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Give Unto Caesar

Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.
— Christian Bible, King James Version: Matthew 22:21

Every nation has a hierarchy of laws that must be followed in order to remain compliant with the government and to be a lawful citizen.

In the United States the hierarchy of laws looks like this:

US Constitution -> US Code -> State Constitution -> State Legislation -> County Level Municipal Codes -> City Rules and Ordinances -> Religious Legislation

It’s important to understand this when studying the Bible and interacting with Christians because a dedicated and devout Christian looks at the Bible as Legislative Text in addition to seeking moral and ethical wisdom from it. The Bible also serves as a partial history book, includes a genetics line or family tree and has several fables or fairy tales which can be difficult to differentiate from the parts of the Bible that have been asserted as fact.

The legislative parts of the Bible are mostly found in Leviticus and Deuteronomy with some clarification scattered throughout the New Testament. Matthew has most of the legislation given by Jesus but there is some additional legislation in Ephesians regarding family life and other parts of the new testament contain case law given by apostles.

If you are not a Christian and a US Citizen; interactions with Christians can be frustrating, especially if they work in Government. Thankfully, the above text from Matthew 22:21 orders them to obey the Laws and Legislation of their Nations Government. The most important of these laws is religious freedom and that includes the freedom to not be a Christian.