RELIGIOUS LIBERTY ORIGINS.

The Biblical Basis for the Separation of Church and State.

This report uses the studies of A.T. Jones.

His two books are: INDIVIDUALITY IN RELIGION and CHRISTIAN PATRIOTISM.

As I now have an opportunity to speak at some length about religious liberty, I will go back to the beginning and show from the Bible the origin of, and necessity for, religious liberty. I will explain each of the aspects in a way that can be understood by all. I will start by showing how the Lord originally intended for His Church on Earth to be totally separate from any and all states or governments. Then we will look at the four basic ways that the world tries to step over that boundary and force the conscience of men to do something contrary to the will and law of God.

EXODUS 33:14-16
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
NUMBERS 23:9
For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

So we see how God made Moses and the children of Israel to be His Church on Earth, "the church in the wilderness." And furthermore we see how God designed that his church would stand separate and apart from all worldly nations and governments. "God never intended that His people should be formed into a kingdom, or state, or government, like the people of this world; nor that they should in any way be connected with any kingdom, state or government. They were not to be like the nations or the people around them. They were to be separated unto God and not to be reckoned among the nations. Their gov't was to be a theocracy pure and simple-with God their only King, their only Ruler, their only Lawgiver."

"As we know, Israel did not continue to abide in faith. They did not remain loyal to God as their King. They followed after the gods of the people that lived around them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. Then all the evils that came upon them only as the result of their apostasy and idolatry, they charged back upon the gov't of God. They could only see what looked like to them that the gov't of God had failed. They came to the conclusion "that in order to maintain their standing among the nations, the tribes must be united under a strong central gov't. As they departed from obedience to God's law, they desired to be freed from the rule of their divine Sovereign; and thus the demand for a monarchy became widespread throughout Israel."-EGW.

Accordingly, they said to Samuel, (I SAMUEL 8:5) "...make us a king to judge us like all the nations." The Lord answered, (I SAMUEL 8:9) "...protest solemnly to them." Samuel did so but they still insisted: (I SAMUEL 8:19-20) "Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." And of it all the Lord said to Samuel, (I SAMUEL 8:7, 10:19) "They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them." And Samuel said unto them (10:19) "Ye have this day rejected your God," and "have said unto Him, Nay; but set a king over us."

"Therefore-As that people were then the church, and as the Lord said they rejected Him when they formed that State and kingdom, it is perfectly plain by the word of the Lord that whenever the church forms any connection with any State or kingdom on this Earth, in the very doing of it, she rejects God."
"Nothing can be plainer, than that the God of heaven, is eternally opposed to a union of religion and the State. He will never be a party to any such transaction."

We will now look at the ways that Satan, in the guise of worldly gov'ts, tries to force us to disobey God.

#1
Let's look first at DANIEL chapter 3. We all know this story about the three worthies on the plain of Dura that refused to bow down to king Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. "In His own providential purpose God had made all nations subject to the sway of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (JER. 27:1-13). In the form and system of gov't of Babylon the authority of the king was absolute. His word was the law. In this absolute sovereignty, king Nebuchadnezzar assumed that he was sovereign of the souls, as well as the bodies, of the religious life as well as the civil conduct of those who were subject to him. And since he was ruler of the nations, he would be ruler in and of the religion of the nations." So he made the great image we're all familiar with and commanded all the people to bow down to it at the specified times. Well, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not bow down and the rest is history. And it's good history we can take a lesson from. The young men were then thrown into the furnace to be executed for their refusal to bow down. The Lord saved them miraculously from all harm. In the plain sight of the king and all the people assembled there. Then king Nebuchadnezzar saw that they were being saved by one that "is like the Son of God" and he was completely converted, almost.
DANIEL 3:28-29
Then Neb-u-chad-nez'zar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Sha'drach, Me'shach, and A-bed'-ne-go, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worshp ny god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Sha'drach, Me'shach, and a-bed'-ne-go, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be make a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

Here then is the situation: The Lord had brought all nations into subjection to the king of Babylon. By messages of His own prophet He had commanded His people, the Jews, to "serve the king of Babylon." Yet these three had explicitly refused to serve the king of Babylon in this thing which he had personally and directly commanded them; and in this refusal the Lord Himself had most dramatically stood by them and delivered them. Therefore-it would be impossible to more plainly show that the Lord, in commanding the people to be subject to the king of Babylon and to serve him, had never commanded or intended that they should be subject to him or serve him in the realm of religion. By this unmistakable approval of the course of the three men, the Lord made perfectly plain to the king that his command in this matter was wrong: that he had demanded a service that he had no right to require: that in making him king of the nations, the Lord had not made him king in the religion of the people.

#2
The next example we want to look at is the next empire, Medo-Persia. It was a different type of gov't and there is a different lesson to be learned here. Babylon was not an absolute monarchy, but an autocracy-a one-man gov't, a one-man absolutism. The word of the king was law, and the law was changeable as the will and the word of the king might change. The king was the source of the law; his word was the law for all others; but as for himself there was no restriction of law. The Medo-Persia was an absolute monarchy also. There, also, the word of the king was the law: but with this all-important difference: that when once the word of the king had gone forth as the law, that law could not be changed nor reversed even by the king himself. The king himself was bound, even against himself, by his own word or decree that had once become law. This principle is called the supremacy of the law. We know the story related in DANIEL chapter 6. How the king's men tricked him into making a law (that could not be changed later) requiring everybody to not pray to any other God or man except Darius for 30 days; under penalty of death. Of course we know that Daniel went ahead as he always had and prayed to our God in heaven with the windows open and nothing to hide. He was reported to king Darius and eventually the king had to go with what the law said even though he didn't want to and even searched all day to try to find a way to get Daniel out of this obvious trap laid by his opponents. The opponents charged Daniel with having an open disregard of the imperial law. They urged that it was "not a question of religion, but of the law." So as we know, Daniel was finally thrown into the lion's den. And we also know that God saved him miraculously from that certain death. In the morning when the king came to the lion's den to hear the news,
DANIEL 6:20-22
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
And therein the demonstration is made perfect forever that the person who disregards any law that touches service to God is innocent before God, and also does "no hurt to the king, nor to the state, nor to any principle of law or gov't." The divine answer in this instance is that nothing pertaining to religion can ever of right have any place in the law. "And when religion or religious observance or prohibition is fixed in the law, even though the law be as supreme and inflexible as that of the Medes and Persians, the divine right and perfect liberty of individuality in religion then extends to that law, and such a law is simply no law."

"These two examples cover every phase of earthly gov't as such: and make plain the vital truth that religion, with its rites and observances, is totally excluded, and is to be totally exempt, from the cognizance of earthly gov't in whatever phase or form: that religion, with all that is incident to it, pertains to the individual alone in his personal relations to God.

"But there is another means by which man has sought to dominate man in the realm of religion, that is by means of the church through the state."

#3
This brings us to the story of Jesus and the Roman Empire and how the Jews (the church) used the state to accomplish their own ends. We all know what happened: the pharisees wanted to put Christ to death but couldn't do it themselves so they formed an alliance with Rome (whom they hated) to carry out their plans. "The means by which they crossed the gulf to Rome and ensured the secular power, was to pool issues with the Romans. The Romans, were only less opposed to Jesus than were the pharisees, and ready for the alliance. By this alliance the political party would be at one with the pharisees, and the political influence and power of that party would then be at the command of the church leaders. This would make sure to them the use of the soldiery, which they must have if they would be really secure in their open movements against Jesus. The alliance was entered into, and the conspiracy was formed:
MARK 3:6
And the pharisees went forth and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Thus the mightiest crime and the loudest crying sin in all the history of the universe was committed, and was made possible only by the union of church and state-only by the church in control of the civil power, using that power to make effective her wicked purpose." So that incident alone should be enough to show that the union of church and state is a terrible thing. And that was what happened the very first time a union of church and state occurred. As we see, it leads straight to the murder of God/Jesus. Ellen White has said: "secular power has proved a satanic gift to the church."
#4
This brings us to the fourth and final example of how the dark forces seek the domination of man in religion: this is the church itself, within itself-the church as it relates to it's own membership. As for this section, events are still unfolding today. This has last-day-events applications written all over it. As we have learned, two things can be expected:
So this section will give you something to think about in the coming days and weeks. I'm not ready to draw any conclusions about modern times yet, but there's some really interesting implications here. So, here's the story found in ACTS chapter 4&5.
The official council of the church-the Sanhedrim-was in idea and form descended from the 70 elders appointed by the Lord through Moses in the wilderness. Thus in the days of Christ on Earth, the whole order of israel was "the church", descended straight from the "church in the wilderness." And the apostles of the Lord and the original disciples of Jesus were all, without exception, members of that church.
ACTS 2:46-47&3:1
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
We see that the approval of God was on them. Well, we also know what eventually happened. The apostles went about preaching and teaching Jesus Christ and the resurrection, and salvation through Him only. The church assumed the right to decide that those private church members could not preach this truth. So they arrested Peter and John and put them in prison. The next morning, they were hauled before the official organization of the church-the rulers, the 70 elders, the scribes, the priests, and the high priest. The long and short of it is they ended up letting Peter and John go with the threat to not preach this truth anymore. So Peter and John went back and told the others what had happened, and they all thanked and praised God.
ACTS 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake the word of God with boldness.
Here God witnessed to their steadfastness. This is the first sign in this incident to show us which side God is on. The next thing to happen was that all the apostles were arrested and dumped in prison. (See ACTS 5:19-21) As we see, it's another miracle to show us God's will in this matter. As we know, they were re-arrested and then flogged and released with the same threats to not preach Jesus Christ anymore. And once again they were not sad, but glad to be counted worthy to suffer stripes and any other disgrace from the official organization of the church for teaching what they saw and knew to be the truth. Does this have last-day applications for us?
"By this unquestionable Scripture account it is demonstrated that no church assembly or council has any authority or right to command or call into question any man even of the church's own membership concerning what he can preach or teach. As relates to faith, the church has no divine instruction and therefore no right of procedure." (See HEBREWS 12:2)
So there we have it. Five examples straight out of the Bible showing us exactly how God has directly opposed and exposed every attempt by man to dominate man in religious expression. This was divinely shown to be absolutely wrong; while in each case the right of individuality in religion was divinely demonstrated to be eternally right. And so it is forever.
ACTS 5:29
...We ought to obey God rather than men.
Amen.
 
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