The CHURCH - is a Holy Nation or The Kingdom of Light with a different set of laws.
The STATE - is a Worldly Establishment or The Kingdom of Darkness with a different set of laws.
The Church is NOT allowed, I repeat, NOT allowed to make laws for itself, let alone make laws for the State. Even the most popular bible verse (John 3:16) says WE HAVE A CHOICE to be obedient to God's truth because it's not by force. Paul acknowledged that there are different sets of laws, which people can choose to be obedient to, and yes, it's a choice. In his letter to the Church in Ephesus, he made it clear that the Children should be obedient to their parents ONLY in accordance with God's law (Ephesians 6:1). This is an acknowledgment that there are other man-made laws by the "State" or the establishment, which may look or sound good and legal but are contrary to God's law. Read the entire letter to get the full picture.
Paul, the apostle, through the Holy Spirit, called the Church in Galatia "FOOLISH" simply because they had an obsession with the law of the land. This is the same "law of the land" that Jesus was accused of breaking, when he was arrested for blasphemy. The old Jewish law is what the Galatians wouldn't let go. They didn't want to acknowledge the difference between the old and the new. They saw the old law as "binding" because it had some similar commands as the New Testament laws. Today, some so-called Christians treat the United States constitution like it's the bible because it condemns one or two acts of sin. Click here to READ MORE on the Bible and the Constitution.
In this piece, I will focus on only four examples of how the bible acknowledges this separation, including God himself making this separation clear in his own words. Let's look at what PETER, PAUL and JESUS said about Separating Church and State. Sometimes, you unintentionally ignore a topic because you think it should be clear as daylight. Then you realize, we live in a different world where liars and conspiracy theorists are glorified in the name of God. Most people are familiar with the Serpent, who practically told Adam and Eve not to believe the truth that they know to be truth. This is exactly the society we live in today.
Now, more than ever, there is the need for truth and clarity because minds are being manipulated daily. Worst of all, these conspiracy theorists think that their lies and manipulations are justified simply because they falsely call on the name of God. If you are seeking the truth, you will read through this and then study the bible references on your own, to verify if it's true. But if you are a conspiracy theorist with a made up mind and itchy ears, you will ignore this, turn on one of your news sources like the present day Fox News and then figure out more ways to corrupt your already damaged mindset (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
But first, let me clear up a few things before I start quoting Peter, Paul and Jesus himself. Remember, the CHURCH is a group of people and not a building (John 4:23-24). It is often referred to as the Kingdom of Christ, with one King and no boundaries or a map, unlike the four corners of the United States (Acts 17:5-9). On the other hand, the word "STATE" generally means the government or the establishment. But the bible's context of "STATE" generally means anyone outside the Kingdom of Christ including all ungodly establishments. Please, DO NOT misinterpret Romans chapter13 based on what you heard from your pulpit minister or someone else. Just read and study the bible.
The process of becoming an American is not the same as the process of becoming a Christian. You can become an American by physical birth or Naturalization. However, anyone anywhere, regardless of birthplace or location, can become a Christian or a part of God's kingdom through spiritual birth (John 3:1-21). The United States of America is NOT the Church that Christ died for (Acts 20:28) or promised in Matthew 16:18. The United States is just one of many physical locations in this world where Christians can be found. So the word, "Church" represents Christians and the word, "State" represents the rest of the world. Christians or the Church, have a Covenant with God, which is the New Testament (Hebrews 9:15-17). But the World or State, have a covenant with the Devil (John 8:44-45).
PETER, The Apostle: The "CHURCH" is a holy nation of people but the "STATE" is unholy. Wherever God is present is considered holy. In the Old Testament, there was a section of the temple (tabernacle) described as holy because of God's presence (Leviticus 16:1-2). Today, God is present in Christians and Christians make up the CHURCH, which is the spiritual temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). This is why the bible sometimes refers to Christians as a "holy" people (Hebrews 3:1). God was also present at the burning bush when Moses was told to take off his footwear because he was standing on a "holy" ground (Exodus 3:5 and Acts 7:33). Like the old physical temple and today's Christians representing the new spiritual temple, the ground where Moses stood, is not holy in itself. But the presence of God made it holy, set aside and separate from the rest.
Peter separated Church and State when he called Christians a "HOLY NATION" in 1 Peter 2:9-10 and the keyword here is Nation. What does this have to do with Church and State? Well, the only reason Peter describes the Church as a "holy nation" is to distinguish the Church as a separate nation from the rest of the world. But wait, God explained this best in Exodus and I'll get to it soon. Christians accepted grace under the New Covenant, which allows God's Spirit to dwell in us (Acts 2:38). A holy nation, also known as God's Country, is not the same as the rest of the world. Peter describes Christians as a "PEOPLE" and specifically called Christians Priests (1 Peter 2:9). This verse shows Peter's familiarity with the Old Testament structure. God himself made it clear that any group of people called "HOLY NATION" are those who belong to his kingdom (Exodus 19:5-6).
The "unbelievers" were not considered as part of the "holy nation" and Peter was well aware of these terms. God himself used the same terms in Exodus 19:5-6 when he told the Israelites that they will become a "... kingdom of priests and a holy nation..." if they obey the covenant, which God had with them. God even acknowledged, in the same verse, that he created the world. However, he said his kingdom cannot be one and the same as the rest of the world. This is because there are those who do not want to obey his voice just like it was with the old covenant (John 3:19). This statement from the almighty himself, is even more true today, especially with the kingdom of Christ (Romans 14:17). When the physical Israelites were called God's people, and the Levite tribe as the source of priesthood, they were a separate "people" from the rest of the world. Other nations were considered unholy.
JESUS, The CHRIST: Jesus separates Church and State when he spoke about TAXES. When asked a trap question about paying taxes, he didn't say yes or no. Instead, he asked them to look at the coin and tell him whose image was on it. They said Caesar and his response was, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God (Mark 12:13-17). Making such a statement after referencing the image on the coin, is Jesus' way of telling the Pharisees, you are created in God's image just like the coin is created in the image of Caesar. These are two different entities serving two different purposes.
The coin may have the image of the leader at the time and belongs to the government or establishment, but your heart belongs to God. Just as you look at the image on that currency, you should look at your heart too and ask yourself, whose image and likeness is it made after (Ephesians 4:22-25). The amount of taxes you pay; The amount of love you have for the constitution; The amount of love you have for a country, will not make you a child of God.
Jesus separates Church and State when his physical family were looking for him and found him. He pointed to his followers as he described who he considered to be his family (Matthew 12:46-50). He doesn't hate his Mom or brothers. He needed everyone to understand that his mission on earth was to establish his kingdom (Matthew 16:18). Anyone who is not onboard or a part of his Kingdom, is simply an outsider.
PAUL: Paul separates Church and State when he talked about the worldly courts and moral decision making. He said that Christians have no business waiting for the courts to tell Christians what is morally right or wrong. We should know better. This does not mean the bible is against going to court. The point Paul was making to the Corinthians in this context is simple - the bible is our moral guide and not the courts or the constitution. His point is, the Holy Nation (CHURCH) has its ways of dealing with these moral issues and the Courts (STATE) have their own way.
This is why you often hear me say, as a Christian, the reason you don't steal is not because the law said so, it's because the bible already said do not steal. Christians who should know moral right from wrong, were taking each other to a worldly court to decide right or wrong for them. Paul was certainly not in agreement with this (1 Corinthians 5 & 6). Paul also said it is not our Christian duty to "police" the world (STATE) because they don't belong in our fellowship (communion). But a Christian who refuses to repent, is a different story. The world already stands condemned and it's our duty to show them the light, not force it on them (1 Corinthians 5:9-13).
As previously mentioned, Paul called the Galatians "FOOLISH" simply because they were more concerned about obeying the law of the land rather than the law of Christ. They were accusing other Christians of doing the wrong thing by not following the old law. This is why Paul told them in Chapter 4 that it feels like they needed to be converted again. Two separate laws and platforms cannot be the same and should not be treated as the same. Stay Blessed My Friends.
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