The Scriptures present at least two principles regarding the issue of the Church and the State. The first is expressed by Paul in the passage above.

Obedience and disobedience to the State are both scriptural principles. There is no conflict between them, rightly understood and practiced. The command to obey the State is a general principle, not an absolutely universal dictum. There are times when the believer may, with God's blessing, disobey the government. The three Hebrew men refused to obey Nebuchadnezzar and bow to his idol, an act which would be in direct disobedience to the first two of the Ten Commandments. Daniel continued his customary praying three times in the day, in spite of the decree of the king. Peter and John continued to preach Christ crucified in spite of the Sanhedrin's order to cease and desist.

The problem is defining at what point the State has gone beyond its legitimate bounds in demanding obedience. Can the government tax our church properties? Can it dictate curriculum in our schools? Can it demand that our churches meet building and fire codes imposed on all buildings used for public assemblies? Can the State require that our Christian school buildings conform to fire codes? Are we free to refuse to register our buses or have them state-inspected? Where is the line to be biblically drawn?

There is an over-riding principle in the matter of disobedience to the State. That principle strictly involves matters of religious liberty. Each case of biblical disobedience to the State noted above involved matters of religious liberty: the infringement on the believer's divinely-given right to believe and practice his religious convictions.

If this principle is valid and true to the Scriptures, then the individual Christian and the churches which are collective bodies of Christians are not absolutely free from obedience to the State. The believer must pay his taxes. He must obey traffic laws. In his business, he must play by the rules established by the government. If he builds houses, those houses must conform to building codes. If he drives a car, it must be licensed and he also must be licensed to drive on public roads. He must pay federal and state taxes on gasoline. He must register for the draft. None of these is a religious matter and the Christian has no right from God to disobey these and all similar laws and regulations. To resist these legitimate functions of the State is to resist the powers ordained of God, and thereby to resist God.

What then of the churches? Our liberty as churches from the imposed rule of the government is limited likewise solely to religious matters. We do not have the right under God to refuse a routine fire inspection. We cannot refuse to license our church buses and vans, nor can we refuse state safety inspections of our vehicles. We have no excuse for failing to get occupancy permits for our churches. This is not a matter of religious liberty. Any other kind of meeting hall--whether built by a lodge, the VFW or a labor union—would have to conform to the same regulations. And should the states impose property taxes on our church properties, I can see no biblical principle by which we could refuse to pay them. It is only when the government infringes on our right to teach as we under God see fit (for example, by banning personal evangelism in public places)--then, and only then, do we have the God-given right and solemn duty to disobey.

By failing to clearly distinguish these principles and to understand where our obligation to obey the State stops and where our obligation to obey God rather than man begins, many a Christian and many a church has stirred up unnecessary conflict with the civil authorities, conflict which is not pleasing to God.

We fail to see that, on the whole, the State is a friend of the churches. We are protected from crime and vandalism by government-provided police. We are protected from fire by the government-provided fire department. A fire inspection may reveal a fire hazard and thereby prevent a costly fire and potential lawsuits, should a child be injured or killed. State vehicle inspection of buses may prevent a fatal crash from faulty brakes or a worn tire. The government is not our adversary in these things. It is a co-laborer with us for the good of mankind.

"AS I SEE IT" Volume 2, Number 3, March, 1999

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["As I See It" is a monthly electronic magazine compiled and edited by Doug Kutilek. Its purpose is to address important issues of the day and to draw attention to worthwhile Christian and other literature in order to aid believers in Jesus Christ, especially pastors, missionaries and Bible college and seminary students to more effectively study and teach the Word of God. The editor's perspective is that of an independent Baptist of fundamentalist theological persuasion.

All articles are by the editor (unless otherwise noted) and may be reproduced for distribution, provided the following conditions are met:

1. articles must be reproduced in unedited, unabridged form
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