Render to Caesar

He said to them, “Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

Luke 20:25 NIV

As Christians, we have citizenship in two kingdoms: our country and the Kingdom of God. As a citizen of the United States, I have certain obligations and responsibilities, and I need to carry them out to be a good citizen. The same holds true for the Kingdom of God; I need to live up to the expectations of my king.

The challenge sometimes is knowing where to draw the line between the two, especially when they seem to have opposing expectations. It may be helpful to remember that God has ordained human government, which puts him at a higher level (Rom. 13:1-2).

Rendering to Caesar What Is Caesar’s

My first obligation is to God, the higher authority, and then to human government, the secondary authority. I am to obey the direction of human government that is not counter to the direction of the higher authority. In doing so, I obey the higher authority that puts the human government over me.

But what happens when the two authorities come into conflict? How should I respond when my government expects me to act in ways that are contrary to what I believe God wants from me?

Rendering to God What Is His

First, I need to be sure I have correctly understood what God expects of me. It is easy to assume that what seems right to me is what God wants. And that is not always the case.

When I am sure, then I need to obey God, being prepared to suffer the consequences. But, when I do, I can rejoice that I have been counted worthy to suffer for my Lord (Acts 5:27-42).