Gary responds to a meme he saw on Facebook about Christians being more concerned with the Constitution than the Sermon on the Mount.
At first, Christianity was perceived as a threat solely to the Jewish leadership. In time, however, Christianity became a threat to Rome because of the implications of the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ: “‘These men who have upset the world have come here also;. . . and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus’” (Acts 17:6–7). You cannot serve two masters. If Jesus is indeed Lord and King (Rev. 19:16), then even Caesar would have to bow before Him (Phil. 2:9–11; cf. Matt. 2:1–18). The Emperors saw the consistency in this view.
As citizens of the United States, we do not live under Caesar! This may come as a shock to Christians; but it’s true. In principle, we are to render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar only when we define our “Caesar.” We live under the Constitution of the United States at the Federal level in which we have multiple freedoms, including the right, according the First Amendment, “to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution informs us that “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.”
We are also under the constitutional jurisdiction of the state where we live. There may be additional laws at the county, borough, city, or parish level. These are our “Caesars.” As citizens, we can vote, express our political opinions, start political parties, support political candidates, campaign and lobby for the enactment of legislation, freedoms that did not exist in first-century Jerusalem or anywhere else in the Roman Empire.
Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths
Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths takes a closer look at God's Word and applies it to erroneous misinterpretations of the Bible that have resulted in a virtual shut-down of the church's full-orbed mission in the world (Acts 20:27). Due to these mistaken interpretations and applications of popular Bible texts to contemporary issues, the Christian faith is being thrown out and trampled under foot by men (Matt. 5:13).
Buy NowGary responds to a meme he saw on Facebook about Christians being more concerned with the Constitution than the Sermon on the Mount. While the sentiment is understood, the practicality of it is being missed by this meme. Christians in the United States live under the Constitution just as Paul lived under Caesar. It’s both and, not one or the other.