First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
1 Tim 2:1-2 (ESV)
God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it
free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word
or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate. The state owes to
every church protection and full freedom in the pursuit of its spiritual ends.
In providing for such freedom no ecclesiastical group or denomination should be
favored by the state more than others. Civil government being ordained of God,
it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not
contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not resort to the civil
power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means
alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties
for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for
the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state is the
Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God
on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the
sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.
Genesis 1:27; 2:7; Matthew 6:6-7,24;
16:26; 22:21; John 8:36; Acts 4:19-20; Romans 6:1-2; 13:1-7; Galatians 5:1,13;
Philippians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:1-2; James 4:12; 1 Peter 2:12-17; 3:11-17;
4:12-19.
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Religious liberty has always been a Baptist principle and a Baptist passion. Our commitment is to religious liberty for all peoples, not just for Baptists, because we believe that every human being is created in God's image and possesses full rights and freedoms granted by the Creator, as well as full accountability.
Early Baptists suffered intense persecution and hostility, which taught Baptists to recognize the necessity of authentic religious liberty.
Christians must be free to bring their biblically informed understanding of moral truth to the nation's public policy debates as the salt and the light that Christ has commanded them to be (see Matthew 5:13-16), even as they contend for full religious liberty for all citizens, whatever their faith.
E. Y. Mullins once defined the Baptist concept as "a free church in free state." These words remind Baptists of our responsibility to protect, defend, and contend for religious liberty at home and around the world. This is part of our Baptist witness and our gospel task.
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Soli Deo Gloria
