When you believe in Jesus, your citizenship changes. You used to be a part of the kingdom of this world, and now you’re a part of the kingdom of God. You don’t get to have both (Romans 8:7; James 4:4). The kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God cannot and will not be unified or joined together. They are opposed to each other. You don’t get dual citizenship.
But you do get citizenship to a place you’ve never been!
Christians are citizens of a place we’ve never been. We are not citizens of this world’s kingdom. We are in it, but we are not of it (John 7:14-16). We are not from here. We are citizens of God’s kingdom. So we are from a place we’ve never been! That’s strange.
Now since the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God are so opposed, there is no way to resolve or compromise. Usually when you have two warring kingdoms, the citizens of one will fight against and kill the citizens of the other. But that’s not how God’s strategy works. Our strategy as God’s citizens is not to kill all who oppose; our strategy is to invite them to change citizenship and allegiance. Strange kind of combat, right?
The citizens of God’s kingdom are strange people to the citizens of the world’s kingdom. But that’s the way God called us to be. And since God is the one who says this is right, how strange is it really?