What Is Due? —Drawing the Line Between Caesar and God (Part 2)
The question Jesus implied still echoes across the centuries: What is truly due—and to whom?
When He said, “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s,” He wasn’t endorsing a government—He was drawing a boundary. A line that separates human authority from divine ownership.
In the previous message, we explored The Caesar Syndrome—the Church’s growing confusion between rendering and surrendering. Now we face the next step: learning where that line lies, and how to honor God without bowing to Caesar beyond what is due.
1. The Unasked Question
Few verses have been more quoted—or more misunderstood—than Matthew 22:21 and Romans 13:1. Both have been used to sanctify submission, even when submission meant silence in the face of evil.
But Christ’s words were not about political compliance; they were about spiritual discernment. Caesar may rule coins, but God rules conscience. Caesar may demand taxes, but God demands truth.
Every believer must ask the question the world ignores: Where does Caesar’s claim end, and God’s begin?
That question determines whether our obedience is worship—or idolatry.
2. Scripture Defines the Line
Paul’s command in Romans 13:1— “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers”—was not a blank check for government control. It was a recognition of God’s order: that authority itself exists because God allows it, not because every ruler acts in His will.
To read it otherwise would contradict Paul’s own example. He refused unlawful orders, demanded justice, and appealed his case to Caesar (Acts 25:11). His submission was principled, not blind.
The apostles made the same stand before the Sanhedrin:
“We ought to obey God rather than men.” — Acts 5:29 (KJV)
That verse does not give permission for chaos; it gives direction for conscience. When human law and divine command collide, the believer’s loyalty must rise above the crown and answer to the cross.
The pattern is simple: respect authority, but revere God. Honor rulers but worship only Christ.
3. History Confirms the Line
The early Church understood this instinctively. They paid taxes to Rome but refused emperor worship. They prayed for rulers but refused to burn incense to Caesar’s image. They rendered what was due, but they never surrendered what was sacred.
When the Reformers challenged corrupt religious and political powers, they appealed not to rebellion but to Scripture. Luther, Knox, and others believed that civil obedience ends where spiritual corruption begins.
And when America’s founders drafted the principles of liberty, they drew from the same well. They honored the necessity of government but refused its tyranny. The Declaration itself acknowledges a Creator—the source of rights no government can give or take away.
True submission to authority does not enslave; it safeguards freedom under God.
4. Conscience Guards the Line
Conscience is the believer’s checkpoint between Caesar and Christ. It is where the Spirit whispers, this belongs to God.
But when the Church dulls its conscience to preserve comfort, the line begins to fade. During times of crisis, governments may claim necessity as justification for intrusion—on speech, worship, or even parental authority.
We saw glimpses of this when churches were closed while casinos and liquor stores remained open. Many believers complied quietly, assuming it was the “Christian” thing to do. Yet Scripture reminds us: safety cannot replace obedience to God’s call.
The conscience trained by the Word of God will always recognize when Caesar has overstepped his lane. Daniel knew it when the decree forbade prayer. The Hebrew children knew it when the music demanded worship. And the apostles knew it when they were told to stop preaching in Jesus’ name.
Each time, conscience drew the line—and faith stood firm.
5. The Modern Blur
Today, the boundaries are once again under pressure. Caesar’s reach extends into education, redefining morality for the next generation. It shapes what can be said from pulpits, how truth is labeled, and what values are permitted in the public square.
The Church’s silence in these matters is often excused as submission—but in reality, it is surrender. We’ve allowed government and culture to decide what is due, instead of returning to the Word that defines it.
Christians are not called to defy authority for its own sake, but neither are we called to obey when obedience means betraying our faith. Our loyalty must be to truth first, regardless of who demands compromise.
6. The Measure of Allegiance
When Jesus said to “render unto Caesar,” He was holding a coin stamped with Caesar’s image. But humanity itself bears another image—the image of God.
Coins belong to Caesar. Souls belong to God.
That is the ultimate boundary line. Whatever bears God’s image is not Caesar’s to claim. Your conscience, your worship, your children, your voice—these are not taxable or transferable. They are entrusted to God alone.
The Church must once again be willing to draw that line, to reclaim discernment, and to live by conviction rather than convenience.
7. Conclusion — Remember What Belongs to God
When obedience to man crosses into disobedience to God, the faithful must stand. Not with arrogance or anger, but with courage born of conviction.
The lesson of Romans 13 is not that government is divine—it’s that God alone is. Authority is legitimate only when it stays within His moral order and realm.
So, before we render anything to Caesar, we must remember what belongs to God.
Because once we surrender what is holy, we will never get it back.