Are Christians pilgrims?
Was Abraham a pilgrim?
The fictional story of Bunyan called Pilgrim's Progress is an account of a man who leaves the City of Destruction and travels to the Celestial city. He was a citizen of the first city, but has abandoned that citizenship to gain a new citizenship. Everywhere he travels, he is determined not to put down roots for he has his sights on a better city.
Bunyan is right in calling him a pilgrim because a pilgrim is one who has no allegiance to the land through which he travels. A pilgrim is one who is making a journey to his true home where he has his citizenship. In a way, he is just a tourist.
But is that true of Abraham and of Christians?
After Sarah died, Abraham approached the men of Heth with the intention of purchasing a burial plot for Sarah. He says, "I am a παρεπίδημος (Gen 23:4).
παρα = beside
ἐπίδημος = at home
δῆμος = country
Abraham had been told that the all of this land would belong to him and his descendants. He did not say, "I don't belong to this land, I'm looking for a heavenly home. I'm just passing through." Instead, he as much as said, "This is my land given to me by God. Others occupy it now, so I am just a resident here with no citizen rights. But the day is coming when this land will be mine." Abraham described himself as παρεπίδημος meaning one who is not yet able to call this place "home." The term we use is "resident alien" which describes a foreign person who is a permanent resident of the country in which he or she resides but does not have citizenship of that country.
Also see:
πάροικος ἐγώ εἰμι παρὰ σοί καὶ παρεπίδημος καθὼς πάντες οἱ πατέρες μου.
I am a resident in the land, and a stranger, as all my fathers were. (Ps 38/39:12)
ὅτι ξένοι καὶ παρεπίδημοί εἰσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
that they were foreigners and resident aliens on the land (Heb 11:13)
Πέτρος ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκλεκτοῖς παρεπιδήμοις
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as alien (1 Pet 1:1)
Ἀγαπητοί, παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους
Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers (1Pet 2:11)
When Rome set out to conquer the known world, it placed Roman colonies in strategic locations. One of those was Philippi. A number of Roman citizens (many of them retired military) were placed in Philippi to maintain law and order. They promoted all the customs and laws of Rome.
They were not pilgrims longing to return to Rome. Instead they were citizens of Rome in a new city. Others who lived in Philippi were resident aliens.
The Apostle Paul uses this illustration for the Christians in Philippi. They are citizens of heaven, but they are living in Philippi. Their task is to promote the customs and laws of heaven. The converts had dual citizenship: Rome and Heaven, or in some cases Jerusalem and Heaven or Athens and Heaven, etc. Each church was to be a colony of heaven.
The goal of Christians is not that of a pilgrim intent to get to heaven, but of bringing heaven to this world. Christians are not tourists watching the sights, enjoying the beauty, dabbling in the pleasures; but who can hardly wait to go home.
Abraham was not "just a passing through," he was permanently living in the land. Likewise Christians are not pilgrims passing through, they are permanently living in this land. While living in this land, Christians obey the laws of the land and promote evangelism to extend the kingdom of God.