Pilgrims and Soldiers, 3

 Continued from "Pilgrims and Soldiers, 2"

You therefore must endure hardship, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on duty entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:3-4 WEB)

From the ruminations of the two previous posts, I think you must draw the conclusion that Christians, as aliens in a hostile culture, must see themselves as pilgrims, but also, in terms of the Great Commission, must also see themselves as soldiers in a conquering army. Don't think of these in terms of disparate forces balancing each other, but as parts of a whole that complete each other.

The pilgrim recognizes that he belongs to a different world order from the pagan culture around him. The soldier needs this to keep from losing the vision of his mission. He can never fulfill his mission if he substitutes humanist objectives and tactics for Christ's clear "disciple the nations" and "teach them to observe all I have taught." 

In contrast, the believer who sees himself as pilgrim in exclusion to his calling as a soldier too easily falls into a mindset of withdrawal. This perspective can lead to a ghettoization of the Christian community, wherein separation devolves into isolation.

This brings us to another consideration: Can the pilgrim/soldier ever become a settler? That looks like fodder for at least another post.