02 Jan Should a Christian Tithe Part 2
Note: Today’s daily devotional is taken from day 278 in the Romans: Theology for Everybody newly released book you can preview for free HERE. Thank you to everyone who has given to Real Faith and helped us give away free Bible teaching to around 100 million people this year.
Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 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. — Romans 13:5–7
The government agency American people tend to hate the most is the Internal Revenue Service. Government doesn’t create wealth; it is not a business. Government takes what the people produce. In Mark 12:17, Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” “The things that are Caesar’s” are taxes, and “the things that are God’s” are the tithe. The tithe is the first 10 percent of our income that we are to give to God. This act of worship, often called the “first fruits” in Scripture, is much fairer and more just than taxation. Everything that we have belongs to God—our money is His money—and He only asks for 10 percent of His money back, letting us keep the remaining 90 percent.
Now, the United States’ government has a sliding, escalating tax structure. The more a person makes, the higher percentage they pay. God has a different method. No matter if you are rich or poor, He asks you to give the same percentage (10 percent). God’s economy is always greater than the economy of this world.
One of the reasons taxes are so frustrating for many people is that we pay for things we like as well as things we do not like. We like roads, infrastructure, and first responder departments. As believers, we dislike godless abortion and public-school sex education. The Bible has zero verses about the government’s responsibility to educate a child, and I can guarantee you that Scripture does not support the corrupt, abusive, and godless sex “education” being forced upon children in America’s classrooms.
No one enjoys paying taxes, and as Christians, we should always fight for family, faith, and freedom. If the idea of taxation feels unjust and counterintuitive to our faith, then we can look to the example of Jesus and His earthly parents when it comes to taxes. Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, the location of Jesus’ birth, because everyone in Israel was told to go back to the man’s hometown to register for the census so they could pay taxes. Though they were likely poor, rural teenagers, Jesus’ parents set the example before Jesus even entered the world.
If you are going to pay your taxes, then you really should pay your tithe. You may not be able to avoid funding the things you hate, but you can choose to fund the One you love.
Have you cheerfully given your tithe to God in 2022? Will you give your tithe to God cheerfully in 2023?
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