The following four principles explain the principles and process of gaining citizenship in heaven, or a passport to God’s country.
1. God, the King of Heaven, loves you and wants you to become a citizen in His country.
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”
–Philippians 3:20 ESV
“For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”
–Ephesians 2:18-19 ESV
What prevents us from gaining citizenship in heaven?
2. We have broken the King’s laws, which has barred us from citizenship in Heaven. By dishonoring the King, we have been exiled from God’s country.
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
–Romans 3:23 ESV
Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.
–Proverbs 21:4 ESV
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
–Proverbs 16:18 ESV
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who [make a practice of doing] such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
–Galatians 5:19-21 ESV [brackets inserted from ESV footnote]
How do you become a citizen of Heaven? What is the citizenship process?
3. We need to be removed from the kingdom of darkness and transferred into God’s kingdom.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
–Mark 1:14-15 ESV
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
–1 Corinthians 15:1-4 ESV
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
–Colossians 1:13-14 ESV
But it’s not enough just to know these truths on a mere intellectual level.
4. In order to get our official citizenship in heaven, we must follow God’s instructions for citizenship application to His country.
What are God’s instructions for receiving citizenship in heaven?
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
–Matthew 7:21 ESV
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”…5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
–John 3:3,5 ESV
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
–John 3:36 ESV
“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
–Romans 10:9-10 ESV
And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
–Mark 10:13-15 ESV
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
–Mark 10:23-25 ESV
Humility is necessary for becoming a citizen of heaven (or entering the kingdom of God). God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Entrance into God’s kingdom is a gracious gift. If we try to pay for a gift with money or other human efforts, then we are proud and self-sufficient. Such an attitude is dishonorable to the One who went through the lowest, darkest, most painful places in order to offer us a gift that we could never earn or access by ourselves.
The following is just a suggested prayer for becoming a citizen of heaven. After taking some time to read and study it carefully, if it expresses the desire of your heart, you may say it aloud to God from your heart to become a member of His family and citizen of heaven:
My Father who is in heaven,
I want to know You personally, to enter Your honored family, and to become a citizen of heaven. I agree with Your word that I have broken Your laws. Therefore, I don’t deserve citizenship in heaven because I have clearly crossed the line and deserve to be separated from You forever. But I thank You that even while I deserve to go to hell because of my rebellion against You and rejection of Your love, You sent Jesus to give me access to gaining citizenship in heaven through a completely mended relationship with You (Romans 5:6-11).
I believe that Jesus never broke Your laws, never sinned, and loved You perfectly with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:37-40; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus gave up his connection to You and heavenly citizenship when he died on the cross, so that my sins (crimes against Your government) could be forgiven and so that I could be reconnected to You. I believe that Jesus rose from the dead, because death didn’t have legal right to keep him separated from You. Because Jesus rose from the dead, he proved that his death in my place was enough to grant me the legal right to become Your child and a citizen of heaven (John 1:12).
So Father, I repent of all my sin. I believe that Jesus’ shed his blood to forgive and to completely remove every wrong I have ever committed against You. I ask Jesus to give me a new heart and to govern my heart as my new God, King, President, and Master. Thank You for pouring out Your love into my heart by the Holy Spirit whom You have given me when I trusted in You to give me this heavenly citizenship (Romans 5:5). Thank You for giving me a new nature where all things have become new in my spiritual life.
Thank you that I have been born again with God’s seed in me, so that my life will now produce Your fruits–love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (1 John 3:9; Galatians 5:22-23). Thank You for giving me eternal life, a life that is full and meaningful (John 10:10). As I commit to follow you and to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, thank You for how You will continue to nurture me, changing me to become more like You (Romans 8:29; 12:1-2; 1 John 2:3-6).
In Jesus’ name,
Amen. (So be it!)
Conclusion:
Having entered into a new relationship with God, continue to draw closer to Him in love, intimacy, trust, submission, and obedience. Many people start a lifetime covenant (commitment) with a spouse through marriage, but it requires love, submission, trust, communication, honesty, character, integrity, and intimacy to keep that commitment strong. We can communicate with God and strengthen our relationship with Him through having His word [God’s ways and promises in the Bible] live in us and change us continually from the inside out.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
–Romans 12:2 ESV
Below are more passages about God’s kingdom for your own personal reflection, memorization, and/or prayerful meditation. “Prayerful meditation” involves reading these verses repeatedly and asking God to teach you and to show you more about what they mean as you study them further (in their context):
He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:3-5 ESV
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
–Romans 14:17 ESV
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
–1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV
This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
–2 Thessalonians 1:5-8 ESV
And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’
–Daniel 7:27 ESV
The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
–2 Timothy 4:18 ESV
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