Course on the Bible Principles of Church, State, and God’s Desired Relationship between Church and State and the Application of those Principles

These courses explain the principles from God’s word concerning church, state, and God’s desired relationship between church and state and apply those principles to the American landscape. Few pastors and believers have every studied these preeminent matters for themselves. Believers who wish to look at these issues may use these resources to greatly expedite their studies. If you wish to use these teachings, be sure to verify them through God’s word, history, and law. All teachings give the authorities relied upon. Should you disagree, please contact Jerald Finney and join him in an Ephesians 4:1-16 search for truth and unity.

The motivation of this ministry is love; loving God first and loving our neighbor second. The goal is the Glory of God. For more on this see, The Motivation and Goal.

What can be more important to a church than pleasing and glorifying God by organizing His churches which He “loved and gave himself for” according to Bible principles? To understand how to do so, a church must understand the Bible doctrines of government, church, state, and the application of those principles.

The basic course consists of very short lessons and parallel lectures for one who has never studied or been taught these doctrines. One who understands the basic concepts can then go to more advanced studies.

Why Understanding Church and State Law Is Important for Believers and Churches

These courses cover:

  1. Biblical Principles of:
    a. Government.
    b. Church.
    c. God’s desired relationship of Church and State.
  2. The America Application of those principles:
    a. The history and meaning of the First Amendment
    b. Incorporation, 501(c)(3), 508(c)(1)(A), and other status for churches which place authorities other than the Lord Jesus Christ over those churches.
    c. How churches can please the Lord by remaining solely under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ while retaining all their First Amendment status and protections.
    d. A church which chooses legal entity status, as a fictitious person under the Fourteenth Amendment, has chosen to place herself under civil government laws, rules and regulations for many purposes, thereby giving up many of her First Amendment and Bible prescribed freedoms.

I. Basic Course:

-A. Written Lessons

-B. Video Lessons:

— 1.  General Questions Answered

–2.  Bible Doctrine of Government

— a. Introduction (5 min. 13 sec.)
— b. Self-government (4 min.)
— c. Family Government and Conscience (4 min. 15 sec.)
— d. Civil Government
— e. Israel
— f. God Desires That All Nations Choose To Glorify Him
— g.  God Judges Nations
— h. Satan
—Page with embedded Youtube videos

—3. Bible Doctrine of Church

The following are links to the lessons on Youtube.

      1. Introduction 
      2. Christ Ordained the Church and Builds It upon the Rock
      3. A Church Is a Mystery, an Assembly, a Spiritual Body
      4. The Holy Spirit Forms a Church which Is a Temple, a Spiritual Body, the Body of Christ
      5. Christ, the Head/Bridegroom/Husband of the Local Church
      6. The Love between Christ and His Churches
      7. Other Bible Descriptors for a Church: Family, Etc.
      8. A Church Is To Be the Pillar and Ground of the Truth
      9. How To Recognize a New Testament Church
      10. Heresy and Apostasy
      11. Conclusion to the Doctrine of the Church

4. Bible Doctrine Concerning the Relationship between Church and State (To be added as completed).

The following are links to the lessons on Youtube. Click here to go to a page on this website where they are all embedded all on one page.

 I. Introduction
 II. Definitions of “Separation of Church and State,” “Established Church,” and “Religious Freedom or Soul Liberty”
 III.  Dispensation Theology versus Covenant Theology and Their Importance to the Issue of Church and State Relationship in America:
–(1) Introduction
–(2) Colonial Theological Warfare–Separation of Church and State
–(3) The Essence of Dispensationalism (Optional)
–(4) The Way in Which the Two Systems Meet the Requirements for a Philosophy of History (Optional)
–(5) Some Basic Teachings of Covenant Theology (Optional)
–(6) Puritan Covenant Theology Exposed in the American Colonies
–(7) Three Critical Factors Upon Which Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology Disagree (Optional)
–(8) Dispensationalism Correctly Explains the Covenants of Law and Grace (Optional)
–(9) Persecution: A Consequence of Covenant Theology
–(10) History Proves Established Churches Are Vile, Viciously Persecute Heretics, and Corrupt the State, the Church, and the People (Optional)
–(11) New Testament Teaching against Persecution of Heretics (Optional)
–(12) Conclusion to “Dispensation Theology versus Covenant Theology and their importance to the issue of church and state relationship in America”
IV. Distinct Differences between Church and State Which Render Them Mutually Exclusive
V. Render Unto God the Things That Are His: A Study of Romans 13 and Other Verses Taken Out of Context to Support Union of Church and State
–(1) Introduction: Render Unto God the Things that Are His.
–(2) Render unto Caesar…? (Lk. 20.25, Mt. 22.21, and Mk. 12.17).
–(3) Let every soul be subject to the higher powers? (Ro. 13.1 and Ro. 13 in general).
–(4) Doth not your master pay tribute? (Mt. 17.24-27).
–(5) Submit to every ordinance of man? (1 Pe. 2.13).
–(6) Pray for all rulers? (1 Ti. 2.1-6).
–(7) Conclusion.
VI. Christ-church, Husband-Wife, Bridegroom-bride
VII. Conclusion

II. Advanced Course

The local church sanctified and cleansed by the washing of water by the word——————–A ministry of Charity Baptist Tabernacle of Amarillo, Texas led by Pastor Ben Hickam. "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:1-3). ————————————Jerald Finney, a Christian Lawyer and member of Charity Baptist Tabernacle, having received this ministry in the Lord, explains how a church in America can remain under the Lord Jesus Christ and Him only. "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:10-11; See also, Ephesians 4::1-16 and 1 Corinthians 12:1-25). "Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it" (Colossians 4:17). "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church" (Ephesians 1.22; See also, e.g. Colossians 1:18).