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Over the years, I have heard of people in the church not paying taxes.  They have gone off the grid and do everything with cash.  If you look at just Romans 13:1-7, you will have no choice but to argue against that idea.  In this section of scripture, it is very clear that we are to submit to our leaders and obey them.  They are God-appointed and can bring terror to our life. We are told by Paul to pay taxes, give revenue, respect and honor what is owed.  Even Christ in Matthew 22:21 says, “Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”  Who are we to argue with Christ? I mean in the 1st century, Caesar was a pretty corrupt individual.             

However, obedience to our leaders is not absolute.  When do we say enough is enough? Where is the line that we draw in the sand?  Peter and the apostles in Acts refuse to obey authority when the authorities ask them to quit speaking of Christ.  They respond in Act 5:28, “We must obey God rather than men.” Just the other day, a football coach was asked to stop praying after football games with his boys. I think you take a stand even if that means you lose your job. What about murder?  We have never been asked to murder anybody, or have we?  Millions of tiny babies each year are slaughtered for little more than birth control.  Our government supports this and even funds this.  When I was going to school at Grace University, I drove by an abortion clinic in Bellevue and I almost lost my lunch.  It was very disturbing.             

So why does Paul tell us to submit to authority when he was constantly butting heads with authorities? We are to submit because we are to be loving, kind, and hopeful people.  We are called to live in harmony with one another, and live peacefully with all, but yet stand for the truth.  I am sure there was a sect that only looked to God as their authority and, therefore, was refusing to pay taxes.  This was causing division and giving the Christians a bad name, thus ruining their witness.             

I don’t want to judge those who struggle with paying taxes, because I can see their reasoning behind it. However, there is something more important. I have seen examples of their witness being shattered because of the divisiveness of their view.  Those people break the peace and harmony within the community. The actions of going against the government can be a real barrier for some and put Christianity in a light that it was never intended to be.  Christianity has always been intended to be a peaceful religion where the fellowship of believers helps others in the community. We do not have to burden ourselves with vengeance.

We are called to obey both God’s laws and man’s laws the best we can. I believe my mom, who is the sweetest, most loving lady I have ever met, has it right.  She pays her taxes and gives to charities to help stop this terrible genocide against unborn babies.  She is constantly praying, she is genuine, she is hardworking, but most of all, she is loving and caring.  I can’t tell you how many times people have told me that she is the sweetest lady on earth. With her stature in our small community, if she became divisive, she would lose her witness in our town. Our witness for Jesus is the most important thing we can do on this earth, and we must run all our decision through the Jesus filter.