundations," "the new Jerusalem," "the heavenly Jerusalem," "the Jerusalem which is above," "whose builder and maker is God" (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 11:10; 12:22; Revelation 21:1). "Here" they "have no abiding city, but" they "are seeking the one which is coming" (Hebrews 13:14).