There are some people who believe that Jesus taught socialism. Some believe he taught capitalism. Some even seem to believe he taught that America and democracy were the next Holy Land. In reality, all of these are unfounded and Jesus truly taught something for all people across all time: submission to your government.
Why does it matter what economic or government system we are under? Why does it matter what taxes we pay? The Bible answers both of these questions with a resounding “It does not matter!” Let’s take a look at some passages that address these questions.
Does it matter what government we are under? In Romans 13:1-2 Paul writes, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgement on themselves.” The same thing is reiterated in 1 Peter 2:13-17. These two passages are explicit that it does not matter what government we are under. What if the government is oppressive though? So what? These words were written under the Roman empire, one of the most oppressive governments ever, and one that openly persecuted Christians. They were commanded to be submissive to the people who were throwing them in jail, forcing them into the Coliseum, and executing them in grotesque ways. Romans 12:18-21 becomes more powerful when viewed through this lens.
Does it matter what taxes we pay? This goes much along with the last question, but there are passages that talk about this specifically. Perhaps the most famous is Matthew 22:15-22. The Pharisees wish to trap Jesus in his words, and ask him if it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. His response is “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Another passage that makes the same point is Romans 13:7 “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.” Again, it would take mental gymnastics to get out of the clear point Jesus and Paul make here.
Submission is a common theme in the Bible, and this kind is just one aspect of it. This is also the kind of passage that is easy to understand and hard to practice. The reality is that persecution may be closer than we think, and it may be something we have to handle in our lifetimes.