Dred Scott v. Sandford the Supreme Court

       When The Checks Fail To Balance!       

No, this is not about money or checking accounts. It’s about Jesus’

teaching in Matthew 22:15-22 and the place of God and government in our lives today. Critics of Christ wanted to discredit Him with the masses.

Seeking to trump up charges against Jesus, they tossed him a verbal hand-

grenade, asking Him in     verse 17, “What do You think? Is it lawful to pay

taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, the embodiment of God’s wisdom, tossed the loaded question back in their faces! Matthew says, “Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, ‘Why do you test Me, you hypocrites?

Show Me the tax money.’ So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’ They said to Him, ‘Caesar's.’ And He said to them, ‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.’ ” (Matthew 22:18-21).

Though ultimately their authority is appointed by God (Romans 13:1), Jesus acknowledged that the Caesars of this world are heads of states.

Some things belong to these Caesars – and we are to give to our government what is due – paying taxes (Romans 13:7) and submitting to “every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake”, whether as to the king as supreme, or to governors . . .” (1 Peter 2:13-14). But some things belong to God, and faithful Christians must give to God the things that are His.

Sometimes tension arises between the values and behavior God dictates and those legislated, enacted and approved by Caesar’s of this world. Our own republican form of government is grounded in a system of checks and balances between the executive branch (the presidency), a legislative branch (the Senate and House of Representatives), and a judicial branch, (the  Supreme Court). Through proper constitutionally provided processes each branch can, at least in theory, check the other branches if there is an illegal over-reach of any kind. But what do we do when the overreach is not just in legal matters but moral ones, or when the two become entwined? 

Gregory Alan Tidwell, editor of the Gospel Advocate, reminds us that in Dred Scott v. Sandford the Supreme Court ruled slaves were property and had no rights as American citizens. They were wrong, and as Brother Tidwell writes,  “It required the American Civil War to undo this injustice” (Gospel Advocate, August 2015, “Same-Sex Marriage”; p 3). Tidwell also noted the 7-2 ruling in Roe v. Wade took away the legal protection of an unborn child’s life, an awful ruling that continues to blight our land. Recently in Obergefell v. Hodges (June 26, 2015) the court gave legal sanction to homosexual relationships, re- defining marriage in defiance of God’s word. In these more recent decisions, Caesar (i. e, the Supreme Court) overreached into what is God’s – and there is no legal check and balance in sight. But making a thing legal doesn’t make it right.

Christians must continue to pay all due respect to Caesar – but when Caesar asks for our allegiance to laws and decrees that legalize moral wrong, Christians must firmly resist with a Christ-like love for sinners and a Christ-like hatred of sin. When Caesar meddles with that which belongs to God, let us remember this admonition – “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.  Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 15:13-14). When what Caesar wants opposes what God wants, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Will you think and pray about it?

by Dan Gulley, Smithville, TN