“WE HAVE NO KING BUT CAESAR!”
Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, WE HAVE NO KING BUT CAESAR. — John 19:15
How true, the teaching of Jesus is that no man can serve two masters. Strange that this pro—Jehovah, REGARDING PAYING TAXES TO CAESAR, religious outfit would say such a thing to a government that was much worse than anything that we have in America. Stranger than that is the fact that professing Christians, today, would permit, yea even invite by conscious legal decision, the enthronement of Caesar, as king, to be the second head of their “STATE” churches. Where have all of the “Christ is the only Head of the local church” brethren ran and hid?
If Caesar says, “Do not endorse any political candidates,” incorporated churches must say, “We have no king but Caesar!” If Caesar says, “Your Christian school must have licenses and permits to exist,” incorporated churches must say, “We have no king but Caesar!” If Caesar says, “You must become my tax-collector (Publican) and withhold taxes from your employees’ (who are really ministers) salaries (which are really love gifts and NOT “FOR SERVICES RENDERED” SALARIES). Incorporated churches must say, “We have no king but Caesar!” (We understand that some churches are even handing evangelists W-2 forms.) If Caesar says, “You must fill out these government forms”; incorporated churches must say, “We have no king but Caesar!” If Caesar says, “You must bankrupt your church by getting an expensive sprinkler system, fire wall, or by getting rid of the asbestos in your building to our satisfaction and specifications,” incorporated churches must say, “We have no king but Caesar!” If Caesar says, “Your school must meet government public policy or racial quotas or permit interracial dating,” incorporated churches with schools, must say, “We have no king but Caesar!” If Caesar says, “You must refrain from statements and activities directed against abortion,” incorporated churches must say, “We have no king but Caesar!” If Caesar says, “The trustees are the heads of your church—NOT PASTORS,” incorporated churches must say, “We have no king but Caesar!” If Caesar says, “You must keep records and must give them to us, when we ask for them,” incorporated churches must say, “We have no king but Caesar!”
Of course, an incorporated church could break the law and deviate from “public policy.” Yet that would squash their excuses and arguments against non-incorporated churches with the demand that they should obey the law and “render to Caesar.” The only problem with rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s is that certain things do not belong to Caesar, except churches give them to him. They BELONG TO GOD!
If Caesar says, “You must bow down to that idol or be thrown into the fiery furnace,” what will incorporated churches say? “We have no king but Caesar.” If Caesar tells them that you cannot pray on penalty of being thrown into the lion’s den, what will incorporated churches say? “We have no king but Caesar?” If Caesar says, “All you parents must kill your male children,” what will incorporated churches say? “We have no king but Caesar?” If Caesar asks you to repudiate your brethren, who will not incorporate, they, no doubt, will say, “We have no king but Caesar,” like good little “high priests.”
Incidently, why are they incorporated in the first place? Is it because of the fear of losing what they have, or is it because of what they can get from Caesar? Or is it that you want to escape legal responsibilities in the event of a lawsuit. Some spiritual motives! Is God still God? Does what is right matter? At all? We really don’t hear any answers . . . do we? But, if Caesar is not my king, it will destroy my ministry. You are probably right, here. John Bunyan’s ministry was destroyed. Things have not changed, have they?
— by Herb Evans
Luke 23:2 [The Jews had arrested Jesus] “and they began to accuse him, saying, we found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.”
Acts 17:7 [They had apprehended some of His church and charged them] “these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another King, one Jesus.”