Biblical Verses On Believers As Sojourners
The concept of believers as sojourners or strangers is a recurring theme in biblical literature, emphasizing a temporary earthly existence and an ultimate heavenly home. This idea is rooted in both Old and New Testament passages, shaping the understanding of Christian identity and conduct.
In the Old Testament, figures like Abraham are presented as sojourners. Hebrews 11:9 states that "By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise" [2]. John Gill notes that Abraham sojourned in Canaan, a land not his own, believing it would be given to him and his descendants, seeing it as a type of heaven [5]. Similarly, the Israelites are described as sojourners, even in their own land, as seen in Psalms 105:12, "In their being few in number, But a few, and sojourners in it" [3]. Jeremiah 14:8 questions why God would be "as a sojourner in the land? Or as a wayfarer, who hath turned aside to lodge for the night?" [1], implying a temporary stay. This imagery suggests a transient status, where one does not fully belong to the present earthly dwelling.
The theme extends to the New Testament, particularly in the writings of Peter and the Epistle to the Hebrews. First Peter 2:11 exhorts believers as "strangers and pilgrims," urging them to abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul [6]. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown interpret "strangers" as settlers in a city without full citizenship rights, and "pilgrims" as those staying temporarily in a foreign land, reflecting the Christian's position on earth [6]. The author of Hebrews further develops this idea, noting that Old Testament saints "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Hebrews 11:13), looking for "a heavenly country" and "a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Hebrews 11:10, 16) [4]. This perspective implies a detachment from worldly attachments and a focus on eternal realities.
Church Fathers like Augustine also engaged with this concept. In his Exposition on Psalms, Augustine reflects on the struggles of earthly life, stating, "I am a stranger in the earth, and I toil amid temptations and offences" [8]. He views the Christian life as a journey through a foreign land, where one faces challenges from various sources, including external opposition and internal struggles within the Church [8]. Clement of Alexandria, in a similar vein, describes the soul of a wise person as "sojourning in the body," conducting itself respectfully as it awaits departure [9]. This patristic understanding reinforces the idea that the physical body and the earthly realm are temporary dwellings for the believer's soul.
The concept of sojourning also carries implications for how believers are to live in the world. As "pilgrims and strangers," saints are called to forsake all for Christ, to have their faces toward Zion, and to keep the promised heavenly country in view [4]. This involves a recognition that their true citizenship is in heaven, and their time on earth is a journey towards that ultimate destination. John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, highlights David's expression of this sentiment: "I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were" [7]. This underscores a continuous tradition of understanding human life, particularly the life of faith, as a temporary stay in anticipation of an eternal home.
The term "sojourner" (Hebrew: ger) in the Old Testament often referred to a resident alien, someone living in a foreign land without full citizenship rights but under the protection of the host community [10]. This linguistic background enriches the theological understanding, suggesting that believers, while present in the world, do not fully belong to its systems or values, but are under divine protection as they journey towards their true home.
Sources
- Jeremiah “Jeremiah 14:8 (Rotherham) — Thou Hope of Israel, His Saviour in the time of distress,—Wherefore shouldst thou be as a sojourner in the and? Or as a wayfarer, who hath turned aside to lodge for the night?”
- Hebrews “Hebrews 11:9 (ASV) — By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:”
- Psalms “Psalms 105:12 (YLT) — In their being few in number, But a few, and sojourners in it.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Pilgrims and Strangers — Described -- Joh 17:16. Saints are called to be -- Ge 12:1; Ac 7:3; Lu 14:26,27,33. All saints are -- Ps 39:12; 1Pe 1:1. Saints confess themselves -- 1Ch 29:15; Ps 39:12; 119:19; Heb 11:13. As saints they Have the example of Christ. -- Lu 9:58. Are strengthened by God. -- De 33:25; Ps 84:6,7. Are actuated by faith. -- Heb 11:9. Have their faces toward Zion. -- Jer 50:5. Keep the promised in view. -- Heb 11:13. Forsake all for Christ. -- Mt 19:27. Look for a heavenly country. -- Heb 11:16. Look for a heavenly city. -- Heb 11:10. Pass their soj”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 11:8: By faith he sojourned in the land of promise,.... The land of Canaan, so called, because it was promised to Abraham and his seed; and is typical of heaven, which is not by the works of the law, but by the free promise and grace of God: here Abraham sojourned for a while, as in a strange country; which was not his native place, and not his own, but another's; see Act 7:5 and an idolatrous one; here he sojourned by faith, believing that as it was promised, it would be given to him, and his seed: so all God's people are sojourners in this world, strangers and pilgrims”
- 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 2:11: As heretofore he exhorted them to walk worthily of their calling, in contradistinction to their own former walk, so now he exhorts them to glorify God before unbelievers. Dearly beloved--He gains their attention to his exhortation by assuring them of his love. strangers and pilgrims-- (Pe1 1:17). Sojourners, literally, settlers having a house in a city without being citizens in respect to the rights of citizenship; a picture of the Christian's position on earth; and pilgrims, staying for a time in a foreign land. FLACIUS thus analyzes the exhortat”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 46: life are there exhibited in the fullest splendour. First, David, as earlier in time, in accordance with the order of the Divine procedure, spoke of heavenly mysteries more obscurely than they, and yet with what clearness and certainty does he point to it in all he says. The value he put upon his earthly habitation is attested by these words, “I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. Verily every man at his best estate is altogether vanity. Surely every man walketh in a vain show. And now, Lord, what 380 w”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM LXI.(8) (part 3): the earth, and I toil amid temptations and offences: the heathen envy, because they have been conquered; the heretics lie in wait, hidden in the cloak of the Christian name: within in the Church itself the wheat suffereth violence from the chaff: amid all these things when my heart is vexed, I will cry from the ends of the earth. But there forsaketh me not the Same that hath exalted me upon the Rock, in order to lead me down even unto Himself, because even if I labour, while the devil through so many places and times and o”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 2: Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria — CHAP. XXVI.--HOW THE PERFECT MAN TREATS THE BODY AND THE THINGS OF THE WORLD. (part 2): sinful actions are attributed to the worse, the sinful one. Now the soul of the wise man and Gnostic, as sojourning in the body, conducts itself towards it gravely and respectfully, not with inordinate affections, as about to leave the tabernacle if the time of departure summon. "I am a stranger in the earth, and a sojourner with you," it is said.[1] And hence Basilides says, that he apprehends that the election are strangers to the”
- Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 28:43: 28:43 foreigners (literally sojourners): In God’s day of judgment, those regarded as the weakest and most vulnerable elements of Israelite society (see 29:11) would dominate.”