Category Archives: God’s Law

The Judicial System Witnesses Worldview Failures

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A harmful theme in American culture that I frequently iterate is the failure to admit to a worldview. It’s not easy to determine the dominant American worldview because there are many competing ones. Those competing worldviews are being used by Satan and his slaves to cause destruction, but I think what we see most often is the prideful worldview that says that they are neutral to all worldviews.

Image by succo from Pixabay

We see this destruction going on in often subtle ways in the American Judicial system. One of the ways I witnessed this recently was in this article in which a man was convicted of a double murder of his pregnant girlfriend.

Man given life term for murdering unborn son

It’s a horrible thing to have to think about, but the according to the article, the court actually had no witnesses. It merely used circumstantial evidence to convict a man of a double murder!

The Bible says that without at least two witnesses, the matter cannot be established:

“ One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.” Deuteronomy 19:15

Because the judicial system has been departing from the Christian worldview, they no longer hold to obvious Biblical law. What happens when a judicial system decides to be a law unto itself? I think the answer is obvious: tyranny.

When a government rules the people by its own will, the people are enslaved to another man. If men would choose to abide by God’s law, then they would be enslaved to no man, but only to God. That’s how important and fundamental a Biblical-Christian worldview is to the concept of liberty.

This man was convicted of a double murder and he may not have even done either one. Why is this so important to get right? It’s because kidnapping and slavery are also wrong in the Bible. Kidnapping is what a man does if he wrongfully takes a man and forces him to do his will. Kidnapping is also a capital crime in the Bible.

““Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.” Exodus 21:16

If the courts were wise, and they clearly are not, they would realize that they are heaping the wrath of God upon themselves and our country because of their tyrannical worldviews, but as you probably noticed at first, this isn’t the last of their violations.

They also admitted in their ruling that abortion is murder and that they, by implication, get to decide which lives are worth living and which lives may be exterminated.

This means that the court is also guilty of murder. The 10 Commandments makes that one easy.

““You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13

If you want to sum up the Christian worldview’s description of a government’s duty, it’s found in holding people accountable for this verse. If a government fails to protect this law, they fail completely as a government and really cannot be assumed to be one. That’s how Satan uses a shift in our worldview to bring about destruction. He makes us sin and then God is obligated to discipline our rebellious culture.

All courts have a worldview and if they think they are worldview-neutral, they have one of the worst worldviews possible.

Time to Wake Up and Face Tyranny

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If the building you are in appears to be burning down, the only moral thing to do is to warn others and to get out. Now is the time for us all to face the truth.

Much of our government and many of our institutions are attacking innocent people as if they were criminals. It’s important that we all do one important thing: we must recognize that it is wrong and oppose everyone who is involved.

If you are not sensing the problem, please make sure and watch this video clip by Alex Jones (full video is at: https://www.banned.video/watch?id=60f20e91e7ef8467b1c69f22):

It’s time for all of us to wake up and oppose tyranny. Evil is never OK, and evil coming from the government is especially wicked. There really is only one good thing to do and that is to oppose it and pray that God will allow us to bring justice to those who are doing this evil using the few brave leaders that are still obedient to the conscience that God has given them.

You might be wondering how we got here. Our once great nation is being threatened by our own government in a way that is almost identical to what England did to America in the 1700’s. How is it that wicked men found their way into the most powerful positions in the United States government? I suggest that is is because good men, those who were following the God of the Bible, did not involve themselves in the affairs of the government. God’s law applies to the government, just as it does to the individual, but when God’s people refuse to apply God’s law to the government, it allows wicked men to take over (full interview at: https://rumble.com/ve58k1-christians-must-resist-tyranny-pastor-says.html).

It really is past time to wake up, apply God’s law to our government and defy the tyranny that already has found its way into our lives. May God strengthen us to do what we should have been doing all along.

God Says We are All Witnesses

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You don’t have to be an “expert” to determine if something is true. All you need are good witnesses and you can figure it out for yourself.

I bring this up because of a popular belief that you can’t really know whether or not something is true unless an experts tells you. In the instance of voter fraud, are you able to detect voter fraud, or does that require that an expert tell you it happened?

The answer should be obvious to us, but it appears that many people have been confused by our current leadership and media.

In the article: “Detroit absentee ballot instructions conflict with witness testimony about irregularities“, I learned that Detroit election workers were told to not do signature checks for mail-in ballots and to change the dates on ballots that came in late. Both of these things were clearly against the law. Was this election fraud or should we merely trust the legal system because no cases have proven that any fraud took place?

If you are thinking that you might not be knowledgeable enough to figure out if something is voter fraud, let me ask you this: Do you know how to legally vote? How do you know you are legally voting if determining fraudulent voting requires an “expert”? How good is a voting process if the voter can’t tell if they are voting fraudulently?

So, if the law says that you must do a signature check for each ballot, and an election official tells you not to do it, is that a fraudulent demand? I hope you can say yes without requiring an “expert” to tell you. If what is said in this article is true, was there fraud in the 2020 election?

If you are having trouble answering this question, I’d like to strengthen your convictions by showing you what God says. God gave all of us the rules for determining if something is true. That’s one of the amazing blessing of the Bible. God tells all people, whether we are experts or not, how to investigate a matter. Here’s what He says:

Deuteronomy 19:15:

“One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin that he sins. At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.“

The Bible tells us that if you can understand what it says here, you have all of the expertise you need to determine whether something is true or not. If you have two reliable witnesses, then the matter is established.

In the case of the Detroit election fraud accusation, the article says:

‘But in her post-election affidavit, Jessy Jacob affirmed, “I was instructed not to look at any of the signatures on the absentee ballots, and I was instructed not to compare the signature on the absentee ballot with the signature on file.”‘

Detroit absentee ballot instructions conflict with witness testimony about irregularities

Then the article also says:

“He added that there were others who swore in their own affidavits that they were given the same improper instructions Jacob received.”

DETROIT ABSENTEE BALLOT INSTRUCTIONS CONFLICT WITH WITNESS TESTIMONY ABOUT IRREGULARITIES

So here we have at least three witnesses that have testified to the same thing in this case. We know that the law says one thing and that at least three witnesses have testified that they were told by an official to do a different thing. If we use the Bible as our guide, and accept what we are told about what the law says, then we must conclude, without needing the help of any more expertise, that election fraud took place.

If having this kind of power seems crazy to you, remember that the founders of the United States of America believed in us. We know because they set up something in our court system called “the jury”. That’s just a group of ordinary people, like you and I. A jury was given the power to judge for itself whether or not something happened. A jury isn’t filled with “experts” and that’s because our founders knew that relying only on “experts” was a serious danger to avoid.

There are many things that our founders put into our Constitution that made it difficult for tyrants to take control. That’s because they knew what it was like to live under their influence.

If we know what is good for us, we will listen to our founder’s warnings, stop listening to “experts”, and start looking at the truth for ourselves.

What the World Needs Now

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Can you imagine a world with a perfect economy; one without theft or deceptive practices? Can you imagine a world without a single war? What if people cared for each other instead of fighting and stealing from each other? What would it be like if everyone was given respect? What would it be like if slavery was completely gone? What would the world be like if everyone simply told the truth?

If these things sound good to you, I want to tell you that this new world is coming, but first I want to warn you about something. You need to know that there are very popular movements that attempt to answer these questions, but that will actually lead to even more pain, suffering and hatred. The answer is not “The Great Reset”. It’s not “The Green New Deal”. It’s not socialism or communism. These are deceptions and many things like these have been tried before and have produced even greater evils than they claim to end.

This world is at war. I’m talking about an epic spiritual war that’s invisible to the human eye. Evil powers are fighting with good powers and evil is being challenged and as a result, it has become more open and vicious in its attempts to subvert you.

The evil powers are trying to tell you that man can solve man’s problems by man’s efforts, but this doesn’t make sense. If man caused the problems, how can man solve them? If man is the source of hatred, how can man become the source of love? If a few men couldn’t solve the problems of a few, how can all men solve the problems of all? What sense does it make to increase man’s well-being by the elimination of man? How can the same man who harms people with technology be trusted to control people with it? How is it that being intolerant of intolerance is more tolerant? These things don’t make any sense. These are lies and this is how the evil powers operate. They get you to self-destruct. They confuse you and cause you to fear so that you will seek them and become enslaved to them. They are attempting to control you and I don’t want you to become another one of their victims.

The solution to our problems is found in one place. It’s God’s Law.

If everyone would simply follow God’s law, peace would immediately begin! King David’s excitement over this amazing proposition is obvious in Psalm 119. Listen to a little bit of what he said:

“Your testimonies are wonderful,
    therefore my soul keeps them.
130 The entrance of your words gives light.
    It gives understanding to the simple.
131 I opened my mouth wide and panted,
    for I longed for your commandments.
132 Turn to me, and have mercy on me,
    as you always do to those who love your name.
133 Establish my footsteps in your word.
    Don’t let any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Redeem me from the oppression of man,
    so I will observe your precepts.
135 Make your face shine on your servant.
    Teach me your statutes.
136 Streams of tears run down my eyes,
    because they don’t observe your law.”

– Psalm 119:129-136

Jesus summed up the law in a beautiful way. Here’s what He said:

He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;Deuteronomy 6:5 and your neighbor as yourself.”Leviticus 19:18

28 He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”

Luke 10:26-28

God’s law is the answer to all of our human problems. If you and I would only follow these laws we wouldn’t even need a government at all! The ultimate form of liberty is for each man to follow God without the need for human government. It is a lie that we need to have a powerful government that directs everything we do. Our problem is much worse than simply turning everything over to a centralized human government. Our problem is that we can’t control ourselves! We are completely out of control and one out-of-control human can’t possibly save another one. All we know how to do is to enslave each other.

If the only way to solve the world’s problems is to follow God’s law, then there is a very serious issue keeping us from happiness. Perhaps you know what it is. If you don’t, then I suggest that you attempt to obey God’s Ten Commandments today and come back and read the rest of what I have to say later. Try to follow just the last one of the Ten Commandments which is the one to not covet what someone else has. That’s a serious command. Coveting is what causes war.

What we all learn as we attempt to follow God’s Law, is that we can’t actually do it. It looks easy, it sounds easy and it isn’t hard to understand, but for some reason, we can’t even get through a day without failing! This proves what the problem really is: man can’t do good! If you still don’t think this is true, keep trying… you’ll be back. You are the problem.

If we want to live in a good world, we must find a way to live according to the perfect ideal that God has shown us in His Law. Thankfully, there is a way.

God not only gave us His Law, He also gave us His Son and then He gave us His Power! Allow me to explain.

It’s impossible for you an I to follow God’s law because we are evil. God’s Law tells us that we got this way because our first parents decided to disobey God’s law. Ever since then, we’ve all been doing it. Now we have another problem. God’s law says that those who break it are to be separated from all that is good forever. That makes sense doesn’t it? Those who do good shouldn’t have to put up with those of us who don’t should they? That’s why God had to give us His Son.

Jesus is God’s Son. This is a hard thing for us to understand, but the Bible says that Jesus is God just as His Father is God too. This means that He is perfect and not confined to our sin. When He was here, He followed God’s law and proved that it could be done by a man. That did two things. It demonstrated how beautiful human life could be, and it condemned us all to hell because we don’t do it! But Jesus, instead of just condemning us, died in our place taking the punishment for our failure to follow God’s law. This was an acceptable spiritual exchange and it clears those of us who accept it from the law’s punishment.

Being forgiven of our wrongs, takes our punishment away, but it doesn’t really change the fact that we can’t do what is right. That’s where the resurrection comes in. Jesus also came back to life from the dead. This is a fact that “fake news” has been trying to subvert ever since it happened. When Jesus came back to life after dying for our sin, it demonstrated that we have a living hope. By doing this, God can pass the life of Jesus to each person who trusts in Jesus’ death for them. Jesus’ death was a substitute for ours. If we accept that, His life can now be a substitute for our life! Jesus’ life in us produces the desire to follow God’s Law!

There’s still one problem. Even though Christians have the genuine desire to follow God’s Law, they still can’t do it! Listen to what Paul described in the Bible:

For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. 15 For I don’t know what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do. 

Romans 7:14-15

Just having the deep desire to follow God’s law is awesome, but it’s obviously not enough. What Paul calls: “fleshly” here is the root of our problems as Christians. We have a deep desire to do what is right but this body of ours is giving us different directions. It’s still trying to operate by the old program. The Bible says that this is going to keep happening until we die or our bodies are changed into our new ones.

This is where God’s Power comes in. In the very next chapter of Paul’s book of Romans it says this:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; 4 that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Romans 8:2-4

The way to succeed at following God’s Law today, is to first become a Christian by believing in God’s Son’s death for sin, and then to trust in the Power of the Holy Spirit that is living inside of every Christian. This produces a new world order in us! This new world order has been advancing ever since Jesus resurrected and I’m inviting you to join.

It really is possible to live the life of love and hope that you’ve dreamed about, but this is only the beginning. Our world is still at war and it will continue. Even as more and more of us start living by God’s Law, there will be those who refuse and this calls for true tolerance.

Now is the time for Christians to be patient as we tolerate those who don’t believe yet. Part of our goodness, is for us to suffer quietly while we try to convince others to come to life in Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus is coming back, and when He does, it will all be over for those who don’t believe. Those who don’t believe will be removed so that His Kingdom can be set up according to His perfect law. In the mean time, we get to have each other! We get a taste of what it will be like when everyone lives together in perfect harmony.

Further Study

183 Days in John
If you are a member to this website, you have access to my devotional books. In this one, I take you through the whole book of John. This book records the life of Jesus, showing you the way to believe in Him. I’ve divided this book in to short daily readings from the book of John and then I give you my thoughts.

72 Days in Galatians
Members also have access to my devotional through the book of Galatians. This book is good for Christians who struggle with sin in their lives. This book is all about accessing God’s Power to do good. Join me as we go through Galatians together.

Daily Bible Radio Podcast
I have a daily podcast. I’ve been going through the Bible for about 10 years now. God’s law is big and full of amazing detail. Join me on my daily journey through it.

The Government and the Gospel
If you want to learn more about the effect that God’s Law has on government, read this article. Not only do we have a duty to obey God’s Law, the government does too and that is a big part of making this world a better place.

The Government and the Gospel

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The Bible shows us that Christians do have a responsibility to be involved in government. In my article: Exploring the Limits of Civil Government, I explain that Jesus’ commands apply to governments, not just to individuals and because they do, we have an obvious responsibility to inform our governments about God’s law. There’s another important reason for us to be involved, though, and that’s because the government plays a role in our ability to spread the Gospel.

The Separation of Church and State

Here in the United States, a Christian’s involvement in political matters may bring up concerns about “the separation of church and state,” but God calls us to make sure that everything we do and think is based on His word. The separation of church and state is not be taken to mean that the government is supposed to be neutral to all religions. Not only is this not a rational way of thinking, it is an immoral one too. I discuss that in my article: Christianity and the Separation of Church and State.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus Himself came announcing the arrival of the Kingdom of God. These things were very political in that day. It’s true that His kingdom wasn’t going to be coming to earth right away, but there definitely wasn’t a separation between the disciple of Jesus and politics.

Jesus’ clear command to us as His followers, is to spread the Gospel. Some have attempted to use this as an excuse to not be involved in politics, but the truth is that the Gospel is the very reason we should be involved in government.

God’s Moral Law

When I think of the Gospel, I usually think of God’s grace. I think of the fact that Jesus died for our sins and came back to life again so that we could live forever in Him. These are the facts of the Gospel, but these facts depend on whether or not we understand what is meant by “our sins.” Jesus had to die because of these sins. If a person doesn’t understand what his sins are, he could miss out on what Jesus is actually dying for. It is possible that if a person doesn’t understand sin properly, he may not even believe that he has sinned and if he hasn’t really sinned, he doesn’t really need Jesus to die for anything. A wrong view of sin leads to a wrong view of the Gospel and that leads people away from God and closer to hell.

Somehow, those we wish to bring the Gospel to, must learn about their sins and the only way for them to learn about them, is to have a proper understanding of God’s laws. A good summary of God’s laws are found in The Ten Commandments, and these laws are clarified even more by the rest of the Bible.

Cultural Immortality

When you consider the need for our culture to understand what sin means, it exposes a pretty wide gap in knowledge, depending on what culture you find yourself in. In some cultures, The Ten Commandments are pretty obvious because those cultures are already well aware of them. In other cultures, these commandments may not only be unknown, they may actually assume the opposite to be true.

In the United States, it used to be quite common for people to know about the actual Ten Commandments. I hope that when you read this it is becoming more and more popular to know them again, but if not, it still exposes a major reason for us to be involved in our governments.

When Government Ignores God’s Laws

There are many reasons why a culture drifts away from God, but a big one is that governments have chosen to ignore God’s laws in the Bible. Some of them purposefully oppose God, the Bible and The Ten Commandments. When this happens, it distorts the people’s understanding of right and wrong. Good things are considered to be bad, while bad things are considered to be good.

I have recently heard famous politicians boast about their efforts to make abortion easier for people to get. Not too long ago, politicians used to say that they were personally pro-life, but that they believed that everyone should have a choice. Things have changed quickly. Abortion went from something somewhat bad, to something you can choose, to something you have a right or even a responsibility to do! This all started about 50 years before this writing when the United States government decided to declare to the people that abortion was good. The Bible clearly says that abortion is murder. It is also a violation of God’s first command to mankind which was to fill the earth. These government actions not only destroy lives on earth, they are leading people to hell by harming the Gospel message.

As I explain in Christianity and the Separation of Church and State, God actually holds governments responsible to enforce certain parts of God’s law, such as the law to not commit murder. It’s true that we have blood on their hands if they don’t, but because they have corrupted the culture’s understanding of what is right and what is wrong, they have also made it difficult for Christians to spread the Gospel.

When a government says something is good and a Christian says that it is bad, the people have a conflict to overcome before they can even say that Jesus died for sin. In the most difficult cases, the Christian finds himself opposing the government just to speak out about the Gospel. The minds of the people are also being perverted as to what is right and wrong causing damage to the Gospel message. Because of the government’s stance on moral issues, people are more inclined to ignore the Gospel and continue in their sinful lifestyles.

When Government Upholds God’s Laws

When a government is acting properly, it punishes people for violating the civil laws found in the Bible. This makes it clear to people that the sin described in the Bible and reflected in their conscience is inexcusable. A person doesn’t have to be arrested for a sin to sense their own tendency to lean that way either. That’s where Jesus’ words have a greater effect for the Gospel. He told us that even if we hate our neighbor, we commit murder inside. The government can’t and shouldn’t be involved in punishing hate crime, but God does use our conscience to let us know when we are doing it. If the government says that abortion isn’t murder, for instance, it creates a conflict with our conscience. A person can still hate their own unborn child with little cultural accountability. They may even harbor a rebellious desire to stop filling the earth as God commanded, and pervert their conscience to the point at which they think it’s a virtuous thing.

Keeping Our Eyes on the Goal

When we do get into government issues, it is important for us to stay focused on our goal. Our focus isn’t on who wins elections. Our focus is on our Great Commission. That being said, we should also not assume that we have no responsibility to the governments of the world. The Bible tells us that we are the salt and light of the earth. Salt and light won’t do much good inside of our church walls. If we don’t participate in teaching our government their responsibility to obey God and promote His civil laws, this will also harm our efforts to obey the Great Commission as well.

Further Study

J.C. Ryle on the Government’s Role
This respected English pastor wrote about the separation of church and state over 100 years ago. Here’s some of what he had to say as it relates to Jesus’ comment to Pilate in John 18:36, when He tells him that His kingdom is not of this world.

Exploring the Limits of Civil Government
When is the government taking on too much? When isn’t it doing enough? In this article, I focus on the what government’s biblical responsibilities are and are not.

Christianity and the Separation of Church and State
What does the separation of church and state really mean? In this article, I explain that the separation of church and state does not mean that a government is supposed to be neutral when it comes to governing according to religious principles.

Christianity and the Separation of Church and State

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This document addresses a popular but irrational interpretation of “the separation of church and state.” It’s a fairly common belief today that the separation of church means that the government is required to operate in a completely neutral way when it comes to religion. I would like to explain why this view is both irrational and dangerous to liberty. As I’ve said before, philosophical neutrality is fallacious and when an interpretation of the constitution is irrational, it could easily lead to tyranny.

The Founders’ Thoughts

It is possible that some of the founders believed they were neutral to all religions, but it is clear that they didn’t design a system of government that would actually work that way. The constitution merely disallowed the federal government to govern what they considered to be the exercise of religion. It is well known that the founders didn’t want the federal government specifying certain matters for the states or for the individual. The problem is that they also made claims based on the existence of God, that did apply to everyone. Unfortunately for us, the range of practices considered to be personal choices and the ones considered to be moral and virtuous for all, are not really self-evident to everyone today. As Christians, we must realize that no matter what the constitution’s problems are, our God is real, what He demands of government is not optional for anyone.

We do know that many of the founders favored Christian principles and those principles were reflected in the things they said and wrote. Here’s what some of the prominent founders of the United States said:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim tribute to patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness — these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. . . . reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles.” – George Washington, First President of the United States, Farewell Address

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams, Second President of the United States

“Providence has given to our people the choice of their ruler, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.” – John Jay, First Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, Second Governor of New York

The Absurd Results of Religious Neutrality

No matter what a person believes about it, complete religious neutrality isn’t possible. It isn’t achievable because religions frequently define opposing sets of requirements. At best, a government can only pretend to be religiously neutral. Consider the religious practices of human sacrifice and cannibalism. If the United States government were really neutral, it would be required to allow these things to take place. It’s obvious to most of us that the government should not allow this, but by not allowing it, the government isn’t really being neutral.

This pretended neutrality also makes it easier for a government to destroy itself. We have seen this appear in the United States as some have suggested that the system of government itself is not neutral and must be dismantled. This is a crafty method of revolution because even if the government is torn down, a new non-neutral government will fill the void.

Over 100 years ago, a well respected pastor in England named J. C. Ryle, gave us this warning:

“To tell us that a Government must leave religion alone, because it cannot promote it without favouring one Church more than another, is simply absurd. It is equivalent to saying that, as we cannot do good to everybody, we are to sit still and do no good at all.”

J. C. Ryle (J.C. Ryle on the Government’s Role)

Opening a Door to Tyranny

When a government pretends to be religiously neutral, it damages the rule of law. It enables a tyranny to be empowered by a well known philosophical error. In logic, it’s well established that if you allow a single inconsistency in your worldview, it can be used to prove anything you want it to. This is sometimes called The Principle of Explosion. If a person can convince you to believe in a contradiction, it paves the way for them to manipulate you. If an inconsistency is used as a means of government, it can be used as a manipulation technique to make all of its behavior seem reasonable when it really isn’t.

If a government doesn’t admit its bias, it actually opens the door to tyranny. By choosing when it will pretend to be neutral and when it will not, it can make its subjective philosophy dominant over the objective philosophy of others. Since the founders intended our country to be governed by law not people, the only workable interpretation of the separation of church and state must be one that allows the government to continue to operate by law. The only way for a society to be governed by the rule of law instead of man is for that law to ultimately be in subordination to God’s law. This is a Christian principle and it was a common belief in the west at the time our government was being formed.

What Christians Believe about Government

Christians firmly believe that each person’s decision to become a Christian is personal and autonomous. If a person were to be forced to become a Christian, they would not really be a Christian. Christians also believe that whether or not you choose to be a Christian, all mankind must obey certain civil laws. These civil laws are clear and obvious in the Bible. They include things like fornication, theft, murder and lying in court. The Bible teaches that Christian morality is to be upheld, even among non-Christians. Because Christian principles are based on God’s law in the Bible, no man or government can avoid or change them. This standard exposes human tyranny and promotes liberty because every individual knows that they are free to think and speak as long as they live within the clear and simple civil laws of God provided in the Bible.

Conscience

Some might wonder how Christians would expect non-Christians to abide by their Bible’s civil laws? The answer is that God has placed a conscience into each person, whether they choose to become a Christian or not. For instance, even in places where the Bible isn’t known, people know that murder is wrong. They also know that cheating, theft and taking someone else’s wife is wrong. The problem is that mankind tends to purposefully corrupt his conscience in order do things that give him pleasure. A person’s inner compass can be suppressed. God’s written civil laws go along with a person’s conscience and a good government merely enforces that conscience so that people can live together in freedom and harmony. This may be distasteful to those who are accustomed to living for their own passions in spite of their conscience, but it is the best thing for them and for their community. More importantly, it is what God, or Creator requires.

Further Reading

J.C. Ryle on the Government’s Role
Read more about what a honorable pastor and follower of the Bible said about the the Church and state.

Rebuilding America’s Foundation
This is something I wrote as I lamented the moral deterioration of the United States. It contains some more quotes that you may want to see by American leaders regarding the Christian worldview that forms the foundation of the American republic.

The Fallacy of Neutrality
I develop the Pretended Neutrality Fallacy a little bit more in this article demonstrating that it is immediately self-refuting.

Exploring the Limits of Civil Government
This document does a better job of explaining the true role of government. The reason that there is a separation of church and state is because God is the only one who gives authority to men and He made the distinction between the two. This is an exploration of the doctrine of governmental authority.

The Christian foundations of the rule of law in the West: a legacy of liberty and resistance against tyranny
This is a very detailed document that discusses issues regarding the history and application of the rule of law in western governments.

220 Days in Luke – Day 103: The Separation of Church and State
I also commented on this subject in my devotional commentary in the book of Luke. You can find that here.

Exploring the Limits of Civil Government

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“Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

Matthew 28:18-20

These are some of the last words Jesus gave to us before he left to Heaven. They are very helpful when we consider the limits of civil government. Notice that Jesus made it clear that He currently holds “all authority… on earth.“

Although the commission was written to Christians, Christians are commanded to delver a message to “all nations.” The people that form the government are included in this. In fact, the Bible records the fact that civil magistrates were converted to Christianity.

It’s important for everyone to understand that neither the government nor the citizens are allowed to do whatever they want. All of us are governed by the commands of Jesus. Even the authority of civil government is limited to Jesus’ commands.

This idea didn’t just start when Jesus gave us the Great Commission. All authority was already God’s before He put it in Jesus’ hands. Jesus brought this up when He talked to Pilate.

‘Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you and have power to crucify you?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”’

John 19:10-11

The Default Authority

An important thing that the Great Commission tells us is that all authority not granted by Jesus to the civil government already belongs to Jesus. If “all authority has been given to” Jesus, it doesn’t leave anything laying around for the government to take. When the Bible is silent about who is in charge, it is correct to assume that Jesus is. This limits government’s authority to what God has specifically delegated to them.

An Overview of God’s Commands to Government

In order for us to understand God’s limits on human government, we have to know everything that Jesus has commanded government to do. Thankfully, we have all of that in the Bible. We may not fully comprehend everything God tells the government to do in the Bible yet, but we all know where to look when we have a question about it. There are several places where the government’s authority is mentioned. Here’s one place:

“Let every soul be in subjection to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God. 2 Therefore he who resists the authority withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the authority, 4 for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil. 5 Therefore you need to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. 6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God’s service, continually doing this very thing. 7 Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”

Romans 13:1-7

The main focus of this passage is a Christian’s relationship to the government, but it also holds some truth about the role of government. It tells us some important things:

  • The government is to be respected
  • The government is not to be resisted
  • The government is authorized to judge between good and evil
  • The government is authorized to punish evil
  • The government is authorized to issue the death penalty
  • The government is authorized to tax

This overview actually limits government to a very narrow area. They are only authorized to judge and punish evil, and to require taxes for that purpose. It’s pretty simple and strait forward. I think that what has made this issue difficult to discern today, is that the definition of “good and evil” has been corrupted by those who wish to obtain god-like power.

Good and Evil

It’s very important to notice that Romans 13 only gives the government permission to judge between good and evil. It does not give it permission to define what good and evil is. This is a critical thing for Christians to consider. God never gave man the authority to create new commandments. God placed all authority on Jesus, and Jesus told us to make His commands known. The government doesn’t even have the job of making Jesus’ commands known. That’s our job as Christians. The government’s only job is to enforce civil commands. God’s civil commands are more specifically described in the Old Testament and that’s where a government should go in order to know what is good and what is evil. It is wrong for them to simply make it up commands themselves:

“You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of Yahweh your God which I command you.“

Deuteronomy 4:2

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
    who put darkness for light,
    and light for darkness;
who put bitter for sweet,
    and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
    and prudent in their own sight!”

Isaiah 5:20-21

Civil Sins are the Punishable Ones

If God has given civil government the authority to punish evil but has limited it to the evils found in the Bible, then the only sins that the government is to punish are those that are specified by God as having a punishment attached to them. If a government punishes a sin that God doesn’t have a specified punishment for in the Bible, they are modifying Jesus’ commandments. They are limited to punishing only the evil that the Bible says is to be punished.

This is very important. For example, the Bible doesn’t allow a government to punish “thought crime.” Jesus does hold a man accountable for thought crime, but human government does not have the authority to punish it. In fact, human government doesn’t have the proper tools to assess the thoughts of a man. We are seeing the results of man’s attempts to know the thoughts of people today and it clearly leads to abuse and oppression.

Man’s Justice is Limited

Another very important thing for us to keep in mind, is that only God has the ability to bring perfect justice. One long-awaited promise of the Kingdom of Jesus is that He will bring perfect judgement to man for the first time in history, but this judgment is reserved for Jesus alone.

Man’s justice is always incomplete and temporary. We cannot see or punish many of the sins that God can. God is actually offended if we try to do so. Here’s what God tells us:

‘Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”’

Romans 12:19

If a man attempts to punish “sins” that only God can see, we put ourselves in God’s place. It is a violation of the third commandment to attempt to vainly act in God’s name. That’s what government officials do when they create punishments for crimes that only God can properly assess.

Which sins are punishable?

To learn which sins are punishable, read God’s law, much of which is found in Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Most of these sins are quite obvious even though the punishments have been diminished in many cultures today. That’s because God has given each one of us a built in legal system called a conscience, but we tend to minimize our failures. The “basic rule” for civil government is found way back in Genesis after Noah got off of the ark:

“I will surely require accounting for your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man. 6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image.”

Genesis 9:5-6

Later in the Leviticus, God gave Moses more detail:

““‘He who strikes any man mortally shall surely be put to death. 18 He who strikes an animal mortally shall make it good, life for life. 19 If anyone injures his neighbor, it shall be done to him as he has done: 20 fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. It shall be done to him as he has injured someone. 21 He who kills an animal shall make it good; and he who kills a man shall be put to death. 22 You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born; for I am Yahweh your God.’”

Leviticus 24:17-21

When a man or an animal kills a man, it is the government’s job to kill that man or animal. Laws that God allows the civil government to punish, are often related to the value of human life or private property in some way or another. This includes death for those adults in rebellion to parents (Deuteronomy 21:18-21) and those in direct rebellion against the Creator of the law (Leviticus 24:16). It also includes those who commit sexual sins of fornication and adultery (Deuteronomy 22:22-30).

The Distribution of Authority

It’s important for us to understand that Jesus didn’t simply pass authority down government officials. Individuals, families and churches have been given authority too. Most of the law is written to us as individuals. The law of God not only tells us our individual responsibility, it also informs us of our liberty (Psalm 119:45). By giving man direct responsibility under God, we are free from the control of man. The Bible teaches that God intends for us to be free (1 Corinthians 7:23, Galatians 5:13).

A good way that we observe God’s distribution of authority is by looking at what the Bible says about obedience and submission. Liberty has been given to each of us because each individual is commanded to control himself. Children are to submit to their parents (Ephesians 6:1-3) and a wife is told to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:22). Men and women are also told to submit to their bosses (Ephesians 6:5-8).

An important teaching in the New Testament is that the church reports directly to Jesus Himself (Ephesians 5:23-24). This is also reflected in God’s instructions to church members. They were not to not bring lawsuits between themselves to civil courts (1 Corinthians 6:1-11). God also calls on younger people to take the advice of the older ones (1 Peter 5:5).

Government Overreach

Government overreach is a very serious sin. When a government takes authority that it was not given, it must take it from someone else. If God has already given the responsibility to an individual, parents, bosses or the church, the government doesn’t have the right to remove that responsibility. When a government takes authority away by force, it isn’t just taking that authority away from man. It’s taking the authority away from Jesus who distributed it.

God’s design for human government is for it to focus on judgment and the punishment of civil wrong doing. There is no mention of the economy, communications, food distribution, education, welfare, healthcare, resource management, workforce management, etc. The government may find civil disorder in any of these areas when life or property is at stake, but God doesn’t call for governmental management of these areas.

It definitely doesn’t give government the right to manage personal issues like what a person should wear or eat or what medicines a person should be taking. It doesn’t have the right to tell churches what to teach or how to meet together. It doesn’t have the right to tell families how many children to have or to tell individuals what to think.

Dealing with Oppression

Jesus had to deal with the overstep of the “Jewish local government.” They made so many rules that no one could follow them, and they excluded themselves from having to do them.

“All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.”

Matthew 23:3-4

Often in this life, we are forced to do things by our governments that God does not require. As a result, we have to obey or suffer. Sometimes, the only alternative is to suffer because to obey would be a sin. It’s important for us to remember that Governments are being watched by Jesus and they will be held accountable for what they have done.

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch on behalf of your souls, as those who will give account, that they may do this with joy, and not with groaning, for that would be unprofitable for you.”

Hebrews 13:17

Further Study

Here are some good places to read more about authority and the government’s limits. These have helped me as I have considered the topic.

God vs. Government
by Dr. Jason Lisle
(https://biblicalscienceinstitute.com/theology/god-vs-government/)
In this document, Jason Lisle focuses on the role of government and its interference with the church. He has an excellent focus on God’s law which he also discusses in other places.

An Examination of Romans 13
by Pastor Matthew Trewhella
(https://defytyrants.com/01/Romans13appendix.pdf)
This document provides three proofs as to why Romans 13 does not teach unlimited obedience to civil government. This is an important thing to understand as many argue that Romans 13 means that God wants us to obey all authority without question.

The Christian foundations of the rule of law in the West: a legacy of liberty and resistance against tyranny
by Augusto Zimmermann
(https://creation.com/the-christian-foundations-of-the-rule-of-law-in-the-west-a-legacy-of-liberty-and-resistance-against-tyranny)
This is an in-depth document that connects Christianity to the rule of law. This concept is an important one and one that I didn’t discuss in my writing here. This document is also very special in that it was formally written by an Australian Christian in a peer-reviewed creationist journal.