"Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house, into a land that I will show you." (Genesis 12:1)
When God said this to Abraham, He had not yet showed to him the land or country into which he was to go, and which was to be his. So far, the Lord had only promised to show it to him.
There were three things, however, which Abraham must do before he could fairly expect God to show him the country which He had promised, and which was to be his. First, he was to get out of his country; secondly, from his kindred; thirdly, from his father's house.
He left his country; but when he did so, his father and his kindred went with him to Haran, and dwelt there. There his father died; and now, separated from his father's house, he went on to the land of Canaan.
But there accompanied him yet one of his kindred--Lot, his brother's son. While Lot was with him, and he was thus not separated from his kindred, though separated from his country and his father's house, the time could come for God to show to him the land, nor the country which He would give him.
But there came a day when Lot should be separated from him. Lot chose all the plain of the Jordan, and journeyed east, and
"...they separated thus, one from the other." (Genesis 13:11)
And just then it was that God showed to Abraham the land which He had promised to show him, the country which should be his.
"And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; For all the land which you see, to you will I give it, and to your seed forever." (Genesis 13:14-15)
And the country which the Lord then showed to Abraham, and which He there promised him should be his for an everlasting possession-- that country embraced the world; for
"...the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." (Romans 4:13)
Therefore, when at the word of the Lord Abraham lifted up his eyes to see what the Lord would show him, he saw "the world to come," which is to be the everlasting possession of all them which be of faith. For
"...if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)
And from that day forward Abraham
"...sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country..." (Hebrews 11:9)
...looking for...
"...a better country, that is, a heavenly... " (Hebrews 11:16)
...and looking...
"...for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Hebrews 11:8)
For though God promised that He would give to Abraham that land, and to his seed after him, yet as long as he was in this world God really
"...gave him none inheritance in it, no not so much as to set his foot on." (Acts 7:5)
Now note: God had called Abraham out of his original country, and thus had separated him from that. Then He gave him not even so much as to set his foot on in any other country in this world.
Abraham at that time represented the religion of God. The Lord in His dealing thus with Abraham and in recording it, has shown, for all time and to all people, that it is His will that there should be an absolute separation of His religion from any State. And in thus showing the complete separation of His religion from any State, He shows that this separation consists in the separation of the individ ual believer of His religion, from any State. Are you walking
"...in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham..." (Romans 4:12)
...the friend of God?
Abraham, representing at that time the church of Christ, being thus totally separated by the Lord from every State and country on the earth, there is thus shown to all people, as an original truth of the Gospel of Christ, that there should be total separation of Church and State, and that the church of Christ can never have any country in the world.
And in thus showing that the church of Christ can never have any country in this world, He shows that the individual members of the church of Christ can never have any country in this world; for that which composes the church of Christ is the individual membership.
So also dwelt Isaac and Jacob, heirs with Abraham of the same promise, accepting with Abraham separation from every earthly State and country, confessing
"...that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth," (Hebrews 11:13)
...looking for the country which God had prepared for them, and the city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
And that they accepted this freely of their own choice, by faith in God, is shown by the fact, as recorded:
"Truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:15-16)
This dealing of God with Abraham, and the record of it, were for the instruction of all the people who would believe God, from that time to the world's end. For Abraham was the called, the chosen, the friend, of God, the father of all them that believe. And all they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
And not the least element of instruction in this account of God's dealings with Abraham, is the great lesson it teaches that the religion of God means separation of religion and the State. Are you walking in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham?--have you gotten out of your country? Or have you still a country in this world? Is there in you a union of religion and the State?
Further:
"Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He said not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to your Seed, which is Christ." (Galatians 3:16)
Therefore the promises recorded and referred to in the scripture, "To Abraham and his seed," are always to Abraham and Christ, and to Abraham in Christ. And, therefore,
"...if you be Christ's, then are you Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." (Galatians 3:29)
And when Christ, that promised Seed, came into the world a man amongst men, then in Him, as formerly in Abraham, there was represented the religion of God and the church of Christ. And as such He ever maintained the same principle of separation of reli gion and the State which He Himself had set before the world in the life and record of Abraham.
He refused to recognize, even by a sign, the wish of the people to make Him king:
"When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone." (John 6:15)
He refused, when requested, to act the part of a judge or a divider over men as to the rights of property:
"And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses." (Luke 12:13-15)
He refused to recognize the national lines of distinction, the wall of partition, which Israel in their exclusiveness had built up be tween themselves and other nations.
He refused to judge, or to allow any others to judge, any one for not believing on Him:
"And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejects me, and receives not my words, has one that judges him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." (John 12:47-48)
He distinctly declared that, though He is a king, yet His king dom is not of this world, and that it is not in any way connected with this world:
"Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my king- dom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." (John 18:36)
He distinctly declared the separation of His religion from the State:
"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Mark 12:17)
And when He sent forth His disciples with His heavenly com mission to preach the Gospel of His kingdom, He sent them not to one particular nation, but to...
"...teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost." (Matthew 28:19)
He sent them to preach the Gospel; not to one particular, favored, exclusive people, but...
"Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15)
Thus it is seen again that in every phase of the fundamental principle of the religion of God and the church of Christ, from the beginning to the end of the world, there is required the absolute separation of religion and the State--the total disconnection of His church from every State and country in the world, and from the world itself.
And this total disconnection of His church from every State and country in this world, and from the world itself, is, and can be, ac complished only by the total disconnection of the individual members of His church from every State and country in the world, and from the world itself.
"You are not of the world; for I have chosen you out of the world." (John 15:19)
"They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 17:16)
Are you?