Christians understand dual citizenship: we are citizens of our nation of birth and also citizens of heaven. The Apostle Paul twice claimed the physical protection that came with Roman citizenship and in so doing was able to avoid unnecessary beatings and imprisonments which had no bearing on his witness or ministry. Doing so enabled Paul to fulfill his apostolic calling.
Saul (as he was before taking on the name Paul) had been born in Tarsus, a city which had proven its longtime loyalty to Rome. Its reward was that those born were granted the same citizenship as those enjoyed in Rome itself. Other cities loyal to Rome, Philippi among them, were lawfully the same as those born in Rome itself.
As dual citizens, Christians “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s (taxes and the like) and to God the things that are God’s.” (Worship and obedience due to God alone.) The intrusion of either right of citizenship into the other usually results in civil clashes and legal complexities. The wisdom of Jesus was evident in his ability to either avoid or resolve legalistic religious traps and obstacles set for him by the Pharisees.
Paul used Julius Caesar’s proven Divide and Rule tactic when he introduced the subject of the Resurrection when pressed by interrogators of Pharisees and Sadducees. The Pharisees believed in the Resurrection and the Sadducees did not. Paul created a division between them to his advantage. His appeal to Caesar on a later occasion guaranteed him free passage on a ship to Rome. Minus the comforts of a paying passenger but with a personal guard and lockdown security.
The bottom line is that since we are “not of this world” we need to value our citizenship in heaven more highly than our earthly one, the reason being that our heavenly one needs no renewal and our earthly one has a use-by death-date. Or, in the event of our sudden departure to a heavenly home, simply will be no longer necessary.
Our dovelike harmlessness will no longer need to be balanced with snakelike subtlety because there’ll be no need for snakes in Heaven.