Role Of Church and Government - Basics

Let's go back to the basics of understanding the roles government and Christian churches have.

First and foremost, God is supreme. All authority for government comes from God (see John 19:10,11). More than that, all governments come from God (Romans 13:1). Whether we think they are good, bad or evil... all governments are given to us by God and thus should be obeyed when not in conflict with obeying God.

But, government and Christian churches each have a legitimate jurisdiction. Matthew 22:21 makes this clear, we are to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's. But we are also to give to God the things that are God's. Each has it's area of authority and responsibility (2 Chron 19:11 & 26:16-21)

What is the legitimate jurisdiction of government?

There are three areas:

1. Provide justice
2. Provide order.
3. Provide freedom - this means to protect people from interference with their free exercise of their legitimate rights, such as property rights.

What are the legitimate ares of jurisdiction for the Christian church?

1. Defend and spread the gospel
2. Provide for those in need (welfare / healthcare)
3. Education

We'll take a more detailed look at government's role tomorrow.

Other posts about this subject (also see menu to the left):
Government and Global Warming
Your Responsibility vs. Government's Responsibility
Fixing The Problem - Government

---