A Study by
Gary Ray Branscome
The ideological
cartel that presently wields so much influence over our government is using a
religious doctrine (Separation of Church and State) to justify discriminating
against Christians. While those who know Constitutional Law are aware that the
Constitution says nothing about separation of church and state, the courts have
used a phrase from one of Thomas Jefferson's letters to redefine the First
Amendment. At the same time, religious sentiment favoring separation of church
and state has been used to neutralize opposition to what they were doing.
At the time
The very fact that rulers who reject God, harden
their heart, and fail to trust in Christ will be condemned by God tells us that
God wants rulers to worship Him, repent, and trust in Christ (Ezekiel 33:11). In
fact, we know that the time will come when every knee, including the knee of
every ruler, will have to bow before Christ and give account (Philippians
2:9-10, Revelation
The Biblical distinction between church and state goes back to the distinction
between the role of Moses (as head of state) and the role of Aaron. While the
authority wielded by Moses was clearly political in nature in that it involved
judging civil litigation and punishing criminal behavior, Aaron's job had to do
with worship, sacrifice, and mercy. And, because God's law condemns sin while
the gospel extends His mercy the roles of church and state parallel the Biblical
distinction between law and gospel.
However, while the Old Testament priesthood had a role similar to that of the
church, and was the official religious institution in
While God has assigned the church and state different roles, the Bible
nowhere calls for a rigid "wall of separation". At the same time,
even though church leaders should be free to condemn the sins of rulers, they
have no business trying to run the government, or use it for their own ends. Government
force should never be used in a vain attempt to advance the gospel (2Corinthians
10:4). And, pastors should never use the pulpit to promote partisan politics.
The purpose of preaching is to spread the gospel, and pastors who get involved
in politics are likely to anger and offend those who need their council. At the
same time, individual believers have every right to be involved in politics and
to express their opinions without being told to keep their beliefs out of
government. And, the government should never interfere with the work of the
church or meddle in its internal affairs.
Although God allowed the head of state to build His temple, we should not
confuse the temple with local congregations, and we should not confuse one-time
donations with government support. While rulers have a right to donate their
own money, they should not be using the power to tax and donations as a way of usurping
control over the church, or forcing unbelievers to support it. Furthermore, it
is imperative to the work of the gospel that congregations be free from
government control Christian believers have a responsibility to keep false
prophets out of the pulpit. [1 Kings 5:5, Isaiah 44:28, Matthew 7:15, 1
Corinthians 10:15, 1 Corinthians 5:4,5, Acts 17:11, Romans 16:17, Galatians
1:8,9, 1 Peter 2:5, 2 Chronicles 26:16-21]
Even though church and state have different
roles, and exist as separate institutions, both should acknowledge the Lordship
of Jesus Christ. However, any attempt on the part of an earthly ruler to place
himself over both church and state, should be seen as a mark of the
anti-Christ. While God has given the power of the sword to the state, so that the
state might carry out His wrath against evildoers, the sword is not to be used
to by the church (Romans 13:4, 2 Corinthians 10:4). Because the church is a
vehicle of God's mercy, it has no business putting people to death, or using
the state to do so (Revelation
Because the Ten Commandments represent an authority
higher than that of any earthly ruler they safeguard freedom by placing a limit
on the abuse of power. However, for that safeguard to work there must be a
mechanism in place for holding rulers who violate them accountable for their
crimes, and that requires a division of power. Rulers should never be allowed
to commit the very crimes that they were put in office to punish.
While some governments have required their
citizens to be members of an established church, salvation requires more than
membership and the outward performance of a sacramental rite is not what makes
a person a citizen of heaven. While the rite may give us God's promise of
forgiveness, it is only through personal faith in Christ that we receive what
is promised (Galatians
Although,
the state can require an outward civic righteousness, it can never make anyone
righteous (Romans
When our national Constitution was adopted, all but
five of the original thirteen states had a state church. The purpose of the
First Amendment was not to prevent such churches, but to assure each state that
the Federal government would not abolish the religious establishment that they
already had, or impose one on them. Furthermore, the references to freedom of
speech, press, petition, and assembly simply enumerate various ways in which
the free exercise of religion has been denied in the past. Therefore, that
Amendment was adopted to protect our right to control the education of our
children and express our beliefs politically, not deny it. Yet today, the
"rights" of pornographers and subversives are protected, while
Christians are told to keep their opinions out of government and education.
What is being passed off on our society, as "separation of
church and state" is not only unbiblical, but also anti-Christian. In
fact, it is nothing more than an atheist doctrine cloaked in Christian
terminology. Furthermore, it totally misrepresents what the Constitution says.
Therefore, those who work to promote it are working to advance tyranny and
subvert freedom.