Separation of Church and State

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:3-4

The separation of church and state has caused much debate. Our founding fathers did not seek to rid religion in America. An overwhelming majority of those who signed the Declaration of Independence were men of faith. Nowhere in the Constitution do the words “separation of church and state” appear. The idea of church/state separation came from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s cause was to protect religious liberties from an intrusive government. In no way did Jefferson or any of the other authors of the U.S. Constitution seek to restrict Americans’ religious activities.

Why Separation From Government?:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Our Constitution guarantees the free observance of religion and prevents the government from ever establishing a state church. Thomas Jefferson called religious freedom “the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights.” Was Jefferson right? Is freedom of religion a divine right? Is it biblical?

We live in a democracy not a theocracy, state-sanctioned churches become puppets of the government. Under such circumstances, the laws of man take precedence over the inspired teachings of Scripture. When the state heads the church, the integrity of the gospel is too easily compromised. Under the Mosaic Law, Israel operated under a theocracy, the nation’s success or failure depended on their degree of obedience to God.

“Religious freedom” was not part of the Old Testament system, God ruled over Israel directly. Israel’s theocracy was not intended to be a government model for the rest of the world. Nations which have imposed a self-styled theocracy, such as medieval Spain, have produced totalitarian nightmares. The religious intolerance of the Inquisition was not a product of true theocracy; it was the result of power-hungry, sinful men.

Civil servants living on tax dollars are unfit for serving as pastors, their loyalties are divided between God who calls them and the other who feed them. This kind of compromise does not belong on the pulpit. Let the government build roads, and let Christ build His church.

In our scripture reading we have a clearer picture of the God-ordained role of government. The government’s responsibility is to punish evil deeds, reward good deeds, and render justice. God has given the government certain duties, but enforcing a particular system of worship is not one of them.

There is no conflict between biblical principles and the civic principle of religious freedom. The United States was founded on biblical principles that religious freedom exists. Only governments rooted in Judeo-Christian values allow such freedom. Nonsense being force-fed to the public is that men and women of faith have no business in politics. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were men of deep, unwavering Christian faith. Their writings, public statements, church involvement, and the testimony of their families reveal their lifelong commitment to Christianity. They were not alone in their faith; the majority of our nation’s founders were Christians.

Pakistan, India, and Tibet are intolerant of other religions. Atheistic governments, like the former Soviet Union, have also proved to be bias toward free religious expression.


The concept of the freedom of religion is biblical. God Himself extends a “freedom of religion” to people. Read Matthew 19:16-23, the rich young ruler comes to Jesus, after a brief conversation, the young man “went away sorrowful,” choosing not to follow Christ. The point here is that Jesus let him go, God does not “force” belief in Him. Faith is commanded but never forced.

Read Matthew 23:37, Jesus expresses His desire to gather the children of Jerusalem to Himself, but they “were not willing.” If God gives men the freedom to choose or to reject Him, then so should we.

The freedom of religion respects the image of God in man Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Part of God’s likeness is man’s volition (man’s has the ability to choose or our free will). God respects our choices in that He gives us freedom to make decisions regarding our future (Read Genesis 13:8-12; Joshua 24:15). Even if we make the wrong decisions, God allows us to choose, we should allow others to choose.

The freedom of religion acknowledges that it is the Holy Spirit who changes hearts, not the government. John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Only Jesus saves, to take away the freedom of religion is to empower human government, with its fallible rulers, to determine the eternal destiny of every soul.

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world, John 18:36 “Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” no one becomes a Christian by government intervention. We are made Christians by the grace of God through faith in Christ, Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.”

The freedom of religion acknowledges that, it’s not about religion; it’s about relationship. God does not desire an external form of worship but a personal relationship with His children, Matthew 15:7-8 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. No amount of government control can produce such a relationship.

The authors of the Constitution were God-fearing men making a sincere attempt to establish a new nation on biblical principles, including equity, justice, and liberty. One of the liberties they recognized as “inalienable and sacred” was the freedom of religion. Praise the Lord for such wisdom. Today we see our government falling away from what our forefathers set in place.