In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. As man spread to cover the face of the earth, particularly after Noah and the flood, he asked God to choose kings to rule over him. Though this was not God’s desire, He allowed His people to have kings.
As the line of kings developed over hundreds of years, the pattern of rule was rather simple. Those kings who trusted and followed God’s direction were successful and prosperous in their reign and their subjects were blessed. Those kings who refused to obey eventually led their kingdom and subjects to ruin: this many times as a result of being defeated by some other dynasty.
The lesson of kings is not intended or reserved solely for royalty. Throughout the ages, anytime that man has trusted and looked to the Creator of heaven and earth for his strength and direction, he has never been disappointed in his expectation. By the words of Scripture itself, such a man has been blessed and prospered in whatsoever he has done. A lonely cobbler has no less reason to trust in God than he who instruments a fighter jet over hostile territory or he who has the rule over hundreds of thousands. The success of each is assured by their reliance on God.
The separation of Church and State is in marked opposition to these truths that have been proven and stood for thousands of years. There are some who quote the Scriptures in an attempt to validate the separation of Church and State as a Biblical concept. At one point Jesus declared,
Matthew 22:21
“…Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.”
To say that this is a justification for the separation of Church and State is to blindly ignore the clear record of God’s direction in the rule of nations for centuries. This statement of the Lord was the response to evil men who were attempting to catch him by his words. To say that this response is a precedence to restrict God’s opinion to matters not related to the rule of countries is ludicrous! It is only the arrogance of man that would make a statement such as, “Yes God, I would like your opinion on where our new Church should be but when it comes to the question of whether or not we should send thousands of young men to war – well, we can figure that out ourselves.” To even entertain the thought is to mock He who made the mind of man.
I believe Ben Franklin said it best,
“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labour in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel:”
(Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional Convention, June 28, 1787.)