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Separation of Church and State Introduction:
We have often heard of “the separation of Church and State.” This often
leads to question such as 1) does the Bible teach the separation of church and
state, and 2) does this mean that government is to be void of religion or
religious beliefs and principles. In this lesson we want to examine these
questions. I)
Background A)
. In the New Testament the church established 33 AD at 1.
Under the Jewish economy the Law of God and the Law of the Nation was one and
the same.
a. The establishment of a court system is seen in Exodus
18. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law speaks in verses
21-22.
b. Breaking God’s law could result in death.
c. King Saul was anointed by God, 1
Samuel 8-10 2.
In the New Dispensation, Christians were despised and persecuted. B)
Church history tells us that eventually a departure occurred from the faith. 1.
Change in organization as the eldership changed. One man became the head elder,
called the Bishop. Then there was a distinction between the Bishops as some were
City Bishops and others
a. These City Bishops oversaw the 2.
313 Ad Roman Emperor Constantine professed Christianity.
a. He issued the “Edict of Milan” which removed all obstacles to
Christianity and other religions.
b. 323 AD the council of 3.
606 AD Boniface III declared himself to the Universal Bishop of the Church. He
was the first Pope.
a. Eventually state governments and the Pope’s realized they needed
each other. The Pope would recognize the King of a country. The belief is that
the king was God’s anointed. To rebel against the king was to rebel against
God.
b. The king’s proclaimed their allegiance to the Catholic Church, and
all of their loyal subjects were to be Catholics. 4.
1517 Martin Luther nailed 95 Thesis to the door of the church building in
a. 1534 King Henry VIII started the Church of England
b. Other Protestant Groups emerged – Methodist, Baptist, etc.
c. They were persecuted, many came to 5.
The framers of the Constitution wanted to insure religious freedom in this
country.
a. Amendment I -- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom
of speech, or of the press;
or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances.
b. Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptist a letter stating: "...I
contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which
declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment
of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of
separation between Church & State." II)
Does the Bible establish a separation of the church and civil government? A)
Jesus came to establish a spiritual kingdom and not a physical kingdom, John
18.36 1.
The Jews expected and wanted a physical kingdom but Jesus would have nothing to
do with it. 2.
The Apostles taught the spiritual nature of the 3.
The church is the body of Christ and has a spiritual mission, 2 Timothy
a. To teach the Gospel of Christ, Mark
16.15.
b. To edify or build up the saints, Acts
2.42
c. To aid needy saints, Acts 4.34 B)
It is not the duty of the civil government to teach the Gospel, or build up the
church, or do the work of the church. 1.
Many years ago I received a phone
call from a local radio station. A local preacher was advocating “churches”
to take up the slack in having social programs. 2.
The mission of the church was not and is not to function as a subsidiary of the
civil government. III)
Does the Bible teach the separation of the government and God? A)
Government derived their authority from God, Romans 13.1 1.
The King Saul was subject to God’s law and punishment,
1 Samuel 13.14 2.
The nations of the Old Testament were judged by God for their disobedience. Acts
17.26 3.
This does not mean any government is inherently good or evil but they are judged
for their actions. 4.
God protected B)
What is the role of the government? Romans 13.3-4 1.
Primarily the government is to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. 2.
We realize governments provide other services but the primary duty is to protect
and punish. C)
What is our responsibility to the government? Romans 13.2, 5-6 1.
Obey the laws of the government.
a. The one limitation is stated in Acts
5.29
b. Let us suffer persecution for the right reasons, 1
Peter 4.14-17 2.
Pay our taxes 3.
To pray for our leaders, 1 Timothy 2.1-4
a. Pray for us to be able to worship and teach God’s word in peace.
b. Pray that our leaders will respect God’s word
c. Pray that our nation will want leaders that will respect God’s word 4.
To be the salt and light of our world, Matthew
5.13-16 5.
Unfortunately some have interpreted the separation of church and state to mean
the state is to be anti- religious.
a. The Bible teaches the opposite, Proverbs
14.34
b. The founding
fathers of this country often evoked God in their speech.
i. "It
cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was
founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the
gospel of Jesus Christ." attributed to Patrick Henry
ii. "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and
the Bible." attributed to George Washington Conclusion:
Does the Bible teach the separation of the church and the state? Yes it does. We
should not confuse the purpose of each one. Does the Bible teach the separation
of God or religion and the state? No it does not. All men and nations are
subject to God. As Christians we are citizens of the heavenly kingdom, we have
one King and that is Jesus. |