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| Separate God and Government? #73 Part II of III by Joseph Prescia In Part I we looked at some byproducts of idolatry: Socialism, Darwinism, Communism, religion and politics, all allowing man to be his own god. One cannot insist on keeping God out of government and still expect its citizens to live a moral life. The laws enacted from the hearts of government officials will be the result of what they hold as dear to them. Their lifetime of learning will manifest itself in how they govern. Since you cannot separate a person’s heart from their actions, why then would you insist on keeping God out of government and still expect a morally sound system? It’s impossible. True morality comes from God’s Word, not from man. The Bible says, "Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV). When you throw God out of government and out the classrooms you are automatically promoting immorality stemming from unsound doctrine. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths (an invention or falsehood). (NIV) Men concoct the myths and enslave themselves within their own doctrine. God inspired His Holy Scriptures to bring deliverance to man from slavery. And yet the very thing that can bring freedom and heal lives is often rejected. “It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom.” Horace Greeley When the children of Israel left the slavery of Egypt, they were required to trust God to meet their need in the desert. They had the freedom to choose outside of Egypt. Yet, at times, they refused to allow God to help them. They preferred to return to Egypt and let its government decide and provide for them. Government was their god. When a society has removed itself so far from God it is very hard for that society to see what they are missing spiritually. One can get so comfortable with slavery to man’s ideas stemming from fear, arrogance, and complaining, that the introduction of light, God’s Word, can be repulsive to that darkness. “Your home is where your heart is” (Author unknown). If you insist on feeding your mind on a diet of CNN, FOX, world problems, political envy and strife, then you will speak what's in your heart. You cannot do otherwise. The heart is where you store the things that you allow into the mind. So the key is to feed your mind with the right diet. If you choose to feed your mind on a diet rich in Scripture, which includes the love of God, the wisdom of God, trusting God, and hope in Christ, then your words will be salted with godly truth rather than worldly lusts. And the worldly news of today is loaded with worldly lusts. Lust can never satisfy a person’s soul. But the love of God and His Word can (Jeremiah 2:13). We will continue this subject in Part III. |
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