14. What Is Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing?

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1 shameless. Many, but not all, times these things are done for the "glory of the temple" at the expense of the real temple - the living, breathing body of Christ. The logic that the world won't listen to your salvation message unless you're wealthy or successful is nonsense. Christ didn't have a place to lay his head, yet the masses came. John the Baptist lived like a hermit, yet crowds flocked to him. Initially in the book of Acts many Christians owned NOTHING because they voluntarily sold what they had and gave it for distribution so no one would be lacking. Yet the message was wildly successful. We do have some indications that some of the Apostles were fairly successful prior to ministry. Others were not. Either way, they got the message out just fine. The Bible teaches there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with properly obtained prosperity or success provided it is properly handled. I pray we all attain it via right living, faith, Grace and Love, NOT law, fear, condemnation, deceit or corrupt teaching of scripture and manipulating money out of people. 14. What Is Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing? We call Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing 'FACT' for short. The 2 pre-law examples of tithing in Genesis were voluntary, profit and faith based. Study Galatians 3, Ephesians 2:12 and Romans, particularly Romans 4, to see how Paul relates faith, righteousness and being a "true" Israelite back to pre-law faith and promise via Abraham. FACT is based on this Abrahamic principle and the biblical principle that what is offered to God must be pure, fully owned and not credit or lien based. Melchizedek, King of Jerusalem, was a PRE-LAW type of Christ and he received voluntary tithes of profits. [That which is fully owned, non credit or lien based - Hebrews 7:2-6, Genesis 14:17-20] Also see part 16 - Some Thoughts on Melchizedek for further discussion of pre-law tithing. FACT does NOT change law tithing into a mandated 10% of income and ignore the other demands of the law regarding tithing which is routinely done today. There is NO alteration, twisting of scripture or mixing of law and Grace with the FACT tithing system. What is "profit" and why is Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing profit based? PROFIT is what is left after paying necessary, obligatory expenses which are VOWS in one form or another. God doesn't want what is vowed to others so one can't vow to God what is vowed to others. IYou can't "put God first" by neglecting the poor and needy, vows, responsibilities or commitments. If that is what you're doing, it isn't because you are putting God first. It is because you're hoping God will be

2 impressed enough with you and your giving to give you a windfall financial blessing. In other words, you're giving to get. You are thinking that THEN, after the windfall blessing, you will be responsible. This sort of thinking, fostered heavily by the prosperity doctrine, is immature, unscriptural and unethical. This self-deception is, in effect, "Christian Gambling" and a growing cancer in the body of Christ. Being paid wages daily was the law in Biblical times, so necessary production expenses [vows] were paid BEFORE the tithe was offered. [ us 19:13, Deuteronomy 24:14-15] God expects us to be financially responsible, not foolhardy "spirit filled gamblers." [Romans 13:7-8] Christ said, "If anyone has any grievance against you, leave your gift at the altar and take care of it BEFORE presenting your gift." [Matthew 5:23-26] Many Christians don't view breaches of oral or written contract as requiring consideration before giving. Christ taught financial responsibility. Christ did NOT approve of giving to God while ignoring responsibilities. [Mark 7:10-13, Matthew 5:23-26] Our offerings to God are to be pure, not credit or lien based and untainted by improper conduct or motivation. One can't dedicate something to God that is already tainted or committed by vow, contract or other obligation. God doesn't want the money that you are withholding from others irresponsibly, wrongfully, unlawfully, in breach of oral or written contract or deceitfully. Offerings to God had to be the honestly acquired property of the donor. [2 Samuel 24:24] One rarely hears this from many of today's preachers. Someone choosing the Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing [FACT] method can figure out their PROFITS by deducting necessary, obligatory expenses [vows] from their take home pay. This would include all necessary expenses of living. This will give people what, for many, would be a good starting figure from which to start giving. Then they can give a "tithe" based on profit. Additional giving, which would be appropriate for many people, would be offerings. Whenever I hear of a "tithe paying" business that is owned by Christians, the tithe is on the PROFITS of the business. I don't think I have ever heard of a business tithing every dollar that comes in regardless of what their expenses are. Businesses are taught to PAY THEIR BILLS and necessary expenses [vows] and THEN tithe on the profits. Yet this "courtesy" isn't granted the average wage earner by most mandated tithing teachers who say one must give 10 percent of income without consideration of bills, expenses, vows and responsibilities. Mandated tithing teachers make it sound like you aren't "putting God first" if you consider your vows before tithing. Yet those

3 same teachers will tell a business that it is "right" to pay their vows [bills, expenses, responsibilities etc.] first and then tithe on the profits. But this issue is moot since tithing was never based on income in the first place and anyone teaching you that you have a God given commandment to give 10% of income or be cursed is either unlearned, greedy or blatantly lying for financial gain at your expense. So why are we suggesting a giving plan that includes a tithe? To assist those already locked into the idea to help them transition into true New Testament giving! Many people have become damaged by abuses of church leaders. Some stop giving completely and can't get the idea out of their head that it is 10% or hell. Many are wounded and angry, both at themselves for allowing themselves to be used, and at the abusive church leadership. Many have made rash vows or great sacrifices for causes which they thought were good. Some see large amounts of money that has gone to spiritual mentors that are no longer spiritual mentors. It can be very beneficial to those damaged by abusive spiritual leaders to find their way back to true giving from the heart, without manipulation and for the right reason. THAT is the ultimate purpose of this document. It gives damaged people a framework to begin healing. Nothing proposed here is obligatory, oppresses the poor or involves curses or condemnation if not followed. Additionally, the sad reality with non-profit organizations is most people need some sort of coaxing or plan to assist with and help them formulate their giving. Of course, if someone wishes to give 10, 20 or whatever percent of gross or net income that is their choice. But they must give generously, cheerfully, willingly, not out of necessity, according to their means, in faith, with love and in the right spirit. Also, they must NOT be neglecting vows, commitments and responsibilities. These factors, NOT percentages, are the New Testament requirements for giving if you want to receive a blessing. One should NEVER give out of fear of a curse, condemnation, guilt, necessity or concerns of "being devoured by the enemy" or give with the primary focus of "what's in it for me?" 15. Warnings Regarding Distortions Of Modern Day Translations Regarding Tithes And Tithing To show how the Word gets corrupted, get a King James Bible and The Living Bible Edition and look at Luke 11:42. The King James clearly talks of tithing herbs yet the Living Bible states, "...you are careful to tithe even the smallest part of your income..." This clearly is an obfuscation of the original text since the original makes clear they were tithing HERBS, not income from herbs. Also notice the King James

4 verses and The Living Bible in Luke 18:12 where the self-righteous Pharisee states he tithes all that he comes to possess which is the Greek signifying OWNERSHIP instead of income. Yet the Living Bible states, "...I give to God a tenth of everything I earn." This is another obfuscation since EARNING is not the same as OWNING. The Amplified Bible states in the same verse, "...I give tithes of all that I gain." This doesn't do justice to the original Greek since most don't know that gain in the Bible refers to what one FULLY POSSESSES. The King James is clear that the Pharisee was tithing what he came to FULLY OWN. The Greek word in question is Strongs 2932 which is defined as follows: to acquire, get, or procure a thing for one's self, to possess to marry a wife a primary verb; to get, i.e. acquire (by any means; own):-obtain possess, provide, purchase Sorry ladies, but any historian will tell you wives were considered fully owned property during much of man's history. What one fully owns is a far cry from one's income since the average American's income is reduced by triple "tithes" to the Government and much of the remainder of their income is VOWED for other necessary expenses of life. One can find distortions and sometimes outright errors in all translations; there are good and bad in all of them. I used the Living Bible only as an example. Overall I think it is a good translation but any serious student of scripture must be sure to get as close as possible to original text and meaning to avoid these types of errors. Also see the Deep Study on Deuteronomy 26:12 dealing with this same issue. 16. Some Thoughts On Melchizedek And Tithing Much is made about the mysterious King of Salem [Jerusalem] in Genesis 14 by mandated tithing teachers. The reality is in Abraham's time tithing was predominately a pagan practice and a voluntary social custom of acknowledging a cherished ruler. Some researchers say the pagan custom was mandatory but, either way, there was no command from God to tithe. To use the argument that tithes are mandated today because Abraham gave Melchizedek tithes is ludicrous for many reasons: First, Abraham VOLUNTARILY tithed spoils of war, not his personal income or wealth Second, there was NO God given mandate to tithe at all. [Hebrews 7:2, Genesis 14:20, Genesis 14:22-24]

5 Third, Abraham had already received his blessing - the victory given by God. [Genesis 14:19-20] There is NOTHING in Scripture that says Abraham's blessing was contingent on his tithe. Fourth, the tithing of Abraham was a single event. The question of the Melchizedek priesthood is purely a Jewish one. It is NOT a Gentilian issue since Gentiles had nothing to do with the Levitical Priesthood at all. It was the Jews that were having problems accepting Christ as THE high priest because Christ was from the tribe of Judah, not the tribe of Levi where the Jews had been taught all their priests must come from. This is why Paul discussed it at length in the Jewish letter to the Hebrews. The Jews clearly couldn't understand the Priesthood of Christ and Paul attempted to explain it. Hebrews 7 is a difficult chapter to understand and I think the Amplified does a good job here. Remember, the Levites paid tithes out of their tithes to the priests. Paul tried to explain to the Jews that because the tribe of Levi was still unborn inside Abraham, they did, in fact, pay tithes to the eternal priesthood of Melchizedek which Christ belonged to thereby acknowledging the Melchizedek priesthood, however indirectly and PRIOR to the law of Moses. Paul was trying to show the Jews that the Levitical Priesthood was inefficient and temporal and the Melchizedek Priesthood is eternal and better. The unborn Levites paying tithes through Abraham doesn't justify a doctrine for mandated tithing today because of the 4 points mentioned at the beginning of this section. It is difficult for Gentiles to understand these issues because they are basically irrelevant to the Gentiles acceptance of The Christ. Gentiles don't have to become Jews before becoming Christians and Paul made clear it is wrong to burden Gentiles with Jewish questions and mandates. I assert THIS is the real meaning of Melchizedek's appearance in '''Pnesis 14: Abraham had risked his life to rescue his nephew. This is the first account in the Bible of man trying to save man in a totally selfless act. Remember, Abraham could have taken spoils of the war but refused to do so. Abraham's only motivation was to save his Nephew. After this first recorded selfless act to save a brother, suddenly the Christ type, King/Priest of Jerusalem appears with bread and wine [communion]. Abraham had passed the test by being willing to sacrifice himself for another. Later he would be willing to sacrifice his son and the Christ type appears again in the form of a sacrifice and a promise. Doesn't this make much more Biblical sense than trying to twist scripture to make it look like Melchizedek's appearance was to teach mandated tithing, especially given the other issues discussed in this document? 17. Some Final Thoughts On The Tithing Issue Study and pray regarding this issue thoroughly so you can be persuaded in your own mind. Don't allow yourself to come under condemnation unnecessarily. "To him who thinks something is sin, then to him it is sin" because one's conscience is

6 not clear. Romans 14 and Matthew 6:2-4 will help you understand this and also help you deal with others regarding mandated law tithing. What I teach you in this document is a simple, uncomplicated, reality based plan of giving for those who need it. FACT (Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing) is a good, voluntary, biblical, grace and Faith Based plan that can be taught without the heretical halfbreed reconstruction of agrarian law tithing, unscriptural condemnations or the mixing of law with Grace. The FACT giving plan is just that...a plan. The reality is if one is truly giving in obedience to God using the New Testament requirements detailed in this document then they are doing the right thing even if they don't figure percentages. Be led by the Spirit, be fair, and above all be GENEROUS like Christ COMMANDED. Don't use this document as an excuse to be stingy. This plan is SUGGESTED to help people out of the mind set of mandated tithing into nonmanipulated New Testament giving! Although I have heard terms like financial tithing, inspirational tithing, revelation tithing, etc., the Bible only taught voluntary pre-law profit-based tithing and agrarian production-based law tithing. While some who preach mandated tithing will claim I don't have "the revelation," many will see the truth in this document. Others who preach mandated tithing may see the truth in this document AFTER they fall from grace, calamity strikes, something happens that makes them less ego and goal driven or they are approaching death. Be assured I have been on BOTH sides of this issue and I believe in the blessings of God. I have personally experienced miracles of God's divine providence and provision. You may ask, "Why do I now hold this position?" I can say it in one word MATURITY. Given the financial realities of today's world, if one believes they must teach a giving plan to facilitate giving, then teach the Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing [FACT] that is described in this document. Depending on individual circumstances freewill offerings can supplement Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing. Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing can be practiced in the faith that we are "true Israelites" that are ruling with Christ and partaking of the inheritance and the faith, NOT law based, Abrahamic Covenant. May the Church of God rightly divide the word, never go beyond what is written and NEVER make a practice or doctrine of mixing law with Grace. The question now becomes, do today's preachers have the faith to teach FACT [Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing] or will they continue to preach

7 oppressive, obligatory, manipulated, debt inducing, unscriptural giving? While some will continue out of ignorance or habit, other "faith" preachers will not have the faith or character to preach the truth in this document. They will prefer to justify mixing law with grace and using guilt, manipulation and control thereby deceiving themselves and others into thinking the "work of Christ" is better served...because they can get more money. OH MY GOD! RICHARD - YOU ARE NUTS AND NAIVE ABOUT THE REALITIES OF THE CHURCH I have heard ministers say, Richard, are you crazy? If I teach what you are saying, I will lose my building I won't be able to fulfill my vision I won't be able to make repairs on or expand my building I would have to reduce or eliminate TV, Cable or radio time I will not be able to pay the bills my ministry would be diminished I would have to go back to house meetings I would have to go backwards instead of forwards and on and on it goes... I am well aware that some or all of these things may be true for some ministries and churches if they teach the truth about tithing. I am also aware God and His Christ are not defined by or limited to any one earth based ministry or church. So, to all those that have and continue to respond to me this way I say...does The Truth Matter? You have been given the truth on tithing and set free from the mandated tithing doctrine. Spread this document or link around as much as you can. Send it to teachers of mandated tithing. Be patient and nonjudgmental when educating others. Remember, we are all learning. Be prepared for rejection, resistance and maybe even banishment once your views become known. If you would like to show appreciation for what you have learned, you may donate online now. Also feel free to me. Also check out RichardOnTheNet.com. Some comments, reviews etc. from Rabbis and others on tithing and this document:

8 Russell Kelly (pictured at right) is author of "Should the Church Teach Tithing?": I appreciate the article you wrote on tithing. We are about 95% in agreement which is fine with me. My book, Should the Church Teach Tithing?, was my Ph.D. dissertation of 364 pages and covers most of your points in detail..check out the reviews on Amazon.com. My only disagreement is with your statements that Abraham's tithe was "faith based" and "voluntary." The Bible does NOT say these things, but most have assumed them to be true. My research on Genesis 14:21, not Genesis 14:20, leads me to conclude that Abraham most likely paid a spoils of war tithe because of MANDATORY CANAANITE TRADITION which can be proven to have existed throughout the world at his time. Since your "agrarian" definition of tithe is the only correct definition, then the word should not be used with another definition --- regardless of how sincere the person might be. I have much to share with you if you are interested. I spent over 10 years researching my book. Thanks again. Russell Kelly Richard's quick response: Thank you for your comments. This section on 4- lchizedek shows Paul teaching the Jews that the faith in the Melchizedek priesthood (the King/Priest of Jerusalem i.e. Christ) was confirmed by Abraham's giving of tithes. Rabbi Robert Alpert: "Tithing, in the sense of crops, of course, is no longer done. Of course, Jews are encouraged to give charity [tzedakkah]. Whether they give 10 percent or more, is between them, God and their accountants." Richard's quick response: Thank you Rabbi. Because of you the It word 'accountants' is now in this document! Zola Levitt: Is tithing for the Christian today? Tithing was a part of the Law of Moses under the legal economy of Israel. It does not apply to the Church today, since we are under grace and not the law (Romans :4). Therefore, we are obligated to give first our bodies and souls as living sacrifices in reasonable service to God (Romans 12:1-2). The New Testament teaches proportional giving according to what we have, not what we don't have (2 Cor. 8:12). If we can only give 5% as the Lord leads, so be it. It is not how much you give that matters to God, but the attitude and motive which you are giving from. This is the concern of the New Testament with regard to giving, rather than measuring the amount that is given (see 2 Cor. 8-9). Richard's quick response: Thank you Zola! Enjoy the presence of the Lord!

9 The King James Version of the Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible: Keynote on Malachi 3:7-15 states, "This passage is often used by those who advocate "storehouse tithing"; that is, bringing the "tithe" into God's storehouse (the local church), rather than giving it anywhere else. They suggest that gifts to ministries other than the local church should be above the "tithe." Certainly the "storehouse" in Malachi represents the temple or a building in the temple complex. However, the OT "tithe" or "tenth" cannot be reasonably equated with ten percent of gross salary or wages which most people earn today. Above all, giving should be a matter between the Holy Spirit and the believer, not a regulation. The "tithe" may be an adequate guide for determining how much some people could give (indeed, for many in a prosperous society, it is probably an inadequate level), but the amount of giving must be a personal decision. The Apostle Paul wrote that God examines the motives for the giving, not the amount (2 Corinthians 9:7) Despite the "amens" heard during messages about mandated tithing, it is clear that the overwhelming majority of believers are NOT persuaded by the doctrine: "Church Loses Financial ground in 2000" by Barna Research: "Tithing Is Rare" - One out of every six adults (17%) claims to tithe, but a comparison of the amount that people gave to churches and their household income revealed that just 6% actually donated one-tenth of their income (pre-tax or post-tax) to churches. The level of erroneous reporting among born again Christians was just as prolific: 32% reported tithing, yet only 12% actually did so in Also see Barna Research 2008 report and their 2012 repori. Richard's quick response: Clearly much of this 'erroneous reporting' is lying due to unnecessary feelings of obligation and fear of rejection. Willow Creek Association, a group representing close to 5,000 evangelical churches said the average numbers of people actually giving 10% of their income is about 2.6%. They also said churches are spending increasing amounts of their budget on things such as theater seats and lavish sound systems while cutting back on funds for outreach programs. It is also noteworthy that many ministries refusing to volunteer for full financial accountability are the most ardent mandated tithing teachers. Richard's quick response: See Final Note below. From other researchers that have published on the internet regarding tithing: "Thank you for your interest in Tithing. We are grateful for the work you have done. However we make the following brief and succinct statement. We attempt to follow

10 scripture. The Bible does not support ANY system of Tithing in the Christian Dispensation. Therefore your reasoning regarding Faith Based Abrahamic Covenant Tithing is unscriptural. Meanwhile we commend you for noting the wretched system of Mandated Law Tithing that is a gross criminal act. We suggest that you stay with scripture and realize that one is to give but it is not a Tithe." Richard's quick response: Thank you. For the most part I agree with you. However 'the tithe' is a biblical principle and the corresponding number 10 is an important and meaningful number in the Bible. I see no harm in a New Testament Christian who may have a sum of money saying, "I think I will give a tithe to the Lord." I see no reason to get religious about the word. But again, your point is well taken. Final Note From The Author, Richard Wayne Garganta: "Many people criticize mandated tithing or prosperity preachers calling them greedy money grabbers. The reality is the reason they exist is because of the greed of the masses who are tantalized by the "give to get" mentality. Also, there are faith preachers and there are confidence men. There is success coaching and there is the Gospel message. Readers would be well advised to learn the differences." 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Richard Wayne Garganta - RichardOnTheNetqmail.com Get more in-depth studies Christians didn't tithe until the 8th century. This is historical fact! For documented proof, see "Pagan Christianity: The Origins of our Modern Church Practices" by Frank Viola. Click here to order Is Gay Prejudice Taught In The Bible?