What Duty Do I Owe the Government, and What Duty Do I Owe God?

That question was asked of Jesus: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?" He said, "Show Me the tax money." They gave Him the denarius, on which was a picture of Caesar. Then He asked, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's." He answered, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (see

). And that has become the standard for what we owe the government.

We owe the payment of taxes for the necessary services government renders to us. We owe a law-abiding and honest type of personal life (see

). Especially, we owe government informed, active citizenship.

We do not owe the government the allegiance we owe God. To God we owe our worship and our loyalty. We must remember that government exists only as long as God gives it the ability and the power.

When any civil government steps outside the mandate authorized by God Almighty, then that government does not have any further claim over its citizens. When the apostles came before the government of their day, they were commanded not to speak about Jesus. They told the authorities that they could not help speaking of the things they had seen and heard (see

). Even though they were threatened with jail, beatings, and other reprisals, they continued to proclaim their faith to the people. The apostles obviously considered the government's power to be at an end when it began to restrict their freedom to worship God and to proclaim their faith in Jesus.

In the United States, we believe that our government derives its powers from the consent of the governed. We believe that God has given certain inalienable rights, vested in humanity itself. The people give their support to the government so it can do such things as build roads, highways, and harbors; train armies; establish courts of law and maintain currency; establish uniform standards; and do other things that individuals cannot do for themselves.

In our society, Caesar is all the people. When we are told to render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, that means we ourselves should be responsible for government. Therefore, we owe the obligation of serving in public office, of being informed citizens, of voting, and of being active in politics at all levels. That is part of the duty we render to Caesar.

We give God the spiritual allegiance that is His. We give Him our tithes, our offerings, our love, our worship, and our testimony in praise. To the government we give good citizenship, knowledge of the affairs of the day, and taxes that are due. We also give the government our services as political figures, as statesmen, as public servants in every level of government.

Some might ask: "But what are rights under a dictatorship or a Communist government?" People have the same rights everywhere. Every man should have the right to his own personal life, his property, his freedom of movement, and his freedom of conscience. But there are some governments, such as those controlled by the Communists, that do not give those rights to the people. There is a totally different mindset in the Communist world.

That does not change the order that God established. Those under Communist domination must sometimes disobey the government. They must continue to speak and testify to their faith in God, even though this is very costly. Many of them go to prison. Many are tortured and beaten and deprived. When they get out of prison, they go right back to testifying and preaching again. We in America do not have any idea what those people have to go through in order to practice their faith in God.

Still, we must recognize that the apostle Paul was living under tyrannical Roman emperors when he wrote, in the book of Romans, that Christians are supposed to pay taxes to whom taxes are due, and that the civil government is not supposed to be a terror to those who do well, but to evildoers (see

). He also said Christians are supposed to pray for those in authority over them, so that they might live a quiet and godly life. This is so that the Word of God might go forth freely to the end that all should come to the knowledge of the truth (see I Timothy 2:1-4). This kind of praying even should be done for bad rulers and governments.

About The Author

Pat

Robertson

Pat

Robertson

Dr. Robertson served as the founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. (CBN); co-founder, chancellor, and chief executive officer of Regent University; founder of Operation Blessing Relief and Development Corporation (OB); founder and president of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ); co-founder and chairman of International Family Entertainment, Inc.; and a leading force behind several other influential organizations and broadcast entities. His greatest treasure in life was knowing Jesus Christ and having the privilege of proclaiming Him and His power to others. His life was lived to the glory of God.

Early Life, Education, and Military Service

Pat Robertson was born on March 22, 1930, in Lexington, Virginia, to A. Willis Robertson and Gladys Churchill Robertson. His father served for 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

After graduating with honors from McCallie School, a military prep school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Mr. Robertson entered Washington and Lee University in 1946, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1948, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. After graduating magna cum laude from Washington and Lee in 1950, Robertson served as the assistant adjutant of the First Marine Division in Korea. He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1952 upon his return to the United States. Mr. Robertson received a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1955 and his M.Div. from New York Theological Seminary in 1959.

For more information on the life and ministry of Pat Robertson, please visit: CBN.com/Pat .

In lieu of flowers, the Robertson family requests that anyone wishing to honor Pat can do so by visiting here (cbn.com/HonorPat) and supporting the organizations he loved dearly: CBN, Operation Blessing, and the Regent University Pat Robertson Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Family

In 1954, he married Adelia “Dede” Elmer Robertson. They were married 67 years before she predeceased him on April 19, 2022, at the age of 94. Together they had four children: Timothy Brian Robertson of Virginia Beach, Virginia; Elizabeth Robertson Robinson of Dallas, Texas; Gordon Perry Robertson of Chesapeake, Virginia; Ann Robertson LeBlanc of Portsmouth, Virginia; plus 14 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

Religious Broadcasting

In 1959, Mr. Robertson moved his family to Tidewater, Virginia, with just $70 and a vision of establishing the first Christian television network in the United States. Although he didn’t even own a TV, he filed incorporation papers for The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., then raised funds to purchase a defunct UHF station. On October 1, 1961, CBN began broadcasting from WYAH-TV in Portsmouth, Virginia. At the time, its signal barely reached the city limits, recalled his son Gordon Robertson, CBN’s president and CEO.

The ministry’s scope grew exponentially over the decades, reaching viewers across America and around the globe through television broadcasts, cable, satellite, the internet, and other media. Today, CBN is one of the world’s largest evangelistic ministries, proclaiming the Good News in over 100 countries and dozens of languages, including Russian, Arabic, Spanish, French, and Chinese.

CBN’s flagship program grew out of a telethon in 1963, when Mr. Robertson asked a “club” of 700 viewers to give $10 a month. In 1966, The 700 Club program was created, airing each weekday with interviews, prayer and ministry. Today, it is one of the longest-running religious television programs in America. He hosted the daily program until October 1, 2021, the sixtieth anniversary of CBN’s first broadcast, when he announced that Gordon Robertson would be the show’s new full-time host. Over the years, Mr. Robertson’s co-hosts included Ben Kinchlow, Sheila Walsh, Gordon Robertson, Terry Meeuwsen, and Wendy Griffith.

Throughout its broadcast history, The 700 Club and CBN News have covered national and international events and issues, including key elections, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war on terror, Israel, and the Middle East. Guests have included former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Donald Trump; key congressional leaders from both parties; as well as a “Who’s Who” of world and national figures, journalists, professional athletes, celebrities, and pundits.

Regent University

In 1977, Mr. Robertson incorporated CBN University, and classes began in 1978. Later renamed Regent University, the school quickly became a leading academic center for Christian thought and action, and now has over 30,000 alumni. Today, thousands of students take classes on its Virginia Beach campus and online around the world.

With the mission of “Christian leadership to change the world,” Regent University offers associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in numerous disciplines and holds accreditations from bodies including the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. U.S. News & World Report has listed Regent among the top national universities four years in a row.

Distinguished faculty and lecturers have included John Ashcroft, former U.S. Attorney General; Vern Clark, former Chief of Naval Operations; Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes, Inc.; Justice Samuel Alito, U.S. Supreme Court; and Michelle Bachmann, former U.S. Congresswoman.

Operation Blessing

Operation Blessing was established by Mr. Robertson in 1978 as a nonprofit organization with a mission “to demonstrate God’s love by alleviating human need and suffering in the United States and around the world.” Its programs focus on the primary goals of providing hunger relief, clean water, medical aid, and disaster assistance to help break the cycle of suffering for those in need.

Operation Blessing has provided relief aid in the aftermath of numerous disasters across America and around the globe, including the COVID-19 pandemic, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and fires. Since its founding, Operation Blessing has touched the lives of millions of people in America and around the world.

The American Center for Law and Justice

In 1990, Mr. Robertson founded the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a public interest law firm and education group that defends the First Amendment rights of people of faith. Focusing on pro-family, pro-liberty, and pro-life issues, the ACLJ has argued before the Supreme Court and won several high-profile religious freedom cases.

Author

A prolific and New York Times best-selling author, Mr. Robertson wrote 24 books, including The Secret Kingdom, Answers to 100 of Life’s Most Probing Questions, and The New World Order, which were each the number one religious book in America in the year of their respective publication.

His other books include the autobiographical works Shout It From the Housetops and I Have Walked With the Living God; along with My Prayer for You, Maximum Security, Beyond Reason: How Miracles Can Change Your Life, America’s Dates With Destiny, The Plan, The New Millennium, The Turning Tide, The End of the Age, Steps to Revival, Bring It On, The Ten Offenses, Courting Disaster, Miracles Can Be Yours Today, The Greatest Virtue, Right on the Money, Successful Families and Finances in the Secret Kingdom, The Power of the Holy Spirit in You, and The Shepherd King, which was released in May 2023.

Presidential Candidate

In 1986, Mr. Robertson announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for president of the United States on a conservative platform. While he enjoyed some success in the early primaries, he eventually placed third. At the 1988 Republican Convention, Mr. Robertson endorsed Vice President George H. W. Bush, who won the nomination and the presidency.

Organizations, Awards and Honors

Mr. Robertson was a past president of the Council on National Policy. In 1982, he served on President Ronald Reagan’s Task Force on Victims of Crime. He previously served on the Board of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership and on the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors in the State of Virginia. Mr. Robertson founded and served as a president of the Christian Coalition of America until his resignation in 2001.

Over the years, numerous officials and groups have recognized Mr. Robertson’s achievements, including: Humanitarian of the Year in 1982 by the Food for the Hungry organization; Man of the Year in 1988 by Students for America; Christian Broadcaster of the Year in 1989 by the National Religious Broadcasters; one of America’s 100 Cultural Elite in 1992 by Newsweek magazine; the Cross of Nails award in 2000 for his vision, inspiration and humanitarian work with The Flying Hospital; and the Distinction in Ministry Award in 2009 from New York Theological Seminary.

In 2013, he received the Winston Churchill Lifetime Achievement Award, the first of its kind awarded by the Faith & Freedom Coalition in Washington, DC. And in 2017, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25^th Silver Anniversary Movieguide Awards in Hollywood, California, having served on the Board of Reference for their Christian Film & Television Commission since 2010.

In honor of his support for Israel, Mr. Robertson received the Defender of Israel Award in 1994 from the Christians’ Israel Public Action Campaign; the State of Israel Friendship Award in 2002 by the Chicago chapter of the Zionist Organization of America; and a Lifetime Achievement Award for Support of Israel in 2008 by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.