It is said that Jesus and St. Paul accepted the authority of the state, and since the state rests upon force and war, the Christian must likewise accept these. It is quite true that Jesus recognized the sphere of the state, in the statement, "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar."He likewise said, "Give God what belongs to God," and "Seek ye first the kingdom of God."Upon close inspection of the teaching of St. Paulthe state is to be recognized and obeyed in so far as it does not conflict with the higher law of God. ...The New Testament is filled with instances where the disciples refused to obey the government authoritiesWhen commanded by the officials to cease their Christian activity, they replied, "We must obey God rather than man."
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