According to Holy Scripture a Christian is an exile in this world. One who hates his/her life in this world. One who is hated by the world. A stranger. An alien in this world. A wanderer. One of whom the world is not worthy.
“To those who are elect exiles of the dispersion…” (1 Peter 1:1b)
“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25).
“If you were of this world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you“ (John 15:19).
“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth” (Hebrews 11:13).
“They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated — of whom the world was not worthy — wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:37-38).
Where is this Christianity (which is Biblical Christianity) in South Africa? In America? In my own life? I fear we deceive ourselves. We read verses like John 12:25 — “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” — and I fear we say in our hearts, “Yes, but Jesus didn’t really mean that. He doesn’t really expect me to live as an exile in a foreign land, longing for His return. That’s just too… that’s just too… that’s just too, um, Biblical?”
The common form of “Christianity” in South Africa (I’m reading it all over Facebook) is a Christianity of this world, which is no Christianity at all. It doesn’t acknowledge our true identity as exiles in this world. It has no place for waiting and longing for the age to come. It’s a religion that encourages the worship of created things — chasing after fancy cars, beach houses and cushy corporate jobs, all in the name of Jesus. It must be a different Jesus than the one who was crucified on a Roman cross and calls us to follow Him (Mark 8:34-38).
Christians, we are exiles.
