I recently came across, what I believe to be, the least memorized passage in all of Scripture. That passage is Romans 13:6-7. It states, “For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”
If you are like me, you just cartoonishly spit out your beverage all over the screen after reading it. I’ll give you a second to wipe it off.
So why is something like this in the Bible anyway? Are we only to think about a topic like this around April 15th? I don’t think so. A passage like this shows us how God intends for us to respond to the institutions He has created for us to operate within. This includes our government, our community, and our church. In this passage, Paul teaches us about the principles of responsibility, unity, and honor, and it would serve us well to reflect on these principles with the family meeting coming up on September 11.
“For because of this you also pay taxes.” Paul is telling us there is a reason we pay taxes. Everyone is aware that they have a responsibility to pay taxes, but we rarely reflect on “why” in a positive light. I don’t want to start a huge argument on politics right now. I just want to discuss the principle of our responsibility.
We all live in this country. We all use the same roads and highways. We are governed by the same officials while having the same needs of safety and order. To fulfill these needs, resources are required.
Look, I hate putting new tires on my truck. They are expensive and not how I would choose to use my money, but they are required for the proper operation of my vehicle. I have a responsibility to maintain the vehicle in proper working condition. Paying taxes is required for good stewardship of our country and state.
Our church is no different. Resources are required for the proper upkeep of the grounds God has blessed us with. You may forget about the air-conditioned building you are enjoying during the service, but it is there and requires maintenance.
We cannot take for granted what God has blessed us with. It is our responsibility not only to maintain what we have received but also to help fulfill new needs that come up.
The church finances have been on a steady decline since the Covid lockdown, and we need to take ownership and fulfill our responsibilities to maintain and fulfill the needs of our church. All our families enjoy the same blessings, so we all need to share in the responsibilities. And there is a wonderful benefit to the sharing of these responsibilities: unity develops.
As we reflect more on taxes and government, we see the principle of unity. We are Americans. We are protected by the rights and laws of this country. We have things in common with other countries, but we are united as Americans by our proximity to each other. We interact with each other in our daily activities. We have a bond with each other under our flag. Everyone chips in because the institution is too large for any one person.
I might not serve in the government, but I need to be a good citizen. I need to relate to other citizens in a way that does not hinder them but helps them flourish.
At church, we all sit under the same teaching, we worship the same God, we are saved by the same Savior. Our families interact together. We, as The Way Fellowship Church, have the strongest bond that anyone can have. We are unified by Christ. He has chosen to use us to help encourage one another, to carry each other’s burdens, and He uses us to invite others into true community. We are His tools to help disciple each other as we follow Him. We must see and appreciate our unity because it gives us the desire to be committed to each other. Unity is a very strong bond and when unity is present, we can see how honor is properly given and received.
God has created honor. We are to honor Him, we are to honor our parents, and we are to honor authority in general. Paul says that the authorities are God’s ministers. He tells us to honor them by paying taxes and to respect their positions. Government authorities are servants of the people. Their job is one of selflessness. The decisions they must make are heavy burdens effecting many people. They also deal with the discouraging fact that no one is ever completely satisfied with their decisions. It is a difficult task to represent so many different people. Yet, they are called to honor their positions by serving those under their care.
If government officials are ministers of God how much more are the actual ministers of the church? We honor those who serve us by respecting their positions. We honor those who serve us by providing for their needs just as they provide for our needs. As we serve the church, and the leaders God has blessed us with we feel the joy of contributing to His kingdom. We are honoring God and fulfilling our created roles. We are called to honor the role that God has assigned to us. We must be found faithful.
Our family meeting is coming up on September 11th. We are going to be discussing some tough issues which include the church finances. I want to encourage you to be in prayer about that meeting. Pray for God’s guidance for the church and celebrate with Him how you have been personally participating. Also, be in pray as to how God would challenge you to participate further. Pray that we can apply the principles of responsibility, unity, and honor to this situation and our church family. We are in a position where only God can change our current course. As we seek to apply these principles personally and corporately, we are in utter reliance on Him and there is no better place for us to be.
Pastor Don