The Pharisees and Herodians tried to trap Jesus with this question: “Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” (Luke 20:22; see also Matthew 12:13-17). If Jesus said they should pay the tax, it looked like He supported Rome, but if he said they should not pay the tax, He would be considered a traitor to Rome and arrested. He responded, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what Is God's” (Luke 23:25). Just as the coins with Caesar’s image belong to Caesar, people with God’s image belong to God.

https://youtu.be/hBa0C7r0pUw
Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what Is God's; coins with Caesar’s image belong to him, and people with God’s image belong to Him.

Table of contentsShould Christians Use American Currency?The Pharisees and Herodians Tried to Trap JesusBitterness Unites PeopleThe Pharisees' and Herodians' HypocrisyWhy the Jews Hated the Poll TaxChristians Give to Caesar What Is Caesar's Because We Have Earthly CitizenshipPaul (and Peter) Taught that We Should Submit to GovernmentWe Can Have Clear Consciences When We Give to Caesar What Is Caesar'sPaul Affirmed We Should Give to Caesar What Is Caesar'sChristians Give to God What Is God's Because We Have Heavenly CitizenshipGiving to Caesar What Is Caesar's Is not Disloyal to GodWhat It Means to Give to God What Is God'sFootnotes

Our one-dollar bills contain many images. Some are easy to understand, such as the picture of George Washington or the capital B for the Federal Reserve Bank. Other images are more challenging to understand. For example, the Department of the Treasury's seal shows balancing scales. You can probably guess they don’t represent a balanced budget. Instead, they are supposed to represent justice. But I think some might argue that’s not an accurate representation either. Under the scales are thirteen stars, representing the original thirteen colonies. A key, signifying official authority, is under the thirteen stars.

On the back of the bill, there is an eagle with the following:

A shield in front of it with thirteen bars

Thirteen stars above the shield

One talon with a branch with thirteen leaves on it

The other talon holds thirteen arrows

There are three Latin phrases:

Above the pyramid reads “annuit cœptis,” which means “God has favored our undertaking.”

Under the pyramid is “novus ordo seclorum,” which means “a new order of the ages.”

The eagle's banner reads “e pluribus unum,” which appears on most U.S. coins and means “out of many, one.”

There is also the pyramid, and the more I studied it, the more obvious it became that there are many opinions about it. Here are a few:

The missing top of the pyramid is a sign that the country wasn’t finished yet

The Western face of the pyramid is in a shadow while the front is lit, indicating the nation hadn’t explored the west yet

An eye above the pyramid looks like its top because it is in a triangle. Instead, the all-seeing eye encased in a triangle is an ancient symbol of divinity.

Some believe the pyramid and the eye are cultic images reflecting the influence of Free Masonry on our early government because Benjamin Franklin, who helped design the seal with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, claimed to be a Mason.

To some, the eye above the pyramid is evidence of plans for a new world order. The Freemasons plan to take over themselves or work with European bankers and the Illuminati.

Should Christians Use American Currency?

As Christians who don’t want anything to do with Freemasonry because of its unbiblical teachings, should we refuse to use dollar bills? If we use currency that has unbiblical, or even worse, occultic imagery, are we being disloyal to God and perhaps even sinning?

I have good news: we don’t have to worry about using our currency. The currency in Jesus’s day was downright blasphemous, but not only did Jesus NOT discourage people from using it, He even told them what to do with it,