TAXES
No
man should think he is giving less service to the one God when he obeys human
laws, pays tax, or bows his head to accept any other burden.
John Calvin
By God’s own sovereign decree, presidents,
kings, prime ministers, governors, mayors, police, and all other governmental
authorities stand in His place for the preservation of society. To resist
government is therefore to resist God. To refuse to pay taxes is to disobey
God’s command. By God’s own declaration, to pay taxes to Caesar honors God
[Rom. 13:15; 1 Ti. 2:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:13-15].
John
MacArthur
Matthew 16-23, Moody, 1988, p. 322.
Jesus…declared the
divinely ordained obligation of citizens to pay taxes to whatever government is
over them. Paying taxes is a legitimate duty of every person, but is specially
binding on believers because they are specially bound to God’s Word. Jesus made
no qualifying exemptions or exceptions, even under rulers such as the
blasphemous, pagan, idolatrous government that in a few days would nail Him to
the cross. The government that executed the Son of God was to be paid taxes by
God’s people. The state has the divine right to assess taxes that are within
its sphere of responsibility and its citizens have the divine obligation to pay
them.
John
MacArthur
Matthew 16-23, Moody, 1988, p. 321.