Free Churches and the Rule of Law

Jesus emphasized an aspect of His ministry and mission that has perhaps been lost on some of His followers,

Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not of this world. If my Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would fight, that I wouldn't be delivered to the Jews. But now my Kingdom is not from here." Pilate therefore said to him, "Are you a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this reason I have been born, and for this reason I have come into the world, that I should testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" - John 18

Jesus did not come to change the civil government by revolution, He came to change the spiritual government and the souls of all people who participate in the kingdoms of this world. He came to set us free from the bondage of sin, to show us the path to eternal life, and to demonstrate His power to save. He came as a witness to the truth, as God's Word made flesh, God with us, and He challenged His followers to hear His voice and obey His commands in life.

What's interesting is that He never challenged the rule of law. He challenged the rulers. He challenged the church leaders. He challenged the institutions. But He never challenged the law.

Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.
- Matthew 5

In fact, Jesus paid the temple tax (Matthew 17) and He advocated paying taxes to Rome (Matthew 22). He was an advocate for justice and the rule of law, but fought the rule of men who placed themselves over the law (Matthew 23).

So, when we consider the establishment of free churches, properly balanced in their relationship with the state it is important to recognize the role of the rule of law and that the establishment of the body of Christ is not intended to replace the civil governments of the world, but rather to complement their civil justice with spiritual freedom, their civil law with morality, their civil authority with a clear vision of God's will, and their "In God We Trust" with a full understanding of who that God is.

A recent post on Salt and Light, put it this way --

This nation was intentionally founded on the principle of the rule of law. The framers of the constitution had had too much experience in Europe and in the colonies of the governing rule of individuals or a particular group or one dominate religion. The rule of law was intended to provide a firm foundation for the then new idea of democracy. ....
To trust in God means just that. We trust in God by seeking to know how we may show to the world God’s compassion, kindness, peacefulness, and justice. We trust that whatever happens to us we are obligated, by our own choice, to seek first how to be God’s kingdom of love and justice in the present times.
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When Christians use the phrase “in God we trust” in the political realm, it needs to reflect their faith in a God who shapes history and is Lord of all nations. It means that they affirm that their faith and trust is in the one who has already overcome evil and darkness. It means that they affirm their willingness to seek first how to be God’s kingdom on earth that all peoples may know God’s compassion, peace, and justice.