What is an alien believer or an alien sinner?
Question:
Hello,
I was reading somewhere in an article mentioning the "alien believer." I am not sure what it actually means. I have noticed there are two different persons: "alien sinner" and "alien believer." My question is: Cornelius, in Acts 10:2, was godly and had a fear of God in his heart, but he was still called an "alien sinner" until he was baptized for the remission of sins. Am I right? Or was Cornelius an "alien believer" because he believed in the true God, but he was still not saved until he was baptized? What do you think?
I'm waiting to hear from you soon. Thanks for your attention.
God's blessings,
Answer:
The term "alien" is borrowed from the Old Law, where foreigners who are not a part of the nation of Israel are called "aliens." "But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you" (Leviticus 18:26). An alien would not be expected to know the Law of Moses. Still, they were expected to abide by most of its requirements. For example, an alien caught stealing would not be allowed to claim that he didn't know stealing was against the law. In Leviticus 18, the main focus was on laws forbidding sexual sins.
One of the ways to look at the church in the New Testament is to view it as a kingdom. "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13). Thus, Christians are citizens of this kingdom, and all others are aliens. Examples of this are seen in Ephesians 2:19 and Colossians 1:21.
You are correct that some brethren make a further distinction between aliens who desire to be a part of God's kingdom (believers) and aliens who don't care (sinners). You are correct that a person is not a part of the kingdom until he has done all that God requires of him to enter. The Kingdom of God doesn't have a problem with illegal immigration. See What Saves a Person?
