What Is Caesar’s?

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. Romans 13:1

 

I have been hearing it for years, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” It is biblical, Matthew 22:21.

I know that everything I have came from God.  I know that everything “Caesar” (the government) has comes from the people to whom God has given.

It would not have occurred to me to ask what “Caesar” has claim to, i.e. what is Caesar’s? The message I have been given repeatedly is that if Caesar’s name is on the coin then all the coins are his. However, it seems that more and more “Caesar” wants my children in the public school to make sure they get the education “Caesar” thinks is right. Caesar wants my health care options. Caesar even wants to know if I am fixing my backyard fence.

What has finally sunken into my “don’t make waves or spend any time in jail” brain is that Caesar has WAY overstepped his reach in what the government wants to do for the “good of the people.”  What happened to liberty and justice for all? And who gets to define what is good for the people?

Last week I heard a talk at the Mid-Atlantic Reformation Society called, “Who, What, & Why Would Jesus Tax?” The speaker, Joel Saint, taught what the Bible has to say about taxes and governmental authority

I have been hearing for a long time that the Bible has a lot to say about taxation and government limits. In this talk I heard the specific scriptures and what they teach about the purpose for government. Clearly, there are legitimate works God has for government to do in protection of the land and people. As citizens of a nation though, we should be experiencing a lot more private enterprise as the source of services, less taxation, and more freedom to own and do with property as it pleases God not government.

I would like to stop now and ask you to spend your time listening to the one who has spent a lot of time researching and studying the scripture to know what to think about what Jesus would do about taxation and other government responsibilities. If you consider “What is Caesar’s?”  as a legitimate question I would encourage you to take the hour to watch this video teaching.

I can tell you “Caesar” does not own or have biblical authority to all “Caesar” is taking now. And, we are leaving a mess for future generations because, just like me, we don’t trust God enough to fight city hall for fear of fines or jail.

It is worth the hour to understand how to look at these issues.