When I immigrated to North America from Cameroon, I knew a day would come when I would make a tough choice: renounce my original citizenship or limit my opportunities in a new nation. Like nearly fifty other countries worldwide, Cameroon prohibits dual citizenship. So, citizens of such nations must pay a steep price to pursue prosperity elsewhere.

I thought little about switching citizenship for most of my time in America since I initially came with a non-immigrant visa. But now that the possibility of acquiring a new passport draws near, I have been struck by how the implications of this change mirror a deeper spiritual truth. As a Christian, I am not just a resident of this world, but a citizen of heaven (Phil. 3:20). Just as some earthly nations restrict dual citizenship, so does God’s kingdom. Hence, pledging my full allegiance to Christ means severing all ties to the world.

In the World, but Not of the World

Living among people and cultures you don't fully belong to has a unique awkwardness. I left my home country at a young age and have since lived in four countries and ten cities. This constant movement has made me feel like a foreigner in every place I have called home. This is also how Christians should experience the world. The Bible tells us that even though we live in the world, we are not of it (John 15:19). We are sojourners journeying towards our true country.

Some take this to mean withdrawing from the world or rejecting all earthly pleasure—even things God calls good. For others, it means treating the world indifferently, counting the days until Christ takes us home. But are any of these what Jesus intended when he left us in the world?

To understand Jesus’s words, we must define the world scripturally. The Bible speaks of the world in two ways: spatially and spiritually. Spatially refers to the physical earth where human life unfolds. It is the place God created and declared good (Gen. 1:31). But spiritually, it relates to a system of values and practices hostile to God’s law (1 John 2:16). All humans are born into this system. But through Christ, God changes our identity so that we are no longer spiritually of the world. Colossians 1:13 says, “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”

Therefore, separation from the world as a Christian is not about isolation, escapism, asceticism, or apathy. It is about living with a moral and spiritual distinction from our surrounding culture while actively engaging with it.

A Purposeful Separation

God has always distinguished between his people and others. Under the old covenant, the separation was between Israel and the Gentile nations. However, the new covenant’s distinction is no longer along ethnic but spiritual lines. It is between those in Christ—the church—and those who are not (2 Cor. 6:14-17). This delineation is not without purpose.

God calls his people to be distinct because it shows we belong to him. He said in Leviticus 20:26, “You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” To be holy means to be set apart because God chose us. The Greek word for church, ekklesia, literally means “the called-out ones.”

Another purpose of our separation is to serve as an example to the world. God set Israel apart to be a light to the Gentiles and a witness to his kingdom. Likewise, Jesus calls the church the salt of the earth and light of the world (Matt. 5:13-14).

Perhaps the most sobering reason for this division is to secure our undivided loyalty, as God demands complete allegiance. God is a jealous God and will not share the throne of our hearts (Jas. 4:4, Matt. 6:24).

So, How Do We Live?

Every Christian wrestles with how to live in the world but remain unstained from it. Thankfully, Scripture provides several dos and don’ts on living faithfully here. One of the clearest pictures comes from Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17. In just twenty-six verses, Jesus mentions the “world” a dozen times and addresses holy living with clarity. Jesus’s prayer points believers to two ways in which he wants us to live as heavenly citizens while in the world.

Being One with Another

One of the unexpected blessings of being a sojourner is forming profound bonds with other immigrants. There is something deeply valuable about walking alongside others who share your journey and understand your unique struggles. In every city I have lived, I have found tight-knit communities of Cameroonian migrants supporting one another—veterans helping newcomers, and fellow strangers linking arms as they face a brave new world. This is the mutual support and unity Jesus envisioned for his followers.

He prayed three times that his followers would be one, so the world may know and believe that he is the Christ (John 17:11, 21-23). The early church lived this out. Acts 4:32 tells us, “the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul,” and they shared everything. Their unity and sacrificial love were starkly different from the surrounding culture; even unbelievers noticed how Christians loved one another.

Living faithfully in this world means striving for the unity Jesus prayed for and being of one mind and love (Phil. 2:2). Unity doesn’t mean uniformity, and believers will disagree. But we must do it in grace and remain bound because we are citizens of the same kingdom.

Living in the Truth

Like earthly migrants, spiritual sojourners often find themselves at odds with the values and customs of their environment. I experienced this tension when I moved between African and Western societies. For example, America widely celebrates homosexuality, while Cameroon criminalizes it. Conversely, Cameroon allows polygamy, but it is illegal in the West. While I could choose to blend elements of both earthly cultures to suit my preferences, I must always follow the principles of God’s kingdom when worldly and spiritual norms conflict.

Christians are called to measure every tradition, belief, and practice against the standard of God’s word. Jesus prayed, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:16-17). Scripture is the truth. It is the light that guides our steps and the compass that helps us stay true to God’s kingdom.

Yet knowing the truth is not enough; we must also live it out!

The world constantly appeals to our old nature, and we remain prone to temptation. This is why Jesus prayed not for our removal from the world but for our protection (John 17:15). Although God secures our safety, he still calls us to vigilance against temptations. Peter echoes this truth when he urged believers “as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against [our] soul” (1 Pet. 2:11). Obedience may come at a cost—alienation, criticism, or even suffering. But as holy sojourners and ambassadors of God’s kingdom, we must remain faithful and display our true allegiance in all we do.

One day, Christ will bring us home to the new heavens and earth he has prepared. We will no longer feel like strangers or pilgrims, but citizens returning to our true country—the city whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:10). Until then, we live as loyal sojourners, knowing that “here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Heb. 13:14).

Like many of my countrymen living abroad, I hope Cameroon will allow dual citizenship. But my greater hope lies elsewhere. I wait for the day I will thoroughly enjoy my heavenly citizenship—serving my king in perfect holiness and loyalty.