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Lesson 7

S is for Separation of Church and State.

Baptists have been the object of much persecution by Roman Catholic, pagans, and protestants alike. Because of these, and because of the believe of Individual Soul Liberty – along with many other biblical reasons, Historic Baptists hold that a secular state should not be in control (in anyway) of the church, nor should one sect of Christianity (even if that sect were Baptist) control and mandate the laws and morality of the subjects of a state (AKA a nation). This is not separation of God and state, it is separation of church and state.

For better or (often) worse, the state has influence over the church, and the church should have great impact over the state. The true born-again people, that belong to a church should be raising the standards around them. They should be the best parents, the best bosses, the best teachers, the most holy moral people in a nation, and this type of lifestyle should rub off on the people around them whether Christian or not. A great example of this is the early days of the founding of America. Great mean like Shuble sterns, Obadia Homes, Issac Backus, Roger Williams, John Clark, and many more like them had a great deal of influence on deists of their day. Unfortunately, the world around us has been growing tis influence over churches today. Look at the music, the dress, the attitude toward war etc.

This is not the argument of Baptist. The argument is that there are to be two wholly separate entities. They one should never control the other. When a state controls the church has lost her true head, Jesus Christ. When a church controls the state, you lose individual soul liberty. Heresy (disagreeing with the standing order) becomes a death sentence. The local church is an autonomous group of born-again believers who – largely solve their own problems and don’t need a governing state to make laws. If the laws the State makes are biblical laws, they should not need to worry about members of the church not obeying them, since they would be anyway. The state is to govern the Lawless and the Christian is to govern himself in Christ through the local church.

1 Corinthians 11:1-3

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Ephesians 5:21-23 & 30-32 KJV

²¹ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

²² Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

………………..

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Paul shows us here and other places that Christ is the head of the church, not a kind, not a president, not a governor. We are to submit to Christ in a similar manor as wives are to obey their own husbands – I know not popular but biblical. This means that are first loyalty should be to Christ. If a person tries to usurp Christ authority over his bride, we are to not allow that. Today, many have gone a whoring after the god of this world – the “all-powerful” government to give them their marching orders. Churches are shutting down because a wicked governor tells them too, or they are letting LGTBQ propaganda in because it is public policy. Many churches are afraid to speak out against the true evils of the governments around us because their coffers are being filled – either directly or indirectly – by a tyrannical state.

Matthew 22:20-22 KJV

And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

They say unto him, Caesar’s. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.

When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

Most people only get part of what Jesus said here. They see render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, but they stop there. Jesus is saying that temporal things like money may belong to an earthly power who has set himself up, but all power belongs to God. He makes a distinction between money and souls. He is saying there are two opposing sides. He recognizes a separation between the State and the people of God. We must render unto God everything – everything is his.

S.T.
Acts 20:24
"But none of these things move me..."