aliens

We hear a lot about aliens these days.  Aliens have been popular from the early days of movies and perhaps reached their greatest acclaim through the hit movie, "E.T."  There are even current T.V. shows using the alien theme.  The world dreads the possibility of invasion by a superior life form from a distant galaxy.  But alien is also a local term as we deal with "illegal aliens" and also legal aliens.  America is a country built from aliens from other countries and to some extent we continue to depend on this kind of "alien invasion" to do the hard low-paying work that native citizens have moved beyond.  But this morning I was struck with the thought that we are also aliens who have put our personal trust in Jesus for salvation.  The apostle Paul talks about this in Romans chapters 5 and 6.  He discusses how sin came into the world through the disobedience of Adam and then death and sin have passed to every successive generation of men.  At that point, before knowing Christ, we were aliens from God.  We could not speak His language or know His ways and death was our destiny.  But when the Lord opened our spiritual eyes and we asked Him into our hearts we became citizens of Heaven, set free from the dominion of sin and life was now our destiny.  So now we are aliens of this world and of sin and of death.  We may live in the same world we were born into, but we are nonetheless aliens of it.  Though we walk in the same natural bodies we were given at birth we also breathe heaven's atmosphere by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Our challenge is to live for Heaven while walking on Earth and our purpose is to reflect Heaven's light to others who still are aliens from the eternal kingdom.  We are also challenged to live the eternal culture while inhabiting the old body, with its old appetite for sin.  Such a challenge calls for daily submission to our eternal king for the help we need to live while we complete our personal alien adventure on Earth.

 

Romans 6:¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. ¹⁴For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

 

blessings (to fellow aliens of all types),

Rob Smith