The Historic Baptist Doctrine of
Separation of Church and State
The Historic Baptist View of Separation of Church and State
An Scripture Essay By Rev. Earl Jackson
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at him.
Make no mistake about this. Baptist's have always been staunch champions of religious freedom. In fact Baptist's came from Europe to the New World precisely over this issue. Their story and the facts of history are clearly known and can be read by anyone. They were persecuted and martyred in Europe over their defense of religious freedom, and sadly when they arrived at the Massachusetts Bay Colony they were persecuted and martyred there also. These are sad facts of history, and they show how staunchly we as Baptist have stood and even died for the cause of religious freedom. It would seem almost unnecessary to feel any need whatsoever to re-emphasize the Baptist position, since it is so much a part of our American heritage, but I believe it has been strangely lost in this election years 2012, when voters in America will select their next President.
What has happened in American Evangelicalism the past few decades has been a disgrace to the cause of Christ and truth in America. In 1979 Jerry Falwell, a famous Baptist pastor from Lynchburg Virginia, started an organization to promote his right wing political views, which he amalgamated into and said were the "Christian Right". His organization became known as "The Moral Majority". I was interested in this at the time, because Falwell graduated from the same Baptist College that I attended, (Baptist Bible College, in Springfield Mo) and there was a prior movement among professors and students of that college, to get Christian people involved in "The John Birch Society", and extremely radical right-wing political activist group. I am well aware of all this, because they tried to recruit me. The ideas of both the John Birch Society, and later Falwell's Moral Majority express extreme right-wing philosophy, and even fanatical political agendas.
Robert W. Welch, Jr. the founder of the the John Birch Society, which was named after John Birch who was a Baptist Missionary martyred in Communist China, had a radical hatred for all things that were not ultra-conservative by his standards. He had a bug-eyed fanaticism about communism taking over America, and the Society became an important part of the cold war witch hunts to exterminate communism from the American shores. He opposed the civil rights movement. He opposed any form of government economic intervention. He opposed the united nations. He opposed any ideas of wealth redistribution to help the poor, the indigent and the disabled or the old. He opposed all but the narrowest form of government, and he advocated that the only legitimate form of government is one that protects the people only. Government serves no other function but to protect our borders and defend our country from invasion. It is not governments job to educate, to monitor health and safety of citizens, to regulate business, banks, wall street or anything else for that matter. Government must not meddle with the God given rights of the populace to take care of themselves and to do as they please without government interference. Needless to say when the pastor Jerry Falwell came along in 1979 and stepped outside the historic traditional Baptist position of keeping religion out of politics, and began promoting His political views he brought down the ire of many historic Baptist's who recognized the source of these opinions, and also recognized that they were clearly against Christianity, and against the principles of separation of church and state which Baptist have always held dear and even died for.
Sadly however, not all Baptist's have realized what actually happened, when Falwell trashed the historic position of separation of church and state, and became a vocal political pulpit for the right wing patriot movement all in the name of Christ. Falwell went where most God honoring Baptist's would never have went, and he did so, with applause and approval from many ignorant Baptist pastors around the country. These are the actual roots of all the right-wing evangelical Christian activist organizations and lobbyist groups in America today. They all believe that Christians have a duty to clean up Washington and purge America of anything that they deem to be unchristian. They are barely distinguishable at all from their equally repressive and unscriptural dominionist brothers who follow the likes of Russas Rushdoony and others who want the Church to Be identical with the State, and the State to be identical with the church.
It is because of this current state of heightened political involvement by Christian people, who really ought to know better, that I feel the need to re-explain and reiterate why Baptist's champion the complete opposite of this evil trend which is seen everywhere in America. IN pulpits all over this country pastors are trying to influence votes, and trying to push extremest political views in the name of "God and country". Well my friends, if you love Christ, you must not listen to these people who actually hate what He commands. Preachers are called to preach the only message on earth that can actually change the hearts of evil men (the gospel). They have no right, nor calling to politics, or political activism of any kind. My only purpose in addressing this at all, is not politics, but rather the interests of Christ and His kingdom. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness to call all these Christ-defying pastors back to their knees, and back to preaching what God told them to preach. The damage and havoc wreaked by the so-called evangelical right to the cause of Christ and truth has been so severe, that it may be unrepairable, but for the Grace of God. I call you to repent if you are a pastor, and if you are involved in politics instead of saving souls, which is your primary business. Shame on you! By following the world to the voting booths, and by leading others along with you, you have disgraced your Lord Jesus Christ and forsaken your high and noble calling. Let me show you exactly why.
1. Christ secures our freedom, not politics or political causes.
It is a simple truth of the Christian faith, that Jesus came to make men free, and that those who follow him are free indeed (John 8:36). Freedom is both guaranteed and secured by the Lord who died to save us, and bring us into his Kingdom of Love. Our freedom has absolutely nothing to do with our country of residence, or the form of government which it hold. Our freedom is in Christ. As a principle of our religion, this is absolutely fundamental and foundational. Freedom is a product of salvation, not a gift from government. Jesus was quite clear...it is "the truth that makes you free" (John 8:32). As you know the truth, you experience the freedom that it brings. This freedom, however is a product of the gospel. We must never forget this critical issue. The gospel sets men free and liberates captives. Christ's cause is to be our only cause as Christians.
Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
There is nothing complicated or difficult to understand in this basic Christian idea. Christ purchased our freedom with His own blood. Salvation makes men free, and it does not require advanced theological acumen to understand this basic concept. It is a highly Christian concept, but it has absolutely nothing to do with government or politics. Look! This stuff is Theology 101, and it is elementary Christian principles. Christ's freedom is true freedom. And Christ's cause is our cause.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
2Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
1Corinthians 7:22-24 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
1Peter 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
2Peter 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
Christ secures, provides and protects, all the freedom that His people require. The Bible declares it. Government cannot do this. Government has a long history of enslaving people. Government has a unique capacity to bind people with laws. Government has a tremendous legacy of repression. But no government can establish, secure, or grant freedom to anyone. Governments cannot do what only Christ can do. Politics is a shabby substitute for redemptive restoration. And preachers who preach politics, deny salvation; at least the part of it that secures and maintains freedom through Christ alone. They may teach you from an early age that America is "the land of the free and the home of the brave", but it is a pure lie. "America is the land of greed and the home of the haves and have-nots". Freedom is an illusion if it is anything other than Christ's freedom. Freedom is propaganda if it is divorced from the gospel of truth which alone can secure it. The bottom line is that Christ died to set the captives free, and he actually accomplished what He died to do. That is why the Christian message must never include the false ideal that politics is the savior of men, or the guarantor of mans freedom. That is all a lie. There is not one ounce of Christian truth in it at all. Get entangled in politics, and you get entangled in the yoke of bondage.
The notion that politics and political causes, parties and voting, is a means to protect and secure freedom is simply ideological nonsense. You may think that you have a civic duty to promote causes that appear good and wholesome, but you have no warrant or authority to promote anything that Christ has not told you and commissioned you to promote. His Divine Sovereignty over all things, demands special obedience and loyalty from His followers in all things. Obedience and God's Sovereignty are linked. Disobedience is rebellion, and rebellion is not permissible among the people of God. The demands of the King of Kings, override any and all demands, (imaginary or otherwise), of governments and politics. You have no responsibility other than the cause of Christ. You are required to obey and serve only Him, and no one else.
2. Christ established the separation of Church and State.
When Jesus said to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are His" (Mark 12:17). He was not giving over his dominion and sovereignty to Caesar. He was establishing Caesar as the rightful minister of human government, and Himself as the rightful Lord of All things, including Caesar. If you miss this concept, you will be inclined to sell your soul to the democratic gospel of Americanism, and that would be the same mistake Falwell and the other Bible thumping extreme right-wing activist have done, when they forsook the separation of church and state.
If you do not recognize that Christ establishes the governments of this world as His ministers for justice and the sword, then you will be sucked into the whirlwind of false doctrine that believes that "government is by the people and for the people". There are only two alternatives. The one is humanism, and the other is Christ. The choice is "by the people", or "by God". The choice is "for the people", or "for God". But "by the people and for the people" can never mean "by God and for God". The two are contrary. Instead it always means "without God and in spite of God". That's because democracy is based on the rule of the many and not the few. Christians are not now, nor have they ever been the Moral Majority. Look around you? And don't be deceived by some high sounding patriotic pulpit slamming shysters. We are the Moral Minority, and Jesus Christ spelled that out crystal clear. "Many are called (majority) but few are chosen" (minority) (Matthew 20:16; 22:14). "Many" are on the broad road leading to hell (majority), and only a "few" are on the narrow road leading to eternal life (minority) (Matthew 7:13-14). Are there few that be saved (minority)? The answer that Christ gave to this question is that many are in fact lost (majority) (Luke 13:23-24). It never has been true that Christ and His followers are a Moral Majority, and Christ plainly told us so. Christ knows the difference between the many and the few, and we should know it also because He told us.
The difference between the many and the few is the reason why Christians always lose in a democratic system. The facts don't lie. When the votes are tallied in any democratic election, for any cause or candidate. The many win and the few lose. It is designed to happen just that way, only that way, and always that way. The few forfeit their rights and voices, to the many who outnumber them and always win. It is a very simplistic concept, and you would think that after over 200 years of elections and voting, Christian people would finally grasp it? They win! We lose! They outnumber us! They rule over us! We lose. We always lose. But instead we still believe that some miracle is going to happen in the voting booth that will turn the minority into the majority and we will be able to straighten out the mess our country is in? We imagine the water into wine episode all over when we vote. God's going to turn the votes of the few into the votes of the many and we will win by miraculous intervention. How can we think so foolishly? That is just plain delusional thinking. It ignores all the facts, and it is pure stupidity on a level which is absolutely degrading of Christian people, who have been enlightened by the Lord of heaven. When you think like that, you dishonor Christ, because He created your brain, and He told to use it! You know that the world hated him and it hates you too! Foolish thinking Christians make the world think that Christ and His followers are a bunch of idiots. You send that message when you act like idiots. And I can't blame them for feeling that Christianity is a joke, and that Christians are morons who walk around with crutches made out of feathers and butterfly wings. We give them the reasons for feeling the way they do. We act just as foolish as they perceive us to be. We tell them that we have something better, and then we do just the same stuff that they do? We tell them we are free, and then we vote in their boxes trying secure and maintain our freedom which is supposed to come from Christ? Do you think they are so blind or stupid that they cannot see when we act like jack-asses instead of Christians? We tell them that prayer, love, truth and Christ can change the world, and then we spend all our time promoting candidates and voting booths? Do you think they cannot see our inconsistent behavior? We announce that God is in charge, and then we cower in fear that the wrong candidate may get elected, because we actually believe that Washington is in charge! They can see through this stuff in a second, and you, dear enlightened Christian soul, are blinded to your own ridiculous actions. We truly need revival in America, because most Christians cannot see exactly how far off from God and truth they really are. The majority hate Christ, and that's why all elections are unchristian when they are outside of the church, which is the only place where the majority actually love Him. It's not rocket science. It's simple common sense. The immoral majority rule over the moral minority, because we give them permission to do so, every time we vote in their stupid elections!
"Render unto Caesar" means that Caesar has authority that is given to Him by Christ. It does not mean that the people give Caesar his power or authority. It does not mean that the people are free to rebel against Caesar, to resist Him, or to overthrow him whenever they don't like what He does or his rules that are imposed upon us. Render unto Caesar is actually a command in the imperative mood, and means give up to Caesar whatever is His. It's a command not an option, just as give up to God whatever is His is not an option. Commands from the Lord are matters for obedience and are never open to question or objection. God said it, and that settles it. When Jesus commanded us to give up to Caesar whatever is His, he is commanding us to honor our king, or whatever form of government we happen to be under. Jesus and the Apostles followed this command rigorously and even though it led to all their deaths. That is a pretty powerful example of Christian submission to unchristian governmental authority. Everyone of the Apostles, like their Lord before them, were murdered by the evil governments under which they lived. And not one of them ever resisted. Not one of them ever rebelled or tried to incite insurrection. Christians do not do that. Christians never do that. It is completely improper and disobedient for followers of the Lord to be concerned with reforming or changing the governments of this world. Caesar is authorized, ordained. established and even removed by God (Job 36:7; Psalm 113:7-8; Psa 110:5; Psa 135:10; 136: 17-18; Psa 138:4 Isa 45:1; 1Tim. 2:2 ). Caesar is controlled by God (Proverbs 21:1). Caesar serves God (Psa. 72:11). And God tells you dear Christian to give up to Him whatever is his. If His image is on the coin, then the coin belongs to Him. You may imagine that it is yours. You may think you have earned it by your sweat and hard work. But His picture is on it, the same as "The United States of America" is on our currency. They print it. They own it. And They will do with it what they want. Guess what? If you don't like it tough! This is the exact meaning of Christs teaching. Caesars image on the money substantiates that He owns it and He gives you, or does not give you, permission to use it. But no matter how you slice it it is not yours.
This is important because Jesus tells us our treasures are not supposed to be on earth! Caesar's money is one example. It is definitely on earth, we know so because it may be squeezed right between our fingertips. That is a strong indication that we must detach from it and let go of it. But it is far more over-arching and significant than just money. Your treasure is supposed to be in heaven, because that's where your heart is also supposed to be. Not in Washington. Not in the voting booth or the polling places. Your treasures are always supposed to be in heaven and not anyplace on earth.
3. Render unto Caesar does not mean for Christians to be politically involved with Caesar. It means Caesar is God's Agent.
Stating that render unto Caesar means that Christians are supposed to be politically involved and active in government, is a gross misapplication of the text that I hear over and over. A well-know Southern Baptist preacher told me that according to this statement by Christ, we should consider politics, voting, supporting Christian candidates, and promoting conservative political agendas, as our civic duties as Christians. He tried to explain to me that when Jesus said to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, that He was really talking about Christian exercising spiritual dominion in politic, and the word he used was "stewardship over the political realm". According to him we are to be good stewards over politics just like every other area of life. I have never heard such a gross misuse of a Bible text as that in my entire life. And this came from a very well known pastor of a large influential church. Render unto Caesar has nothing to do with with Christians taking stewardship over politics. We are not stewards of the lost, stewards of the worlds glitz, glamor, fame, fortune, lusts, power and evils. That is absurd. We have no stewardship over the evil world, other than to separate ourselves from it, to come out from among them and be separate, and then from a position of separation from the world, to preach the saving gospel to them. That is the only stewardship we have. To be faithful stewards in our own spiritual house. To be faithful stewards of Christ's gospel and the church. You are not a steward over Satan! You are not a steward over His world of evil! You do have a certain stewardship over the planet and over animals that God created, but the evil world of lust and power hunger, money and greed. You have no stewardship or involvement with any of it. Christ delivers us from the world. And H does it so that we go back to the world with an actually saving and transforming message.
Render unto Caesar has nothing to do with stewardship, or Christian dominion in politics. It has to do with submitting to Caesar and obeying His laws and paying his taxes. When you render to Caesar in the sense that Christ is talking about you are actually obeying God. It has to do with recognizing that God is in charge of all the Caesars of all human history, and any other government authorities, and that they serve Him and not the people. Caesar may not know or recognize that He is God's agent, placed in his position by the Almighty. He may in fact think, like we do here in America, that He was elected, and the ballot box got him into office. But that does not change anything, because God says that he is in office because God put Him there, and that He is God's agent, because God has ,made Him so. It also does not matter if you refuse to accept God's Caesar that He has placed over you. God does not tell you that you have to like Him. God tells you that you have to submit to Him. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account" (Heb. 13:17). That also is a command, not something that is up to your personal viewpoints, likes or dislikes, political opinions or anything else. Obey them that rule over you and submit to them. The ESV says OBEY YOUR LEADERS AND SUBMIT TO THEM. You cannot ignore the clear command of the Lord. He demands that you obey and submit. No questions asked. That is what Christians are required to do in all cases, even if it means being martyred for your faith, and even if you live under the most hateful and oppressive regime in the history of man. Your Lord commands you what you must do toward your rulers. It doesn't matter what you think. You don't have to like or approve of what the Lord commands.
This is once again a matter in which it will not do for you to say, well I love the Lord, and He knows I can't understand all this. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). This is one of them. Willful disobedience, now that you know the command, should you decide to not obey your rulers and submit to their rule over you, like the Lord command; indicates that you don't actually love Him, like you want everybody to think. If you loved Him, then disobedience is not an option.
Many people try to bring up the various cases of abusive and tyrannical governments, maniacal demon possessed Hitler's, and Genghis Khans, history's worst rulers, as an objection to the idea that God is in charge of all the governments of man throughout human history. I admit that it appears counter productive for God to set up a Hitler. From human viewpoint this is certainly a valid objection. Except that it neglects several important facts from the Divine Viewpoint. Oh, and in case you don't know, God's viewpoint always wins! Look. If all Governments serve God's ultimate purposes, then obviously God sees and knows information about those purposes which we are not privy to. Also, the human viewpoint that doubts God's rule over all governments, good and bad; neglects the fact that the Bible clearly teaches that evil governments and evil rulers are a form of divine judgment upon the nations over which they rule. God sometimes uses tyrants to punish people because of their own unbelief and rejection of truth. When you sow corruption and wickedness, God sometimes cause you to reap what you have sown in the form of a tyrant ruler. or corrupt government. That's what's happening in America right now. Our rulers keep getting worse and worse, because we are being judged by the Almighty for our rebellion. We are being judged nationally for allowing our churches to forsake their sacred duties, to profane and twist their holy message, to embrace false doctrines and to become the cage of unclean and beastly birds. Also, and this is similar, but sometimes God uses evil governments and rulers, to bring judgements upon nations which He actually favors, or upon his chosen people who have been disobedient, such as when He had Israel defeated by a tyrant king and carried off to Babylon. This was a divine judgment on the people of God. Another thing that is usually neglected when thinking about why and how God uses evil tyrants, Hitlers and the like; is that when they oppress people, God's people have something very serious to pray about. Oppression is often the means to get people on their knees. Tyrants are sometimes agents of revival and reformation. How about this? God uses evil kings to start wars, and the Bible says that wars also serve God's purposes. God command His people to start many of them. God also defeated many evil rulers by war, and He also punished his own unfaithful people by war. And God sometimes tells His people to wage wars on these evil kings, so that people can be delivered from them as a show of His divine mercy. These are just a few examples of why God sets up evil governments and rulers. We will never know all the reasons, these are just a few.
We don't need to know everything. But we need to know what God says. In fact we never need to question God about anything that He does, because everything that He does is out of all-comprehensive perfect knowledge and righteousness. God does not make any mistakes, even though we cannot imagine God setting up and using a Hitler. If it happened, it happened because "God works all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11). If you have a problem with how God works history, then you probably don't know God at all, and are in fact lost. Belief in God, even on the most basic levels involves believing who He is. He is Almighty. He is Sovereign. He is Lord of All. He makes no Mistakes. He is perfectly holy and righteous, always. These are basic attributes of God. He reveals them to us in the Bible. They are the characteristics of the true God in contrast to all false idols. If you doubt them, then you do not know who He is, regardless of what you may feel in your heart about your love for the Lord. You cannot love someone who you don't know. And you don't know Him if you don't freely recognize His character. His attributes are His character traits. They are what God looks like! They are His image! If you Love Him, then you Honor Him. Questioning His Sovereignty and Righteousness, does not honor Him, it is a form of unbelief. He that cometh to God must believe that He is (Heb. 11:6). This is one of the marks of true faith, and it does not mean that you must just believe in the existence of any old god the way you imagine him to be. It means you must believe that He is as The I AM, the Self-existent One and the One Who has Reveals exactly who and what He is in the Bible. It is not up to you to imagine Him any old way you think He must be. He is what He is and He tells us what He is. We don't tell Him what He is or what He can or cannot do. That is what you must believe if you actually have faith.
4. The Powers That Be
Rom 13:1-2 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Rom 13:1-2 (KJV) Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
I have included both the English Standard Version and The King James on these verses because I want you to see how the ESV translates it so that there is no doubt about what this text is actually saying.
Notice first, that governing authorities (powers) have been instituted by God "The powers that be are ordained of God". This is unequivocally clear. All government authority is dispensed solely by the Almighty God. It has nothing to do with your rights, the rights of nations to be self-governing, ballot boxes or public opinion. God says this is the truth in the matter. God says, that this is the way it actually is, even though it may appear quite differently. The powers that be, the government authorities, have all been instituted by God Himself.
That means that any form of resistance to Government is a form of resistance to God. "Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed". This indicates that there are two rebellions that simultaneously occur in any form of political disobedience, rebellion, upheaval or insurrection. The government is rebelled against, and automatically and simultaneously God is also rebelled against.
I believe this is a very serious, but often ignored proposition. The idea that Governments are from God, automatically attaches to it the idea that that when you resist them, you resist Him. I wrote an article on Isa 9:6 titled "The Government is on His shoulders" showing that the Governments of this world are given to Jesus Christ, and that is why He is known as "The King of Kings". If this is the case, then it is never up to Christians to quibble, doubt, complain, murmur, be dissatisfied with, or be involved in trying to change the government, because to do so, insults the Lord. If He is in charge of them, as it plain says that He is, then as Christians, we must not try to usurp His Sovereign prerogatives. He ordains them and uses them for His own purposes, and we yield and submit to His wisdom in this, as in everything else.
Please understand, I know that I am not preaching Americanism here. God did not call me to preach any false gospel, including that one. He called me to preach the Bible and the whole counsel of God. For Christians this means that His kingdom is supreme, His kingdom is not of this world, and He has called us and given us citizenship in a heavenly kingdom, and that basically invalidates our citizenship to any earthly kingdom. We live here yes, and we pay taxes and are subject to the governments that God has placed over us, we even receive many blessings from our earthly governments, because God has ordained them for good purposes (Rom 13:4). But our citizenship is no longer earthly it is heavenly. Our old citizenship (earthly) has passed away, and our new Citizenship (heavenly) supersedes and transcends the old in everything.
The historic Baptist's understood that the idea of submission to the government authorities, was a form of submission also to God. But they also understood that this in no way contradicts the idea of separation of Church and state. In fact it enforces the idea, because while we are subject to them, they are not subject to us. This is a critical concept. We are subject to them, and in fact commanded not to resist them, but they are not subject to us. Instead, the are directly subject to God Himself, even if they are atheistic deniers of Him. God says He gives them their authority, and without Him they could have none. Jesus expressly illustrated this very idea when he stood before Pilate, who was the governmental authority concerned with executing criminals. Consider carefully this exchange of words.
John 19:10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Pilates sin was not as great as Judas' sin because Pilate was acting lawfully under the authority of God which had been given to Him! Jesus does not absolve Pilate of sin here, He simply asserts that Pilate had no power except that power which God gave Him. This is exactly the case with all governmental authority, no matter where it is found. "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Christ" (Mathew 28:19). "The government is on His shoulders", and as a result "All the powers that be are instituted by Him".
What does this mean for us? Well, it is a well known fact that historically most of the groups that are closely associated with the Baptist notion of separation of Church and state; the Anabaptist, the Mennonites, the Quakers, the Shakers, the Hutterites, the Baptist's themselves, and even some modern groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses; have all practiced non-voting, pacifism, non-political involvement, and generally a total disassociation with anything political in nature. The basic idea, is that political stuff does not concern Christians, because we are provided for directly by our God, and He is in charge of the governments, not the men who are part of them. The Jehovah's Witnesses, even refuse to say the pledge of allegiance on the basis, that their allegiance is only to God, and making false pledges is a form of idolatry. Whether you agree with taking it that far is not the issue, they are at least attempting to take seriously Messiahs claims over all the governments of this world. They are attempting to be logically consistent with the idea of separation of Church and State. We should applaud anyone who takes serious, the claims of Jesus Christ, and tries to make the appropriate adjustments to their lives that those claims imply. If He rules, as He says He does, then we need never concern ourselves about who is in power, or even about what they legislate, because God is ultimately in charge.
Once again I can hear that old argument, "but what if the Government tells us or forces us to do something that violates our Christian principles?" Then we must not obey. The example on this is Daniel chapter 6, when Daniel refused to follow the pagan kings law forbidding prayer. He prayed all the more. Notice...
Dan 6:13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
Daniel did not resist the Kings command! He simply did not obey it. Here's the point of difference. Daniel increased His prayers to God in heaven, but He was still subject to the king, because the Kings law came with an attached provision, that whoever did not obey would be fed to the lions. So Daniel was complying, even though He was not obeying. He chose the path that He knew would result in Him being tossed to the lions for dinner. He knew that this was the path that would glorify God. Daniel in no way resisted the king, even though He did not obey. Daniel was in fact fed to the hungry lions. He was fully prepared to submit to the kings authority, and He did in fact do just that.
If Daniel had reacted differently, and had gathered a crowd of insurrection, revolting in the streets, and had tried to force the king to change the law, or even force the king off the throne, then Daniel would have have been acting in a completely unchristian manner. It is never up to us to interfere or influence politics. Our influence is in heaven, and that's why Daniel prayed. If you get stoned, fed to the lions, or cut in half, or shot before a firing squad, so what? You will have been delivered directly into the heavenly kingdom, and all your struggles and sufferings will be over. I am not suggesting that you instigate and cause your own martyrdom, because that would be suicide. This is not like the Muslim doctrine of the suicide bombers, who blow themselves up in order to inherit 72 virgin wives in paradise. This is about following Christ in peaceful non-resistance that honors God, in spite of what the Governments do or do not do. You can honor God always, and you can always submit to His authorized Government agents, without ever compromising your faith! That's what the Jews did for hundreds of years in Egyptian captivity. They honored Pharaoh, and were subject to Him, in spite of His cruelty and oppression of them, and they never dishonored God, or forsook Him either. Even when God finally delivered them from Egypt, He sent Moses to ask for Pharaoh's permission. But God gave Him mighty persuaders in the form of miracles. God persuaded Pharaoh to let the people God, while hardening His heart at the same time. You will notice that the ancient Pharaoh's are no more. God removed them and took them out of authority. He has removed kings and set up new ones countless times throughout history. Christians know this and should always remember it. He is doubtlessly doing something like that even now in America.
5. Godliness with Contentment
1Tim 6:6-8 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
God's people are about this. We ought to be identified with our Godliness, and with our great contentment, not with our likeness to the world and our perpetual dissatisfaction. We should not be identified with our involvement with social platforms or political movements or reforms. We should be Godly, Christlike and highly contented people, even in the midst of poverty or repression.
When the first Baptist came to America seeking religious freedom, they arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, only to meet with a stern Puritanism, which identified Congregational Puritanism, as the only legitimate government authority. If you were not a puritan congregationalist, you were a heretic and were subject to censure and punishment. To the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay, The Church was the State. This meant that they passed the laws, and they wielded the sword. As a result Baptists were severely persecuted, and many were killed some by immersion. All this was done by our Christian brothers, who did not understand the difference between Church and State. Christian Puritan's, killed Christian Baptist's all because they failed to realize that religious freedom is freedom from the state, even while living in it. Freedom of religion, largely means freedom from government, freedom from government interference in our worship. Whenever, however, churches get confused on this, and think that Government should be Christianized by them and controlled by them, we have serious problems, and religious liberty is always taken away. This can be shown throughout History. When the Catholic Church was in power with governmental authority, Millions were killed to squash religious freedom in the crusades. When Calvin was enthroned in Geneva politics, hundreds and thousands were persecuted and killed to squash religious freedom. When the church of England was in power of the throne of England, thousands of independents and religious dissenters such as the Baptists were imprisoned and murdered, burnt at the stake, tortured and persecuted in horrific and inhumane ways, all to squash religious freedom. When church becomes government, religious freedom is always removed...ALWAYS!
The main purpose for the separation of church and state, is to preserve religious freedom, religious peace, tolerance, and to promote love not hatred. The moment you give government over to Christians or the moment Christians try to take over and Christianize government by vote or by politics; that is the moment Religious liberty will be forfeited and thrown under the bus. Dominionism and right wing evangelical politics, both attempt to do just that. They both toss out religious freedom, because their basic doctrine is that Christians must control government. It's simply a return to Massachusetts bay Puritanism., and a return to witch hunts, and persecuting non-conformists will inevitably follow. It has happened numerous times in the past, and all Christians should renounce those kinds of humanistic efforts to supplant the authority of Messiah over the Governments of the world. He is in charge, even in the wickedest and most godless governments, and that is the way it must stay. We render to Him what He owns, and we render unto Caesar what He owns, and that is precisely how Christ wants it to be. All Christians need to get out of politics, and get on their knees and live godly and contented Christian lives.
Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
An Scripture Essay By Rev. Earl Jackson
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Mark 12:17 And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marveled at him.
Make no mistake about this. Baptist's have always been staunch champions of religious freedom. In fact Baptist's came from Europe to the New World precisely over this issue. Their story and the facts of history are clearly known and can be read by anyone. They were persecuted and martyred in Europe over their defense of religious freedom, and sadly when they arrived at the Massachusetts Bay Colony they were persecuted and martyred there also. These are sad facts of history, and they show how staunchly we as Baptist have stood and even died for the cause of religious freedom. It would seem almost unnecessary to feel any need whatsoever to re-emphasize the Baptist position, since it is so much a part of our American heritage, but I believe it has been strangely lost in this election years 2012, when voters in America will select their next President.
What has happened in American Evangelicalism the past few decades has been a disgrace to the cause of Christ and truth in America. In 1979 Jerry Falwell, a famous Baptist pastor from Lynchburg Virginia, started an organization to promote his right wing political views, which he amalgamated into and said were the "Christian Right". His organization became known as "The Moral Majority". I was interested in this at the time, because Falwell graduated from the same Baptist College that I attended, (Baptist Bible College, in Springfield Mo) and there was a prior movement among professors and students of that college, to get Christian people involved in "The John Birch Society", and extremely radical right-wing political activist group. I am well aware of all this, because they tried to recruit me. The ideas of both the John Birch Society, and later Falwell's Moral Majority express extreme right-wing philosophy, and even fanatical political agendas.
Robert W. Welch, Jr. the founder of the the John Birch Society, which was named after John Birch who was a Baptist Missionary martyred in Communist China, had a radical hatred for all things that were not ultra-conservative by his standards. He had a bug-eyed fanaticism about communism taking over America, and the Society became an important part of the cold war witch hunts to exterminate communism from the American shores. He opposed the civil rights movement. He opposed any form of government economic intervention. He opposed the united nations. He opposed any ideas of wealth redistribution to help the poor, the indigent and the disabled or the old. He opposed all but the narrowest form of government, and he advocated that the only legitimate form of government is one that protects the people only. Government serves no other function but to protect our borders and defend our country from invasion. It is not governments job to educate, to monitor health and safety of citizens, to regulate business, banks, wall street or anything else for that matter. Government must not meddle with the God given rights of the populace to take care of themselves and to do as they please without government interference. Needless to say when the pastor Jerry Falwell came along in 1979 and stepped outside the historic traditional Baptist position of keeping religion out of politics, and began promoting His political views he brought down the ire of many historic Baptist's who recognized the source of these opinions, and also recognized that they were clearly against Christianity, and against the principles of separation of church and state which Baptist have always held dear and even died for.
Sadly however, not all Baptist's have realized what actually happened, when Falwell trashed the historic position of separation of church and state, and became a vocal political pulpit for the right wing patriot movement all in the name of Christ. Falwell went where most God honoring Baptist's would never have went, and he did so, with applause and approval from many ignorant Baptist pastors around the country. These are the actual roots of all the right-wing evangelical Christian activist organizations and lobbyist groups in America today. They all believe that Christians have a duty to clean up Washington and purge America of anything that they deem to be unchristian. They are barely distinguishable at all from their equally repressive and unscriptural dominionist brothers who follow the likes of Russas Rushdoony and others who want the Church to Be identical with the State, and the State to be identical with the church.
It is because of this current state of heightened political involvement by Christian people, who really ought to know better, that I feel the need to re-explain and reiterate why Baptist's champion the complete opposite of this evil trend which is seen everywhere in America. IN pulpits all over this country pastors are trying to influence votes, and trying to push extremest political views in the name of "God and country". Well my friends, if you love Christ, you must not listen to these people who actually hate what He commands. Preachers are called to preach the only message on earth that can actually change the hearts of evil men (the gospel). They have no right, nor calling to politics, or political activism of any kind. My only purpose in addressing this at all, is not politics, but rather the interests of Christ and His kingdom. I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness to call all these Christ-defying pastors back to their knees, and back to preaching what God told them to preach. The damage and havoc wreaked by the so-called evangelical right to the cause of Christ and truth has been so severe, that it may be unrepairable, but for the Grace of God. I call you to repent if you are a pastor, and if you are involved in politics instead of saving souls, which is your primary business. Shame on you! By following the world to the voting booths, and by leading others along with you, you have disgraced your Lord Jesus Christ and forsaken your high and noble calling. Let me show you exactly why.
1. Christ secures our freedom, not politics or political causes.
It is a simple truth of the Christian faith, that Jesus came to make men free, and that those who follow him are free indeed (John 8:36). Freedom is both guaranteed and secured by the Lord who died to save us, and bring us into his Kingdom of Love. Our freedom has absolutely nothing to do with our country of residence, or the form of government which it hold. Our freedom is in Christ. As a principle of our religion, this is absolutely fundamental and foundational. Freedom is a product of salvation, not a gift from government. Jesus was quite clear...it is "the truth that makes you free" (John 8:32). As you know the truth, you experience the freedom that it brings. This freedom, however is a product of the gospel. We must never forget this critical issue. The gospel sets men free and liberates captives. Christ's cause is to be our only cause as Christians.
Luke 4:18-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor;
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
There is nothing complicated or difficult to understand in this basic Christian idea. Christ purchased our freedom with His own blood. Salvation makes men free, and it does not require advanced theological acumen to understand this basic concept. It is a highly Christian concept, but it has absolutely nothing to do with government or politics. Look! This stuff is Theology 101, and it is elementary Christian principles. Christ's freedom is true freedom. And Christ's cause is our cause.
John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
2Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
Galatians 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
1Corinthians 7:22-24 For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant. Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men. Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.
1Peter 2:16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
2Peter 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
Christ secures, provides and protects, all the freedom that His people require. The Bible declares it. Government cannot do this. Government has a long history of enslaving people. Government has a unique capacity to bind people with laws. Government has a tremendous legacy of repression. But no government can establish, secure, or grant freedom to anyone. Governments cannot do what only Christ can do. Politics is a shabby substitute for redemptive restoration. And preachers who preach politics, deny salvation; at least the part of it that secures and maintains freedom through Christ alone. They may teach you from an early age that America is "the land of the free and the home of the brave", but it is a pure lie. "America is the land of greed and the home of the haves and have-nots". Freedom is an illusion if it is anything other than Christ's freedom. Freedom is propaganda if it is divorced from the gospel of truth which alone can secure it. The bottom line is that Christ died to set the captives free, and he actually accomplished what He died to do. That is why the Christian message must never include the false ideal that politics is the savior of men, or the guarantor of mans freedom. That is all a lie. There is not one ounce of Christian truth in it at all. Get entangled in politics, and you get entangled in the yoke of bondage.
The notion that politics and political causes, parties and voting, is a means to protect and secure freedom is simply ideological nonsense. You may think that you have a civic duty to promote causes that appear good and wholesome, but you have no warrant or authority to promote anything that Christ has not told you and commissioned you to promote. His Divine Sovereignty over all things, demands special obedience and loyalty from His followers in all things. Obedience and God's Sovereignty are linked. Disobedience is rebellion, and rebellion is not permissible among the people of God. The demands of the King of Kings, override any and all demands, (imaginary or otherwise), of governments and politics. You have no responsibility other than the cause of Christ. You are required to obey and serve only Him, and no one else.
2. Christ established the separation of Church and State.
When Jesus said to "render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are His" (Mark 12:17). He was not giving over his dominion and sovereignty to Caesar. He was establishing Caesar as the rightful minister of human government, and Himself as the rightful Lord of All things, including Caesar. If you miss this concept, you will be inclined to sell your soul to the democratic gospel of Americanism, and that would be the same mistake Falwell and the other Bible thumping extreme right-wing activist have done, when they forsook the separation of church and state.
If you do not recognize that Christ establishes the governments of this world as His ministers for justice and the sword, then you will be sucked into the whirlwind of false doctrine that believes that "government is by the people and for the people". There are only two alternatives. The one is humanism, and the other is Christ. The choice is "by the people", or "by God". The choice is "for the people", or "for God". But "by the people and for the people" can never mean "by God and for God". The two are contrary. Instead it always means "without God and in spite of God". That's because democracy is based on the rule of the many and not the few. Christians are not now, nor have they ever been the Moral Majority. Look around you? And don't be deceived by some high sounding patriotic pulpit slamming shysters. We are the Moral Minority, and Jesus Christ spelled that out crystal clear. "Many are called (majority) but few are chosen" (minority) (Matthew 20:16; 22:14). "Many" are on the broad road leading to hell (majority), and only a "few" are on the narrow road leading to eternal life (minority) (Matthew 7:13-14). Are there few that be saved (minority)? The answer that Christ gave to this question is that many are in fact lost (majority) (Luke 13:23-24). It never has been true that Christ and His followers are a Moral Majority, and Christ plainly told us so. Christ knows the difference between the many and the few, and we should know it also because He told us.
The difference between the many and the few is the reason why Christians always lose in a democratic system. The facts don't lie. When the votes are tallied in any democratic election, for any cause or candidate. The many win and the few lose. It is designed to happen just that way, only that way, and always that way. The few forfeit their rights and voices, to the many who outnumber them and always win. It is a very simplistic concept, and you would think that after over 200 years of elections and voting, Christian people would finally grasp it? They win! We lose! They outnumber us! They rule over us! We lose. We always lose. But instead we still believe that some miracle is going to happen in the voting booth that will turn the minority into the majority and we will be able to straighten out the mess our country is in? We imagine the water into wine episode all over when we vote. God's going to turn the votes of the few into the votes of the many and we will win by miraculous intervention. How can we think so foolishly? That is just plain delusional thinking. It ignores all the facts, and it is pure stupidity on a level which is absolutely degrading of Christian people, who have been enlightened by the Lord of heaven. When you think like that, you dishonor Christ, because He created your brain, and He told to use it! You know that the world hated him and it hates you too! Foolish thinking Christians make the world think that Christ and His followers are a bunch of idiots. You send that message when you act like idiots. And I can't blame them for feeling that Christianity is a joke, and that Christians are morons who walk around with crutches made out of feathers and butterfly wings. We give them the reasons for feeling the way they do. We act just as foolish as they perceive us to be. We tell them that we have something better, and then we do just the same stuff that they do? We tell them we are free, and then we vote in their boxes trying secure and maintain our freedom which is supposed to come from Christ? Do you think they are so blind or stupid that they cannot see when we act like jack-asses instead of Christians? We tell them that prayer, love, truth and Christ can change the world, and then we spend all our time promoting candidates and voting booths? Do you think they cannot see our inconsistent behavior? We announce that God is in charge, and then we cower in fear that the wrong candidate may get elected, because we actually believe that Washington is in charge! They can see through this stuff in a second, and you, dear enlightened Christian soul, are blinded to your own ridiculous actions. We truly need revival in America, because most Christians cannot see exactly how far off from God and truth they really are. The majority hate Christ, and that's why all elections are unchristian when they are outside of the church, which is the only place where the majority actually love Him. It's not rocket science. It's simple common sense. The immoral majority rule over the moral minority, because we give them permission to do so, every time we vote in their stupid elections!
"Render unto Caesar" means that Caesar has authority that is given to Him by Christ. It does not mean that the people give Caesar his power or authority. It does not mean that the people are free to rebel against Caesar, to resist Him, or to overthrow him whenever they don't like what He does or his rules that are imposed upon us. Render unto Caesar is actually a command in the imperative mood, and means give up to Caesar whatever is His. It's a command not an option, just as give up to God whatever is His is not an option. Commands from the Lord are matters for obedience and are never open to question or objection. God said it, and that settles it. When Jesus commanded us to give up to Caesar whatever is His, he is commanding us to honor our king, or whatever form of government we happen to be under. Jesus and the Apostles followed this command rigorously and even though it led to all their deaths. That is a pretty powerful example of Christian submission to unchristian governmental authority. Everyone of the Apostles, like their Lord before them, were murdered by the evil governments under which they lived. And not one of them ever resisted. Not one of them ever rebelled or tried to incite insurrection. Christians do not do that. Christians never do that. It is completely improper and disobedient for followers of the Lord to be concerned with reforming or changing the governments of this world. Caesar is authorized, ordained. established and even removed by God (Job 36:7; Psalm 113:7-8; Psa 110:5; Psa 135:10; 136: 17-18; Psa 138:4 Isa 45:1; 1Tim. 2:2 ). Caesar is controlled by God (Proverbs 21:1). Caesar serves God (Psa. 72:11). And God tells you dear Christian to give up to Him whatever is his. If His image is on the coin, then the coin belongs to Him. You may imagine that it is yours. You may think you have earned it by your sweat and hard work. But His picture is on it, the same as "The United States of America" is on our currency. They print it. They own it. And They will do with it what they want. Guess what? If you don't like it tough! This is the exact meaning of Christs teaching. Caesars image on the money substantiates that He owns it and He gives you, or does not give you, permission to use it. But no matter how you slice it it is not yours.
This is important because Jesus tells us our treasures are not supposed to be on earth! Caesar's money is one example. It is definitely on earth, we know so because it may be squeezed right between our fingertips. That is a strong indication that we must detach from it and let go of it. But it is far more over-arching and significant than just money. Your treasure is supposed to be in heaven, because that's where your heart is also supposed to be. Not in Washington. Not in the voting booth or the polling places. Your treasures are always supposed to be in heaven and not anyplace on earth.
3. Render unto Caesar does not mean for Christians to be politically involved with Caesar. It means Caesar is God's Agent.
Stating that render unto Caesar means that Christians are supposed to be politically involved and active in government, is a gross misapplication of the text that I hear over and over. A well-know Southern Baptist preacher told me that according to this statement by Christ, we should consider politics, voting, supporting Christian candidates, and promoting conservative political agendas, as our civic duties as Christians. He tried to explain to me that when Jesus said to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, that He was really talking about Christian exercising spiritual dominion in politic, and the word he used was "stewardship over the political realm". According to him we are to be good stewards over politics just like every other area of life. I have never heard such a gross misuse of a Bible text as that in my entire life. And this came from a very well known pastor of a large influential church. Render unto Caesar has nothing to do with with Christians taking stewardship over politics. We are not stewards of the lost, stewards of the worlds glitz, glamor, fame, fortune, lusts, power and evils. That is absurd. We have no stewardship over the evil world, other than to separate ourselves from it, to come out from among them and be separate, and then from a position of separation from the world, to preach the saving gospel to them. That is the only stewardship we have. To be faithful stewards in our own spiritual house. To be faithful stewards of Christ's gospel and the church. You are not a steward over Satan! You are not a steward over His world of evil! You do have a certain stewardship over the planet and over animals that God created, but the evil world of lust and power hunger, money and greed. You have no stewardship or involvement with any of it. Christ delivers us from the world. And H does it so that we go back to the world with an actually saving and transforming message.
Render unto Caesar has nothing to do with stewardship, or Christian dominion in politics. It has to do with submitting to Caesar and obeying His laws and paying his taxes. When you render to Caesar in the sense that Christ is talking about you are actually obeying God. It has to do with recognizing that God is in charge of all the Caesars of all human history, and any other government authorities, and that they serve Him and not the people. Caesar may not know or recognize that He is God's agent, placed in his position by the Almighty. He may in fact think, like we do here in America, that He was elected, and the ballot box got him into office. But that does not change anything, because God says that he is in office because God put Him there, and that He is God's agent, because God has ,made Him so. It also does not matter if you refuse to accept God's Caesar that He has placed over you. God does not tell you that you have to like Him. God tells you that you have to submit to Him. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account" (Heb. 13:17). That also is a command, not something that is up to your personal viewpoints, likes or dislikes, political opinions or anything else. Obey them that rule over you and submit to them. The ESV says OBEY YOUR LEADERS AND SUBMIT TO THEM. You cannot ignore the clear command of the Lord. He demands that you obey and submit. No questions asked. That is what Christians are required to do in all cases, even if it means being martyred for your faith, and even if you live under the most hateful and oppressive regime in the history of man. Your Lord commands you what you must do toward your rulers. It doesn't matter what you think. You don't have to like or approve of what the Lord commands.
This is once again a matter in which it will not do for you to say, well I love the Lord, and He knows I can't understand all this. Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15). This is one of them. Willful disobedience, now that you know the command, should you decide to not obey your rulers and submit to their rule over you, like the Lord command; indicates that you don't actually love Him, like you want everybody to think. If you loved Him, then disobedience is not an option.
Many people try to bring up the various cases of abusive and tyrannical governments, maniacal demon possessed Hitler's, and Genghis Khans, history's worst rulers, as an objection to the idea that God is in charge of all the governments of man throughout human history. I admit that it appears counter productive for God to set up a Hitler. From human viewpoint this is certainly a valid objection. Except that it neglects several important facts from the Divine Viewpoint. Oh, and in case you don't know, God's viewpoint always wins! Look. If all Governments serve God's ultimate purposes, then obviously God sees and knows information about those purposes which we are not privy to. Also, the human viewpoint that doubts God's rule over all governments, good and bad; neglects the fact that the Bible clearly teaches that evil governments and evil rulers are a form of divine judgment upon the nations over which they rule. God sometimes uses tyrants to punish people because of their own unbelief and rejection of truth. When you sow corruption and wickedness, God sometimes cause you to reap what you have sown in the form of a tyrant ruler. or corrupt government. That's what's happening in America right now. Our rulers keep getting worse and worse, because we are being judged by the Almighty for our rebellion. We are being judged nationally for allowing our churches to forsake their sacred duties, to profane and twist their holy message, to embrace false doctrines and to become the cage of unclean and beastly birds. Also, and this is similar, but sometimes God uses evil governments and rulers, to bring judgements upon nations which He actually favors, or upon his chosen people who have been disobedient, such as when He had Israel defeated by a tyrant king and carried off to Babylon. This was a divine judgment on the people of God. Another thing that is usually neglected when thinking about why and how God uses evil tyrants, Hitlers and the like; is that when they oppress people, God's people have something very serious to pray about. Oppression is often the means to get people on their knees. Tyrants are sometimes agents of revival and reformation. How about this? God uses evil kings to start wars, and the Bible says that wars also serve God's purposes. God command His people to start many of them. God also defeated many evil rulers by war, and He also punished his own unfaithful people by war. And God sometimes tells His people to wage wars on these evil kings, so that people can be delivered from them as a show of His divine mercy. These are just a few examples of why God sets up evil governments and rulers. We will never know all the reasons, these are just a few.
We don't need to know everything. But we need to know what God says. In fact we never need to question God about anything that He does, because everything that He does is out of all-comprehensive perfect knowledge and righteousness. God does not make any mistakes, even though we cannot imagine God setting up and using a Hitler. If it happened, it happened because "God works all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11). If you have a problem with how God works history, then you probably don't know God at all, and are in fact lost. Belief in God, even on the most basic levels involves believing who He is. He is Almighty. He is Sovereign. He is Lord of All. He makes no Mistakes. He is perfectly holy and righteous, always. These are basic attributes of God. He reveals them to us in the Bible. They are the characteristics of the true God in contrast to all false idols. If you doubt them, then you do not know who He is, regardless of what you may feel in your heart about your love for the Lord. You cannot love someone who you don't know. And you don't know Him if you don't freely recognize His character. His attributes are His character traits. They are what God looks like! They are His image! If you Love Him, then you Honor Him. Questioning His Sovereignty and Righteousness, does not honor Him, it is a form of unbelief. He that cometh to God must believe that He is (Heb. 11:6). This is one of the marks of true faith, and it does not mean that you must just believe in the existence of any old god the way you imagine him to be. It means you must believe that He is as The I AM, the Self-existent One and the One Who has Reveals exactly who and what He is in the Bible. It is not up to you to imagine Him any old way you think He must be. He is what He is and He tells us what He is. We don't tell Him what He is or what He can or cannot do. That is what you must believe if you actually have faith.
4. The Powers That Be
Rom 13:1-2 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Rom 13:1-2 (KJV) Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
I have included both the English Standard Version and The King James on these verses because I want you to see how the ESV translates it so that there is no doubt about what this text is actually saying.
Notice first, that governing authorities (powers) have been instituted by God "The powers that be are ordained of God". This is unequivocally clear. All government authority is dispensed solely by the Almighty God. It has nothing to do with your rights, the rights of nations to be self-governing, ballot boxes or public opinion. God says this is the truth in the matter. God says, that this is the way it actually is, even though it may appear quite differently. The powers that be, the government authorities, have all been instituted by God Himself.
That means that any form of resistance to Government is a form of resistance to God. "Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed". This indicates that there are two rebellions that simultaneously occur in any form of political disobedience, rebellion, upheaval or insurrection. The government is rebelled against, and automatically and simultaneously God is also rebelled against.
I believe this is a very serious, but often ignored proposition. The idea that Governments are from God, automatically attaches to it the idea that that when you resist them, you resist Him. I wrote an article on Isa 9:6 titled "The Government is on His shoulders" showing that the Governments of this world are given to Jesus Christ, and that is why He is known as "The King of Kings". If this is the case, then it is never up to Christians to quibble, doubt, complain, murmur, be dissatisfied with, or be involved in trying to change the government, because to do so, insults the Lord. If He is in charge of them, as it plain says that He is, then as Christians, we must not try to usurp His Sovereign prerogatives. He ordains them and uses them for His own purposes, and we yield and submit to His wisdom in this, as in everything else.
Please understand, I know that I am not preaching Americanism here. God did not call me to preach any false gospel, including that one. He called me to preach the Bible and the whole counsel of God. For Christians this means that His kingdom is supreme, His kingdom is not of this world, and He has called us and given us citizenship in a heavenly kingdom, and that basically invalidates our citizenship to any earthly kingdom. We live here yes, and we pay taxes and are subject to the governments that God has placed over us, we even receive many blessings from our earthly governments, because God has ordained them for good purposes (Rom 13:4). But our citizenship is no longer earthly it is heavenly. Our old citizenship (earthly) has passed away, and our new Citizenship (heavenly) supersedes and transcends the old in everything.
The historic Baptist's understood that the idea of submission to the government authorities, was a form of submission also to God. But they also understood that this in no way contradicts the idea of separation of Church and state. In fact it enforces the idea, because while we are subject to them, they are not subject to us. This is a critical concept. We are subject to them, and in fact commanded not to resist them, but they are not subject to us. Instead, the are directly subject to God Himself, even if they are atheistic deniers of Him. God says He gives them their authority, and without Him they could have none. Jesus expressly illustrated this very idea when he stood before Pilate, who was the governmental authority concerned with executing criminals. Consider carefully this exchange of words.
John 19:10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
Pilates sin was not as great as Judas' sin because Pilate was acting lawfully under the authority of God which had been given to Him! Jesus does not absolve Pilate of sin here, He simply asserts that Pilate had no power except that power which God gave Him. This is exactly the case with all governmental authority, no matter where it is found. "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Christ" (Mathew 28:19). "The government is on His shoulders", and as a result "All the powers that be are instituted by Him".
What does this mean for us? Well, it is a well known fact that historically most of the groups that are closely associated with the Baptist notion of separation of Church and state; the Anabaptist, the Mennonites, the Quakers, the Shakers, the Hutterites, the Baptist's themselves, and even some modern groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses; have all practiced non-voting, pacifism, non-political involvement, and generally a total disassociation with anything political in nature. The basic idea, is that political stuff does not concern Christians, because we are provided for directly by our God, and He is in charge of the governments, not the men who are part of them. The Jehovah's Witnesses, even refuse to say the pledge of allegiance on the basis, that their allegiance is only to God, and making false pledges is a form of idolatry. Whether you agree with taking it that far is not the issue, they are at least attempting to take seriously Messiahs claims over all the governments of this world. They are attempting to be logically consistent with the idea of separation of Church and State. We should applaud anyone who takes serious, the claims of Jesus Christ, and tries to make the appropriate adjustments to their lives that those claims imply. If He rules, as He says He does, then we need never concern ourselves about who is in power, or even about what they legislate, because God is ultimately in charge.
Once again I can hear that old argument, "but what if the Government tells us or forces us to do something that violates our Christian principles?" Then we must not obey. The example on this is Daniel chapter 6, when Daniel refused to follow the pagan kings law forbidding prayer. He prayed all the more. Notice...
Dan 6:13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
Daniel did not resist the Kings command! He simply did not obey it. Here's the point of difference. Daniel increased His prayers to God in heaven, but He was still subject to the king, because the Kings law came with an attached provision, that whoever did not obey would be fed to the lions. So Daniel was complying, even though He was not obeying. He chose the path that He knew would result in Him being tossed to the lions for dinner. He knew that this was the path that would glorify God. Daniel in no way resisted the king, even though He did not obey. Daniel was in fact fed to the hungry lions. He was fully prepared to submit to the kings authority, and He did in fact do just that.
If Daniel had reacted differently, and had gathered a crowd of insurrection, revolting in the streets, and had tried to force the king to change the law, or even force the king off the throne, then Daniel would have have been acting in a completely unchristian manner. It is never up to us to interfere or influence politics. Our influence is in heaven, and that's why Daniel prayed. If you get stoned, fed to the lions, or cut in half, or shot before a firing squad, so what? You will have been delivered directly into the heavenly kingdom, and all your struggles and sufferings will be over. I am not suggesting that you instigate and cause your own martyrdom, because that would be suicide. This is not like the Muslim doctrine of the suicide bombers, who blow themselves up in order to inherit 72 virgin wives in paradise. This is about following Christ in peaceful non-resistance that honors God, in spite of what the Governments do or do not do. You can honor God always, and you can always submit to His authorized Government agents, without ever compromising your faith! That's what the Jews did for hundreds of years in Egyptian captivity. They honored Pharaoh, and were subject to Him, in spite of His cruelty and oppression of them, and they never dishonored God, or forsook Him either. Even when God finally delivered them from Egypt, He sent Moses to ask for Pharaoh's permission. But God gave Him mighty persuaders in the form of miracles. God persuaded Pharaoh to let the people God, while hardening His heart at the same time. You will notice that the ancient Pharaoh's are no more. God removed them and took them out of authority. He has removed kings and set up new ones countless times throughout history. Christians know this and should always remember it. He is doubtlessly doing something like that even now in America.
5. Godliness with Contentment
1Tim 6:6-8 Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
God's people are about this. We ought to be identified with our Godliness, and with our great contentment, not with our likeness to the world and our perpetual dissatisfaction. We should not be identified with our involvement with social platforms or political movements or reforms. We should be Godly, Christlike and highly contented people, even in the midst of poverty or repression.
When the first Baptist came to America seeking religious freedom, they arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, only to meet with a stern Puritanism, which identified Congregational Puritanism, as the only legitimate government authority. If you were not a puritan congregationalist, you were a heretic and were subject to censure and punishment. To the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay, The Church was the State. This meant that they passed the laws, and they wielded the sword. As a result Baptists were severely persecuted, and many were killed some by immersion. All this was done by our Christian brothers, who did not understand the difference between Church and State. Christian Puritan's, killed Christian Baptist's all because they failed to realize that religious freedom is freedom from the state, even while living in it. Freedom of religion, largely means freedom from government, freedom from government interference in our worship. Whenever, however, churches get confused on this, and think that Government should be Christianized by them and controlled by them, we have serious problems, and religious liberty is always taken away. This can be shown throughout History. When the Catholic Church was in power with governmental authority, Millions were killed to squash religious freedom in the crusades. When Calvin was enthroned in Geneva politics, hundreds and thousands were persecuted and killed to squash religious freedom. When the church of England was in power of the throne of England, thousands of independents and religious dissenters such as the Baptists were imprisoned and murdered, burnt at the stake, tortured and persecuted in horrific and inhumane ways, all to squash religious freedom. When church becomes government, religious freedom is always removed...ALWAYS!
The main purpose for the separation of church and state, is to preserve religious freedom, religious peace, tolerance, and to promote love not hatred. The moment you give government over to Christians or the moment Christians try to take over and Christianize government by vote or by politics; that is the moment Religious liberty will be forfeited and thrown under the bus. Dominionism and right wing evangelical politics, both attempt to do just that. They both toss out religious freedom, because their basic doctrine is that Christians must control government. It's simply a return to Massachusetts bay Puritanism., and a return to witch hunts, and persecuting non-conformists will inevitably follow. It has happened numerous times in the past, and all Christians should renounce those kinds of humanistic efforts to supplant the authority of Messiah over the Governments of the world. He is in charge, even in the wickedest and most godless governments, and that is the way it must stay. We render to Him what He owns, and we render unto Caesar what He owns, and that is precisely how Christ wants it to be. All Christians need to get out of politics, and get on their knees and live godly and contented Christian lives.
Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
© 2012 Rev Earl Jackson www.RevEarlJackson.com
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