pray for leaders | Simply Church: God's Prescribed Relationship Between Church and State

Jerald Finney
Copyright © October, 2009

Union of church and state can only be supported by an allegorization or spiritualizaton of the Word of God. In fact, Scripture teaches separation of church and state, but not separation of God and state. Untold millions of our Baptist forefathers died horrible deaths at the hands of established churches who worked hand in hand with civil governments to eliminate all heretics. Those state churches proceeded under an incorrect allegorized interpretation of the Bible in their attempt to realize their goal of peace and union on the earth. They only succeeded in corrupting civil government leaders, church leaders, and almost everyone trapped in their system. The only ones not corrupted were many of those who were labeled as heretics by the state church.

Jerald Finney, a fundamental Christian called to practice law as a licensed attorney, teaches, in the audio segments below, the biblical doctrine of separation of church and state. You may not agree with all he says, but these studies will prove invaluable to the Christian who wants to grow in knowledge concerning this vital issue. These audios are edited from his radio broadcasts.

To get more in deeply into these issues, you may obtain God Betrayed/Separation of Church and State: The Biblical Principles and the American Application other books which are relevant to the issue of separation of church and state by going to the “Books” page of churchandstatelaw.com. All the books by Jerald Finney are reproduced on this website. One can go to the written teachings of Jerald Finney on the Contents Page of this blog. One can find Finney’s written teaching on the specific topic of The Biblical Doctrine of Separation of Church and State by clicking the blue link.

To play, just click the link. To download, right click link and then left click “Save link as.”

1. Introduction (Section III, Chapter 1 of God Betrayed) (This Introduction begins with a song, “He Set Me Free,” sang by the Mike Anderson family, and prayer which ends at 3 min. 31 sec. The entire segment is 31 min. 27 sec.).

2. Definitions (Section III, Chapter 2 of God Betrayed) (4 min. 51 sec.).

3. Dispensational versus covenant theology (Section III, Chapter 3 of God Betrayed) (43 min. 18 sec.).

4. Distinct differences between church and state (Section III, Chapter 4 of God Betrayed) (41 min. 9 sec.).

5. The following 5 segments are from the book Render unto God the things that are His: A Systematic Study of Romans 13 and Related Verses. This book is a more detailed and expanded study of Chapters 5 and 6 of God Betrayed. This study will be in the 5 audio teachings below which deal with verses which are taken entirely out of context to mean the opposite of their contextual meaning:

5a. Introduction and Matthew 17.24-27: “Doth not your master pay tribute?” (Begins with song and prayer. 13 min. 42 sec).

5b. Luke 20.25, Matthew 22.21, Mark 12.17: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God, the things which be God’s” (4 min. 47 sec.).

5c. Romans 13: “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers” (24 min. 15 sec.).

5d. I Peter 2.13: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man….” (6 min. 6 sec.).

5e. I Timothy 2.1-5: Pray for rulers I Timothy 2.1-5: Pray for rulers (8 min. 6 sec.).

6. Christ, the Husband, Bridegroom, and Husband of His Church (Section III, Chapter 7 of God Betrayed. This chapter is not available in audio at this time. The written version of this is on this website at Christ-Church-Husband-Wife, Bridegroom-bride.

7. Conclusion (Section III, Chapter 8 of God Betrayed. This chapter is not available in audio at this time. The written version of this is on this website at Conclusion.).

END

For His Glory,
Jerald Finney

Jerald Finney
Copyright © September 29, 2009

Are you interested in understanding what Romans 13 and other related verses really teach about the relationship of a church and of individual Christians and families to civil government? Has your preacher ever preached on the verses? If so, what position did he take on these verses? Did he interpret the verses in their immediate context and in the overall context of Scripture? Did he explain why the first Christians, including the apostles, as well as God’s own angels and many other biblical characters repeatedly violated, and were sometimes rewarded by God for violating, the modern American “interpretation” of those verses? Did he tell you about the Christians since New Testament days who have been subjected to the most cruel tortures and killed (tarred and feathered, twisted on racks, boiling oil poured down their throats, thrown in with wild beasts, beheaded, pulled apart, beheaded, drowned, buried alive, hanged, etc.) for disobeying the powers that be for refusing to recant their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and in Him alone? Did he explain to you that in America the First Amendment provides for religious liberty and that no church is supposedly required by man’s law to incorporate, get a 501(c)(3) tax exemption, or to become a legal entity of any kind? Did he explain to you the biblical doctrines of church, state, and separation of church and state?

Romans 13.1-2 and related verses are among the most abused Bible verses in America today. I use the word “abused” as opposed to “misinterpreted,” although people also misinterpret the verses while abusing them. According to Webster’s Dictionary, abuse means “to put to a wrong or improper use” or “to use so as to injure or damage.” Webster’s defines “misinterpret” as “to explain wrongly” or “to understand wrongly.” Those who use Romans 13.1-2 and related verses to justify submission to civil government in all matters, including spiritual matters or matters involving the first four commandments, have abused those verses. They have not considered the immediate and overall context of Scripture in reaching their conclusions. They have assumed state superiority in ecclesiastical affairs and the use of religion to further state policy. Such an assumption has been labeled as Erastianism and this assumption or philosophy pervaded all Europe, with the exception of Calvin’s ecclesiocratic Geneva, after the Reformation, and achieved its greatest triumph in England. Sadly, this assumption is widely accepted in America today.

The verses used to support Erastianism include Romans 13.1-2 (“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers…. Whosoever resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation….”), and other Bible verses such as Matthew 17.24-27 (“Doth not your master pay tribute? …”), Luke 20.25 (“Render unto Caesar….” which is also recorded in Matthew 22.21 and Mark 12.17.), 1 Peter 2.13-14 (“Submit to every ordinance of man….”), and 1 Timothy 2.1-6 (which exhorts Christians to pray for all men, including rulers). Many nonbelievers as well as carnal and/or baby Christians in America confidently quote one or more of these verses out of context to support their position that Christians are to bow down to civil government in all things, or all things except limitations on the preaching of salvation.

Some go further and take the unbelievable position that these verses mean that churches should become state churches by incorporating, becoming unincorporated associations or charitable trusts, operating as corporations sole, getting 501(c)(3) tax exemption, or by some other means and that churches which do not are in sin. Many of those Christians and churches who take this position pressure churches which are under God, and God only, to put themselves under the state through one of the methods mentioned above.

If you are interested in an in-depth study each of the above mentioned verses of Scripture, click on the WordPress Players below. Each segment below is an edited version of a radio broadcast. Click the following links to hear Jerald Finney’s audio teachings (Right click link and left click “Save link as…” to download):

Introduction and Matthew 17.24-27: “Doth not your master pay tribute?” (13 min. 42 sec.)

Luke 20.25, Matthew 22.21, Mark 12.17: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God, the things which be God’s” (4 min. 47 sec.)

Romans 13: “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers” (24 min. 15 sec.)

I Peter 2.13: “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man….” (6 min. 6 sec.)

I Timothy 2.1-5: Pray for rulers (8 min. 6 sec.)