Gotta Pay Somebody

[I wrote this exactly 8 years ago today. It was an issue of my e-mail column I did called "Arrows of Truth." Obviously, I wrote it in commemoration of "Tax Day."]

Bob Dylan wrote, what remains one of my favorite songs from his “Christian era,” the song entitled Gotta Serve Somebody. (I still remember him performing it on Saturday Night Live in the late 70’s.) I have entitled this issue of Arrows of Truth: “Gotta Pay Somebody.” Like the truth expressed in Dylan’s song, this is also a fact of life. In fact these two truths are tied together, you will pay the one you serve. Or to be more precise, a people will pay the “God” they worship.

We live in a society that has rejected the God of the Bible, and has opted to worship the “State,” and as a consequence the State demands our tribute money. You may question my remark about our society rejecting the God of the Bible, but the evidence is everywhere. It is not simply reflected in our social mores, it is reflected in the Church as well. How you may ask? In the percentage of Christians who tithe. Most studies show that less than 5% of evangelical Christians tithe. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there is your heart also.” My friend, our pocketbook reflects our value system. If the Church refuses to honor the Lord with their tithe it has repercussions in the society in which they dwell.

Many of the services provided by the State were originally designed by God to be provided by the Church, the family, or the individual. According to God’s plan, it’s not the job of the State to care for the widows and orphans. Neither is it the job of the State to educate, feed the hungry, subsidize artists, or care for its citizens from cradle to grave. The role of civil government was to be limited. The more we demand from the State, the more the State must take from us in taxes to provide for those services. In other words, “There is no free lunch.” The State that provides you with everything must take everything that you have. You gotta pay somebody.

I do take note that the Mormons, who practice tithing, are an influential force in spite of their comparatively few numbers. Imagine the influence Christians, if they tithed to the extent that the Mormons do, could have in our culture.

Because of the failure of most believers to tithe many of the services formerly performed by churches can no longer be provided because of the lack of finances. Therefore, the State provides these services and hands us the bill. In addition, this gives the State more power over our lives, which means the loss of freedom. In other words, enslavement to the State. You gotta serve somebody.

We cannot extract ourselves from this dilemma until believers begin to tithe. In reality, the financial basis for the advancement of God’s Kingdom is the tithe. If we expect its growth without obedience we are deceiving ourselves.