Question 1: Matthew 22:36-40 states, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandmen in
the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all our heart and with all your
soul and with all our mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second
is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these
two commandments." What would be the implications for nations to follow the above,
when considering tariffs, quotas, and embargoes? Write a short essay for each
consideration.
Tariffs are taxes applied to selected categories of imports. In most cases, tariffs
are used by a nation's government to raise revenues and provide domestic businesses
with a competitive advantage (Satterlee, 2014). If nations were to apply the principles
taught by Jesus in Matthew 22 to the practice of imposing tariffs, I believe we would see
an overall reduction in tariffs. The heart of what Jesus is saying when He commands us
to love our neighbors as ourselves is to treat them the way we would like to be treated.
All nations would prefer that their exports would be tariff-free, thus if each nation were
to treat other nations as it wanted to be treated, nations would greatly reduce or eliminate
their tariffs. This may sound drastic and impractical, but nations could also honor Jesus'
command by simply having fair and nonexcessive tariffs.
Quotas, on the other hand, are quantitative restrictions used by governments to
limit the quantity of imports permitted to enter a nation. The usual effects of quotas are a
rise in the price of imports, a reduction in the volume of imports, and increased demand
for domestically produced subsititutes. Quotas place power in the hands of custom
officals and can negatively effect a government. For example, a quota might force
officials to refuse trade with certain nations to make room for products from other
nations. This could lead to tension between nations and open the door to favoritism and
corruption (Satterlee, 2014). If nations applied the principles of Matthew 22 to setting
quotas, they would be called to set fair and reasonable quotas. Nations would also have
to abstain from smuggling and corruption, even when faced with quotas, because these
illegal activities neither honor God nor their neighboring nations.
Finally, embargoes are economic and trade sanctions against targeted foreign
countries, organizations, and individuals. Embargoes are often motivated by political,
economic, and moral motives. If nations were to apply Matthew 22 to their use of
embargoes, we would see embargoes being used for God's glory to achieve justice. For
example, an embargo could be used against a nation that is involved in corrupt or
unacceptable behavior such as child labor or human trafficking. In all cases involving
tariffs, quotas, and embargoes, if nations applied Matthew 22 to their policies, we would
see an overall increase in fairness, justice, and prosperity between trading nations.
References
Satterlee, B. (2014). Cross Border Commerce: With Biblical Worldview Applications (2nd
ed.). Raleigh, NC: Synergistics International.
