“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul.” 1 Peter 2:11
There has been a lot of buzz about aliens lately.
Navy pilots have shared videos of strange, floating discs outside the window of their fighter jets. During a recent government hearing, a whistleblower alleged that the Pentagon is hiding crashed alien spacecraft and possesses biological remains of a “non-human” origin. (Yikes.)
All of this sounds like science fiction to me, but I must admit, it’s piqued my curiosity a little.
What do you think?
While the jury is still out on whether we’re alone in the universe, I believe aliens exist. No, not as in E.T. or little green men from Mars, but as in the sons and daughters of God.
You see, the people of God have always been and always will be the real “aliens” on Earth.
Peter calls a group of first-century Christians “aliens in the world,” which literally means “foreigners, sojourners.” Obviously, these Christians aren’t from another planet but are members of an alien kingdom of sorts, a “royal priesthood and holy nation.” (1 Peter 2:9) As followers of Jesus, this world is not their home. Their true home, their true citizenship, is in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
This heavenly citizenship that Christians possess should have a direct impact on how they live. Peter advises them “to abstain from sinful desires.” In other words, they must fight back against the immoral cravings of their flesh and resist ‘going with the flow’ of a pagan culture. And make no mistake, if they truly follow Peter’s advice, they will stand out like an alien who crash-landed from a distant galaxy.
The same goes for Christians in the 21st century. In fact, the more we grow in our faith and take on the character of Christ, the more we’ll feel out of sync with this world.
Here are some reasons why I often feel like an”‘alien.”
If we feel like aliens, it’s not a bad thing. It’s a good thing. It means we take our faith seriously.
This is exactly what Jesus prayed for His followers: “They are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world…” (John 17:13-16). Like Jesus, we are to be “in” but not “of” the world. Because of what He has done in our lives, there should be a noticeable, unmistakable difference between us and non-believers.
HOWEVER…A Word of Caution
Notice that Jesus prays for us not to be “taken out of the world.” As “aliens,” we’re not made to run from the world, withdrawing to our ‘holy huddles.’ No, we’re called to run toward the world. Just two verses later, Jesus prays that His followers would be “sent” to bear witness to His life, death, and resurrection (John 17:18).
Peter echoes Jesus’ prayer, imploring us, “live such good lives among the pagans…that they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12).
Though we might feel out of place, we mustn’t cower in fear and neglect to shine the light of Jesus in this dark world. He’s given us a job to do, a mission on Earth. So, let us embrace it with boldness and urgency.
For one day soon, my “alien” friends, we’ll leave this planet and go home.
And what a glorious homecoming it will be.
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
READ MORE ABOUT BEING AN “ALIEN”
IN “WE’RE JUST PASSING THROUGH” BY BRYANT WRIGHT
