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Question 6

Bercot quotes Tertullian: “What will be God’s if all things are Caesar’s?” and then claims many professing Christians have given Caesar “their money, their youth, their souls, and their unqualified allegiance,” leaving God “leftover crumbs”; what concrete signs would expose that pattern in a church community, and what would repentance look like beyond simply “trying harder”?

Another way to ask: What would it look like if a church gives Caesar people’s money, time, and loyalty and gives God only leftovers? What would real repentance look like besides just “trying harder”?

Direct Answer Concrete signs would be a church culture where national loyalty and state demands receive the best energy and sacrifice, while Christ’s kingdom receives only minimal leftovers of time, money, and devotion. Repentance, in Bercot’s framework, would mean reordering allegiance so God’s kingdom is dominant, especially when Caesar asks for what belongs to God.

Support from Transcript:

Bercot says governments want not only “Caesar’s things” but also “God’s things,” seeking “absolute, unqualified allegiance.”
He asks with Tertullian, “What will be God’s if all things are Caesar’s?”
He describes professing Christians who have “risked their lives and given their money, their youth, their souls, and their unqualified allegiance to Caesar.”
He says what remains for God is “leftover crumbs…their tithes, and a few hours a week of their time.”
He insists true citizenship requires primary allegiance: “If we want to become a citizen of God’s kingdom…his kingdom has to have our primary allegiance.”

Discussion Follow-ups What would it look like for a congregation to measure devotion by obedience to Christ rather than by patriotic sacrifice? Where might a church need to publicly clarify that Caesar cannot claim what belongs to God—our lives and ultimate loyalty?

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