Church and state [Trinity 6; St. Matthew 5:20-26]

Who speaks to you all today saying,

“Come to terms quicklywith your accuser while you are going with him to court…”

Jesus today is talking about civil court and civil authorities. Come to terms quickly with your accuser in order that you not end up in prison for ever. St. Paul puts it this way, you should prefer to be wronged and defrauded (1 Cor. 6:7) rather than let anger and strife escalate among you.

Yes, Jesus and St. Paul are talking about affairs in the Church, among the believers, but the same should go for everyone else you interact with as well, regardless of their beliefs. This is explained by the doctrine of the separation of Church and state, which was a church idea, not an American one.

There is no Old Testament Israel anymore. That disappeared when Rome destroyed the Temple for the last time in the first century A.D.  There is no blessed nation that loves the Lord. There is no blessed nation that blesses the Lord’s people. The U.S.A. has never been or will ever be, one nation under God, in the way that the Bible talks about it.

Although the Mormons say differently, there is no Temple in America. Though the Mohammedeans desire it, there is no Mecca here. No matter how much the government wishes it, there is no divine call to worship government officials.

Let’s face it, Israel didn’t want a theocracy. They didn’t want it so much, that they preferred exile in Babylon and Roman rule rather than keep God’s laws. The USA does not want that either. Though the USA founding fathers had some shred of religion, they never demanded worship, they demanded freedom.

They fought because they believed that liberty and rights come from a creator, rather than a ruler, which no other country has ever affirmed or done. The USA, from its conception, was purposefully intended to afford its citizens freedom. Again, which no other country has ever done.

But what have we done with our own country? Are you still free? Do you live in a free society when the gov’t listens to your phone calls? Are you free when you need fishing, gun, and driver’s licenses? Are you free when your beer brewed at home can not be sold and the amount able to be brewed is restricted?

Are you free when you are limited to 6 withdrawls from your savings account per month? Are you free when you can be put on a no-fly list without due process? Are you free when you are forced to spend more on taxes than you do on food, clothing, and housing combined? 

The USA has also become a country that hates God’s Word and His churches. Its flag has become a symbol of all these things. Most of us are oblivious to the extent of government encroachment in our lives and yet, with over 1,000 TV channels on your television, you think you are free.

The state is a world of laws. There is no mercy under the government’s rules. You can feign allegiance, but as soon as you fail to bow down at the proper time or fail some federal litmus test, you will be outed.

Repent. The state is not fit to rule, much less is it fit to extend the kingdom of God. Our trust can not be in princes, they are but mortal, prone to sin the same as you. Your government is more than happy to take responsibility from off your shoulders.

Caring for the poor, caring for your children, holding all the guns, hoarding all the money, dragging you to court. Your brother deserves more than that and Jesus says as much. Not only does Jesus command it, but He also shows you how to do it.

Jesus becomes the criminal for you. Jesus is wronged and defrauded. He took the form of a slave to save everyone from sin, death, and the devil. He exercised none of His divine freedom to make His life easier or His suffering bearable.

Yet, this criminal action is what saves you. Your civil action saves you for a moment, but not without great cost to you. Jesus acts in a way that affects eternity, in that now that He has passed from death to life, He baptizes you into His accomplishments.

In the grace of Christ, the Christian is not only free from sin, death, and the devil but any and all earthly powers. There is no obligation or hold that anything on earth has on you. And yet, in the gospel heard today, Jesus tells you just the opposite. You are to appease civil authorities for the sake of your brother’s conscience.

You who are strong in the faith are not to despise the weak. You are to stake your reputation and life on the fact that Christ also died for your neighbor, even if he is dragging you to court. Has not our Lord suffered similarly? And you, a student, is not above his Master.

In the face of this, the Christian offers only what Christ offers: mercy. Even though we will be dragged before kings and councils. Even though the Name of Christ is blasphemed, we work towards the mercy and dignity afforded to everyone in the cross of Christ.

The difference between church and state comes down to mercy. You can not legislate anyone into belief anymore than you can legislate law-breakers to obey the law. The government has no business making laws concerning religion, unless of course, it wants to start its own. The Church has no business creating the kingdom of God on earth through elections and lobbying. Although you are a responsible citizen and a participant in this republic, this is not what Christ died for and it is absolutely not what He lives for.

What Jesus lived and died for, indeed, what He intended even before the foundation of the cosmos, was a created people free from all shackles. Christianity, from its inception at the beginning of all things, was intended to save through the promise of the coming Messiah. No other religion was created this way, much less has offered such free and wonderful freedom.

In light of God’s unlimited atonement, the state has nothing to offer you. In the revelation of the Lord unconditional election in Christ, laws and elections matter little. Your present suffering under republicans and democrats, war and taxes, is nothing compared to the glory that awaits you.

You are free. Though you live in both the Church and the state, you are free. Though you are still subject to your neighbor and the laws of the land, the Son has set you free. His declaration of your dependence upon Him is absolute. But His declaration is not over 1,000 pages of “who knows whats in it till we pass it”.

It is the simple proclamation that baptism now saves you. It is the easy on the ears, “faith comes by hearing”. It is the easy to swallow, “given and shed for you”. No extortion. No slight of hand. No double meanings and only one election. In the world you will have trouble, but takes heart, Christ has overcome the world.