Should a Christian pay into Social Security and/or accept Social Security payments?

Response

For individuals residing in the United States, Social Security taxes (part of the FICA taxes) are mandatory deductions from one’s paycheck. Many other nations have very comparable programs. These funds are utilized, in principle, to offer a financial safety net for the elderly. Once an individual reaches a specific age, he or she is entitled to receive payments from Social Security. Therefore, Social Security serves as a fundamental form of socialized retirement; everyone contributes to the system, and everyone benefits from it. Individuals with lower incomes contribute significantly less proportionally than those with higher incomes, and they receive a greater benefit (relative to their working income) than those with higher incomes, as well.

Whether a Christian opts to accept Social Security payments is entirely at his discretion. If an individual opposes the system on moral or financial grounds, there is no biblical requirement that he accept the funds. Nevertheless, it is hoped that such a Christian would draw inspiration from passages like Matthew 25:14–28 and at least donate what is offered to a deserving cause. Whether an individual accepts the funds or not is merely a matter of his relationship with the Holy Spirit.

On the other hand, paying Social Security taxes is not as flexible, although it is certainly less popular. One of Christ’s most renowned statements pertained to taxes, in Matthew 22:15–22. The Pharisees and Herodians attempted to trap Jesus in front of a crowd by inquiring whether it was “lawful” to pay tribute money to Caesar (ESV). With this query, they set Jewish aversion to Roman taxation against Roman animosity towards lawbreakers. Instead of providing the response many of us wish He had—“no, do not pay taxes to Caesar”—Jesus explicitly stated that the taxes should be paid.

Other New Testament passages instruct believers to comply with governmental authority, even if there are restrictions to our obedience (Romans 13:1-7;Acts 5:28-29). In Romans, Paul explicitly states that we should pay taxes to whom we owe. Whether we like it or not, the laws of the United States mandate the payment of Social Security taxes, at least for the majority of US workers.

Our duty to pay the Social Security tax does not necessarily imply that such taxes are just, responsible, or effective. It also does not suggest that taxation is unjust or immoral. What it signifies is that, according to the Bible, Christians are obligated to pay the required Social Security taxes as long as we are under the authority of the United States government. Personal opinions on the appropriateness of the current tax system for supporting the elderly are irrelevant.

Americans who oppose these taxes have relatively strong options compared to others worldwide. Voting and communicating with elected officials are ways to influence tax legislation. Because paying taxes is not inherently immoral, and we are clearly instructed to do so in the Bible, Christians should fulfill this obligation until it is no longer mandatory.