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Sermon preached on Matthew 22:15-22 by Rev. W. Reid Hankins during the Morning Worship Service at Trinity Presbyterian Church (OPC) on 09/14/2025 in Petaluma, CA.
Sermon Manuscript
Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
I’ve seen some drastically different responses by Christians to the current U.S. President. Some think he is the best and glory days are here. Some think he is the worst and grave disaster is upon us. Others, don’t have strong convictions, either way. I am aware that such differences exist within our congregation, and I would like to commend our church members by how you love one another. You’ve not allowed politics to upset the unity that we have in Jesus. As a general rule, we try to keep politics out of the pulpit, and for reasons we’ll discuss today. But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a role for individual Christians to be involved in politics. Indeed, today’s message will help us to think about such matters of faith and politics. Jesus here says that we are to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s. This will encourage our thinking on this topic.
By way of introduction, let me note that giving to both Caesar and God are presented here as two separate duties. But, you don’t stop being a Christian as you give to Caesar. We especially give to Caesar because we are Christians. Our passage tells us that obeying Jesus includes rendering our proper duty to the civil government. Yet, we recognize with this passage that there is some proper distinction between our obligations to the Lord and our obligations to the state. This coin bore Caesar’s image and Jesus said that shows it belongs to Caesar. But we bear God’s image, and that says we belong to God. This fact is true even though humanity fell into sin and greatly marred that image. All creatures are wholly obligated to God. Yet, God instituted the state, and God says we have a certain obligation to the state too. These are not equal authorities, but we have obligations to both. We are right, then, to consider the relations of faith and politics.
So then, I would like us to first consider the biblical separation between church and state. Second, I’ll have us consider how Christians might be involved in the government. Third we’ll think of ways the church might properly interact with the government, and also limits to that interaction.
Let us begin then by considering the separation between church and state. Today’s passage, combined with others, teaches that the state and the church are two separate institutions. In John 18:36, Jesus said that his kingdom was not of this world, otherwise his servants would have fought to keep him from being arrested. That distinguishes Jesus’ spiritual kingdom from any geo-political nation. Jesus’ other-worldly kingdom is manifested in this world through the church, in which he dwells by the Spirit and reigns in all authority.
Elsewhere, we learn that the state is an institution ordained by God. Romans 13 tells us that God has given the governments of this world the sword to serve him in punishing evil conduct in society and to commend good conduct. 1 Tim. 2:2 says that the government, when doing its job correctly, will provide an environment where we can “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” This means that God ultimately rules over all the kingdoms of this world. As God taught King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, all earthly rulers should recognize that they serve at God’s pleasure. Yet, we recognize how God has patiently tolerated a large degree of rebellion by the rulers of this world, for the moment. One day, Jesus will return to usher in the fullness of his kingdom in the age to come. At that point, all earthly governments will come to an end. Until then, the state remains an institution created by God that we have obligations towards. In addition to taxes, Romans 13 says we also must show honor and godly submission to earthly rulers.
Let us note that civil government, by the very definition, involves politics. The word “politics” is rooted in the Greek word polis which means “city”. Politics is the approach to how a city or state is organized and governed. Politics will be informed by principles of morality and justice, in addition to other aspects, as it seeks to order society. The politics of a state will define its form of government, its laws, its procedures for administering justice, its handling of criminal versus civil matters, its complementary institutions (law enforcement, courts, etc.), and more.
While the state is a clearly defined institution, so is the church, with some major differences from the state. The church has a different form of government, with pastors, elders, deacons, and church councils and courts. Likewise, the church has different weapons. We do not use a physical sword to enforce the church’s authority. The power of the church is wholly spiritual and moral. We use the spiritual sword of God’s Word, along with prayer, and the other spiritual armor mentioned in Ephesians 6. To put it in the words of 2 Corinthians 10, even though we live a physical existence right now, the “weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.”
A particular power of the church is that the church has been given the keys of the kingdom, Matthew 16:19. As we faithfully conduct our ministry as summarized by the Great Commission, we are receiving people not only into church membership, but into Christ’s heavenly kingdom. In turn, we shut the entrance to the kingdom to all unbelievers. This further shows how the church is distinguished from any particular earthly kingdom, because the church brings people into Jesus’s kingdom which is not of this world. Yes, we as a congregation are located here in the United States and are in certain ways subject to the laws of this country and state and county and city. But we should especially think of ourselves as sort of an embassy of Jesus’ kingdom here on earth. As Paul says in Philippians 2:20, our citizenship is in heaven.
Let us turn next to our second point and understand how Christians might get involved in the affairs of the civil government. Here’s the premise. The separation of the church and state is not the same as saying the separation of Christians and the state. Christians, ordinarily, have membership in the church and citizenship in the state. This complies nicely with Jesus’ words in our passage that we have obligations both to God and the state. While the church needs caution to not exceed biblical limits by meddling in the jurisdiction of the state, we need to make sure we individually fulfill our civic duties that the Bible commands. I’ll point to several things.
One, let us appreciate the form of civil government we find ourselves in. We are not in a monarchy. If it were a true monarchy, then the king would be in charge and we would be his subjects and that might simplify our application. But our form of government is a democratic republic. In a monarchy, the king is the one who holds ultimate authority. In a democratic republic, ultimately the authority is held by the people, but exercised through elected representatives. Since passages like Romans 13 and Daniel 4 say authorities are accountable to God for their leadership, that means we collectively are accountable to God for the authority we wield as a democracy. That means, in a small way, we are all part of the governing authority. In that role, you are in service to God who appoints earthly rulers as his servants.
How that works in our form of government especially comes down to voting. I urge you to see that voting is an act of stewardship. Such stewardship will require preparation. We will each need to give due consideration to the offices and ballot measures that are up for a vote. Our Christian convictions formed from Scripture should inform our voting. That doesn’t mean every Christan will necessarily vote the same way. Generally, the Bible doesn’t say, “This is how you should vote on this specific political issue.” But the Bible has much to say about matters of morality, wisdom, righteousness, justice, mercy, and more that can help you think about how to vote. The point is that we don’t leave our faith at home when we go to the ballot booth.
In addition to voting, Christian should use the grace of prayer in their participation in the political process. Pray for wisdom in voting, for yourself, and for all the citizens. Pray for our government to be well ordered and rightly serving God in wisdom, righteousness, and compassion. Pray that the state would not hinder the church but promote peace so the church can do its work. Pray for the salvation of our government leaders. Prayer in these and other ways is a way to honor God in civic responsibilities.
Some Christians may be called to further serve in politics in some capacity. It is commendable if a Christian campaigns for good causes they think are important to promote. It is also commendable if a Christian runs for public office. It is also commendable if a Christian serves in a government job that supports the work of the state. We should surely want mature and wise Christians to be involved in such politics positions. As you discern your vocation, you can consider if God is calling you to such public service.
These are some ways that you might give to Ceasar what belongs to him. Let us now turn in our last point to think about the church’s role in politics. Is there any way that the church should be involved in government politics? I want to say, generally, no. It’s not the church’s place to meddle in the affairs of the state. That being said, there are some aspects of the church’s ministry that have some overlap with duties of the state. This is most clearly seen in matters of morality. Politics often involve aspects of morality, and the church has a great interest in that area. But should the church speak to any such issue, we should keep our focus on biblical teaching on morality and not delve into the larger political questions like weighing in on particular laws, regulations, policies, or candidates. The church can teach biblical morality without getting political.
This means that at times our church ministry might get near to politics without actually stepping into politics. Let us reflect further to consider where those boundaries might lie. Let’s do that by considering it in light of each main task God has given the church. Our Book of Church Order summarizes biblical teaching by saying the church is tasked with worship, edification, and gospel witness. How might the church get near to politics without stepping into politics in the areas of worship, edification, and gospel witness?
Let’s start with worship. Since our worship is heavenly and spiritual, this area arguably has the least connection with anything political. This is why we don’t have an American flag in the corner, even though I know some churches do. If a Christian who was a citizen of another country was visiting our church one Sunday, I wouldn’t want them to think of this as an American church, but as a Christian church. Again, we are an embassy of heaven. One area where we might seem to get near to politics in worship is through our congregational prayer. Paul instructed Timothy as a pastor that the church needs to pray for government leaders on all levels (1 Tim 2). But that isn’t political, per se. We should pray for every leader regardless of their political party or positions.
Now, if the government is doing something clearly morally evil, we might pray against that. That is something of the spirit of the imprecatory prayers in Scripture. Acts 2:29 gives the example of praying against any ruler that tries to silence the church’s evangelism. On the flip side, we could certainly give thanksgiving in our corporate prayer for some moral good that the government did, in praise to God. Great care in such prayers would need to be had to make sure that we are sticking to the moral and not getting into the politics. From my experience, people often have trouble distinguishing between the two.
Let’s talk next about the task of edification. The church is called to edify the body of Christ. We do this through various aspects of discipleship, especially preaching. As we look to edify the body of Christ, we are being taught to trust Christ and live for Christ. In terms of approaching politics, that includes like what we are doing today, teaching the obligations Christians have in terms of their civic duty. It also includes teaching them the biblical morality that will help them wrestle through how to vote on issues that involve aspects of morality. But we don’t, from the pulpit, tell people how to vote. So, yes, the church should speak to the moral issues that are relevant to various political questions. But then the church needs to leave the matter of how to then vote to the conscience of the Christian.
This is important because of the biblical liberty of the conscience. The church has no right to require you of more than what God’s Word requires. When we stick to the Word, we can confidently say, “Thus sayeth the Lord.” Politics goes beyond issues of morality. Americans are deeply divided on politics and the process is messy involving much negotiation and compromise. The point is that Christians of good conscience can disagree on how to vote on any particular issue or candidate, even if they agree on the morality of an issue. One example would be a hypothetical bill that would reduce the number of legal abortions done in the country. There is obviously a moral issue in such a bill and the church would be right to speak on the immorality of abortion. While many Christians might then vote for that bill because they believe it would result in less babies being killed, other Christians of good conscience might not vote for it because they believe it will still allow for some abortions. That’s an example of how Christians might agree on the moral issue but differ on the politics. The church should teach on the morals but leave the politics up to the consciences of individual Christians.
A similar example might be on deciding between two candidates. Christians have to weigh competing principles among imperfect candidates to determine how to best cast their vote. One Christian might value certain positions of a candidate over another. Christians in good conscience might not all come to the same conclusion, and that is okay. The church has not been given the authority by God to decide your conscience for you. We teach the Bible’s wisdom, law, and mercy, and then you will need to make a decision.
To clarify, this doesn’t mean individual Christians can’t discuss these things and even try to persuade each other’s consciences. But we must remember that any Christian who would look to persuade another is not the same as the church doing that. The church shouldn’t advocate for political positions, which is why the church doesn’t pass over voter guides. We must also look to safeguard the peace and harmony among believers. Politics can be deeply divisive, and so any discussions Christians have must zealously seek to keep the peace and not fall into the sin of quarrelling. An edifying discussion about how one might apply biblical principles to an upcoming election is one thing. It’s another to turn that into an argument that causes divisions over matters of Christian conscience.
Lastly, let’s talk about the church’s gospel witness and how it may or may not relate to politics in some way. One thing we can say is that we convert people not governments. It’s human souls we are looking to save and then disciple. Even if a nation identified themselves as a Christian nation, which many in history have, we must acknowledge that there is not universal agreement over how a Christian nation should function, politically speaking. We’d still be back in matters of governmental politics that Christians in good conscience would still have to decide upon.
Another thing we can acknowledge is that sometimes the church may need to speak in its prophetic voice when a government does something serious that it shouldn’t, but again, I speak in terms of morality not politics. One biblical passage often used in support of this is when John the Baptist confronted King Herod over his sin (Matt 14). Herod had sinfully stolen his brother’s wife to be his own, and John said that was not lawful. If a government tries to declare something lawful that the church knows is not lawful in God’s sight, we may need to speak in some way. I had to do that when the Supreme Court in 2015 legalized same-sex marriage, overruling the state definition that it was between a man and a woman. Of course, such prophetic witness is ultimately a call for repentance, which means it ultimately serves to complement our evangelism that calls for peoples of all positions to turn from their evil ways and find forgiveness and grace in Jesus Christ.
I hope in this third point you’ve appreciated the role of the church with regards to politics, that while not delving into actual politics, there are still ways we have interaction and relationship with the state. Keeping clear these boundaries between the two institutions helps the church properly give to God what is God’s.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, today we’ve reflected on matters of faith and politics. I leave you with three brief exhortations. One, when you give to Caesar and God, make sure you understand your priorities. Giving to Caesar and God are not equal priorities. Some people seem to so prioritize politics that it almost seems like a religion to them. Don’t make politics your chief end in life. Glorifying God and enjoying him is to be our chief end. Two, beware inordinate emotions regarding politics. Don’t let excessive fear, anxiety, or anger overwhelm you based on political circumstances. Likewise, political circumstances shouldn’t be your main source of joy and happiness.
Three, and most importantly, I point you to the final verse in our passage. After they tested Jesus on this topic of faith and politics, they marveled at Jesus. Will you marvel again today at our Lord and Savior? Jesus set these principles in their proper and healthy tension. We have certain limited civic obligations to the state. But in comparison, Christ claims our entire souls. Let our ultimate faith be not in the government but in Jesus. We owe our complete allegiance to God not only as his image bearers, but as those he is graciously renewing in his image. We had fallen, but Jesus forgives us as we turn in faith, and he is restoring us in the fullness of God’s glory. May his image in us shine all the more clearly as we look to give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.
Amen.
Copyright © 2025 Rev. W. Reid Hankins, M.Div.
All Rights Reserved.
