It’s April 15th… Tax day. Not exactly my favorite day of the year. The changes to the tax laws helped out this year, and I got some money back from the federal government. I had to pay more to my state government though.
I know many people don’t care for government. Some think it’s illegitimate when their party isn’t in control of it.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 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 13:1-7
This was particularly difficult to swallow for me during the previous administration. It’s hard for the Democratic Party now with the current administration. But God put both of them in power. And when Paul wrote the words quoted above the ruler of the Western world, for the most part, was one of the most evil and foul men to ever hold power.
If Paul could say that Nero was “God’s servant for your good,” and that Christians were to be in subjection to him to “avoid God’s wrath,” and for the sake of conscience, then I guess we should remember not to resist “what God has appointed,” and pay what is owed.