What do you think?
Rate this book
City of Man, Kingdom of God: Why Christians Respect, Obey, and Resist Government
"When government protects rights given by God, then it is owed obedience, submission, and honor," Johnson writes. "But when government violates those rights, Christians are no longer bound to submit to laws that do not serve the purpose for which God made government."
Developing the Puritans' understanding of religious freedom, Johnson shows how Christ followers have reasoned through this tension in past centuries, and he identifies biblical principles for navigating government restrictions in the future.
Developing the Puritans' understanding of religious freedom, Johnson shows how Christ followers have reasoned through this tension in past centuries, and he identifies biblical principles for navigating government restrictions in the future.
- GenresTheology
109 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 20, 2022
4 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 15, 2022
God and Caesar
If you are a Bible-believing Christian, you are aware of the state's increasing hostility and secular culture toward Bible-believing Christians.
For example, Governor Newsome of California recently quoted the Bible to justify abortion on, demand-essentially making the killing of babies not only a right but a moral right. Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in California responded by writing the Governor, calling for repentance.
President Biden also declared gender-changing surgery a “moral right.”
Both of these examples illustrate the left’s attempts to usurp the church regarding who has the moral authority to speak to those issues and more.
Governor Newsome speaking for the State of California, and President Biden speaking for the Federal Government, have both assumed the position of the highest moral authority. Both would like to see laws that reflect their positions on who has moral authority and who does not.
Both realize that Bible-believing Christians derive their sense of moral authority from Scripture as they believe the Word of God is the Word of God and thus God’s opinion on those matters.
When Pastor MacArthur confronted Governor Newsome, it was not the first time. The first time, as far as I know, was when it became evident that the state was hostile toward the church during the mandatory shutdowns during Covid 2020.
Churches were told they could not hold in-person worship services because the risk of transmitting Covid was too high in crowds. Most churches went along with the prohibition at first. Churches went along with the ban out of respect for the state and because no one knew at the time how serious of a threat Covid was.
After a reasonable time, it became clear that the state was selective in determining what establishments could stay open and which had to close. The food restaurant industry was especially hard hit while liquor stores and other businesses were free because they were considered “essential.”
Churches fell into the non-essential category and reflected the state’s view of religious faith (that the state did not approve of.)
After assessing the state’s hypocrisy and the biblical mandate for worship, MacArthur’s church and others (including my own) opened their churches for in-person worship, leaving it up to the individuals if they wanted to attend in person or continue online.
This created no minor controversy among evangelicals (and others) as some believed that they had to obey the state (Rom. 13:1-7) while the ones that opened believed (and believe) that the state crossed a line they had no right to cross.
Pastor Jesse Johnson is dean of the Master’s Seminary in Washington, D.C. He wrote a book titled City of Man, Kingdom of God-Why Christians Respect, Obey, and Resist the Government. In it, Johnson works through the tension the Bible-believing Christian faces as they seek to respect and obey the government but resist the government when it goes too far.
In the book's last chapter, Johnson shows how Jesus handled a trap laid by the Pharisees. Their goal was to get Jesus in trouble with Rome or the people. Jesus gave them an answer to which they could not reply.
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
First, Jesus recognizes that it is not an honest inquiry, and Jesus calls them out on it.
To us living in the 21st Century culture, we can miss just how big a deal this all was.
If Jesus had told them not to pay Caesar’s tax, he would have been a revolutionary. Rome tolerated various religious worship within the empire, but not paying the tax was a sure way to bring down the Legions on the non-paying rebellious subjects.
Another reason this is more significant than we might realize is that Caesar’s tax was to be paid with a coin that bore Caesar’s image. It was called a denarius. The problem with the denarius bearing Caesar’s image is that the Romans deified the Caesar.
The Jews, aware of the commandments, found the coin to be an abomination. To pay the tax with such a coin would be blasphemy. The Pharisees laid their trap well. They figured they could get Jesus in trouble with the people or Rome and thus discredit him.
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
Jesus’ answer makes the clear distinction between the City of Man (Rome in this case) and the Kingdom of God.
Caser’s coin bears his image so pay the tax for it is owed. At the same time. Render to God what is owed to God, and that is worship.
MacArthur’s Grace Community Church (and mine) reopened during Covid realizing that the state in its hypocrisy, had crossed a line revealing its hostility to those who sincerely seek to glorify God and live via biblical principles.
I recommend Johnson’s book to anyone interested in navigating what can be thorny church\state issues with sound biblical exegesis.
If you are a Bible-believing Christian, you are aware of the state's increasing hostility and secular culture toward Bible-believing Christians.
For example, Governor Newsome of California recently quoted the Bible to justify abortion on, demand-essentially making the killing of babies not only a right but a moral right. Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in California responded by writing the Governor, calling for repentance.
President Biden also declared gender-changing surgery a “moral right.”
Both of these examples illustrate the left’s attempts to usurp the church regarding who has the moral authority to speak to those issues and more.
Governor Newsome speaking for the State of California, and President Biden speaking for the Federal Government, have both assumed the position of the highest moral authority. Both would like to see laws that reflect their positions on who has moral authority and who does not.
Both realize that Bible-believing Christians derive their sense of moral authority from Scripture as they believe the Word of God is the Word of God and thus God’s opinion on those matters.
When Pastor MacArthur confronted Governor Newsome, it was not the first time. The first time, as far as I know, was when it became evident that the state was hostile toward the church during the mandatory shutdowns during Covid 2020.
Churches were told they could not hold in-person worship services because the risk of transmitting Covid was too high in crowds. Most churches went along with the prohibition at first. Churches went along with the ban out of respect for the state and because no one knew at the time how serious of a threat Covid was.
After a reasonable time, it became clear that the state was selective in determining what establishments could stay open and which had to close. The food restaurant industry was especially hard hit while liquor stores and other businesses were free because they were considered “essential.”
Churches fell into the non-essential category and reflected the state’s view of religious faith (that the state did not approve of.)
After assessing the state’s hypocrisy and the biblical mandate for worship, MacArthur’s church and others (including my own) opened their churches for in-person worship, leaving it up to the individuals if they wanted to attend in person or continue online.
This created no minor controversy among evangelicals (and others) as some believed that they had to obey the state (Rom. 13:1-7) while the ones that opened believed (and believe) that the state crossed a line they had no right to cross.
Pastor Jesse Johnson is dean of the Master’s Seminary in Washington, D.C. He wrote a book titled City of Man, Kingdom of God-Why Christians Respect, Obey, and Resist the Government. In it, Johnson works through the tension the Bible-believing Christian faces as they seek to respect and obey the government but resist the government when it goes too far.
In the book's last chapter, Johnson shows how Jesus handled a trap laid by the Pharisees. Their goal was to get Jesus in trouble with Rome or the people. Jesus gave them an answer to which they could not reply.
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
First, Jesus recognizes that it is not an honest inquiry, and Jesus calls them out on it.
To us living in the 21st Century culture, we can miss just how big a deal this all was.
If Jesus had told them not to pay Caesar’s tax, he would have been a revolutionary. Rome tolerated various religious worship within the empire, but not paying the tax was a sure way to bring down the Legions on the non-paying rebellious subjects.
Another reason this is more significant than we might realize is that Caesar’s tax was to be paid with a coin that bore Caesar’s image. It was called a denarius. The problem with the denarius bearing Caesar’s image is that the Romans deified the Caesar.
The Jews, aware of the commandments, found the coin to be an abomination. To pay the tax with such a coin would be blasphemy. The Pharisees laid their trap well. They figured they could get Jesus in trouble with the people or Rome and thus discredit him.
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
Jesus’ answer makes the clear distinction between the City of Man (Rome in this case) and the Kingdom of God.
Caser’s coin bears his image so pay the tax for it is owed. At the same time. Render to God what is owed to God, and that is worship.
MacArthur’s Grace Community Church (and mine) reopened during Covid realizing that the state in its hypocrisy, had crossed a line revealing its hostility to those who sincerely seek to glorify God and live via biblical principles.
I recommend Johnson’s book to anyone interested in navigating what can be thorny church\state issues with sound biblical exegesis.
September 15, 2022
Does the government have the authority to regulate church worship?
Where do our rights originate?
Is all civil disobedience a sin?
The answers to these questions and many more are found in this book! Increase your understanding and your faith by reading this book.
Where do our rights originate?
Is all civil disobedience a sin?
The answers to these questions and many more are found in this book! Increase your understanding and your faith by reading this book.
July 3, 2023
Helpful and clear biblical explanations from scripture explaining how Christians should relate to government. Makes the case that our view should not be "obey government unless they command you to sin," but that we only owe obedience to government when they are carrying out their God-ordained duties. The book was solid, but a little on the short side, and needed to give more explicit application (is he saying that believers can refuse to pay taxes for certain things? Can believers disobey any laws we don't like that are outside the governments authority but don't lead us to sin or prevent us from obeying God?) and I was not convinced by the exegesis and application of his first chapter on Genesis 8-9. But overall the book is worth the read and made me think through issues better.
March 6, 2023
My pastor mentioned he planned to read this book, so I decided to also. It is not at all what I expected and I very much appreciate the approach of the author as he wrote of christians’ relationship to government. I don’t want to spoil anyone’s reading with excerpts, but here is a teaser from the intro, “Without understanding from the whole of Scripture (as opposed to a handful of famous verses isolated from context) where our obligations to government start and end…either we will render unto ourselves what is Caesar’s, or we will render unto Caesar what is God’s.”
Want to read
January 20, 2023https://immanuelbible.church/learn/se...
is this the proper author?
https://www.masters.edu/master_tmu_ne...
is this the proper author?
https://www.masters.edu/master_tmu_ne...
August 31, 2023
A good treatment on the matter, though I still don’t see the protection of the freedom to worship nor the protection of the food supply in Scripture.
Genesis 9:6 gives the responsibility to governments to protect life, and therefore the family.
Regardless, the book will definitely make you think.
Genesis 9:6 gives the responsibility to governments to protect life, and therefore the family.
Regardless, the book will definitely make you think.
January 8, 2024
Thoughtful insight about the Christian and his duty to government (and the governments duty to societies). Appreciated the last chapter wrapping up with the hope we have as believers in Christ and His perfect reign over man's imperfect attempts and sinful desires for power and authority.
December 21, 2022
Johnson offers a very balanced and helpful biblical ethic for how Christians ought to think about and relate to governmental authorities. Chapter 2 especially helpful.
January 1, 2024
Very interesting set of sermons turned into the book with each chapter building upon the previous.
November 13, 2024
Helpful.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews