CITIZENSHIP:

FREEBORN VS PURCHASED

I. PURCHASED•He could be referring to a great sum of money

•He could be referring to the tedious nature of paperwork and other requirements that may have been necessary for citizenship

•He may have earned his citizenship through his exploits as a soldier

I. PURCHASEDIn the spiritual world:•Baptism – either at birth or later on•Catechism or•Partaking in Mass•Doing good deeds•Forsaking the things of this world •Devoting yourself to the ministry

II. FREEA.By virtue of the new birth

B. By virtue of a gift

C. His without the possibility of revocation

III. NOT EQUALA. In the case of the captain and Paul,

both were equally citizens of Rome whether by purchase or birth

B. That is not so with a heavenly citizenship

1. Jesus said that no man cometh unto the Father but by Him

2. The Bible repeatedly expresses that heaven cannot be purchased

3. One of the fundamental qualities of a gift is that it cannot be purchased