Jesus told the Jews, who were in a covenant with God and under vow to him: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) What we render to Caesar (governments) certainly is not our lives, for we never did owe these to Caesar and they do not belong to him. The life Caesar himself possesses he owes to God, not to himself as an immortal god. For this reason authentic history shows that Christians of the first century did not expose their lives to the risks of warfare by joining Caesar’s armies, but took the penalty that Caesar imposed for their refusing to be inducted. In this course those early Christians had Jesus as their example, Leader and Instructor. Jesus lived within Caesar’s realm, because by military aggressions imperial Rome had conquered Palestine. After laying down the law for his followers, Jesus himself did not enlist in Caesar’s armies. He knew that God and Caesar are not friends. That is why Caesar, through his governor Pilate, put the Son of God to death and thereafter violently persecuted Jesus’ followers. Jesus’ sermon on the mount says we cannot serve two masters, especially when both masters are foes to each other. So when there arises any conflict between God and Caesar, they yield to these superior duties, just as Peter the apostle said to the Law court: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men….and we are witnesses.”-Acts 5:29-32.
Jesus told Caesar’s representative Pilate: “My kingdom is no part of this world. If my kingdom were part of this world, my attendants would have fought that I should not be delivered up to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from this source.” Then Jesus told Pilate why he had not engaged in any military effort to liberate the Jews from Caesar’s domination, saying: “For this purpose I have been born and for this purpose I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” He came to be Jehovah’s witness and to take followers out from this world, and make them witnesses like himself. So he told his apostles: “Because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.” And when he prayed to God for them he said: “They are no part of the world just as I am no part of the world.”-John 18:36, 37; 15:19; 17:14, 16.
If their form of worship is to be “clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father,” then they must each one endeavor to “keep oneself without spot from the world”. (James 1:27) They tell the officials that they are absolutely neutral toward the political disputes and the international controversies and combats of this world. They take no active or violent part for either side, but pay their vows to God and always advocate his kingdom and way of salvation.
　
In summary, those inclined to become a Christian witness of Jehovah cannot unless they takes a vow by which they fully devotes themselves to God through Jesus Christ and so assume superior duties. They acknowledge God as the Supreme Being and Fountain of life and the Provider of the way to eternal life. (Psalms 3:8; 36:9) They approach God through Jesus Christ. They acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God who laid down his human life for them, thus providing a purchase price for them. No political state, no “Caesar” or emperor or dictator, can do these things for the dying sinner. And so they do not attribute their debt of life to any political system, but attribute their lives to God and seeks to render it to him through Christ. They acknowledges that these Scriptures apply to them: “…you do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price. By all means, glorify God in the body of you people.“ “You were bought with a price, stop becoming slaves of men.” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20; 7:23) So their lives and their implicit obedience and superior duties they render to God as belonging to him; and they surrender their lives in God’s service and not in that of any men.
