Members of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and Christians worldwide have been encouraged to live up to their civic responsibilities, including the payment of taxes and support for legitimate state institutions, while maintaining their ultimate allegiance to God.
The call came from the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, during his sermon at the induction of Rev. Nana Osei Owusu Fosu as the 13th Chairperson of the Central Presbytery at the Ebenezer Congregation, Agona Nsaba.
Preaching from Matthew 22:15-22 on the theme, “Render to God What Belongs to God”, the Moderator examined the context of Jesus’ famous response to the Pharisees and Herodians who sought to trap Him with a politically sensitive question concerning the payment of taxes to Rome.
He explained that the question was not merely about taxation but about the controversial imperial tax imposed by Roman authorities on the Jewish people.
According to him, Jesus’ opponents believed that whichever answer He gave would create difficulties for Him. If He opposed the tax, He could be accused of rebellion against Rome; if He supported it, He risked alienating many Jews who resented Roman rule.
Instead, Jesus asked to be shown the coin used for the tax and pointed to the image of Caesar engraved on it before declaring, “Render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”
The Moderator said the statement affirmed the legitimacy of civic obligations while simultaneously reminding believers that God retains ultimate ownership of human life.
He noted that Christians often expect governments to provide roads, schools, hospitals and other public services, yet some are reluctant to fulfil their own civic responsibilities.
“As citizens, we have obligations to support the state,” he emphasised. The Moderator further explained that while the coin bore Caesar’s image, human beings bear the image of God, as taught in Genesis.
For that reason, he said, believers must not only discharge their obligations to society but must also remember that their lives belong to God. “Just as taxes belong to the state, our lives belong to God,” he stressed.
He therefore called on congregants and Christians as a whole to render their worship, loyalty and devotion to God alone, while responsibly contributing to the welfare and development of society through lawful and responsible citizenship.
The Moderator also urged the Church to remain focused on its spiritual mission and not allow external pressures to divert it from proclaiming the Gospel and defending the Christian faith. He maintained that Christians could be faithful citizens while remaining steadfast in their commitment to God’s truth and purposes.
By Jerome Otchere
