Should a Christian Press Charges?

The Conquering Truth

What should we do when someone who calls themselves a Christian commits a crime against us? Take theft for example. Let’s say a brother comes to you and tells you that he had $1000 stolen from him by a deacon in the church or by the teenage son of the pastor, or just by another church member. Is it wrong for him to report it to the police? What about for domestic abuse? Child abuse? Sexual abuse? The sad truth is, these things happen. And whether it’s someone that you personally thought was a Christian or not, many people struggle with how to handle this situation according to scripture.
In this episode, we want to deal with the reality of how to handle the overlapping authority between the church, the home, and the civil government and, in particular, how that works out when someone has broken the civil law but professes to be a Christian. This is an important issue, because while most Protestant churches correctly condemn the Catholic church for their handling of the child abuse scandal among priests, many Baptists, Presbyterians, and Protestants still fail to report cases of physical or sexual abuse to the God-appointed civil magistrates. This does not mean that the church should do nothing, but that the church should not usurp the authority that God has given to our civil leaders. A person can be excommunicated by the church and sentenced to death by the state for murder. The church of Jesus Christ needs to care about justice, and we need to stop believing that civil justice is not a part of God’s justice. Part of the reason why Christ was born as a man under the law, who lived a perfect life, and then was unjustly put to the death as a sacrifice for sins is because God cares about what happens in the physical realm just as much as the spiritual. Or to say it a different way, Christ’s punishment and death on the cross happened physically and also had spiritual ramifications. When the church forgets that God is Lord over all things, that he appoints rulers, commands justice, and causes mercy to come to pass, we start to preach and live a gospel that denies the truth of God’s word. Please join us as we discuss this very important topic.
Production of Reformation Baptist Church of Youngsville, NC
Hosts - Dan Horn, Jonathan Sides, Charles Churchill and Joshua Horn
Technical Director - Timothy Kaiser
Theme Music - Gabriel Hudelson