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Originally Posted by JBaldwin  Quote: |
So, that is it in a nutshell. For all of this you get to enjoy the privilege of tax exemption instead of the right of being non-taxable. And, any Free Church has the liberty to engage in political activity if it wishes without the Church or members becoming taxable. You'll find that the Federal government generally doesn't violate the rights of people, it gets you to waive them, and most people freely do.
| This, of course, brings me to the other point I mentioned. In light of all this (and I would also like a biblical answer, if possible), is it even right for us to take a tax deduction for our charitable gifts? |
Yes, it is your right and duty under your beneficium. You have the responsibility to the "free exercise" of your religion, paying taxes on your tithes and offerings as a free citizen would violate your duties to the First Commandment.
Consider the Scripture that Dennis referenced:
"Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." Matthew 22:21
And then Paul says, render to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due &c in Romans 13, I'll let you look that up because you are probably familiar with it.
Let's begin with the first one and dissect it within context with historical background so you understand what is going on.
Octavius is made High Priest in the Roman Cult of the "Vestral Virgins," then he inherits the throne from Julius's will upon his death and becomes Caesar or King. The Roman Senate declares that Julius is divine, Jupiter Julius, and then Octavius is declared to be Augustus because he is his adopted son - or an incarnation of god in the flesh. Quite literally in terms of the Roman cult - "the son of God." The old republic of Rome is done away with and the Empire begins under this "divine" being Augustus in the combined offices of both King and High Priest. This had never happened before in Roman history, so this is interpreted as an earthly incarnation and manifestation of deity - or rather that man had ascended to deity and transcended death in and through Augustus.
In Greek thought all being was the same being and man was ascending on a chain of being. When Octavius became Augustus and the offices of King and High Priest were united Rome became the center of life and a political salvation was posited in terms of Rome. Being outside of Rome was the same as being damned and to reject it was a conscious rejection of salvation and beyond comprehension. In contrast, in biblical thought there is a divine being of God and a human and mortal being of man, the gulf between them is unbridgeable, except that God became incarnate in Christ as two natures, God of very God and man of very man, but one person.
The conflict at the incarnation of Jesus Christ is between Christ and Caesar, both making total claims over the earth, and both claiming to be incarnations of God (although Chris was never so explicit, he simply said the Scripture was fulfilled in him, and the Scripture is explicit). The differences though are marked, in Caesar man is synthesized with deity and every man has the potential to become divine following him. In Scripture Christ alone is deity manifested in the flesh and no one else will be, man becomes truly man in Christ, and there is no confusion, mixture, division or separation in Christ's incarnation.
Virgil in the Aenid publishes throughout the empire that the "turning point of the ages has come, salvation is in no other name save Augustus Caesar" and a twelve day Advent Celebration is held throughout the Roman Empire.
When Augustus was about to die he appoint Tiberius as his adopted son and the two were co-rulers until August died. This is important because Tiberius takes the throne without interrugnum, meaning he inherits both offices of King and High Priest, otherwise if Augustus would have died first, he would just be King and the Vestral Virgins would have to elect a new High Priest.
The Herodians pose Christ a question, should we pay tribute to Caesar or not. Tribute is something that only conquered people pay, not citizens (see Matthew 17:25-26) For example, while Paul said pay tribute he never paid tribute, he was a Roman citizen and had no obligation to pay tribute. Christ asked to see the denarius, which was the tribute money - a special coinage with which tribute is paid. He asked whose inscription and image is this? They said, "Caesars" then he responded with the above.
The coin has Caesar's image on the obverse and Livia (his mother) image on the reverse, the coin says:
"Tiberius Caesar August Son of the August God" on the obverse and "King and High Priest" on the reverse.
Contrary to popular thought that this Scripture is a license to unlimited submission in civil taxation, it is rather an explicit denial of the State and it's rulers Divinity - with an admonition to obey whom ever is your Lord. If you belong to Satan then serve him, if you belong to God, then serve Him. After the Resurrection and Ascension this and other verses become the foundation of the concept of "independence of Church and State," as two separate ministries with two separate jurisdictions both under Christ the King and High Priest.
Paul's admonition to pay tribute is that God regenerates men in the station in life they are in, we are called to peace not revolution. So, if you are subject to tribute then pay it, but if you can become free, become free rather and use it to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 7:20-22) We are to overcome evil with good and the preaching the Gospel will make manifest the Kingdom in our presence as we are progressively enabled by the Lord to live consistent with our estates in Christ.
We, as Americans, are born free citizens - but our civil government has been turned inside out like a dirty sock, and most people become servants to the civil government and live totally in terms of it. That tax jurisdiction of the federal government only extends to that which is internal to it, that is why we have an "
Internal Revenue Service." You are not required to live like this, and the Church is not required to offer itself to the world and be swallowed whole.
If you can be made free, then do it and serve Christ; and if you cannot be made free, then serve Christ in that station - but the problem today is that everyone has universally become a slave and they expect and demand that everyone else follow them. Then they want to convert the Church to their legal status so they can have assurance that their tithes and offerings will be accepted as tax exempt.
The Church in our society is a free and independent jurisdiction and it should be a shining light on the hill to both saved and lost that Liberty and freedom from sin is in Christ alone. Unfortunately, though, the Scriptures are interpreted within a certain context today of unlimited submission to civil government and dialetical philosophy is held as normative. But this is not what the Scripture teaches, so we have much Reforming work to do - but most people resist it because they don't want the responsibility of freedom. Many prefer having the civil government as a master and they don't seem to have any problem in bringing Christ and His Church under those dominions either.
Cordially,
Thomas