Give to God What is God’s
In Mark 12, the chief priests sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to try to trap Jesus by questioning Him about taxes. In response, while holding up a denarius inscribed with the image of Caesar, Jesus famously said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."
While Jesus affirmed that Christians should pay their taxes, His greater point was much deeper. What does it mean to give to God the things that are God's?
Jesus asked His audience whose likeness or inscription was on the coin, pointing out that it was Caesar's. His point was that since the coin was made in the image of Caesar, they ought to give it to Caesar. But in whose image have you been made? You have been made in the image of God, and so you belong to God. When we try to say to the God who made us, "this is my life and I will do what I want," we attempt to steal the life that He gave us that really belongs to Him. This is a greater crime than tax fraud.
1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a tells believers, "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price." Our lives have been purchased by the blood of Christ, and we are no longer our own, but our lives belong to God. Let's repent of the ways that we've tried to steal from God what is His, and live in full surrender to Him for His glory and His purposes. He is God alone!
Max Dalrymple,
Student Ministries Director
“One wrong word may spoil a character, smear a reputation, and mar the usefulness of a life.””