Romans 13:6-7

For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God’s service, attending continually on this very thing. Give therefore to everyone what you owe: taxes to whom taxes are due; customs to whom customs; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor.

Did you know that paying taxes is giving to the Lord? That’s what we read here. We should be happy to pay taxes because we know that it will go to God’s work. We have a responsibility, in democratic governments, to vote responsibly about taxes, however. We should not separate the first five verses of Romans 13 from these two verses because they remind those of us who live in democratic governments how to vote for taxes.

God describes what the purpose of government is in Romans 13:4. We can safely believe that taxes are to be spent on those things and nothing else. In other words, there are things that are the government’s responsibility and things that are our own responsibility. It is important for us to know the difference because God will hold people responsible for some things and governments for other things.

In a democratic government, God has given the people a certain amount of government responsibility. It is a voter’s responsibility to use money only for God-ordained government. I believe that in the United States, the government has been given (or taken) responsibility for things that God holds individuals responsible for, such as taking care of their own families welfare and working to eat. Feeding people who won’t work to pay for it, is not government’s responsibility according to God and the government has no responsibility to take care of elderly people. That is the job of a family and a church. Individuals and families should be allowed to keep their own money for the things that are their responsibility under God. Education is a similar thing. God expects parents to train their own children. This can include paying for education outside the home, but not always. It is definitely not the government’s job to teach children.

As for taxes, they are a good thing and we should be happy as Christians to pay them when they are actually being spent on government.