Calling All Aliens!
According to the Pew Research Center, 70.6% of United States residents are aliens. This is no joke. You have aliens living all around you, and, chances are, you are one as well! We should not be surprised by this statistic. After all, the apostle Peter addressed his letter, known as 1 Peter, to aliens. I encourage you to read and analyze chapter one with me.
“To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (1 Peter 1:1-2, NASB 1997).
It appears that the aliens to whom Peter writes are described very much like Christians, and, indeed, they are. I confess, the Pew statistic given was also in reference to Christians, not aliens, but why would Peter call believers-in-Christ aliens? Webster’s Dictionary defines alien as:
1. Belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing
2. Relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or government
3. Differing in nature or character typically to the point of incompatibility
Do American Christians belong to another person, place or thing? We unquestionably belong to God and His son, Jesus. Do we owe allegiance to the United States? Yes, but we owe a higher allegiance to the kingdom of God. Jesus said, “Pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17, NASB). He also instructed His disciples to pray to God, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, NASB). Is that statement not at direct odds with our patriotic-America first mentality? Absolutely! There is no America in heaven any more than there was a Roman empire in heaven when Jesus stated it to his original audience.
Many organizations even package God with their cause in their motto. Such is the case with the United States Marine Corps motto, “For God, Corps, and Country.” This is a fine and proper list of values for a Marine to have, but in reality, allegiance to God is encouraged as long as it does not override your allegiance to the Corps. The Marines will turn on you very quickly if you decide not to attack the enemy in the middle of a firefight out of obedience to God. The same can be true with local church bodies. Local churches are businesses. They have a noble mission of sharing the Gospel, but when their mission comes in conflict with improving finances, getting volunteers, or scheduling a celebrity singer, their loyalty is truly tested.
Should American Christians be incompatible with the world? Jesus is the Christ, by whom we are called Christians, because we not only obey His teachings, but we also aspire to live like Him and honor Him in our every thought, word, and deed. This in itself is the point of incompatibility between believers and the world. It is not in Christ’s nature to remain dormant and let others look for Him, but He comes to us. It is not in Christ’s nature to remain silent during injustice, but to defend the oppressed. It is not in Christ’s nature to avoid persecution, but to serve God unto death. So too our nature and character should look very alien to the world, which seeks self-gratification and indulgences. The NIV takes the liberty of translating “aliens” to “strangers in the world.” Do our lives reflect such a worthy title?
However, Christians should not be strange, just for the sake of being strange. We should rejoice when reviled for the name of Christ, but not for being “troublesome meddler[s]” (1 Peter 4:14-15, NKJV). Peter wrote, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:13, NIV). There is much teaching packed into this chapter, but here is where the responsibility is laid at our feet. We must prepare our “minds for action.” Our nation will one day cease. Our president will one day be replaced. Our allegiances to every country, association, and person will one day come to an end as the heavens, earth, and all the works that are in it will “melt with fervent heat” (2 Peter 3:10, NKJV). With that uncontestable end awaiting everything in the material world, should we not set our “minds for action” on the things of God: which are the only things that live eternally? To allow our minds to dwell upon the things of the world is to remain ignorant, like when we were unbelievers. Peter explains, “As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14, NIV). Verse twenty-two makes the connection for us that obedience to God is our way of showing sincere love for our brothers-in-Christ.
This message is mysterious because to love your neighbor as yourself is foreign to the world. It sounds like something an alien would do! The importance of this mystery being revealed is noted five times in this first chapter as follows:
1. Vs. 5 – An inheritance is kept in heaven for believers and will be revealed in the last time
2. Vs. 7 – Trials that refine our faith will result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed
3. Vs. 12 – It was revealed to the prophets that they served not themselves, but believers in Christ and “Even angels long to look into these things” (NIV)
4. Vs. 13 – Set all your hope on the grace given you when Jesus Christ is revealed
5. Vs. 20 – Christ was revealed in these last times for our sake
These mysteries which are revealed through Peter are meant to bring us hope. They speak of these last times in which Jesus Christ is revealed. At the risk of getting side-tracked, I want to point out that the book of Revelation (which comes from the word “reveal”) should also be taken as a message of hope for believers. Our minds should not be over-concerned about the things of this world: the beast, 666, and wormwood. Our minds should be prepared for the return of the Lord and living lives that will result in “praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:7, NIV). We should accept our alienation from the world with joy. Peter instructs readers to “live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For… you were redeemed… with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:17-19, NIV).
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17 July 2017
