AN ideal institution of any kind is an institution that is doing just the work that it was planned to do. Christ is the ideal Saviour, because He is able to “save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him.” There is no flaw in Him, no weakness in His plan of redemption, no turning aside of His powers and energies to a work outside of that which it pleased the Father to place in His hands.
Likewise any institution inaugurated by Him will be an ideal institution as long as its time and its energies and its talents are given to the accomplishment of the purpose for which it was conceived and established—and not any longer.
Just so it is with any institution of this world; and any person holding any official position or any position of trust is an ideal official only so long as his most faithful endeavors are conscientiously put forth to carry out the trust imposed in him. It is the confusion of interests always that brings in heartless or dilatory work, and that leads to dishonest and shameful practises.
The Ideal Church.
Jesus Christ has established an institution in the world which will continue until He comes to gather His faithful to Himself; it is that company of the faithful, who, at His coming, will constitute the ideal church. They must stand in the most trying time the world has ever seen; but they will stand, and stand not only upon the promises of God, but upon the commands of God—the law of God—as well.
Speaking of that church—the ideal church—our Lord, through the prophet John, says, “Here is the patience of the saints, they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12.
Concerning other characteristics of the ideal church the Word says, in speaking of Christ’s work for it: “That He might present the church to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Eph. 5:27. One of the petitions in Christ’s last recorded prayer was, “that they may all be one;” and concerning the place which His followers were to occupy in this world Christ declares in that prayer: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:16. Therefore the ideal church will not be mixed up in the politics of the world. It will not be turned aside from its work for any cause whatever.
Again: the ideal church must be a missionary church. It must obey the command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” There has never been a time in the history of the world when the church could plead that it had accomplished its purpose in forwarding the interests of Christ’s kingdom, and could now unite with the state in helping to straighten out the affairs of the kingdoms of this world. The church has on its hands the greatest enterprise in all the world. The ideal church will bend all its energies to the accomplishment of that purpose.
In the world, but not of it; married to Christ; not united in any way to the state; fully absorbed in God’s work alone; loyal to God in all circumstances; obedient to all His commandments; and, because obedient, having the gift of prophecy in its midst—these are some of the characteristics of the ideal church.
The Ideal State.
The state is a legitimate institution. Being such, it has a field distinctly its own. Anarchy is as much opposed to God’s purpose as it is to the governments against which it aims its poisoned arrows.
The purpose of the ideal state is to safeguard individual rights. It must sit as a judge upon the cases of those who wantonly invade rights, destroy property, or chastity, or reputation, or take life. Did it not do this, here could be no excuse for its existence, and no guarantee of safety to person, life, or property.
Because men will not respect the rights of others, the state uses force to compel them to refrain from invading those rights.
The state can not compel men to cease being covetous, or to cease hating other men; but it can, through fear of punishment, to a great extent, compel them to refrain from taking the possessions of another, or allowing hate to manifest itself in murder. The ideal state can not punish for evil thoughts, but it can punish the evil thinker for carrying his evil thoughts into practise, and thus can and does to a great extent control and hold in check the flood of evil deeds that otherwise would flow unchecked in tremendous volume. In other words, it does not demand righteousness, but civility.
The ideal state can demand of man no religious duty or service; for the state is not a deity. It can not demand that such duty or service be performed toward the God of heaven; for the God of heaven Himself has placed before men every necessary requirement, made His service voluntary, not compulsory, and has delegated to no power nor institution on earth the authority to enforce any of those requirements upon any soul. The right of choice is a sacred right which even Divinity will not invade. The ideal state, therefore, can not invade it.
Can the Two Join?
Christ recognized the fact that the church and the state must stand each in its own sphere. “Render therefore unto Cæsar [government] the things that are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Matt. 22:21.
The policeman is not the man to carry the Gospel message. He has no commission so to do. The minister of the Gospel has no business with the policeman’s club or pistol or the warrior’s sword or rifle. God has given him no commission to carry on that work. These stand for the state, not the church. The only weapon the Christian may carry is the sword of the Spirit. To teach, and to convict men of sin and convert them to Christ, through the operation of the Holy Spirit—this is the business of the ideal church. To protect the person, property, and liberties of the individual—this is the business of the ideal state. Unite them, and you have a combination that has not been authorized of God, and can not but invade the rights of men in both domains. He who flees from civil punishments to the protection of a legalized creed has made himself a hypocrite and shut the door of heaven in his own face. And that is what every national religion—every union of church and state—has taught men to do. In the words of U. S. Grant, “Keep the church and state forever separate.”
[Three articles will follow this, in subsequent numbers. The next is entitled, “Creed Power and State Aid.”]