Render Unto Caesar . . .

This article is directed to Christians. In Romans 13, Paul gives instruction to the church at Rome to, "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers . . . " Many have taken the first 7 verses of Romans 13, and the lesson of paying taxes that Christ taught in St. Mark 12:17, to mean that Christians have no part to play in the arena of politics. For at least the last century, Christians have increasingly retreated into the tiny sphere of religion and let the rest of the world go to hell. To the judgment of the Church and the damnation of countless souls. So let's look at what Romans 13 and St. Mark 12 actually have to say. Romans 13 is the classic model for Christian laziness in politics, mainly because it explicitly states that, "every soul is to be subject to the higher powers." But who are those "higher powers"? If it were a king/monarch, then their argument would doubtless be correct. But this view makes men the final arbiter of what is right and wrong instead of God's written Word. And to say that the Bible, God's mind on paper, is secondary to man is dangerous at best. However, if you confront someone with this argument, he will say that he is doing God's will. But where do we draw the line to determine when we should say with Peter and John, "We should obey God rather than men," and when we should be submissive to the government? As Chuck Baldwin points out in his article Romans 13 Revisited, in Medieval times, the king had the right to sleep with a new bride on the night of her wedding because of "The Law of First Night," or Jus Primae Nocta. Would any sane, Christian man who loves his wife as Christ loved the Church submit to this tyranny without so much as a whimper simply because the government said so?? If he loves his wife as Christ loved the Church, then no. However, too many men are too spineless or too unstable in and too uninformed about their beliefs to know they both should and must resist. In Romans 13, Christ gives the Church the responsibility to make sure that Godly rulers are always in power. Therefore, this is how we, as Christians, know what is right and what is wrong, where to draw the line in submissiveness versus resistance, and how to be informed in what we do. That is why this article is directed at Christians. It is as unthinkable to put an unsaved man in power as it is to believe an unsaved man will want to go to church. Both run contrary to every fiber of his being. However, when the righteous are in power, the people rejoice. So what about St. Mark chapter 12? Christ is being interrogated by the Pharisees and Herodians about the propriety of paying taxes, a burden to everyone. The expected answer was either "yes" or "no." In whatever answer He gave, He would somehow alienate some portion of His followers and discredit Himself. But Christ did not give a simple "yes" or "no." He said "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's." Now, we have some hermeneutical work to do. Is He telling us to submit to all things Caesar wants unless it goes against something God has specifically commanded? The answer is a resounding "NO!" In this passage, God gave responsibility to both the citizenry and to the government. He raised each to a level never previously attained, but, to whom much is given, much is required. The government now has the authority to make commandments and determine what things are to be rendered unto it, but the stipulation is all things must line up with the foreordained standards of Godliness that define God Himself. Things such as holiness, righteousness, justice, mercy --- these are all to be attributes of government as well as the principles that God has demanded of mankind. The simplest example is found in St. Matthew 22:40, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." And if a government does not do what it should --- align its goals and objectives with the Bible and God's will --- then God wants the citizens of a nation to ensure that a new government will do what is right and Godly. As Thomas Jefferson said in the Declaration of Independence, "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." In God's perfect formula, the people keep a check on the government, and the government keeps a check on the citizenry to ensure that God's will is done and Biblical principles are perpetuated throughout the generations of a nation. Both Romans 13 and Mark 12 deal with how the government rules. God wants men to live in freedom and live by Godly standards. Therefore, no one can ensure a nation is ruled in a Godly manner unless he himself is a Christian.