About Jesus Steve Sweetman

About Jesus Steve Sweetman

Separation Of Faith And Business

The term "separation of church and state" is well known, especially in America. It's original meaning has purposely and systematically gone through a redefining process over the years. It once meant government must not interfere in matters of church. It now means God must not interfere in matters of government.

This doctrine originated in America but Canadians have adopted its new meaning. In the province of Nova Scotia , one lady's request for a personalized car license plate was denied. The computer flagged IXOYE as being religious. The corresponding Greek letters for IXOYE were a first century Christian secret code for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour. In response to this lady's confusion over the matter a government official said, "a long time ago, people determined that church and state should be separate …" Of course, this was not the original intention of the "separation of church and state.

Another type of separation is now on the horizon. I call it the "separation of faith and business". Present U.S. health care legislation known as "Obamacare" forces employers to fund health care premiums for their employees. These premiums cover such things as the "morning after pill". This disturbs many pro-life American business people who believe funding such pills infringes on their constitutional right to the free exercise of religion.

Religious organizations believe they have a legitimate argument concerning this issue, but Christian business owners have an equally legitimate concern. If for religious or moral reasons a business person refuses to participate in Obamacare, the IRS fines the business until it complies or goes broke from the fines and the accumulation of interest on the unpaid fines.

In defense of "Obamacare" some are now saying that business owners should separate their religious faith from their business in order to comply with government legislation. That's why I call this the "separation of faith and business". They say that faith is a personal matter, not a business matter. That makes little sense because much of our present economic problems stem from unrighteous business practices. I'm sure a little Christian ethics in business and finance would go a long way to help solve our present economic problems.

It's only logical to conclude that if you take God out of government, government will demand you to take God out of business. If you've given your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, this should bother you, and here's why.

The events of Acts 2 opened the door for the Holy Spirit to come into the lives of those who have rightly given themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 2 makes it clear that the Holy Spirit doesn't just hover over us. He doesn't land on our shoulders and then float away. He doesn't visit us. He lives within us. He penetrates the very core of who we are. That's why the apostle Paul says that we have become "new creations", or, "new creatures". (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15)

The Greek word "ktisis" is translated as "creature" or "creation" in our English Bibles. It means "something that is built, put together, or, created". When Paul says that we are "new creatures" or "new creations", he's saying that we are not what we once were. The word "creation" reminds us of Genesis 1. Adam was created in God's image. He fell from God's image. You and I are now born in the image of sinful Adam. When the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, we become a new creation. We're "born again". (John 3:1-6) The process of being recreated ends at the resurrection of the dead when we become like Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15)

If the Holy Spirit resides in the very core of who we are, we can't separate faith from any part of our lives, including business. We can't compartmentalize our lives into sacred parts and secular parts, which I'm sorry to say, many Christians do. We can't leave our faith at home because wherever we go, the Holy Spirit goes with us. Whatever we do, the Holy Spirit wants to do with us. If we leave Him on the sidelines, we sin.

The reception of the Holy Spirit into our lives is meant to allow Him free access in every aspect of who we are and what we do. The misconception that we can separate faith from business is more than a constitutional matter of the free exercise of religion. It's a Biblical mater, a matter of obedience to the Lord Jesus, to whom both we and government will give account to some day.

Besides all this, Jesus says that once we receive the Holy Spirit, we will be His witnesses everywhere we go. (Acts 1:8) A basic premise of the Christian faith is the Biblical mandate to both live and speak our faith. For Americans, having your mouth muzzled in this matter is unconstitutional, but it's more than that. For you and the rest of us, if we comply, we sin.

Government may try to make us leave our faith at home, but that's both impossible and illogical. Government just doesn't get this. Neither do many Christians. This misconception opposes the very nature of the new creation we have become. How can we exclude the Spirit of God who penetrates every fiber of who are from any part of our lives? This makes to no sense.

Here's another one. Canadians are being on national radio that we should not express our faith in public forums, including social media sites like Facebook. Again, faith is a personal matter, so keep it to yourself

When Bob Dylan sang "you've got to serve somebody…", He agreed with what Jesus said. "You can't serve two masters". (Matthew 6:24) If you separate your faith from your business or your social consciousness, you're attempting to serve both the God of the Bible and the god of this world. This doesn't work. Hopefully the matter of who you will serve has long since been decided, because you're about to be tested on this matter in ways you've never seen before.

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