We are living in perilous times. Many Christians are trying to determine what their role should be in the arena of civil unrest. Jesus commands us to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. Peter says honor the king and the king he was referring to was the Caesar, Nero, who was a persecutor of the church. Paul tells us to submit to the governing authorities. Therefore, as a Christian, I must, in good conscience, answer the questions, “Who is my Caesar?” and “What is my obligation to the state and to its leaders?”
For me to address this issue involves the address of authority in general and my understanding of authority as to its relevance in the world and the church.
We must first note that God, as we know Him through creation and revelation, is absolutely sovereign. He and only He has the right to this absolute sovereignty because He is the Creator. Sin is a contravention of God’s authority. The first recorded words of our enemy to our first parents were, “Did God really say?” It is my understanding that Satan lost his heavenly position because he challenged God’s authority. It is, I believe, the audacity of arrogance that leads to such a challenge.
The history of mankind is a repetition of rebellion. As we know, the only way mankind could be reconciled to God was through the absolute obedience of the Son, obedience to death, even death on a cross. Because of His obedience, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name. Jesus, because He is God incarnate, because He is the Word and all things were created through Him, because He was victorious in life, in death, and ultimately through His resurrection can stand boldly before His disciples (specifically the eleven) and say, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” The undeniable weight and exclusivity of “all” is obvious.
From the previous comments, it is clear that I would be labeled an absolutist. Such a label would be accurate as I stand diametrically opposed to situationalism, especially in the realm of moral relativism. Truth, for me, is absolute and revealed. Since it is revealed by the Creator, it is all authoritative. The situatioanlist would have the situation or circumstances determine the belief or actions of himself or the group of which he is a part. Therefore, “truth” is determined by these circumstances and he assumes the authority to determine what is “true” or “right.” This assumption is both arrogant and rebellious. I must add, in areas of opinion, absolutists are sometimes situational. In certain matters, situationalists are absolutists.
Germane to latter references in this article is the concept of graded absolutism. For example, if there is a conflict between two absolutes, the duty to obey the higher one exempts one from the duty to the lower one. This becomes significant in examining delegated authority.
We have already noted that Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth. It is my belief that He delegates authority to those on earth. He gives authority to government officials over the state. This authority is limited, e.g. graded, in that if a government directs those under that authority to do something in violation of God’s authority, His higher authority usurps their lesser authority. Likewise, this delegated authority is limited in jurisdiction. For example, the State of Ohio has no authority over the residents of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, unless those residents are within the boundaries of Ohio.
The Lord delegated authority in the Church. He gave His apostles authority that He has not given to others. Fortunately, the Lord has given us a standard upon which to understand His directives. By this standard, we know that apostolic authority is found exclusively in apostolic doctrine. More generally stated, authority is found in the Scriptures.
The Lord has also given authority to leaders in the local body, the congregation. It is the responsibility of these leaders to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up. The authority of these leaders is limited both in jurisdiction and level. Their authority is to be founded upon the Word of God and is effected by the teaching and application of that Word. Since this authority is delegated, none have the right to extend it beyond its specified boundaries. This is true regardless of our interpretation of the circumstances. Should church leaders direct me to do something that is in contradiction to this standard, my obligation is to the standard rather than that leadership.
From a secular perspective, the Founding Fathers of this Nation, who, as a whole, were Godly men, had to wrestle with this matter of honoring the king who was in a position of delegated authority. Their appeal was to a higher authority. In the Declaration of Independence they noted that the rights of all men are unalienable. The Creator Himself was the source of these rights. Only the Creator had the authority to endow them and only the Creator has the authority to abrogate them. Their accurate assertion was that the king and the British government had usurped the authority of the Creator in the attempt to unlawfully subjugate them.
In their wisdom, and prayerfully seeking divine guidance, these men pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of liberty and appealed to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of their intentions. I believe the Creator gave them their victory over tyranny and gave us a Nation, one Nation under God.
Continuing to seek Divine guidance these men recognized the need for a government that would honor God and recognize the individual freedom of every citizen of the Nation. They knew that the government must subordinate itself to the people. Tyranny would be the product of any government that subjugated the people to its will.
They wrote on behalf of the people they served,
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
The Constitution they wrote not only had its foundation in, “We the people,” it specifically limited the authority of the government in several ways.
The Founders established a Constitutional Republic. We often hear our Nation referred to as a democracy. It was not established as such. The Founders knew that the power of the mob was controlled by the voice of the demagogue. A standard was necessary to guarantee that no citizen’s rights could be denied by the popular tide; that no situation could be justification for a usurpation of those rights. That standard was and is The Constitution of the United States. It is the supreme law of the land and all other laws are to be subordinate to it. All leaders, elected and appointed, are to honor and follow the Constitution without compromise. The only authority these leaders have is that which is delegated to them in this document.
The Founders established a Federal Republic. The concept of federalism is unknown to many citizens of the Nation but the Founders understood that limitation of a central government could be assured by a recognition of the authority of the individual states. The central, federal, government is to answer to the states and their representatives and not the converse of this. It is time for our individual and sovereign states to assert their authority to help assure that the rights of the citizens that live within their boundaries are not compromised.
The Founders added the Bill of Rights. Most Americans know that the first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. They may be familiar with the first and second amendments and perhaps parts of amendments three through Caesar eight.
What all Americans need to know is that the government does not grant us these rights. These rights precede and surpass even the Constitution. The Founders insisted that the declaration of these rights be included in the Constitution to protect the individual citizens and the states from an intrusive federal government. The Tenth Amendment specifically speaks to the limitation of that federal government.
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
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I might add that the abusive use of the Commerce Clause and supposed national crises to justify federal intrusion into state sovereignty is a violation of the word and intent of the Founding Fathers.
What is the significance of this rationale to me as a Christian citizen of this Nation?
I hold a duel citizenship. I am privileged to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God. The Creator of the universe is my sovereign. His will usurps that of all others. To Him I owe allegiance, obedience, and honor. His will is made known to me in His Word. No man-made directive should be obeyed at the expense of His Word. I must give to God the things that are God’s. To obey that which opposes Him and His Word is to be disobedient to Him.
I am also privileged to be a citizen of the United States, a Nation blessed by my God. I am to give to civil authority (Caesar) the things that belong to that civil authority. Considering that civil authority in our Nation rests in the standard of the United States Constitution, my loyalty and obedience belong to that Constitution and those leaders who honor it in word and actions. To obey those who oppose that Constitution is to be disobedient to the very standard upon which this Nation is built. It also dishonors the memory of those who gave so much to insure our liberty as citizens of this great Nation.
I never advocate doing wrong to accomplish right. The end does not justify the means. I cannot violate God’s law to facilitate a political goal, regardless of the correctness of that goal. I do advocate praying for our leaders and our Nation. And I do advocate doing anything within my power to oppose those that oppose the truth, to oppose those who would destroy our Nation and trample underfoot the Constitution, to oppose those who would promote a culture of death, to oppose those who call good, evil and evil, good, and to oppose those who would steal the legacy of my children and grandchildren.
As a Christian, it is my duty to give to Caesar by standing up for what is right.
David Berresford is a writer and motivational speaker who earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern New Mexico University with majors in history and religion and his Master of Educational Administration degree from Franciscan University of Steubenville. He completed additional studies at The University of Dayton, Indiana University of Continuing Studies, Kent State University, Youngstown State University, Kentucky Christian College, Eastern Christian College, and Ashland University.
In addition to being a public school teacher for seventeen years and an elementary school principal for ten years he has served throughout his life in various Christian ministries. He has also had the opportunity to present messages and seminars in several states and his first book, A Yellow Raincoat & Other Memories, A Journey to Hope, was released in June 2008. His Web site is ajourneytohope.net
