"Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)

Taxes have been a part of civilizations for thousands of years. Even our Lord Jesus found the subject important enough to comment on. We all have responsibilities to pay "tribute" or taxes to those in authority over us.

But tribute money is not ours! In fact, the whole concept of a tribute was initiated by God Himself in the tithe. God said that one tenth of the "firstfruits" belonged to Him (Malachi 3:8-10; 1 Corinthians 16:2). The Creator God, of course, is the ultimate Owner of all things (Psalm 50:7-12). We are to be His "stewards" (Luke 12:42; 1 Corinthians 4:2) and have been delegated the responsibility to "occupy" until He comes back (Luke 19:13; Matthew 25:14).

Although we have "use" of money, we also have certain obligations for that money. We may have freedom to do with the money whatever we wish, but we will suffer consequences if we choose to ignore the responsibilities to "render," or pay, our "tribute to whom tribute is due" (Romans 13:7).

We also have the freedom to invest. God richly rewarded those who made eternally wise investments with the "pounds" and "talents" that they received from Him (Matthew 25; Luke 19). The tithe belongs to the Lord and should be deposited in the Bible-preaching church where we fellowship. Our gifts and offerings may be deposited into kingdom investments that will reap eternal dividends in the ages to come. What are you investing in?

The Institute for Creation Research invests in the ministry that confronts the godless worldview of evolutionary naturalism that is robbing the minds and wrecking the faith of so many in our day. Invest with us in this challenging work. HMM III