All posts by Jerald Finney

Jerald Finney was the lead counsel for the Biblical Law Center ("BLC") from May, 2005 until 2011. The BLC helps churches who desire to organize according to New Testament principles. In 2016, he again worked with the BLC and still does, but he now heads up the Churches under Christ Ministry which is under the authority of Charity Baptist Tabernacle of Amarillo TX. Finney is a licensed attorney who can be reached at 512-785-8445 jerald.finney@sbcglobal.net. Over the last few years he has lectured and preached on the issues concerning government, church, and separation of church and state. God called Finney, a Christian and fundamental Baptist since his salvation, to enter the University of Texas School of Law in 1990 at the age of 43 to stand in the gap concerning legal issues facing Christians. Since being saved, he has been a faithful and active member of a local fundamental, Bible-believing Baptist church. He received his JD degree in 1993 and has followed the Lord in the practice of law since that time. Finney received his law license in November 1993 and began practicing law in January, 1994. All along he was seeking the Lord’s direction. The Lord initially led Finney to practice criminal law. He knew that not many, if any, of the Christian law firms dealt with or specialized in criminal law, and that some Christians were being charged with crimes for their Christian behavior and for taking a stand for God’s principles. The Lord confirmed Finney's choice. Very soon after he started practicing, he helped an Eastern Orthodox priest with a criminal charge. He was charged under a criminal statute for trying to expose the promotion of sodomy and other sins within a Catholic Church. God gave the victory in that case. Then Steve, a Christian who counseled outside abortion clinics, called Finney. He was charged with a crime under the Austin, Texas Sign Ordinance for his activities outside an abortion clinic. Being a new lawyer, Finney called the Rutherford Institute. They asked him to send them a summary of the facts and a copy of the Sign Ordinance. Then they told him that the case could not be won and that they would not help. Steve lost at trial, but God gave the victory on appeal. The Austin Police Department immediately cited Steve for violation of the state sign ordinance. The Lord gave the victory at trial. Finney's first felony trial came about a year and six months after he started practicing law. A single Christian mother was charged with third degree felony injury to a child for spanking her six year old son. She left some prominent stripes across his rear end and also a stripe across his face when he turned suddenly during the spanking. The Lord gave the victory at trial. At the same time, Finney was also representing another Christian married lady who was charged with the same crime for spanking her little girl with a switch. On the date the trial in that case was to begin, the prosecutor, with prompting by the judge, lowered the offer to deferred adjudication probation of short duration on a misdemeanor charge with very few conditions on the probation. In a deferred adjudication in Texas, there is never a judgment of guilt if the probationer successfully completes the term of the probation, (and, with successful completion of the probation, the probationer can now file a Motion for Nondisclosure which, if granted, requires the file to be sealed so that the general public has no access to it). The mother decided to take the offer. The Lord has also allowed Finney to help Christian parents in numerous situations involving Child Protective Services (“CPS”) infringement into parental rights. God has given the victory in all those situations. The Lord has also used Finney to intervene in numerous situations where government officials or private companies tried to deny certain Christians their rights to do door-to-door evangelization, preach on the street, hand out gospel literature in the public forum, and pass out gospel tracts and communicate the gospel at their place of employment. Finney has also fought other legal spiritual battles including a criminal case in San Antonio. A peaceful pro-life advocate was arrested and charged with criminal trespass for handing pro-life literature giving information about the development of the unborn baby, places to go for help, and other information to women entering an abortion clinic. All the above-mentioned cases as well as others not mentioned were handled free of charge (except the last spanking case for which Finney received $750). In 2005 Finney became lead counsel for the Biblical Law Center. Since his early Christian life, he has considered the issue of separation of church and state as taught in the Bible to be one of the primary issues facing New Testament churches today. He believes, based upon what the Bible teaches, that operating as a corporation (sole or aggregate), unincorporated association, or any other type of legal entity and/or getting a tax exempt status from the federal government at the very least puts the church under the headship of both the Lord and the state, and may even take the church from under the headship of Christ and put the church under the headship of the state. He believes that taking scriptures out of context and applying human reasoning contrary to biblical teaching (such as “Obey every ordinance of man,” or “We should be good stewards and incorporation is good stewardship”) in order to justify unbiblical marriage with the state causes our Lord much grief. Once he took on the position as counsel for the BLC, it was necessary to do an in-depth study of the issue of separation of church and state. He began with the Bible. He initially read through the Bible at least five times (and many more times since then) primarily seeking the answer to the question, “Does the Bible have anything to say about this issue?” He was amazed at what He learned. The Bible gives God’s principles concerning separation of church and state, the purpose of a church, the purpose of the civil government, the headship of church, the headship of civil government, the principles by which each is to be guided, and much more concerning these two God ordained institutions. He continued to read the Bible daily seeking insights into these and other issues. He also began to read other books. he had already read starting shortly after being saved, books and other information by Christian authors. For example, he had read, among other works, A Christian Manifesto[1], The Light and the Glory,[2] From Sea to Shining Sea,[3] The Myth of Separation and some other works by David Barton, [4]Rewriting America’s History,[5] and America’s God and Country.[6] These resources inspired, influenced and guided him and millions of other Christians, gave them philosophical and historical underpinning, and led them into battlefields such as politics, law, and education armed with what they learned from those resources. Sometime in 2006 he began to realize that some of the books by Christian authors which he had come to depend upon were misleading, at the very least. Other books revealed to him that some of the above mentioned books had misinformed and misled sincere Christians by revising and/or misrepresenting the true history of separation of church and state in America. In 2006, he read One Nation Under Law[7] which cites a wealth of resources for one seeking to understand the history of separation of church and state in the United States and of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.[8] Reading One Nation Under Law, some of the books it cited, and some other books was a launching pad into the universe of historical information which he never dreamed existed. He had expected to be misled in the secular law school he attended. He was amazed that he had been misled by Christian brothers. I asked myself, “How could Peter Marshall and others have missed this vital information?” At an Unregistered Baptist Fellowship conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, James R. Beller, a Baptist historian, gave a PowerPoint presentation which gave him the answer to this question. Finney bought two of Beller's books and read them. Those books filled in the details not mentioned in Pastor Beller’s concise PowerPoint presentation. Since that time, God has led Finney into an in depth study of the issues of government, church, and separation of church and state. God Betrayed/Separation of Church and State: The Biblical Principles and the American Application and the other books he has written and listed on this website were written as a result of those studies. God Betrayed is not a rehash of the same information that has been circulated in the Fundamental Baptist and Christian community through sermons, books, seminars, etc. since at least 1982, the year Finney was saved. God Betrayed and Finney's other books reveal facts and information that must be understood in order for a pastor and other Christians to begin to successfully (in God's eyes) fight the spiritual warfare we are engaged in according to knowledge. Finney believes that the lack of attention to the biblical doctrines concerning government, church (which is likened to the wife and bride of Christ), and separation of church and state, has had dire consequences for individuals, families, churches, and America. Unless pastors educate themselves on these doctrines and their application in America, the rapid downhill slide will continue at an accelerating pace. [1] Francis A. Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto, (Westchester, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1981). [2] Peter Marshall and David Manuel, The Light and the Glory, (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1977). [3] Peter Marshall and David Manuel, From Sea to Shining Sea (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1986). [4] David Barton, The Myth of Separation, What is the Correct relationship between Church and State? (Aledo, Texas: Wallbuilder Press, 1992). [5] Catherine Millard, Rewriting America’s History (Camp Hill, Pennsylvania: Horizon House Publishers, 1991). [6] William J. Federer, America’s God and Country, Encyclopedia of Quotations (Coppell, Texas: FAME Publishing, Inc., 1994). [7] Mark Douglas McGarvie, One Nation Under Law: America’s Early National Struggles to Separate Church and State (DeKalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press, 2005). [8] The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “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.” The religion clause, properly interpreted, as is shown in God Betrayed, is a correct application of the biblical principle of separation of church and state.
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The Truth about Islam and Sharia Law Is Coming out in America

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Jerald Finney
Copyright © December 30, 2025

Podcasts and articles:

‘Turning U.S into 3rd-world hellhole’: Tuberville’s fiery ‘anti-muslim’ senate speech draws backlash Tuberville is right on!

Rep. Emmer on Somalis Committing Fraud: ‘Send Them Home’

Patriots Fight Back Against a MOB Of Angry Democrats! THIS Is the REAL Reason Ilhan COLLAPSES

Son of Hamas Silences Entire Jew-Hating Crowd at Oxford Union!

British Journalist SHOCKS Muslim Crowd With The Brutal Truth About Islam!

Texas Congressman SILENCES The Senate Floor With The SEVERE Truth About Islam!

On another very relevant matter for America. Pastor SPEAKS OUT Against Black Preachers Supporting Democrats NOW:

(79) Texas & Michigan CIVILIANS Fight Back Against a MOB Of Angry Islamists – YouTube

It is proven that Somalis have defrauded American taxpayers of tens of billions of dollars. They came to take, not to make. They came here to convert, not to be converted. To convert to a religion and mindset that produces poverty, injustice, and everything that is Satanic. Islamists operate in Minnesota, Washington state, Ohio, Texas and many other states. They intend to try to force Sharia law into America and take over America. Christians should give them the gospel, of course. But God’s word makes clear why this nation should never accept people into this country who will not renounce Sharia law or any other religion which goes against the word of God, including people who come here to take, not to make.

I lived in  Faribault, Minnesota (population of 23,000) from 2016-2018. I was told that they had 5,000 immigrants from Somalia there already and wanted to bring more in. You could hear their “call to prayer” all over Faribault. In Minneapolis, friends pointed to an area of the city that had tens of thousands of Somali immigrants. I thought, “Don’t they know that many these people, in general, come here to change America, that their religion and beliefs are incompatible with ours (no free speech, freedom of religion, press, etc.).

It is proven that Somalis have defrauded American taxpayers of tens of billions of dollars. Islamists operate in Minnesota, Washington state, Ohio, Texas and many other states. They also intend to try to force Sharia law into America and take over America. Christians should give them the gospel, of course. But God’s word makes clear why this nation should never accept people into this country who will not renounce Sharia law and any religion which goes against the word of God, including people who come here to take, not to make.

After moving back to Texas, I thought about it much anymore until recent newscasts (not any from the mainline media) revealed to me that the chickens are coming home to roost. I have seen many videos online where Moslem leaders, including Ilan Omar, are openly declaring that they came here to change America, to make every American household a follower of Islam, to support the countries they came from and not America, etc. Some Moslems on the video condemn Americans for burning the Koran (punishable by death in many Moslem countries) saying they are peaceful and would never burn the Bible. That is one way they work. They lie, steal, and do or say anything needed to ultimately reach their goals. When they get the power, they give you a choice, convert or die. Many Moslem countries do not allow any other religion and prohibit any religious text other than the Koran or approved Muslim publications and speech, at penalty of death, imprisonment, or some other severe punishment.

If you have not seen them, there are many reports which prove that many Somalian immigrants have used government programs to defraud the government of billions of dollars in Minnesota alone, with the knowledge of the attorney general and governor of Minn. who turned their backs. The Democratic Party of Minnesota depend upon the hundreds of thousands of Moslem votes to remain in power. Other states have the same problems. Our federal government has the same problem, to some extent.

As a believer in Christ, I do not support violence against anyone except in self-defense and defense of others. I am glad that our government is now trying to take a stand to reverse the actions of Biden and Obama regarding mass migration without vetting, especially of those who come here to change America by any means necessary.

Our laws, including the highest law of the land, in agreement with God’s word, support freedom of religion (separation of religion and state, not separation of God and state) and other Biblical values. For proof from God’s word see God Betrayed/Separation of Church and State: The Biblical Principles and the American Application (Online version, downloadable PDF, softback) | Simply Church. It is lunacy to allow immigrants to come to this nation who will not, before coming, prove that they agree with these values and will support these values as well as American law in general when they get here. If they lie about it to get here, and act inconsistently, they should be deported back to their countries.

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Have They Gotten Rid of the “Johnson Amendment” as President Trump Promised?

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Essays and article on federal tax exemption and the rules, including the Johnson Amendment, which comes with tax-exempt status:

  1. Federal government control of churches through IRS Code Sections 501(c)(3) and 508(c)(1)(A) tax exemption (121012)
  2. The church incorporation-501(c)(3) control scheme (121021)
  3.  The Rules and Regulations that Come with Church IRS Code Sections 501(c)(3) and 508(c)(1)(A) Tax-Exempt Status (031722)
  4. Are Churches Automatically Tax Exempt? (040822)
  5. A Biblical and Legal Analysis of the Helping Hand Outreach Publication, “WHY ALL CHURCHES SHOULD BE A 508(c)(1)(a).”
  6. Legal answer to Pastor’s inquiry concerning whether a potential donor of substantial gift an claim a tax deduction under IRC Section 508 even though the church will not give an IRS acknowledgement (123118)
  7. Does a Church Need 501(c)(3) or 508(c)(1)(A) Status? A Biblical and Legal Answer (062324)
  8. Church Internal Revenue Code § 508(c)(1)(A) Tax Exempt Status (042814)

Have They Gotten Rid of the “Johnson Amendment” as President Trump Promised?

Jerald Finney
Copyright © September 9, 2025

President Trump honors believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and wishes to return the nation to her founding principles.  He is trying to clean up the federal government and rescue America from the Woke Agenda, DEI, government waste, high taxes etc. He is not afraid to confront anyone, including the United Nations assembly, with truth. Many of his appointments and advisers are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember what Kamala Harris told a person at a Democrat rally who said, “Jesus Christ is King?” She, with a condescending tone of voice and silly grin on her face said, “You belong at that smaller rally down the street?” She was letting him know that the Lord was not welcomed by the Democrats.  Thank the Lord that Trump is our President.

This article, in speaking to his statements and actions concerning the “Johnson Amendment,” are not meant to demean our President.

President Trump, early in his campaign for President in 2016, became aware of the “Johnson Amendment.” He stated, in his speech at the Museum of the Bible, that it prohibits all 501(c)(3) tax exempt organizations (including churches), to whom contributions are tax deductible, from participating in political campaigns (specifically, supporting or opposing a candidate). In 2016, he promised that they would get rid it.

The “Johnson Amendment” is one of four rules in Internal Revenue Code § 501(c)(3) which religious organizations who ask for and obtain 501(c)(3) status agree to abide by. The purpose of the rule is to prevent tax-deductible money from being used to support or oppose candidates for public office. The Johnson Amendment does not prohibit all electoral activity, and 501(c)(3) organizations may still actively participate in the election process, but with significant limitations, if enforced. This article speaks to President Trump’s statements and actions concerning the “Johnson Amendment.”

He, after speaking at a board meeting to pastors and rabbis in 2016, asked for their support for president. But they did not respond. After the meeting, he was told about the “Johnson Amendment;” that because of that “Amendment” churches and religious organizations lose their tax-exempt status if “a pastor, minister, rabbi, imam, or anybody says anything about politics, you can lose your tax exempt status.” His response was, “You got to be kidding.” He said that the religious leaders were petrified about it and nobody wanted to talk about it; they became a different group of people. He pledged to them in a later meeting, “If I win, we’re going get rid of the Johnson Amendment.” He then gave an account of how the Johnson Amendment was passed. He gained their support. He recently stated that they got rid of the Amendment. See his comments by clicking here. See, Speech at the Museum of the Bible for the entire speech.

Have they gotten rid of the Johnson Amendment? The short answer is “No (with some caveats).”  I answered this and related questions in a prior article: Did President Trump do away with 501(c)(3) requirements? Published on December 2, 2017. The answers in that article are still applicable.

I am not sure what President Trump believes about the matter of separation of church and state. I do know that he has some advisors who  hold an incorrect view on that issue. The Trail of Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus: Christian Revisionists on Trial; The Christian History of the First Amendment explains the warfare going on in American politics from a Christian and historical perspective. Christian historical and Biblical revisionists have led the political activist fight in American politics and lead the way for Christian political activists. They have revised the true history of religious freedom and soul liberty in America as well as God’s guidelines for their activities.

President Trump does not have the time to do a thorough study of these matters to seek out the truth so that he can determine the truth of what he is told by religious people. He stated in his speech,

  • “I don’t want to hear from a lot of people. We hear from the people we respect” and named some of them. He said, “All of the people that are up here, I want to hear from these people. They come from a different place than me. I come from a business place rough people, bad people, not really religious people; there are some …. That’s why we go to church on Sunday, where ever we are to listen to people of faith. …”

Hopefully, President Trump will not follow bad counseling on the proper relationship between church and state. God, in his word, teaches that he does not wish for church and state to work hand in hand, state over church, or church over state. God’s word does reveal that God wishes both church and state to be under God, but neither to be under, over, or combined with the other. See Part I of God Betrayed: Separation of Church and State: The Biblical Principles and the American Application for explanation. The First Amendment is consistent with God’s plan.

The Trail of Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus: Christian Revisionists on Trial; The Christian History of the First Amendment proves the truth about the true history and meaning of the First Amendment religion clause. It is not a long read and gives citations for all authorities relied upon. Read it and study it out for yourself.

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF GOD BETRAYED:

Preface……………………………………………………………….. i
Introduction…………………………………………………………. xi
PARTONE
The Biblical Principles

Section I: Government………………………………………… 1
Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 3
Chapter 2: The motivation and the goal……………………………………. 9
Chapter 3: Self-government……………………………………………………… 13
Chapter 4: Family government and conscience……………. 19
Chapter 5: Civil government……………………………………………………….. 21
Chapter 6: God desires nations to choose to glorify Him………….. 27
Chapter 7: Israel—the only theocracy ordained by God…………… 31
Chapter 8: God is the God of Israel……………………………………………… 39
Chapter 9: God desires Gentile nations to glorify Him………………. 51
Chapter 10: God judges nations……………………………………………….. 53
Chapter 11: Satan orchestrates the world-system ……………………. 59
Chapter 12: Conclusion……………………………………………………………….. 63

Section II: Church………………………………………………..…..65
Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………….. 67
Chapter 2: Definition, organization, and purposes of a church……. 71
Chapter 3: Christ, the Bridegroom/Husband/Head of the church…… 79
Chapter 4: Heresy and apostasy……………………………………………….. 85
Chapter 5: Recent accelerated apostasy in the United StateS……. 93
Chapter 6: Apostasy at the end of the church age…………………….119
Chapter 7: The church will reign with the Lord…………………………121
Chapter 8: Conclusion……………………………………………….…………123

Section III: Separation of Church and State……………………………125
Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………..127
Chapter 2: Definitions………………………………………………………………135
Chapter 3: Dispensational Theology versus Covenant Theology.137
Chapter 4: Distinct differences between church and state……….153
Chapter 5: Render unto Caesar……………………………………………………169
Chapter 6: Romans 13 and I Peter 2.13……………………………………….173
Chapter 7: Christ-church, Husband-wife, Bridegroom-bride…….185
Chapter 8: Conclusion……………………………………………………………187

PART TWO
The American Application

Section IV: History of Religious Freedom in America……….189
Chapter 1: Introduction……………………..………………………………….191
Chapter 2: Secular and Christian revisionism…………………………….197
Chapter 3: The consequences of secular and Christian revisionism 205
Chapter 4: The light begins to shine………………………………………..209
Chapter 5: The Pilgrims and the Puritans in Massachusetts……..215
Chapter 6: The Baptists in Rhode Island………………………………….233
Chapter 7: The Separates and the Baptists in New England………..249
Chapter 8: From New England to the South……………………………..261
Chapter 9: To Virginia…………………….…..…………………………………….265
Chapter 10: To the new nation..…………………………..…………………285
Chapter 11: Conclusion…………………………..…………………………………..289
Section V: Religion Clause Jurisprudence………………………………….291
Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………..………………………………….293
Chapter 2: The 19th Century Supreme Court interpretation
of “separation of church and state” …………………….299
Chapter 3: Application of the First Amendment
to the states: 1868-1947…………………………..……………………….307
Chapter 4: Separation of God and state: 1947-2007………………..313
Chapter 5: Conclusion…………………………..…………………………………..345

Section VI: God Betrayed: Union of Church and State…….349
Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………..……          …..………..351
Chapter 2: Incorporation of churches………………………………………365
Chapter 3: Incorporation of churches in the colonies and the new natioNn……………………………………………………………………………………………………379
Chapter 4: Federal government control of churches through 501(c)(3) tax exemption………………………………………………………………………………..385
Chapter 5: The incorporation-501(c)(3) control scheme…………395
Chapter 6: Spurious rationale for incorporating: limited liability 401
Chapter 7: Spurious rationale for incorporating: to hold property 405
Chapter 8: Spurious rationale for corporate-501(c)(3) status:
tax exemption and tax deduction for contributions………………. 419
Chapter 9: The results of ignoring the biblical principle of
separation of church and state……………………………………………..425
Chapter 10: Conclusion…………………………..………………………………427

Bibliography…………………………………………………………431
Index………………………………………………………………….437
Index of Scripture Verses………………………………………….451

Isaiah 28:14-18 “Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.”

 

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Foundation Group Exposed

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Jerald Finney
Copyright © May 17, 2025

The First Amendment to the Constitution and corresponding state constitutional provisions, the highest law of the United States and the highest laws of each state, guarantee religious freedom and soul liberty and declare that churches in America can organize and do things God’s way without persecution or taxation. Many churches are doing just that; they are organizing under their Bridegroom, and Him alone.

Many companies market money-making schemes in which they convince uneducated Christians to organize churches outside God’s principles. Foundation Group is one of those companies. Under their scheme, they teach and implement church incorporation and LLC status. Any kind of legal status for churches, to include incorporation and LLC, grieve our Lord and violate church doctrine given by God in his word, the Bible. Christ is jealous of His Bride and wishes her to remain under Him and Him alone.

The Simply Church Ministry website has books, articles, essays, and video teachings which explain the Bible doctrines of church, state, church and state, and the proper application of those doctrines. Only one who has studied the word of God and various legal forms of organization will understand the lies of Foundation Group. The Simply Church website gives the believer and church all the resources they need to understand God’s church organizational doctrine and His desired relationship between church and state.

Foundation Group is right about some matters. For example, they are correct in teaching that church 508(c)((1)(A) status makes a church a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. They are dead wrong in advising churches to organize as corporations or LLC’s. Both types of organizations are creatures of the state organized under state law, and subject to all the rules and regulations that come with the organization. See, for example, Legal Explanation of Incorporation of Churches | Simply Church. If a church incorporates or gets LLC status, they may as well get 501(c)(3) tax-exempt state as well.

I welcome the opportunity to do a published video debate with a Foundation Group representative. However, I do not believe they would agree to this because it would expose them for what they are. I left a comment on their website challenging them to a debate, but have not heard back from them. I believe they removed the comment. I cannot find it.

The following posts on the Simply Church website give short answers to some important questions with links to more in-depth studies. These short articles will get you started in your study of church organizational matters.:

The New Testament of Jesus Christ: His Executor Named and Empowered

1. Is it illegal for a church in America not to incorporate? Does a church have to be a 501c3?
2. Are churches automatically tax exempt?
3. What is a Spiritual entity?
4.What is a legal entity?
5. Is a church a Spiritual entity, a legal entity, or a Spiritual/legal entity? See also, Spiritual versus Legal Entities
6. Does God Care if our Church is Incorporated?
7. Should a Church Be a 508 Church?
8. Does a church in America need an Employer (Tax) ID Number?
9.What does church, inc. mean?
10. Who Is the head of an incorporated church?
11. What is 501c3?
12. What is 508?
13. What is the history of the First Amendment?
14. What is the History and Meaning of “Establishment of Religion” in America?
15. What is an established church?
16. What is a First Amendment Church?
17. Question from a Church Concerning Church Organization
18. The Bible Answer to the Question, “Is an Incorporated 501(c)(3) or 508 Church a Church of Christ?”

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Urgent Open Letter to Students of Baptist Bible Schools, Colleges and Seminaries

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Dear fellow believers and Bible students,

Can you answer the question in the featured picture above? Can you explain what God’s word says about the church: it’s ordination, goal, organization, and conduct?

Even after you have completed your studies, you will not be able to answer those questions unless you seek and find the answers on your own. Why? Because your studies will not cover God’s Church Doctrine.

Many or most of you love your churches and wish to serve God in those churches. That being true, should not you know what God’s word teaches about the church? Should not every church member have a basic understanding of what a church is supposed to be?

Through time-consuming tedious Bible study, you can learn church doctrine on your own. However, would it not be much easier to follow the Bible studies of someone, a born-again attorney, who has spent the last 20+ years of his 55 years as a believer passionately studying what God says about the New Testament church? If so, take just a few minutes a day going through the short lessons on the Simply Church Ministry website.

The concise lessons are presented in both written and video format. Don’t just believe what is taught there. Check it out in the Bible.

Link to short course: Basic Course | Simply Church

God bless you as you seek to please and glorify our great God and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Feel free to contact me anytime for any reason.

Very truly yours,
Jerald Finney,
Born-again believer
Attorney at Law
jeraldfinney157@gmail.com
512-785-8445
jeraldfinney.com

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8. Church Is To Be the Pillar and Ground of the Truth

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A Publication of Simply Church Ministry

If you miss one part of the puzzle that is being put together in these studies, you will never see and understand the whole picture.

Previous Lesson: 7. Other Bible Descriptors for a Church: Family, Etc.

Next Lesson: 9. How To Recognize a New Testament Church

Click here to go to all lessons on the Bible Doctrine of the Church.

Click here to go to links to all written lessons.

Click here to go to the 5 minute video lectures.

9. Jerald Finney
Copyright © December 18, 2024

As a lead up to the next lesson, “How to Recognize a New Testament Church,” one more matter needs to be understood. A “church of the living God” is to be the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). The church is to support the truth, as does a pillar a building. Truth sustains the church—as does a pillar a building—against all the inevitable assaults foretold in God’s word. It sustains it amidst the war of elements, the natural tendency to fall, and the assaults which may be made on it, and preserves it when it would otherwise tumble into ruin. God entrusted the church to maintain the truth and transmit it to the future.

The ground here is that upon which the church rests, the basis or foundation. ” The church is “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Eph. 2:22). “Jesus Christ is the truth, and his word is truth” (Jn. 14:6, Jn. 17:7). Thus, truth is to be supported by the church, within and without. Truth makes stable when “systems of error are swept away. Truth makes a church stable and fixed, unchangeable, amidst the storms that surround it.” The stability of an individual, a family, a nation, and a church depends upon the truth, and only the church is equipped to support such a heavy load.

God’s word is truth for individuals, families, nations, and churches. The instructions for individuals and families begins in Genesis 1. Instructions for nations and civil government begins at the end of Genesis 8. God ordained the nations and gave them their marching orders. He picked out one nation for special purposes, the nation Israel. Israel was the only nation he ever ordained as a “theocracy,” a nation where religion and civil government were to be combined under God.  Israel was to be the light of God for all other nations. Israel failed miserably, even though they had God’s truth and even though God told them the consequences of both obedience and disobedience. See, Bible Doctrine of Government.

In the New Testament, God revealed something new, the church. The Holy Spirit disclosed the mystery of the church “unto his holy apostles and prophets,” a mystery which was not made known unto men before (Ep. 3.5-6). That mystery was that “the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.” A church, is “builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit (Ep.2.22). A church may know “the manifold wisdom of God,” God’s “eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ep. 3.10; see also, 1 Cor. 2:5-8).”

God’s plan for every new believer in Christ is that they become a member of a local church (Ac. 2:41-47). Within the church, individual believers are “builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22). A church body consists of born-again believers (See, I Cor. 12-14, Eph. 4). Only the person who has trusted Christ as Saviour can know and understand God’s truth (See, e.g., 1 Cor. 2).  How can a new believer know the truth if he is not taught it? How can he teach it if he does not know it? A church is to teach new believers, and all members of the church are to work together as a spiritual body “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till “the church all come in unity of the faith…” See Eph. 4.

Within, the church is to know, understand, and teach all God’s revealed truth, including that for individuals, families, nations, and churches. Churches and church members are to apply individual, family, and church truth. Members of a church body are to assemble “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till [they] all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Eph. 4:12-13). “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love” (See Eph. 4:16).

Without, believers are to be “the light of the world,” and they are to let their “light shine before men, that they may see your good works, ad glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 5:14-16). Christ prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:17-18). In the world, God’s children are to “walk as children of light,” “having not fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,” “but rather [reproving] them” (Ep. 5:8). Without, church members are to proclaim and apply God’s truth for individuals, families, nations and human government, and churches.

For both within and without, the church is instructed: “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness sin high places.” “Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth” (Ep. 6:14). Believers are to stand against the darkness of this world, and the truth which girts their loins holds all the pieces of armour together. The spiritual weapons of the church and the child of God “are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.”

A believer who is not in a church or who is in a church which has not prepared them for spiritual warfare both within and without will do much harm to the cause of Christ, either by omission or commission. Millions of believers in America, having not been grounded in the truth, are failing in their God-given goal of glorifying God because they know not God’s truths. Christian political activists come out of churches who are not right with God, expecting to get America right with God. It will not work. Their work has proven counterproductive. “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways” (Hebrews 3:10).

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Video: “Pastor LOSES IT Over Explosive House Church Growth – What’s Really Going On?”

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This is an excellent video exposing a false teaching on the home church. The link to it was sent by a dear pastor and friend. You may not agree with every jot and tittle of the exposure, but it makes some very good points from God’s word.

“Pastor LOSES IT Over Explosive House Church Growth – What’s Really Going On?”

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World Video Bible School (WVBS) Teaching on Separation of Church and State

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I came across this Youtube World Video Bible School (WVBS) teaching on Separation of Church and State on November 2, 2024.  Sadly, many Christians continue to be misled by Christian Revisionism, much to the detriment of themselves, their families, their churches, and the nation.

I added the following comment below the video:

“Comment by Christian attorney whose life work is church organization and the relationship of church and state. The true history of the First Amendment reveals that it not intended to separate God and state. However, it was intended to separate church and state. Christian revisionists and Christians in general, do not understand this. For explanation, including the documented true history of the First Amendment, see https://jeraldfinney.com/36346-2/god-betrayed/books/the-trail-of-blood-of-the-martyrs-of-jesus/ or see https://jeraldfinney.com/36346-2/god-betrayed/books/god-betrayedseparation-of-church-and-state-the-biblical-principles-and-the-american-application/.

“The Everson decision added a new twist to the First Amendment which has been used by the Court to remove God from practically all civil government matters, even though the Court also incorrectly declared that the First Amendment was meant to separate God and state. Christian political activists who do not fully understand this have done great harm to the cause of Christ since they have worked tirelessly to reform America or save America for God, all the while, their churches being bound to the state through incorporation, 501(c)(c) or 508(c)(1)(A) federal “tax-exempt” status, or in some other way. The base their efforts on the Biblical and historical lies of men such as David Barton and William Federer. For that reason, and because their churches are not right with God, their efforts have been counterproductive. America is sliding, at an accelerating rate, into spiritual apostasy and moral depravity.

“As a Christian political activist in the Republican Party, I once followed the Christian revisionism  of men such as David Barton and William Federer. So much so that they were heroes of mine, until, through many years of study, I found that they revised history (selected facts out of context to promote the views and desires of their false theology). The first book linked to above explains this.”

My comment was quickly removed.

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Conclusion to the Bible Doctrine of Government

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Man, from the fall, has had to contend with the world, the flesh, and the devil. God’s Word always gave man the guidelines he needs to defeat those enemies, but man has never, except for a remnant, followed God’s Word.

God created the individual, both male and female and put them in an earthly paradise, the Garden of Eden. He gave them one rule only. Each person was responsible to God to obey that rule, to direct and control, to govern according to that one rule. The only government was self-government–self-direction and self-control.

Since that time, Satan has waged a relentless war against God and mankind. Nations–and most individuals, families, and churches–follow his principles. The warfare waged by Satan will continue until the beginning of Christ’s millennial reign over the earth. After the thousand years, Satan will be released. He will deceive the nations and lead men in one more rebellion against God. Fire will come down from heaven and devour them and God will cast Satan into the lake of fire to “be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 10:9-10).

Satan convinced the woman, Eve, to disobey God. Her husband, Adam, joined her in that disobedience. Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, God gave them a conscience, a knowledge of good and evil. God made a covenant with Adam and judged the man, the woman, and the serpent, the devil. To the devil, God said, in judgment: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

God also added another layer of control, family government. The man was told to rule over the woman, the one deceived and “in the transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14). Every individual family member and family was to govern under God, according to his rules.

Man failed miserably. The whole earth was soon corrupted and violent. God’s only option was to judge mankind. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). God killed all mankind, except for Noah and his family, by causing the great flood.

Satan continued his warfare against God through the individual and the family. He wars by introducing principles which appeal to the heart, mind, and flesh of mankind. He inspires men and women to communicate and apply his principles of force, greed, selfishness, hedonism, and rebellion against God.

Individual and family government were not sufficient to control mankind. Relatively soon after the fall, “GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). The whole earth was corrupt and filled with violence (Genesis 6:11). “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). God sent a great flood to kill all mankind except Noah and his family.

At the flood, God made a covenant with Noah and added an additional control over mankind—human government (Genesis 8:21-9:6). He gave man the responsibility of ruling over men for God and under God. The God-given jurisdiction of human government is temporal and earthly—to provide an immediate and direct control over those who do evil and to praise those who do good (Romans 13:3-4; 1 Peter 3:14). He also directed the formation of nations (Genesis 10).

Men followed Nimrod in direct rebellion against God’s directions. Instead of forming the nations, mankind came together and began to build a great tower.

The Lord said, “And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:6-7). God “did there confound the language of the earth” and scattered “them abroad upon the face of the earth.”

Satan continued his warfare on all fronts: the individual, the family, and human government (nations). His principles prevailed, except against a remnant. God always has a remnant who honor him.

In the midst of almost universal idolatry, God soon called out Abraham to be the father of the nation Israel. God ordained the nation Israel for specific purposes. God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham, to be interrupted by God’s discipline because of Israel’s disobedience and rebellions against God. God made additional conditional and unconditional covenants with Israel. Gentile nations (all nations except Israel) continued under the covenants God made with Adam and Noah.

The Old Testament goes into much detail concerning the history and relationship (past, present, and future) of Israel and of the Gentile nations. The believer can know where we are at in human history by looking at the Word of God concerning the nation Israel and her treatment by Gentile nations.

Since individual, family, and human government were proven insufficient to keep mankind under God, God, as we learn in the New Testament, ordained church government. Church government was for direction and control of eternal, heavenly, spiritual matters. For reasons which will be clear to the born-again saint who knows, understands, and believers God’s Word, God desires churches to remain totally separate from civil government. This does not mean separation of God and state, but it does mean separation of church and state. The Word of God and history prove the consequences of union of church and state—corruption of the nation (the civil government), corruption of the church, and corruption of the people.

The principles of Satan control many individuals, families, and churches, and is the driving force behind the nations. Satan, “[T]he god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

God’s judges individuals, families, nations, and churches depending upon their obedience to His Word. The answer starts with the individual. Every person is a sinner whose fate is to be separate from God in the lake of fire. However, God provided a solution for the individual—turning to God and putting one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to save him. When one does that, he is a new creature whose first responsibility after being saved is to join a local Bible believing church which applies God’s principles in organization and conduct, a rarity in today’s America.

The local church is to disciple saved individuals. Those individuals are to conduct themselves according to God’s commandments and principles and influence families, churches, and nations according to God’s Word. The Bible, history, and reality make clear that men, except for a remnant, always fail in their God-given responsibilities.

Ultimately, God will take things into His own hands. He will, by force, take over and do what man cannot do. He will crush the nations when they come against Israel and establish his thousand-year reign over the earth.

At the beginning of His reign, God will “cast [Satan] into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Revelation 20:3).

After God frees him at the end of the thousand year reign, Satan shall deceive the nations and gather them to do battle with the saints of God, fire will come down from heaven and devour them, and the devil will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:7-10). Then will come God’s great white throne judgment:

“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).

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III. The Bible Trust – Organizing a Church the Bible Way

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Simply Church – The Holy Union of Christ and His Local Church (This booklet explains the explaining the principles and of the Bible Trust and has links to other resources on the trust relationship with property.)

Law on Church Organzation (Trust Relationship with property, legal status (Incorporation, 501(c)(3) and 508(c)(1)(A), property tax exemption, etc.)

The Bible Trust Relationship, Essays and Other Resources