The Constitution is King: Where Christians Owe Their Allegiance

Most followers of Jesus in America are confused about their role as citizens of the United States and their obligations to government, not because they don’t understand God’s command, but because they have not deeply considered the implications of God’s command within the context of a constitutional republic.

Romans 13:1 commands, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established” (NIV). In Paul’s day this meant, first and foremost, obeying Caesar, the head of the government. Paul appealed to Caesar when he did not receive justice from Festus, the governor of Judea. Jesus instructed, “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s.” The only escape clause to this principle is if and when the Constitution clearly requires you to do something contrary to the Word of God.

In the United States the highest of our “governing authorities” is not Caesar, but the Constitution.

The president, every congressman, senator, federal judge and soldier takes an oath of office swearing allegiance to the Constitution. Every new immigrant who wishes to become a naturalized U.S. citizen must also take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution—not the president, not the Congress, not the Supreme Court. If they do not, they are not allowed to become a U.S. citizen.

For example, the Presidential Oath of Office says:

I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.

All the other oaths are similar.

Here’s the point.

In the United States of America, the Constitution is king—as “established” by God, according to Romans 13:1.

Therefore, when forced to choose between obeying the Constitution or a rogue bureaucrat or a misguided soul clothed in black robes, we must always obey the Constitution. Based on Romans 13:1 it is our Christian duty before God.

In light of that, it is not civil disobedience to oppose a judge or bureaucrat who violates the Constitution (our king). This is critical to understand. Instead, it is our spiritual duty to oppose officials who violate the Constitution. Based on Romans 13:1, submitting to a judicial ruling or law that violates the Constitution is sin, unless the Constitution itself is in violation of God’s law.

In such circumstances the critical question every sincere follower of Jesus in America needs to ask themselves is, “Will I obey or disobey the Constitution of the United States?”

When a judge’s ruling violates a citizen’s freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to bear arms, due process or equal protection under the law, it is always our sacred obligation to uphold the Constitution (our king) and oppose the wayward official. The choice is between obeying a judge (a functionary) or the Constitution (our God-ordained king).

When a bureaucrat or judge says you violated “separation of church and state” by praying in school or a government facility, you have ZERO moral or legal obligation to comply. Why? Because “separation of church and state” is not in the Constitution, but the “free exercise” of religion is, which means, the federal government may not censor or prohibit your religious speech. And, again, the Constitution is king.

But that is not all. A judge only has moral authority because the Constitution bestows it. When a judge violates his oath of office by not upholding the Constitution, he forfeits his moral authority. He may still retain coercive power, but never confuse power with legitimate moral authority. Think Hitler: he had great power but no moral authority.

Why do I even address this issue? Every Christian needs to understand that when a judge, politician or bureaucrat violates a clearly enumerated Constitutional right, we have a moral obligation to vigorously oppose all such faithless government officials who set themselves up against the Constitution (our king), even if they are a Supreme Court Justice. It is not an issue of civil disobedience. Let me repeat. It is not an issue of civil disobedience. It is an issue of whether we will obey or disobey the Constitution, and therefore God’s command. And remember, disobeying God is sin.

In America, the Constitution is Caesar. If Jesus walked among us today, his words might have sounded like this, “Render unto the Constitution what is the Constitution’s, and unto God what is God’s.”

GOD is the issue.

To learn more and hear my discussion about this topic listen to my podcast. Click on the button below and let me know what you think!

Episode #6: The Constitution is King

Copyright © Brad Bright 2022. All rights reserved.

Gender Deniers: Smarter than God & Science?

An extremely small but effective fringe group (0.5% of the US population) daily push their morailty on our children. They are so confident their strategy to “groom” children has taken root that they don’t even try hiding their agenda anymore.

The most recent example is a flash card depicting a “pregnant man,” used at Ballentine Elementary School in North Carolina. Hmmm.

I think it’s time the gender deniers fess up. They clearly think they are smarter than both God and science.

In Genesis 1:27, God says He created two genders,

“male and female.”

Therefore, anyone who believes there are more than two genders clearly thinks they are smarter than God. Or maybe they just suppose God said “Oops!” Either way, they must judge God a liar or a complete idiot.

Furthermore, science says, a man cannot get pregnant. It’s a physical impossibility. A man doesn’t have a uterus. To borrow a phrase from Barak Obama,

“It’s settled science.”

Therefore, anyone who imagines a man can have a baby must think they are smarter than science as well.

So, the next time a gender denier alleges a man can have a baby, ask them what makes them smarter than both science—and God. But be prepared for an emotional cloudburst. They will attempt to silence you or shame you—anything to avoid answering that pernicious question.

But the query still hangs in the air—waiting….

Copyright © Brad Bright 2022. All rights reserved.

Texas Tragedy: There is hope, unless....

Everyone is searching for answers. Why do mass shootings keep happening? In fact, why are they increasing?

My heart is broken for the parents and families in Uvalde, Texas. Along with those from Columbine, Sandy Hook and Parkland, they have become members of a club no one wants to join. How do we spare our fellow Americans from this kind of pain in the future? There is an answer. There is hope—unless we continue to ignore the primary cause.

Last night Joe Biden scolded, “When in God’s name are we going to have the courage to stand up to the gun lobby?” He appealed to God but then he swept God under the carpet, as though God was irrelevant to the conversation—except as an exclamation point. Apparently, Biden doesn’t feel God needs to be part of the solution. I believe God is the foundational solution. However, let’s take a moment to evaluate the problem and the possible solutions.

The core problem is not guns. You can take guns away and they will use knives. I first made that statement in 2014 while speaking to a group in Washington, D.C. I pointed out that the same day Adam Lanza shot 20 school children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Min Yingjun stabbed 22 children in a school on the other side of the globe in central China. Eerily, twelve days later Alex Hribal attacked 21 fellow students at Franklin High School in Pennsylvania—with a knife.

The core problem is not a lack of police, even though having more police would help contain the savagery. Hiring more police is like trying to clamp the lid down tighter on a boiling pot to keep it from boiling over. It will help, but eventually the pot will still boil over.

The core problem is not absent dad’s, even though almost every shooter this past year has had one thing in common—a largely absent dad. We need to get dad’s back into the home, but broken dad’s can’t build healthy children.

The core problem is not the technology that often emotionally alienates us from each other. Alienated people are capable of doing horrible things, such as mass shootings—or mass stabbings. Of course, getting our kids to interact face to face with us more often would help.

The core problem is not the actors in Hollywood who get rich modeling that violence can solve all your problems. However, recognizing that those actors bear part of the blame for the glorification of violence which assaults our children’s minds will be necessary to ending the genocide.

The core problem is not the video games which teach our children violent behavior through role play day after day after day. However, limiting our kids’ exposure to such powerful influences while their brains are developing would help.

The core problem is not mental health, although heightened awareness and better treatment for the mentally ill would help to draw them out of the isolation which feeds their anger and angst. Mental illness is usually a symptom of a deeper problem.

Our core problem is spiritual, therefore any effective solution must address the spiritual dimension. Alienation from God leads to alienation from each other, and even alienation from ourselves. Alienation is the primary cause of marital failure, deadbeat dads, mental illness, drug addiction, child abuse, suicide and the internal rage which incubates violence. It is a logical progression. As a culture we are roaring down this path at breakneck speed.

No matter how many laws we pass, no matter how many cops we put in schools, no matter how many guns we confiscate, no matter how much we restrict our kids’ access to violent movies and video games, our children will never be safe if we do not deal with the underlying alienation from God (and each other) that births violence.

When this country was first founded, the average person heard approximately 3,000 sermons during the course of their lifetime regarding their accountability to God and their resulting responsibility for their fellow man. That mindset was the impetus behind the Civil War—our accountability to God for how we treated our fellow human beings who were also created in God’s image. We have ripped that consciousness out of our culture to our own detriment—and to the harm of our children.

God, Himself, is the core issue: not guns or knives, not Hollywood, not video games, not absent dads, not lack of police, not mental illness. Until we willingly chose to put God back at the center of our society, our schools, and even our churches, we will condemn our children to increasingly experience the inevitable consequences of our culture’s choice to expel God.

The only question is, do we possess the courage to inject God back into our culture and the communities where we live? If we win this single battle we will ultimately win all the others. If we lose this battle we most assuredly will lose all the others. Our children’s future is literally on the line. The choice has never been clearer—we must make God the watershed issue in our communities, schools and homes. If we don’t, it’s going to get worse!

But there is hope. You can be a part of the solution. Teach the children you love who God is and why it matters. Show them how to begin a relationship with the One who can give them strength, courage, love, compassion—and hope.

Click on the button below and we will send you a free copy of the 4 Keys 4 Kids booklet (in English or Spanish) to read to the children you love. You will also see a 2-minute video my wife, Kathy, and I did sharing our hearts and God's prompting for this gift. Please let us help.

Free 4 Keys 4Kids

The 4 Keys 4 Kids booklet has been used by tens of thousands to introduce children to the loving, all-powerful, holy, merciful, just, forgiving, trustworthy and ever-present God. It’s easy to understand, colorful and fun to read. Your kids will love it! Most importantly, it will help them set a solid foundation in their lives they can build on for a lifetime.

We desperately want help you talk with your kids about how to begin a relationship with Jesus today. You don’t know what tomorrow may bring.

For your children’s sake,

Brad Bright

Free 4 Keys 4Kids booklet

Copyright © Brad Bright 2022. All rights reserved.