Philippians 3:20 tells believers that their true citizenship belongs to heaven, and that they are waiting there for Jesus Christ to return as Savior. Paul wrote it to the church at Philippi, a Roman colony where many residents were proud of their Roman citizenship and its legal rights. He reminds the believers that their primary allegiance is to a different kingdom.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…
Philippians 3:20 (WEB)
What Philippians 3:20 Means
The word “citizenship” translates a Greek term that describes a community to which a person belongs and whose laws shape their life. Paul says that the community defining the Christian is not the earthly city but heaven, where God reigns. Citizenship here is about identity and loyalty more than a place on a map, so a believer can live faithfully in any country while still belonging first to God’s kingdom.
“We wait” describes an active, expectant posture, the way people wait for someone important to arrive. The verse calls Jesus “Savior,” a title that points to his rescue and deliverance, and it places his return in the future. The verse does not promise a specific date or describe the details of his coming. It teaches that the Christian’s life is oriented toward a coming Lord who will set things right.
The Context of Philippians 3:20
Paul wrote Philippians from prison, likely in the 60s AD, and the letter is full of gratitude, joy, and encouragement for a church that had supported him. Its main themes include unity, humility, and steadfastness under pressure. Paul himself is the author, and the Philippian believers are its recipients, many of them facing hostility from outsiders as they follow Christ.
Just before verse 20, Paul warns about people who live as “enemies of the cross of Christ,” whose lives are centered on bodily appetites and shameful things. Verse 20 then contrasts those whose focus is earthly with believers whose true home is heaven. Read this way, the verse is a corrective: Christians should not pattern their lives on the values of a world that is passing away, but on the hope of the kingdom they belong to.
Key Phrases in Philippians 3:20
Colossians 3:1-2
1 If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are on the earth.
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Paul uses similar language here, telling believers to set their minds on things above because they have been raised with Christ. Read together, these verses show that heavenly citizenship shapes both how we think and how we live day to day.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, 17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.
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This passage describes the Lord coming from heaven and believers being gathered to meet him. It expands on the waiting Paul mentions in Philippians 3:20 and gives the hope of Christ’s return a vivid and comforting picture.
A Short Prayer From Philippians 3:20
Lord, thank you that my true home is with you and that my life belongs first to your kingdom. When the pressures of this world pull at my attention, remind me of who I am and where I am going. Help me to wait for Jesus with patience and hope, and to live today in a way that honors him. Keep my heart fixed on the Savior who will return for his people. Amen.
