What should the follower of Christ do about taxes, considering that there is a Kingdom that Christ wants us to thrive in, and a World System that is charged with the management of sin?
The very first thing one must do to understand is be thoroughly immersed in the things God says about it in His word, and be asking Him for His desires and purposes in thoughtful prayer.
I am convinced that from this perspective, from the eternally sound perspective of God's, the tax issue is far less complicated than the way it is foisted upon a Catholicized population. Jesus' closest disciples were uneducated men and they got it; if that's true, then we may too.
Some principles of taxation for us to consider are laid out in the federal tax code itself, which must define provisions for those who have no tax liability. While it is indeed reasonable for some legitimate government activity to require payment, taxation has always been laid out in the law as first and foremost a protection of the people's right to not have their wealth unjustly confiscated. One such principle is in section 861 of the code which defines what income is taxable, another is in section 3401 which defines liability for those who appropriate the privilege of federal employment.
Because the federal government is very limited in what it can do with its taxation power, it has convinced virtually every American to sign on as a government employee. In other words, most Americans adopt liability for income tax because, through their incorporated positions and W-4 commitments, they've become public servants and therefore subject to a federal excise. In all of this, the federal government has essentially persuaded everyone to be a tax collector.
The New Testament portrays tax collectors as some of the most reviled individuals in society, and rightly so — they had a reputation for abject deceit and rank exploitation. Jesus shook up that world by extending His friendship and forgiveness to those (such as Matthew and Zacchaeus) who would repent, seek truth and grace in the Kingdom, and genuinely trust in Him.
The essence of taxation lies in the principle of tribute. When a World inhabitant contracts with the system to manage his or her sin, the system charges its appropriate fee. Each of the three dominant players in the World System exact tribute for their racketeering services in its own particular way. The federal government does it by confiscation of income or property through taxation. The Federal Reserve and the banking system do it through interest payments. The Roman Catholic Church and all of its incorporated subdivisions do it through demands for tithes.
A profound truth about taxation in the United States — one that is articulated by a few who share the facts about constitutional law — is that someone not contracted as an incorporated entity is not liable for taxation when buying and selling his or her own private property in the course of engaging in private transactions. It is the premise of this web endeavor that Biblical truth further elaborates: People willingly become incorporated and therefore beholden to its rules and regulations because they need government to administer its instruments of judgment to constrain their evildoing or to work to prevent their potential evildoing when carrying out their economic affairs.
Those who belong to Christ have no need to be incorporated. The harrowing truth that follows is that those who are grafted to the World System with such incorporations do not fully trust in the God they say they serve. This should shake to their core any who desire to name His name.
This page is set aside for further investigation of the truth about taxation. More will come in an elaboration of the core assertion made in this site about the true tax liability for the genuine follower of Christ. From the Issue about paying taxes, that statement is:
"The Kingdom thrives on love, and when people love, the World doesn't need to collect a dime from them."
The Bible says it this way: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself.'" It is that simple, and if one eagerly joined with others wholly devoted to Christ to genuinely live by His precepts, they'd have the requisite wisdom to know exactly what that love is in any given circumstance — for all to see clearly, from the most powerful temporal potentate to the smallest infant child.
***
Scripture | Homepage | Site Map Contracts with the World | Scripture on Contracts with the World How Churches Contract with the World | The Ungrafted Church
This page was originally posted by David Beck at yourownjesus.net on January 18, 2007 |