Citizenship Rights & Responsibilities

Paul availed himself of the rights he had as a Roman citizen. The Roman commander rescued Paul from the mob and provided two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to escort him from Jerusalem to Caesarea. The power and protection of the Roman army were employed on Paul’s behalf because he was a Roman citizen. But Paul’s focus was not on preserving his life. Instead, he shared a clear and consistent message about Jesus the Messiah to both the Jews and the Romans because he was a citizen of the heavenly kingdom. Paul’s primary focus was on exercising the rights and responsibilities of his citizenship in the kingdom of God. The question for us is whether we will do the same.