Men who believe in the principles of Jesus Christ associate
themselves together in a Christian church.
The Government.--Everywhere we find men uniting for mutual protection
against their enemies, the guarding of property, the settling of
disputes between individuals, the administration of justice and the
exercise of other powers. This government may take different forms
from the one man power in a monarchy to that of the most liberal
democracy. The necessity for some form of government seems plain.
Christ recognized the duties which a man owed to the state when He
said, in answer to the lawyer's question, "Is it lawful to give
tribute unto Caesar, or not?" "Render therefore unto Caesar the
things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's."
He saw the corruption in the government of His times as plainly as any
one, more plainly in fact, but He was showing the necessity of the
functions of government. He submitted to the decree of the state
condemning Him to death although He knew it to be unjust, and that the
power was not with Pilate (John 19:10,11; Matthew 26:52,53).
What Jesus sought to do was to usher in a new kingdom of
righteousness. He taught His disciples to pray for the coming of this
kingdom upon earth. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as
it is in heaven.
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