Pay Taxes - Romans 13-14

Romans 13:5-7 (ESV)

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.

I don’t really know anyone who likes April 15 of each year.  That is the day we must pay our taxes from the previous year’s income.    Our country seems to like to tax things.  All countries seem to like to tax their people.  It is almost natural to not like that, however.   In the above passage Paul is writing to the Christians in Rome.  During this time period, Nero was the Emperor of Rome.  He hated the Christians.  History tells us he would burn them alive to light his gardens.   Being taxed by Nero would almost seem like a privilege in comparison.   Paul is not shy about telling the Christians in Rome and around the world and us, today, that God established all forms of government.   No matter the government, we are told, in chapter 13, to obey the rulers over us. That includes the tax they demand from us.   It might seem unfair and it might seem cruel, but that is what God said.   The authorizes are ministers of God.  The tax is one aspect of the fact that God put them in charge.  We are told honor and respect the position that God put over us.  To dishonor or disrespect the authorities God puts in charge is to dishonor or disrespect God.