By Gary Ray Branscome
One of the biggest problems the church faces today is the secularization
of government and society. And, the wedge being used to eliminate Christian
influence from the public sector, effectively reducing Christians to
second-class status, is the unbiblical claim that Church and State should be
absolutely separate.
Those who disagree with
what I have just said need to realize that when Martin Luther called for
separation of church and state he wanted to prevent bishops from sentencing
people to death, not exclude all Christian influence from government. The
atheist doctrine of “separation of church and state,” is totally opposed to
what Luther wanted, and to what the Bible teaches. For that reason we need to
take a serious look at what God’s Word actually says.
First of all, the cliché,
“separation of church and state,” is the word of man, not the word of God. You
will not find those words anywhere in Scripture. The Bible passage usually
cited, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto
God the things which are God’s,” does not command us to separate anything
(Luke
A truly Biblical understanding of
church and state begins with a look at the
government that God provided for the nation of
There was an official priesthood, which, by calling God’s people to
repentance while giving them His promise of forgiveness, carried out the same
function that the church does today. But, it was not a tax-supported “state
church”. It is true that the people were to give a tithe. But, that was not a
tax because it was not taken by force, and they were not punished by the
government if it was not paid (Malachi 3:8). Furthermore, the fact that God
provided for His church to be supported independently of the state, tells us
that God does not want His churches to be supported by the state. Government
should never be able to control the church by threatening to cut off its funds.
At the same time, the fact that the priesthood was hereditary, tells us that
rulers should not decide who can preach or hold church office.
While Christian believers who have been chosen to fill
governmental offices must not conceal or deny their faith, we cannot expect a
pagan nation to follow the same rules, or be governed the same way as a nation
that is officially Christian. The people need to see the benefit of the laws
they are being asked to keep. Here is where wisdom is called for.
The words, “When you come to the land which the LORD
your God gives you, and you possess it, and live in it, and then say, I will
set a ruler over me… you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not one of
your brethren,” tell us that once a nation is Christian, God wants it ruled
by Christians (Deuteronomy 17:14-15). But, that only applies to a nation that
calls itself Christian. While any country can choose a Christian as its ruler;
attempting to force a Christian ruler upon a nation of unbelievers would only
produce resentment.
The words, “When he [the ruler] sits on the throne of
his government, he shall write down for himself in a book a copy of this law…
And he shall keep it with him, and read from it all the days of his life: that
he may learn to fear the LORD his God,” tell us that God wants rulers to be
guided by His Word (Deuteronomy
The
words, “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no
greater burden than these essential things; That you abstain from meats offered
to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from sexual
immorality: if you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well,”
tell us that Christian rulers should never attempt to impose the laws of
ancient Israel on any nation (Acts 15:28-29). At the same time, because rulers
study and copy the laws of other nations, the English system of common law originated when King
Alfred adopted a legal code that included the Ten Commandments along with
other excerpts of Mosaic Law (871-899 A.D.). And, Blackstone’s commentaries on
the laws of
The words, “When the Gentiles, who do not have the law,
do by nature the things contained in the law, they… show the work of the
law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,” tell
us that God has written His law on our heart (Romans 2:14-15). And, because the
Ten Commandments summarize that law, every ruler should be guided by the Ten
Commandments. At the same time, the freedom that we have in Christ allows us to
apply those commandments in a way that is reasonable, and conforms to the
customs and culture of our nation, without compromising morality. A Christian
ruler should never compromise morality, or legitimatize sin.
The words, “The weapons we fight with are not the
weapons of the world, but through God they have the power to break down
strongholds,” tell us that God’s church does not need the government behind
it to triumph. (2Corinthians 10:4). In fact, the words, “The gates of hell
will not prevail against it,” tell us that it will triumph in spite of
persecution (Matthew
When a government
makes Christianity the official religion, God’s people have a situation very
similar to that which existed in ancient
The Bible does not call for a specific form of government
because every government can be corrupted by evil and selfish men. The words, “He [the ruler] shall write
down for himself in a book a copy of this law… And he shall keep it with him, and read from it,” tell us that the government that God gave
The words, “We ought to obey God rather than men,”
tell us that whenever rulers tell us to do evil we are not to comply (Acts