SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

Much confusion in the religious world relates to the subject of separation of church and state. This stems, in part, from a failure to differentiate between the Old and New Testaments. Clearly, it was God's will under the law of Moses for the government of the nation of Israel to enforce religious and moral law. Failing to differentiate between the Old and New Testaments, they conclude that there are "Christian" nations today, analogous to the Israel of old. Under the New Testament, however, it is not God's will that His truth be propagated or enforced by the nations of this world. Instead, governments have been instituted by God to provide the conditions under which Christians can function according to His will (Rom. 13: 1-7), and the gospel is for "all the nations" (Mat. 28: 19). We are to respect and honor our government to every extent which does not violate God's law for us as given in the New Testament. But the use of the powers of the government to enforce religious doctrine is not taught in the New Testament, and we should have no part of it.

Let us be careful that we understand all of the ramifications of this change. Governments have the responsibility to enforce laws which are clearly required for the physical protection of its citizens. In this regard, laws against murder, robbery, rape, and many other breaches of morality are rightfully enforced by our government. These laws are enacted and enforced because society generally agrees to their need. While they may overlap with God's law, their purpose is to maintain order, not to keep people obedient to God.

Traditionally, our government has also protected the rights of unborn souls as well as enforcing other laws against immorality, such as sodomy. The fact that these functions of government are no longer being performed reflect a drift in the attitudes within our society away from God. Similarly, there was a time when the Bible was read in every school room each day, and it was respected by almost all teachers as God's word. These changes clearly show the deficiency of expecting the government to teach the truth, which God never intended it to do in this day and age.

Christians have a personal responsibility to influence our government to create and preserve conditions conducive to order and morality. However, there are a very large number of ways that this might be accomplished, and it is up to each one of us to determine how we, as individuals, might best influence our government to serve the interests of all of our fellow citizens. When the church gets involved in political endeavors, it must engage in opinion, for such action is not directed by the New Testament. This presumptive action dilutes its power to carry out the great commission, which is directed at saving individuals, not invoking governmental action (Mat. 28: 18-20). While Paul did not hesitate to call upon Caesar and claim his rights of Roman citizenship, he hardly expected the Roman government to enforce the tenets of the New Testament.

Unfortunately, those who are persecuted most when oppressed often show the least tolerance when empowered. This basic aspect of human nature is expected of those who are of this world. However, those who understand the New Testament recognize that it was never the intent of our Lord to force people against their wills to do what is right. We also understand that truly effective reform of society can only come about by greater respect for God's will in the lives of individuals. However, due to the political nature of most religious organizations, it is very difficult for either politicians or the citizenry in general to understand this very fundamental aspect of New Testament teaching.