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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.

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Jerald Finney
Copyright © January 14, 2025

This lesson will serve as a conclusion to New Testament Church Bible studies and also as a bridge to the next series of lessons on what God’s word has to say about God’s desired relationship between church and state.

Jesus, God the Son, summed it up when he said to those who were trying to “entangle him in his talk: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” The church belongs to God alone and is not to be mixed with what God has given to Caesar (human government); in other words, church and state, not God and state, are to be separate; they each have their own God-given jurisdiction. (See, Matthew 15:15-22 for the whole context of this encounter of our Lord with the disciples of the Pharisees. This is copied in the featured picture above).

To fully understand God’s prescribed relationship between church and state, the believer must understand what God says about church government and organization, what he says about individual, family, and civil or human government ( See, Bible Doctrine of Government), and finally what he says about his desired relationship between church and state (See, Bible Doctrine Concerning the Relationship between Church and State). These lessons are geared for a full understanding of church organization and the relationship of church and state according to God’s Word.

New Testament churches are God’s. God, in his word has given them extensive instructions on how he wishes them to organize and conduct themselves. He is to be their first and only love. His love for the church which he builds is the greatest love the world has ever seen. He gave himself for the church (Ephesians 5:25). He shed his own blood for it (Acts 20.28). He is jealous over it and wishes it to be presented to him as a chaste virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2).

Sadly, most churches in America today have left their first love. They work, as did the church at Ephesus, and their good works, not Christ, have become their purpose (See Revelation 2:1-7). As a result, Christ admonishes them: “Remember from whence they art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Christ was saying that the church at Ephesus (one of the seven candlesticks or churches among which he walked) would no longer have Christ in its midst, no matter their verbal proclamations concerning him. Very likely Christ has already removed the candlestick of many American churches and Christ is no longer walking in their midst. Furthermore, they do not hear his plea, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20).

The New Testament prophecies concerning church apostasy have been at work in America since the founding of this  nation. In America, true colonial and early national history reveals that Baptist churches paid a price for standing against union of church and state. They stood strongly, against all worldly odds, as did their spiritual forefathers since the time God ordained the New Testament church. Some of them incorporated, under the leadership of traitors such as Hezekiah Smith in Massachusetts, but many stood firm.

After the ratification of the United States Constitution and the First Amendment, most of the state constitutions provided for religious freedom and soul liberty, but all still offered incorporation for those churches who desired it. (Note. In 1833, Massachusetts became the last state to do away with forced establishment  (incorporation or union of church and state)).  Many chose the latter. They become spiritual whores. They betrayed their first love. Once one takes a step away from their espoused, they will continue to take additional steps toward apostasy, except they repent.

For a brief overview of Bible teaching and prophesy concerning church apostasy, see, Heresy and Apostasy. For the true, as opposed to the Christian revisionist, history of religious and soul liberty as expressed in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, see An Abridged History of the First Amendment. see, for more detailed studies: (1) Religious Liberty in America; (2) God Betrayed: Separation of Church and State: The Biblical Principles and the American Application; (3) The Trail of Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus: Christian Revisionism on Trial.

The pillars and ground of the truth have been destroyed. Like the Pharisees spoken of in Matthew 22:15-22, when someone presents the truth about church organization and God’s desired relationship between church and state to the average corporate 501(c)(3) or 508(c)(1)(A) pastor and believer, they leave and go their way.