graphic only (c) 1999 David C. Treibs, sirdavid@ktc.com graphic only (c) 1999 David C. Treibs, sirdavid@ktc.com
David and Wendy Treibs
1141 Metzger Road
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
This material was presented to the IRS in an appeal that failed.
While the federal Social Security is the only program explicitly
mentioned in this Bible study, all transfer payment programs from all
levels of government are implicitly covered.
25 April 1998, last updated July 1999
II. Biblical Arguments
(A.) This portion of the Appeal describes the Biblical view of the Social
Security system.
Summary
The Social Security system is completely contrary to scripture.
The foundation of the Social Security system is an anti-Biblical method
of providing for people's needs. The cornerstone of the Social Security
system is theft. The fruits of the Social Security system are many, and
all of them are destructive and contrary to God's Word.
Detail of Arguments
God's plan to provide for the needs of people is thus: that individuals
are to care for themselves1, fathers are to care for their families2,
parents are to care for the children3, children are to care for their
elderly parents4, extended families are to care for their own4, if
someone has no family, the church and individuals are to provide for
their needs in various ways5, the poor are to be helped6, and Christians
are to help fellow believers7. Those with crops are to make available
tedious manual labor for the poor and hungry, that might provide only
enough food for one day9. People who are capable of working but do not are
not supposed to be taken care of; they are supposed to feel the
consequences of their slothfulness, ie, hunger and deprivation8.
The Social Security system is not only contrary to the Biblical system,
it also undercuts and undermines it, relieving individuals of their
God-given responsibilities, thus harming individuals, families, and the
entire social fabric of the nation.
1Paul not only provided for himself by his labors, he also provided for
those with him, and he instructed those to whom he wrote to do the
same:
Acts 20:34
34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have
ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with
me.
35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye
ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the
Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to
receive.
1They are to eat their own bread that they provide for themselves:
2 Thessalonians 3:12
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our
Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat
their own bread.
1They worked to provide for their own needs, and even though they were
not too well provided for, they did not go to the government to take
care of them:
1 Corinthians 4:11
11 Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst,
and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain
dwellingplace;
12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled,
we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:
2Fathers are to provide for their families:
1 Timothy 5:8
8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for
those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel.
3The parents are to provide for the children:
2 Corinthians 12
14 ... the children ought not to lay up for the parents,
but the parents for the children.
3Fathers are to leave house and riches to their children:
Proverbs 19:14
14. House and riches [are] the inheritance of fathers: and
a prudent wife [is] from the LORD.
3A good man will even leave inheritance for his grandchildren:
Proverbs 13:22
22. A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children's
children: and the wealth of the sinner [is] laid up for the
just.
3God provided for those not able to produce by keeping the inheritance
within the family. This practice also insured that most people started
out with some capital, which, when coupled with hard work could be used
to provide sustenance for themselves, their families, and others less
fortunate. In this example, the women would probably have been destitute
if their father's land had not been left to them:
Numbers 27:1
1. Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of
Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of
Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and
these [are] the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and
Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah.
2 And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the
priest, and before the princes and all the congregation,
[by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,
3 Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the
company of them that gathered themselves together against
the LORD in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin,
and had no sons.
4 Why should the name of our father be done away from
among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us
[therefore] a possession among the brethren of our father.
5 And Moses brought their cause before the LORD.
6 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
7 The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt
surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their
father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of
their father to pass unto them.
8 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel,
saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause
his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.
9 And if he have no daughter, then ye shall give his
inheritance unto his brethren.
10 And if he have no brethren, then ye shall give his
inheritance unto his father's brethren.
11 And if his father have no brethren, then ye shall give
his inheritance unto his kinsman that is next to him of his
family, and he shall possess it: and it shall be unto the
children of Israel a statute of judgment, as the LORD
commanded Moses.
4Children, or the extended family members are to care for their elderly
parents:
1 Timothy 5:4
4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them
learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their
parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
5If someone has no family, the church and individuals are to provide for
their needs in various ways. In this example, the church was to care for
widows who had no family, and who were too old to re-marry, and who had
no resources on which to survive, ie, they were destitute. If they could
re-marry, their new husband would care for them:
1 Timothy 5:3
3. Honour widows that are widows indeed.
4 But if any widow have children or nephews, let them
learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their
parents: for that is good and acceptable before God.
5 Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth
in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night
and day.
6 But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she
liveth.
7 And these things give in charge, that they may be
blameless.
8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for
those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel.
9 Let not a widow be taken into the number under
threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,
10 Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up
children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed
the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she
have diligently followed every good work.
11 But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun
to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry;
5In this example, the church was caring for the widows.
(The problem they were having was resolved by appointing several
anointed individuals, including Stephen.):
Acts 6:1
1. And in those days, when the number of the disciples was
multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against
the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the
daily ministration.
6The poor are to be helped:
James 1:27
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father
is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Deuteronomy 15:11
11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land:
therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand
wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy
land.
Proverbs 21:13
13. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also
shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
Proverbs 22:9
9. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he
giveth of his bread to the poor.
Proverbs 28:27
27. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he
that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.
6We are even supposed to help our enemies:
Romans 12:20
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he
thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap
coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
7Christians are to help fellow believers:
1 John 3:17
17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother
have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from
him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in
tongue; but in deed and in truth.
7Paul was discussing collections taken up for saints, and for "all men,"
which I assume means everyone:
2 Corinthians 9:12
12 For the administration of this service not only
supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by
many thanksgivings unto God;
13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they
glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of
Christ, and for [your] liberal distribution unto them, and
unto all [men];
7Their giving for the saints is supposed to be "as God has prospered
them:"
1 Corinthians 16:1
1. Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have
given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
2 Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you
lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there
be no gatherings when I come.
7The Macedonian Christians wanted Paul to receive the gift they had
collected and sent to him to help minister to the saints, even though
these Macedonians were very poor:
2 Corinthians 8:1
1. Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God
bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of
their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of
their liberality.
3 For to [their] power, I bear record, yea, and beyond
[their] power [they were] willing of themselves;
4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the
gift, and [take upon us] the fellowship of the ministering
to the saints.
9Those with crops are to make available tedious manual labor for the
poor and hungry:
Leviticus 19:9
9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt
not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou
gather the gleanings of thy harvest.
10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt
thou gather [every] grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave
them for the poor and stranger: I [am] the LORD your God.
11. Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie
one to another.
9While giving is voluntary, God will hold us accountable if we do not
help when we can:
Proverbs 3:27
27. Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it
is in the power of thine hand to do [it].
28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to
morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
8People who are capable of working but do not are not supposed to be
taken care of; they are supposed to feel the consequences of their
slothfulness, ie, hunger and deprivation, which will motivate them to
work:
Proverbs 19:15
15. Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle
soul shall suffer hunger.
Proverbs 20:4
4. The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold;
[therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and [have] nothing.
8Sluggards are supposed to go to the ant, not to the Social
Security/Welfare/Medicaid offices. They are supposed to take a clue from
hard workers, and work hard and plan ahead if they want anything. They
are definitely not supposed to become thieves and steal from those who
work, or who are better off than themselves, or who have better
foresight:
Proverbs 6:6
6. Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be
wise:
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
8 Provideth her meat in the summer, [and] gathereth her
food in the harvest.
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou
arise out of thy sleep?
10 [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little
folding of the hands to sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and
thy want as an armed man.
When they are hungry enough, they will work:
2 Thessalonians 3:10
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you,
that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
*******************************************************************
Charity is to be carried out voluntarily by individuals, or by groups of
people like the church.
This verse is part of the discussion about the collection for needy saints.
The collection was to be from their bounty, that is, their excess that
they willingly gave, not as of covetousness, that is, as if someone were
coveting their money and they had to give it:
2 Corinthians 9:5
5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren,
that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand
your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same
might be ready, as [a matter of] bounty, and not as [of]
covetousness.
They were supposed to give voluntarily, not begrudgingly:
2 Corinthians 9:7
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let
him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful giver.
The giving in this example was entirely voluntary (which Peter points
out in Acts 5:4):
Acts 4:33
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon
them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as
many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and
brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid [them] down at the apostles' feet: and
distribution was made unto every man according as he had
need.
1 Corinthians 1:5
5 That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all
utterance, and [in] all knowledge;
*******************************************************************
Social Security violates "Thou shalt not steal," and "Thou shalt not covet."
Exodus 20:15,17
One of the most widespread attitudes is: I put in my share, and I want
back what I put in. People think what they put into the system is
theirs, and they think they are entitled to it.
However, all (over 99% of) the money taken from those who work is given
to those receiving Social Security and other welfare benefits.
All the money gathered from workers is spent long before they retire.
Normally, when someone spends money that is not his to spend, he is
required to pay it back with money generated by his work, or by his
wealth. However, government is not capable of generating money. All it
can do is take money from those who have earned it, or engage in
enterprises that compete with and take profits from private enterprises.
Either way, government does not generate money, it takes money from
those who work.
When people retire, since all their Social Security money taken from
them has been spent, the government must take money from someone else to
pay retirees' benefits.
Additionally, I have heard that people generally receive more than they
pay into the system, even accounting for interest.
The benefits taken by Social Security beneficiaries are clearly not
theirs. It was taken from someone else's paycheck. They did not earn it,
and the money is not given voluntarily by those who did earn it.
It is unfortunate that the money of Social Security beneficiaries has
been spent. However, retirees are not justified in taking someone else's
money just because government violated their trust and spent all their
money.
Clearly, it is theft to take money that you did not earn, and that was
not given voluntarily by those who earned it.
The Bible is absolutely clear: we may not take money that is not given
to us by the owner.
Furthermore, we are forbidden to have any part with a system that does so
much evil: robbing people who work, and the other sins of the system,
which are noted elsewhere. God will judge us if we participate in doing
evil.
He will even judge us if we do nothing more than keep silent when we
should speak out against this evil system.
(see notes on Obadiah)
We do not wish to participate in a system that makes a thief out of just
about everyone in society. If we participate, we are contributing to
the corruption of our society, and of each individual in it.
Social Security robs everyone of major portions of their wages. Simply
keeping the wages over night, instead of paying them at the end of the
work day, was considered robbery:
Leviticus 19:13
13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob
[him]: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with
thee all night until the morning.
The Social Security system is like the group of thieves described below.
They will steal and enjoy the treasures of other people. They will put
all their money together for the benefit of all of them.
However, God says we should have nothing to do with thieves or their
thievery, and we neither should walk in their path. Since Social
Security is based on stealing and other violations of God's Word, we are
forbidden to have anything to do with it:
Proverbs 1:10
10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let
us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our
houses with spoil:
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy
foot from their path:
Coveting
When beneficiaries have been receiving transfer payments for awhile, it
is easy for them to come to expect the benefits, to consider that they
deserve the benefits, and to even come to the point where they demand
the benefits. What they are demanding is others' money. They are
demanding that government give them someone else's wealth. The Bible
calls this coveting, and it is forbidden in the Ten Commandments:
Exodus 20:17
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt
not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his
maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that
[is] thy neighbour's.
*******************************************************************
Miscellaneous notes on stealing.
People on Social Security benefits take money from the poor, and
everyone else as well:
Proverbs 22:16
16. He that oppresseth the poor to increase his [riches,
and] he that giveth to the rich, [shall] surely [come] to
want.
Social Security takes money from the poor, like us, and people who are
even poorer than we are:
Proverbs 22:22
22. Rob not the poor, because he [is] poor: neither oppress
the afflicted in the gate:
23 For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul
of those that spoiled them.
Proverbs 28:10
10. Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil
way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright
shall have good [things] in possession.
Social Security is based on theft, and all those who voluntarily
participate in it are partners with the theft. Another way to say it is,
they are thieves:
Proverbs 29:24
24. Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he
heareth cursing, and bewrayeth [it] not.
We are commanded (v.1) to "put not thine hand with the wicked." Although
the specific example is to be an unrighteous witness, it applies equally
to anything evil, including to put our hands with a wicked government to
steal from those who work.
We are also commanded to not go with others ("a multitude") to do evil,
which in our case would be to go with most of the nation to steal money
from those who work:
Exodus 23:1
1. Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand
with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to [do] evil; neither
shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest
[judgment]:
We are to keep far from a false matter, which is anything that is evil:
Exodus 23:7
7 Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and
righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked.
Money obtained by sinful means--prostitution, theft (Social Security),
etc.--is tainted by the sin, and God wants nothing to do with it.
Neither should we have anything to do with it:
Deuteronomy 23:18
18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price
of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow:
for even both these [are] abomination unto the LORD thy God.
*******************************************************************
Provisions are inseparable from work.
Food, money, provisions, and so on are supposed to be the rewards of
hard work, frugality, and so on. God set this up in the Garden of Eden.
They were to dress and keep the garden, and they would freely eat.
Work and provisions were inseparable:
Genesis 2:15
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the
garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
After the fall, they still had to work to eat, ie, "bread," but the work
then took on a toilsome characteristic, ie, "sweat:"
Genesis 3:19
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till
thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken:
for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.
Even when God supernaturally fed the children of Israel in the
wilderness by raining manna on them, they had to work to gather enough
food, before they could eat it. I am not sure how small hoar frost is,
but anything compared to frost is probably quite small and fine, and it
probably took awhile to gather enough manna, which was the size of "hoar
frost." They even had to be diligent in their work, because manna melted
away when the sun was hot, and if they had not gathered enough for that
day, they went hungry. Their hunger pangs would motivate them to arise
early and work a little harder the next morning:
Exodus 16:14
14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the
face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as]
small as the hoar frost on the ground.
15 And when the children of Israel saw [it], they said one
to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was].
And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD
hath given you to eat.
16 This [is] the thing which the LORD hath commanded,
Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for
every man, [according to] the number of your persons; take
ye every man for [them] which [are] in his tents.
Social Security, to the extent that is removes motivation to work,
undermines the scriptural principle that food and provisions are to be
the results of work.
*******************************************************************
Slothfulness, diligence, foresight, and other principles undermined by
Social Security.
Social Security undermines many of God's principles, including those for
slothfulness, diligence, and foresight. It ameliorates the consequences
of ungodly behavior, so violators have less incentive to correct their
ill behavior. It also diminishes the rewards of godly behavior.
Major portions of the federal budget are transfer payments of some sort:
Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, AFDC, WIC, etc, and those programs
are the assumed focus of the below comments.
Government steals the money of those who are diligent, so they do not
receive the rewards of their hard work, and gives it to someone besides
the earner. It does not do too much good to gather in the summer and fall
(harvest), because government takes it away in the spring:
Proverbs 10:4
4. He becometh poor that dealeth [with] a slack hand: but
the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
5. He that gathereth in summer [is] a wise son: [but] he
that sleepeth in harvest [is] a son that causeth shame.
He that tills the land has his money taken away, and some of it is paid
to those who follow vain persons:
Proverbs 12:11
11. He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread:
but he that followeth vain [persons is] void of
understanding.
Diligence is rewarded with theft, slothfulness is rewarded with the
money of the diligent:
Proverbs 12:24
24. The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the
slothful shall be under tribute.
The sluggard desires the wealth of the diligent, and receives it in the
form of transfer payments, the diligent have their fatness (wealth)
diminished:
Proverbs 13:4
4. The soul of the sluggard desireth, and [hath] nothing:
but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
In this country, whoever gathers wealth has an increase in taxes:
Proverbs 13:11
11. Wealth [gotten] by vanity shall be diminished: but he
that gathereth by labour shall increase.
The rewards of hard work are diminished by transfer payment taxes,
supposedly to care for people, and the painful consequences of
slothfulness, indiligence, and lack of foresight are diminished by
transfer payments:
Proverbs 13:23
23. Much food [is in] the tillage of the poor: but there is
[that is] destroyed for want of judgment.
Proverbs 14:23
23. In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips
[tendeth] only to penury.
Proverbs 15:27
27. He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but
he that hateth gifts shall live.
Government takes major portions of spendable income from working people,
so they cannot help the poor like they should:
Proverbs 19:17
17. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD;
and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
Government pays people to not work, whether it be for retirement,
handicaps, or whatnot. Instead of suffering the consequences of poverty
and hunger, they are rewarded for slothfulness:
Proverbs 20:13
13. Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine
eyes, [and] thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
Proverbs 21:5
5. The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to
plenteousness; but of every one [that is] hasty only to
want.
6. The getting of treasures by a lying tongue [is] a vanity
tossed to and fro of them that seek death.
Proverbs 21:20
20. [There is] treasure to be desired and oil in the
dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.
Proverbs 21:25
25. The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands
refuse to labour.
26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the
righteous giveth and spareth not.
Proverbs 22:13
13. The slothful [man] saith, [There is] a lion without, I
shall be slain in the streets.
14. The mouth of strange women [is] a deep pit: he that is
abhorred of the LORD shall fall therein.
15. Foolishness [is] bound in the heart of a child; [but]
the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:21
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty:
and drowsiness shall clothe [a man] with rags.
Most of those who live off others' money have little incentive to work,
to be creative, or to take the resources they have and put them to use.
Even those who are handicapped could do something that would generate
income, even if was not very much. Part of the problem is people want a
higher standard of living than their labor affords them. Scripture says
in 1 Timothy 6:8 "And having food and raiment let us be therewith
content." Many people think they have a right to the same living
standards as others, and they are envious and covetousness of anyone who
has more than themselves. Unscrupulous politicians understand this
greediness, and run for office promising to give the money of the
diligent to the greedy and envious. Some people even think that poverty
is a condition caused by the diligent (rich), but scripture says that,
in at least some cases, poverty is caused by the person himself. The
Bible also never says that poverty is bad, although it does say poverty
is to be overcome with hard work, creativity, foresight, and so on:
Proverbs 24:30
30. I went by the field of the slothful, and by the
vineyard of the man void of understanding;
31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, [and]
nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall
thereof was broken down.
32 Then I saw, [and] considered [it] well: I looked upon
[it, and] received instruction.
33 [Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, a little
folding of the hands to sleep:
34 So shall thy poverty come [as] one that travelleth; and
thy want as an armed man.
Proverbs 25:21
21. If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if
he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and
the LORD shall reward thee.
He does not want to work because of imagined or exaggerated fears.
Unfortunately, when the lion is the government, waiting to take away
your hard earned money and give it to someone who did not work
for it, you can quickly lose incentive. Then, not only would we have a
nation of thieves, who steal money from everyone else, we also would
have a nation of sluggards, not working as hard as they should, if at
all:
Proverbs 26:13
13. The slothful [man] saith, [There is] a lion in the way;
a lion [is] in the streets.
14. [As] the door turneth upon his hinges, so [doth] the
slothful upon his bed.
15. The slothful hideth his hand in [his] bosom; it
grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.
16. The sluggard [is] wiser in his own conceit than seven
men that can render a reason.
Proverbs 27:23
23. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and]
look well to thy herds.
24 For riches [are] not for ever: and doth the crown
[endure] to every generation?
Proverbs 28:3
3. A poor man that oppresseth the poor [is like] a sweeping
rain which leaveth no food.
Proverbs 28:16
16. The prince that wanteth understanding [is] also a great
oppressor: [but] he that hateth covetousness shall prolong
[his] days.
Proverbs 28:19
19. He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread:
but he that followeth after vain [persons] shall have
poverty enough.
Proverbs 28:22
22. He that hasteth to be rich [hath] an evil eye, and
considereth not that poverty shall come upon him.
We are supposed to help our enemies, and in so doing, we may
reconcile them to us. However, if they do not need any help because they
collect transfer payments, then reconciliation is easier to avoid:
Romans 12:20
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he
thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap
coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
*******************************************************************
Social Security violates God's principles on surety.
Social Security makes each earner surety--or guarantor--for all those
presently taking Social Security benefits. The Bible says anyone who
becomes guarantor for someone else is "void of understanding," ie,
stupid:
Proverbs 17:18
18. A man void of understanding striketh hands, [and]
becometh surety in the presence of his friend.
If you are guarantor, or surety, use all means available to immediately
unentangle yourself, so you are no longer a guarantor! This tells me to
get out of the Social Security system as soon as possible, however, the
government will probably not let us out, and so the next best thing we
can do is to keep our children out:
Proverbs 6:1
1. My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, [if] thou hast
stricken thy hand with a stranger,
2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art
taken with the words of thy mouth.
3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art
come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and
make sure thy friend.
4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine
eyelids.
5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand [of the hunter],
and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
*******************************************************************
Social Security violates God's principles on obeying the law.
The Bible clearly instructs us to obey the laws of the land, as long as
they do not contradict God's Word, the Bible.
The US Constitution is the supreme law of the land for the federal
government. Any laws contrary to the Constitution are "null and void."
The Constitution grants the federal government a number of powers, and
those are the only powers the government may exercise. Any powers not
specifically listed in the Constitution are unconstitutional. You can
also describe unconstitutional laws as illegal, since they break the
supreme law of the land.
A careful reading of the Constitution reveals that no where is the
government granted the power to take away money from those who work and
give it to someone else. No where are they granted the power to do any
of the functions associated with Social Security and the other federal
wealth redistribution programs.
Since nothing resembling Social Security is in the Constitution, the
program is unconstitutional and illegal. As such, we are forbidden by
the Bible to participate in it, because it breaks the law of the land.
As stated previously, since we cannot withdraw from the System, at least
we can keep our children out of it, and we can interact with it as
little as possible:
1 Peter 2:13
13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the
Lord's sake...
The principle in the following verse is to not remove the old landmarks
set up by the forefathers. While this scripture is discussing the
property demarcations, the principle behind it is equally applicable to
other institutions of the forefathers. In our case, this verse can apply
to our Constitution, and we can understand that we should not change the
supreme law of our land:
Deuteronomy 19:14
14. Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which
they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou
shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee
to possess it.
Proverbs 22:28
28. Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have
set.
*******************************************************************
Following are miscellaneous Bible principles that Social Security
violates to a greater or lesser degree:
Grandparents do not need the children, and the children do not need the
grandparents, so wisdom is not passed down as it would be if generations
were tied together more closely. The younger are not closely tied to the
older, they may not have as much respect for the opinions of the elders,
and may not heed their advise as readily.
May diminish young people's sense of responsibility, and duty to
help those in need, if they do not have in hand in caring for
their aging parents and grandparents. They just figure some one
else should care for the old.
Illegitimacy tends to increase, since people know government will pay
for their illegitimate children, or will pay someone to kill them.
This can lead to more crime, since single parent homes tend to
produce more troubled youth than 2 parent homes.
This can also lead to a higher poverty rate, particularly among
single mothers, since they have to both work and provide or pay
for child care.
Social Security pays for some abortions ("Thou shalt not kill" Exodus
20:13.)
Increases disrespect for others' property: since people tend to assume
they have a right to others' money, why not their property as well?
When government is providing all your needs--housing, food, clothing,
health care, and security--in can be easy to depend on the government
instead of God, which is idolatry. Certainly no one is going to take a
picture of Washington, DC, bow down to it, light candles before it, and
offer incense to it, nevertheless, it is possible for them to come to
trust in government in a way that should be reserved only for God.
We are moving to the point where we will no longer be one nation under
God, but one nation under government, and Social Security plays a big
role in shifting people's trust from God to government:
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3
When government supplies all your needs, perhaps it does so because it
has made itself a god:
Philippians 4:19
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Social Security tends to corrupt government.
The number One goal of many Social Security recipients is to cling to
their security, ie Social Security, and to apply whatever pressure
necessary to keep it, no matter how contrary to Scripture, or how
harmful the system is to the country or to individual citizens.
Many people in this country receive Social Security benefits, and many
of them vote for whomever makes the most appealing promises to maintain
or even expand the Social Security system.
To be elected, ungodly politicians promise to give what they do not own
to the Social Security constituency.
To stay in office once elected, the ungodly politicians do whatever it
takes to maintain and even expand Social Security.
Those politicians who have no qualms about violating Scriptural
principles regarding Social Security, generally will have few qualms
doing other unscriptural things, all of which damage and harm our nation.
The more politicians talk to sway voters of their rights to Social
Security (other people's money), and how the government owes it to them,
and how it is their money, the more people believe the lies, and demand
their rights and their (ie, others') money, and vote for ungodly
politicians, who make more promises, etc.
Eventually the lies are so ingrained in people, and the ungodly
politicians are so well entrenched, that returning to God's way of doing
things is almost impossible.
In the end, the nation is irreparably corrupted, and finally, destroyed.
While not to the same degree as done by Israel in the following passages,
our nation does the same things. The princes steal and rob the people,
the people rob each other of their wages, and so on:
Ezekiel 22:27,31,31
27 Her princes in the midst thereof [are] like wolves
ravening the prey, to shed blood, [and] to destroy souls, to
get dishonest gain.
...
29 The people of the land have used oppression, and
exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea,
they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up
the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that
I should not destroy it: but I found none.
31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them;
I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own
way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.
*******************************************************************
God forbids us to participate in a system that is contrary to His Word,
and to withdraw from it once we come to realize that it is unbiblical.
Once we realize the wickedness of Social Security, we should do what we
can to withdraw from it. Unfortunately, most people, including us,
probably cannot withdraw from the system. The government has chosen to
violate our religious liberties to prop up its ungodly system. However,
we can keep our children out, so that in no way do we voluntarily
participate in the system, and we certainly will accept no Social
Security benefits.
Just because someone may not know that Social Security is anti-Biblical,
they are not excused from the guilt of participating in the system.
However, God understands that we may sin ignorantly. He requires us to
make amends for what we have done, and to stop sinning.
Leviticus 5
15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance,
in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his
trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the
flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the
shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
16 And he shall make amends for the harm that he hath done
in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and
give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an
atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and
it shall be forgiven him.
17 And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which
are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD;
though he wist [it] not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear
his iniquity.
18 And he shall bring a ram without blemish out of the
flock, with thy estimation, for a trespass offering, unto
the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him
concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist [it] not,
and it shall be forgiven him.
19 It [is] a trespass offering: he hath certainly
trespassed against the LORD.
Stop stealing!
Ephesians 4
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him
labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good,
that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Jesus was speaking to the woman taken in adultery. He asked her who
accused her of wrongdoing. He forgave her, but he told her to stop
sinning. Just like we should do when we understand that Social Security
is contrary to scripture:
John 8
11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her,
Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
*******************************************************************
God's Judgment
Obadiah 1:10-15
10. For [thy] violence against thy brother Jacob shame
shall cover thee, and thou shalt be cut off for ever.
11 In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the
day that the strangers carried away captive his forces, and
foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon
Jerusalem, even thou [wast] as one of them.
12 But thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy
brother in the day that he became a stranger; neither
shouldest thou have rejoiced over the children of Judah in
the day of their destruction; neither shouldest thou have
spoken proudly in the day of distress.
13 Thou shouldest not have entered into the gate of my
people in the day of their calamity; yea, thou shouldest not
have looked on their affliction in the day of their
calamity, nor have laid [hands] on their substance in the
day of their calamity;
14 Neither shouldest thou have stood in the crossway, to
cut off those of his that did escape; neither shouldest thou
have delivered up those of his that did remain in the day of
distress.
15 For the day of the LORD [is] near upon all the heathen:
as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward
shall return upon thine own head.
The book of Obadiah describes God's judgment against the nation of Edom
for what they did and did not do when Israel was attacked by a foreign
invader.
Edom committed four sins:
1. they captured escaping Israelites and turned them over to the enemy;
2. they blocked the escape of those Israelites who were fleeing
3. they stood by and watched, and did nothing to help the Israelites
while the enemy was slaughtering them;
4. they laid hands on the spoils of the Israelites, after the enemy had
destroyed the Israeli defenses.
People can participate in sinful activities to varying degrees. They can
be directly involved with activities displeasing to God (the foreign
attackers), or they can be indirectly involved (the Edomites). The book
of Obadiah reveals God's view of us when we are involved to a greater or
lesser degree with activities that displease Him.
The most obviously wrong actions in Obadiah was the enemy's attack
against Israel. However, the book is not addressed to the
attackers--those who committed the most flagrant sins, it is addressed
to the nation of Edom. While they did not physically participate in the
sin to the extent that the attackers did, their actions and inactions
ensured and bolstered the success of the enemy.
(1) Some Edomites actively worked to ensure the success of the sins
committed by the attackers.
(2) Other Edomites made it difficult or impossible for those suffering
to escape their tormentors.
(3) Still others simply stood by and did nothing to help the Israelites,
when they should have helped Israel fend off the attack.
(4) Finally, many of the Edomites helped themselves to the wealth of the
Israelites after the enemy had stripped them of their defenses.
Of note, each of the 4 crimes committed by the Edomites is considered as
equally heinous as the others. They are all lumped together and referred
to as "violence against they brother Jacob" (v.10), when it is not even
recorded here that the Edomites killed anyone. Not only is each of the
crimes of the Edomites equally evil, they are considered just as evil as
the attack made by the enemy.
You do not need boundless imagination to see how the Biblical principles
in Obadiah can apply to our situation.
There are those who are flagrantly committing evil: they are taking
money away from those who work, or helping those who take it away.
Some may not participate in taking the money, but they have a hand in
seeing to it that no one escapes the system.
Still others may do no more than quietly go about their business and
allow the system of theft to go unchallenged and unhindered.
Finally, most people might do none of the above, but they have no
reluctance in helping themselves to the wealth of those who have had
their means of resisting the robbery removed.
As with the Edomites, so with Social Security: all the crimes are
equally evil, and all of them bring God's judgment on our nation,
whether it is writing the laws that started the whole mess, allowing the
system to go unchallenged, or simply accepting Social Security benefits.
One of the judgments mentioned in Obadiah is "as thou hast done, it
shall be done unto thee." Or as the Bible says in Galatians 6:7:
"whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."
Obviously, the Bible forbids our participation in Social Security, and
it certainly precludes us placing our children in the system.
*******************************************************************
God's Judgment, cont.
While the things we "suffer" here in this country are not nearly as bad
as the below described judgments, it is interesting to note some of the
similarities. The judgments were because they rejected God and his way
of doing things. Eventually, the consequences of their sins caught up
with them, and they reaped what they had sowed. Perhaps the loss of our
goods, brought on by our rejecting God's way of doing things
financially, is the beginning of what might eventually end up just as
severe as the below descriptions:
Deuteronomy 28:15,30,31,33,34,51
15. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken
unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his
commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day;
that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake
thee:
We will not gather the fruits of our labor, as with the vineyard.
Government skims the top. The capital, which is the means of generating
wealth, will be destroyed or taken away: the ox, the ass, the sheep. In
our case, we have to pay so much money, we have little left to generate
wealth:
30 Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie
with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not
dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not
gather the grapes thereof.
31 Thine ox [shall be] slain before thine eyes, and thou
shalt not eat thereof: thine ass [shall be] violently taken
away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to
thee: thy sheep [shall be] given unto thine enemies, and
thou shalt have none to rescue [them].
The fruit of our land and labors will be eaten up by a nation we do not
know: the government we have now is entirely foreign to the one that
started this nation. Our own government has become the foreign nation.
Many people are "mad for the sight of their eyes." They all have
different ideas as to the causes and solutions, but they are angry
because they see what is happening and cannot do anything about it. Just
like the Israelites:
33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a
nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only
oppressed and crushed alway:
34 So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes
which thou shalt see.
The profits ("increase," "fruit") of our labors is being taxed away:
51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit
of thy land, until thou be destroyed: which [also] shall not
leave thee [either] corn, wine, or oil, [or] the increase of
thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed
thee.
Work that produces money is good. Taking away the money from those
who work is evil (theft). Our government rewards work with theft. God
will judge all those reward evil for good:
Proverbs 17:13
13. Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart
from his house.
*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************
(B.) Social Security Numbers.
Social Security Numbers are the means to induce a person into the Social
Security system. They are also a means to monitor and control those in
the system. Since monitoring and controlling children are
responsibilities God has reserved exclusively for parents, numbering
children endows government unscripturally with parenting
responsibilities. In effect, numbering children places government in the
parent's role; it violates the parent-child relationship, which is
supposed to be comprised only of the parents and children.
Parents--fathers in particular--are admonished to provide for and defend
their families, which includes protecting them from future dangers.
Refusing to induct our children into the Social Security system protects
them, most importantly, by excluding them from the unBiblical Social
Security system, but also to a lesser degree by protecting the integrity
of our parenting role (no one but us to monitor and control our
children), by keeping them off the government data bases (ie,
privacy--who they do not know about, they cannot violate), it protects
them from future government invasions of the home (such as the UN Rights
of the Child, which makes children wards of the state instead of
parents).
Read each of the following passages carefully. Each passage refers
explicitly or implicitly to parents, not to government, etc. Government
has absolutely no business whatsoever interfering with the home, or
monitoring it:
Proverbs 1:8
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake
not the law of thy mother:
Proverbs 4:1
1. Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and
attend to know understanding.
Proverbs 13:1
1. A wise son [heareth] his father's instruction: but a
scorner heareth not rebuke.
Proverbs 15:5
5. A fool despiseth his father's instruction: but he that
regardeth reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 19:27
27. Cease, my son, to hear the instruction [that causeth]
to err from the words of knowledge.
Ephesians 6:1
1. Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is
right.
Proverbs 22:6
6. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is
old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:15
15. Foolishness [is] bound in the heart of a child; [but]
the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
Proverbs 23:13
13 Withhold not correction from the child....
Proverbs 29:15
15. The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left [to
himself] bringeth his mother to shame.
*******************************************************************
Government monitoring of Children.
What is so terrible about the government monitoring us and our children?
Consider the following.
This verse reminds me of what the government is doing: They want to
monitor--watch--us and our children to make sure we do not do anything
wrong, and if we do, they will pounce on us like a leopard, whether it is
through the IRS or some other agency:
Psalms 37:32
32 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay
him.
And, speaking of a leopard watching us to catch us, consider the
following verse. It pictures a leopard watching over the cities,
waiting for the people to make one false move so he can tear them in
pieces. This verse reminds me of the government's desire to assign all
of us a SSN so it can monitor/watch us:
Jeremiah 5:6
6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them,
[and] a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard
shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out
thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions
are many, [and] their backslidings are increased.
Foreseeing future invasions into our parental responsibilities is
another important reason to reject government numbers for our children.
Just because they might not be exercising in a harmful way their powers
to monitor and control our children at this time under present
circumstances does not mean they will not in the future. The Bible
commands us to foresee evil and prepare for it, instead of suffering
needlessly from future events. We can examine trends in various levels
of government and see an increasing invasion of the home, facilitated by
the SSN.
If you would be wise, think about what will happen in the future:
Deuteronomy 32:29
29 O that they were wise, [that] they understood this,
[that] they would consider their latter end!
Not only should you foresee what will happen in the future, you should
also prepare for it ("hideth himself") so you will not suffer as the
oblivious ("simple") who are surprised by and overtaken by the evil:
Proverbs 22:3
3. A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself:
but the simple pass on, and are punished.
Proverbs 27:12
12. A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth
himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.
Another significant point--government monitoring of the people is a
complete reversal of the traditional relationship between the people and
the government (complete removal of the boundries set by our forefathers):
Proverbs 22:28
28. Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have
set.
Originally, government was to be carefully watched and restrained by the
people, since the tendency of government is to expand beyond it's
intended scope, and also to become corrupt and evil.
Our current system of government removes the ancient landmarks set by
our founding fathers, and assumes that it is the people who are
to be restrained and distrusted, and therefore, carefully watched, lest
we transgress the edicts of some (likely unconstitutional) bureaucracy.
Furthermore, government is supposed to be the servant, and the people
are supposed to be the masters. Unfortunately, government has usurped
it's God given role, and has set itself as the master, to carefully
monitor us as though we were the untrustworthy slaves. Government is
obedient neither to us nor to the law (the Constitution):
Ephesians 6
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are [your] masters
according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in
singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
Consider another observation regarding government's drive to monitor
all activities of its citizens. Communist and other tyrannical
governments seek to crush all activities and thinking contrary to state
philosophy--particularly Christian activities and thinking. They ferret
out whoever opposes them by spying on their own citizens, by causing
neighbors to turn in neighbors, and by using other police state tactics.
With the acendancy of the godless to power, are they positioning
themselves to exert the same crushing influence against any and all
activities contrary to their anti-Christian agenda? Will they use the
monitoring power of the SSN to find and stomp out whatever they are
against, such as parents who spank their children, or do not send their
children to government schools, or who teach their children that certain
behaviors are sinful?
Richard Wurmbrand, who spent 14 years being tortured in Communist
prisons for his faith, said this about an evil government's strong drive
to know everything about activities contrary to their philosophy:
"A Christian pastor had been arrested. The Communists wanted
him to deny his faith in Christ and to betray the secrets of
the underground church. In many countries today, much of the
work of the church is underground. Believers have to gather in
secret, hold Sunday schools in secret, and print gospels and
distribute them in secret. The governments and others who
persecute Christians wish to know where all this is done. ...
This brother had been very much tortured and weakened, but he
was steadfast and did not betray the secrets of the
underground church. (VOM, p. 10, July 1999.)
What a tragedy it would be if we voluntarily gave the government all the
information, via the SSN, which they would later use against us.
*******************************************************************
A Final Note
It is interesting to note that in the book of Revelation, an evil system
is described, where the control and the monitoring of every single
transaction is so absolute that no one can buy or sell unless they have
a particular mark, or number. This system is described as evil and
destructive, and is controlled by something described as a beast, whose
power comes from Satan. We can see the possiblility that the SSN could
become part of the Beast's program to monitor and control the world:
(The dragon is Satan.)
Revelation 13
1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast
rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns,
and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name
of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and
his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the
mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his
seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death;
and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered
after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the
beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like
unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great
things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to
continue forty [and] two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell
in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints,
and to overcome them: and power was given him over all
kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,
whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world.
9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity:
he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the
sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;
and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast
before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell
therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was
healed.
13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come
down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the
means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the
sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth,
that they should make an image to the beast, which had the
wound by a sword, and did live.
15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and
cause that as many as would not worship the image of the
beast should be killed.
16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and
poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand,
or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the
mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count
the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and
his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and] six.
We declare that this document is true to the best of our knowledge:
David C. Treibs Wendy K. Treibs
### End of Appeal ###