God has established three institutions within human society: the family, the state, and the church. Each institution has a sphere of authority delegated to them by God, with jurisdictional limits that must be respected. Parental authority is limited to one’s own family. Church leaders’ authority is limited to their local church. The state is specifically tasked with the oversight and protection of civic peace and well-being within the boundaries of a nation or community, for the purpose of rewarding good and punishing evil, and to protect the God-given rights granted to all people. God has not granted authority to civic rulers over the doctrine, practice, or polity of the church. The biblical framework limits the authority of each institution to its specific jurisdiction. Neither the church nor the state has the right to exercise unlawful authority in the affairs of individual families and ignore parental authority. When any one of the three institutions exceed the bounds of its jurisdiction, it is the duty of the other institutions to call them back into their God-appointed boundaries. As the church, it is our responsibility to be a prophetic voice to both the family and the state as stewards of God’s word.
(1 Peter 2:9-3:7, Romans 13:1-7, Ephesians 5:22-6:4, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Hebrews 13:17, 3 John 1:9-10, Luke 3:18-20, Acts 5:27-29, 16:35-40)
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ belongs to Him at the cost of His life and is accountable to Him alone in all matters of faith and practice. We believe that Christ’s command to give to Caesar (i.e. the civil authority) what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God establishes the functional independence of the Church from the State. Since civil government has been ordained by God, it is the duty of Christians to render obedience in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to civil authority to carry on its work, since it uses God’s appointed means alone for the pursuit of the Great Commission. We should pray for all those who are in authority, so that under their rule we may live a quiet and peaceful life, godly and dignified in every way. Christians may lawfully accept and carry out the duties of public office when called on to do so.
(Colossians 1:18, Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17, Titus 3:1-2, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Daniel 3:16-18, 6:10-13; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, John 18:33-37)