Picking Citizenships
I’m a second generation immigrant. Both my parents moved to the states when they were young, and both sets of grandparents followed soon after. I never had a great deal of Korean culture or influence in my life, except from my grandparents. Korea was a foreign country to me,--a Korean. When I went to Korea for my first and only time after my freshman year in college, I felt like a foreigner and conscious of people looking at me like I didn’t belong. One day I was standing on a street corner in Seoul waiting to cross the street, and a random lady standing beside me asked if I was from America. It seemed like I did not even have to speak or act in order for people to know that I was a citizen of the United States, and not Korea.
Citizenship is a concept that is present in the lives of second generation Korean Americans, and in our lives as Christians. During college I worked at the Texas State Legislature. That experience piqued my interest in government, so I decided to pursue that by studying law. What fascinated me about the law is that it is powerful – the law and its requirements can change lives for better or for worse. The law of the United States is that you cannot be a citizen unless you are born in the United States, or you are born to United States citizens abroad. You may become a United States citizen through a process called naturalization, which is not automatic and usually takes much more time. The law and its requirements changes things – if you cannot check-off one of these requirements, you do not get to claim the benefits of United States citizenship.
The benefits of U.S. citizenship are numerous. United States citizenship allows you to obtain a U.S. passport, become eligible for programs such as Medicare or Medicaid, vote in U.S. elections, hold elected office, and be internationally protected by United States embassies and consulates. There any many other benefits, such as qualification for federal aid and getting to live in a free and democratic country. All of these great benefits belong to the people who fit into the requirements of the law of citizenship.
Being a citizen of heaven also has great benefits. As Christians, we are citizens of heaven. We have the promise of eternal life as a priceless benefit. However, this benefit also requires that we fit into the requirements of a law. The law of God for citizenship, unlike the United States law for citizenship, is not complicated. In fact, it is so simple that it often is summed up in one sentence. The only requirement that God asks of us is to declare with our mouth that “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead. (Romans 10:9). We have seen people become citizens at the last minute, such as the thief on the cross who professed his faith in Jesus as he was being crucified next to him, and we have also seen tireless and patriotic citizens such as Paul and John the Baptist. These citizens and Christians have one thing in common: we believe that Jesus is Lord and that he is coming again.
We cannot remain citizens of both this world and heaven, we must renounce one citizenship or the other. Because we are citizens of heaven as Christians, the world should feel foreign to us, just like Korea felt foreign to me. People should be able to implicitly know that you do not belong on this Earth, like the lady at the streetlight who knew somehow that I was not a Korean citizen. If we are too comfortable in this world, it will not feel foreign to us, and slowly we will hold our citizenship on Earth more important than our citizenship in heaven. If we do not accept God’s sacrifice and the gravity of the benefit of eternal life, people will not implicitly know through our actions and our presence that we are children and citizens of God.
One of the best things about God is that He has not assigned us a citizenship, or forced us to choose our citizenship in heaven. He has freely given us all the blessings of grace and love, as well as His sacrifice of His only Son. Which citizenship we choose has been left to us.
The verse that has helped me to decide to be a citizen of heaven is Matthew 6:19-21. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
This verse helps me to remember the benefit that citizenship in heaven comes with – eternal life. This world is a temporary resting place, and wealth, prestige, and worldly possessions will fade and eventually disappear. The benefit of eternal life is ours for the taking if we profess and live as if we wholeheartedly believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He is coming again.
Eternal life means a time and a place where Jesus will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no death, mourning, or crying, or pain. (Revelation 21:4). Eternal life means a time when we can sit at the feet of Jesus, talk with Him, and ask Him all the questions we have ever wanted to know the answer to. Eternal life means no fear of danger or harm. Eternal life means a time where we can see the people we have lost, and forget the pain, trials, and tribulations of this world.
The better citizenship to me seems clear--God’s promise of eternal life is so much greater than this world will ever have to offer. The best part is that all we have to do is follow God’s requirements for citizenship in order to obtain this priceless benefit by professing and living with belief in Him and His Son. There are no forms, loopholes, or red tape. There is only God, reaching out to us with the promise of a life spent in heaven with Him – waiting for us to renounce our earthly citizenship and accept His invitation of citizenship in heaven.
Ashley Kim is a 2L at the University Of Texas School Of Law, pursuing a career in transactional law.