Should Christians Tithe?

Transcription

1 Should Christians Tithe? Should Christians Tithe? I wish there was no need for me to write on this subject because it has caused me to experience hardships and even persecution from those who place money above biblical truth. However, because I am a servant of the God Jesus Christ and a passionate defender of His gospel and of the Christian freedom, my Christian conscience does not allow me to be passive when I hear pastors preaching on the twisted doctrine of tithing by which they enslave Christians under the old testament law and place them under its curse. This unacceptable situation exists because many Christians have not spent time to examine the word of God on this subject and, for this reason, have allowed their religious leaders to lead them into religious captivity. Whether these leaders know it or not, they are trying to undo the work of the Great Deliverer, Jesus Christ, who came to bring freedom to the captives (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18,19). I wonder, are they not afraid of His wrath? Those who have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ know that they are not under obligation to keep the old testament law which became obsolete with the establishment of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:7,8,13). They know that they cannot be justified before God through the works of the law which God had given to His circumcised cc 1.

2 Should Christians Tithe? people Israel (Colossians 2: 13,14; Acts chapter 15). However, the leaders of some Christian groups, ignoring the words of Paul in Galatians 3:10-13 and without considering the dreadful result of their request, pressure their followers to keep parts of the Mosaic law, such as the law of tithing, the keeping of the Sabbath or the acceptance of a special priesthood. In the fore mentioned verses, Paul says: Because as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse: because it is written, Cursed is every one who does not continue (persist) IN ALL the things which are written in the book of the law, in order to do them. The fact that no one is justified by the law before God, is manifest; because The righteous will live by faith. And the law is not of faith; but, The man who does them (the works of the Mosaic law), will live through them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law. (Galatians 3: 10-13) From the above verses, we understand that before the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, one could receive everlasting life by keeping all the works prescribed by the law of Moses! In other words, the person who would be able to keep the law of Moses to perfection would live by the works of that law (Matthew 19:16,17). However, an uncircumcised person did not have the right to keep any part of the Mosaic law --- not even the smallest of the ordinances. Why? Because the circumcision was the initiation ceremony, so to speak, which gave to the circumcised person the right to enter the first covenant and to keep its law (Acts 15:5; Exodus 12:43,44,48)! In addition, from the words of Galatians 3:10-13, Cursed is every one who does not continue IN ALL the things

3 Should Christians Tithe? which are written in the book of the law, in order to do them., we understand that the person who would not keep ALL the ordinances of the law, that is, the entire law of Moses, but who would keep only part of it, that person would be cursed by God! Whether we like to hear this or not, Paul preached biblical truth! Therefore, those who teach that Christians must keep certain parts of the law of Moses, first, do not show respect for the requirements of that law; they disobey it because they are teaching others to keep it without circumcision in the flesh, and second, do not fear God although they know that those who do not keep ALL the law are being cursed by Him! Since the time our Savior God became flesh (John 1:1,14) and died on the cross for the transgressions of men according to the Scriptures (Isaiah 53:5,8) and was buried in the tomb of a rich man according to the Scriptures (Isaiah 53:9) and on the third day He was raised bodily from the dead according to the Scriptures (Isaiah 53:10; Acts 2:31), God will give everlasting life to all those who will: First, recognize Who Jesus Is (Isaiah 53:11; John 6:40; 8:24), that is, to all those who will believe and confess with their mouths that Jesus is the Lord, in other words, the YHWH of Romans 10:9,13, Second, believe in their hearts that God raised Him bodily from the dead (Romans 10:9; Acts 2:31), and Third, pray to Him --- call on His Name (Romans 10:9-14). If they cannot pray to Him (because prayer is worship),

4 Should Christians Tithe? then, they have not believed that He really is the Lord, i.e., the YHWH of Romans 10:9,13! The words of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:8,9, are clear: Salvation is received by grace through faith (in the right object of faith) --- not by keeping the law of Moses! One of the requirements of the Mosaic law was that all those who were under the first covenant had to give one tenth of their income to help the poor and to support a special priesthood, the Levites and their families, because God had forbidden them to inherit any part of the promised land (Numbers 18:20,21). Those who have entered Christ s new covenant do not need a special priesthood. The Christian Church of the first century did not have a special priesthood. The Lord Jesus is not a High Priest according to the order of Aaron but according to the order of Melchizedek --- outside the Levitical priesthood appointed by God (Hebrews 7:11). The Lord Jesus Christ did not establish a special priesthood in His Church, neither did His apostles after Him (Matthew 23:8-12). They did not establish a special priesthood for the following reason: All those who by faith enter the new covenant which the Lord Jesus established with His blood, become priests (Revelation 1:6). Those believers make up a kingdom of priests (1 Peter 2:5,9) whose High Priest is the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:22-26). Therefore, the doctrine which exacts from a Christian to tithe as a fulfillment of the Mosaic law, is alien to the new testament and places the Christian under the curse of that law!

5 Should Christians Tithe? The apostles did not introduce the law of tithing in the Christian Church, neither did they use that law as a guideline for the minimum amount that a Christian must give. Clearly, they advised the believers to remember the poor (Galatians 2:10) and that they were free to give as the Lord had prospered them (1 Corinthians 16:2). Those who introduce the law of tithing to the Christian Church are guilty of heresy. In their love for money they use Malachi 3:8-10, which was written for the circumcised Israelites who were to keep the Mosaic law. They preach that the Christians who do not give one tenth of all their income to their religious institution every month, rob God and that, for this reason, God will curse them! By doing so, they alter the gospel of grace and thus, they bring upon them the curse of God (Galatians 3:10-12). Their doctrine on tithing is false and instills fear! And religious fear, which thrives upon the ignorance of God s Word, manipulates the minds of those who Christ has set free and leads them back into the spiritual captivity of the Mosaic Law. The love and the blessings of God towards men are not dependant on whether they give the ten percent of their income to a religious institution! No one can buy God s love and blessings with money! Paul says that God blesses the believers with every spiritual blessing through Christ --- not through money (Ephesians 1:3). And the preaching of Jesus is clear: The one who has My commandments and keeps them, he is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me, he

6 Should Christians Tithe? will be loved by My Father; and I will love him and I will reveal Myself to him... If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and we will dwell in him. (John 14:21,23). From the above words of the Lord Jesus, we realize the following points: 1) God loves those who love Jesus and keep His commandments (John 15:10). 2) The Lord Jesus loves and reveals Himself to those who love Him! 3) God and Christ bless those who love Jesus by coming to them and by dwelling in them! Therefore, let it be known to all that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ does not contain any curses for those who believe in Him and who love Him, but it curses all those who alter it (Galatians 1:8,9)! Therefore, Malachi 3:8-10 does not and cannot apply to Christians! In his letter to the Romans the apostle Paul assures us that, there isn t any condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)! Those who claim to be Christians and yet they are involved with the law of tithing, if they do not wish to continue to be under the curse of the Mosaic Law, First, they have to understand and appreciate the work of the Great Deliverer Jesus Christ, who came to set the captives free,

7 Should Christians Tithe? Second, they must repent before God for their involvement in tithing and Third, they must keep in mind the following thoughts: 1) They are the temple of the Holy Spirit because He dwells in them (1 Corinthians 6:19). 2) Fear is not part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). 3) The apostle Paul wrote, you have not received spirit of slavery in order to be in fear again, but you have received Spirit of adoption, by which we are crying, Abba, Father. (Romans 8:15), and 4) where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17). Consequently, since the Spirit of Christ dwells inside the born again believers (Romans 8:9-11), they must take the necessary steps to move towards the freedom which He has provided for them (Galatians 5:1). A Christian who tries to fulfill the Mosaic law or any part of it, has not entered God s rest and is guilty of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11). Other points to consider 1. When I decided to write the present subject, I was overwhelmed by a deep sadness and depression. The intensity of the sadness and of the depression increased rapidly. Ι wanted to weep without end. Suddenly, in my spirit, I heard a very sad and indignant thought:

8 Should Christians Tithe? What s wrong with My people? Why don t they read My word, but instead, they place themselves into the hands of men who enslave them and exploit them? Don t they appreciate the work I did for them? I died on the cross so they can enjoy freedom! Why don t they cherish the freedom that I gave them? 2. One Sunday I visited an evangelical church and I became very sad for the following reason: I heard the woman who had the title of a shepherd scorning the conscience of the church, telling them, for forty minutes, that they ought to tithe, or else, God would curse them! And, to make it worse, at the end of her talk, she condemned them and told them that those who come to the church and do not bring their wallet with them are not Christians! It is so sad to hear leaders of Christian institutions use insults, to instill fear in the hearts of the Christians and place them under the curse of the Mosaic law in order to increase the income of their religious institutions! Rather, they should fear God s judgment for twisting His biblical truth and for beating their fellow servants (Matthew 24: 48-51). How will they be able to stand before the Lord of hosts? Do they know what will happen to those who offend in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:41, 42)? Do they believe in the existence of the place which the Lord Jesus called the outer darkness (Matthew 8:12)? 3. Another Sunday I visited a different evangelical church where I met a restaurant owner. The next day, on Monday, the shepherd of that church wished to take me out for lunch to the restaurant of the man I met in his church.

9 Should Christians Tithe? On the way there, with obvious bragging in his voice, the shepherd told me a story: He told me that the business of that restaurant owner was not doing very well before and that he advised him to start tithing to his church. This shepherd told the owner that God is not blessing him because he does not tithe! He told him that if he will start giving the one tenth of the restaurant s income to his church, God will bless him and that his income will be increased! Then, with a sound of triumph in his voice, the pastor told me that as soon as the restaurant owner tithed to his church for the first time, the pastor told his church to support him, that the church supported him and that in this way the owner received God s blessing because the income of his restaurant was increased! What exploitation of Christians! When they saw that the business of their Christian brother was not doing well, shouldn t they have supported him out of Christian love (Galatians 6:10)? Did they have to place him under the curse of the Mosaic law, for their own benefit, before they helped him? 4. Now, I wish to present to you another story which is exactly the opposite from the one above: I know another Christian man who is also a restaurant owner. God helped this Christian restaurant owner to realize, through Bible study, that it is against the Scriptures for a Christian to tithe as a fulfillment of the Mosaic Law. Therefore, one day, he decided to make his thoughts on this subject known to other Christians in order to protect them from receiving the curse of the Mosaic Law.

10 Should Christians Tithe? Naturally, his preaching came to the attention of the local shepherds. Immediately, some of them conspired against him! They wanted to punish him in order to show to all of their followers that those who do not tithe receive God s curse! Thus, they told their followers to boycott the restaurant of their Christian brother! And, with the exception of 5 or 6 families, they all obeyed! Today, as I am writing this story, it has been ten years since they stopped supporting the restaurant of their Christian brother!! The prayer of the Christian restaurant owner continues to be as follows: Lord Jesus, my God, I do not care whether my restaurant can afford to pay me or my wife for working there. The only thing I ask of You is to help us keep the doors of our restaurant open for the sake of the true gospel! Do not allow those who place Your servants under the curse of the Mosaic Law rejoice by seeing us losing that which You have given us! I do not want them to use us as an example to support their false doctrine! Do not give them the pleasure to say, See? They spoke against tithing and, for this reason, God cursed them! Please, Lord, You Yourself be our support! And the God of the true gospel heard his prayer. Although the city in which he lives went through terrible economic times for many years (to the point that many other restaurants which were supported by the Christian community of that city went out of business), the doors of the restaurant of the believer remained open! May the Name of the Lord God be glorified! I am sure that when the Great Judge returns, He will say to His faithful servant words like the following:

11 Should Christians Tithe? I know your works and your labor and your patience, and that you cannot tolerate the evil ones, and you put those who claim to be apostles to the test and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have patience, and you have labored for my name and you have not become tired. (Revelation 2:2,3) I wonder, what He will say to those shepherds who use trickery and who alter His gospel of grace for their financial benefit! What will the end be of those shepherds who put a stumbling block before His servants as did Balaam (Jude 11; Revelation 2:14)? Please pay attention to the following point. 5. One night, the Lord gave me a terrifying dream through which He showed me the end of those shepherds who, according to Jude, without having fear of God, instead of shepherding His sheep and feeding them with the pure food of His word, they shepherd themselves (verses 12, 13). Here is the dream: My sons and I stood before a very tall building which was made of marble. The building was so big that I could not see its beginning or end! This building belonged to the Healer --- to the Doctor. The outside door was open. We entered and took the staircase which was leading to the upper floor. When we arrived there, I noticed that the hallway was very long; I could not see its beginning or end. On the one side of the hallway there were many rooms. We entered the first room that was in front of us. The room was

12 Should Christians Tithe? quite large. On its right wall I saw two doors. On its left wall there was only one. Suddenly, I heard the crying of a baby. The crying was coming from one of the two doors which were on the right wall of the room. I opened the door and I saw a baby in a cradle. I realized that this baby was under the care and the protection of the Doctor. I knew that the baby s cry was heard and the Doctor would come into the room. My children began to run around the room. They ran towards the second door which was on the right wall of the room. When they opened it, I saw a marble staircase. One could either go down to the lower parts of the building or could climb up higher. One of my children began to run downstairs, while the other two began to run up the stairs. With a loud voice I began to call them to come back into the room so we could see the Healer; but, as they were very young, they continued to run up and down the stairs. I was very concerned. Suddenly, the door which was on the left wall of the room opened and the Doctor walked in! Oh! The joy I felt in His presence! I ran towards Him; I gave Him a hug and He embraced me too. Doctor, I said, I am so happy to see you! Costa, replied the Doctor, you seem to be upset. What s wrong? I am upset with my children! I answered. They are somewhat disorderly and they are running up and down the stairs!

13 Should Christians Tithe? Yes, I know! said the Doctor. Don't worry; I know exactly where they are! You mean You know exactly on which stair each one of my children is? I asked. Yes, I do! replied the Doctor. However, please wait here. I have to go back to the other room for a few minutes. The Doctor went back into the other room and closed the door. And I heard the Doctor rebuking someone! The Doctor was speaking straight! His words were strong, expressed truth and they were piercing the heart! I wanted to see the one He was rebuking! I went out in the hallway and walked to the next door. It was open! I looked inside the room and I saw the Doctor and the man He was rebuking. The clean-cut appearance of the rebuked reminded me of a Christian shepherd. The shepherd could not defend himself! He did not say a word! Suddenly, the Doctor got up from His chair and lifting up His arm, He pointed towards the hallway and told the shepherd to go away from His presence! He commanded him to get out! And the shepherd began to walk towards the door! At this moment something took place that caused my blood to chill from terror. All those who were in the hallway stopped walking and became as if they were glued to the walls; and I ran back towards the big room were I had met the Doctor. Here is what happened: The moment the Doctor commanded the shepherd to get out I heard a terrible sound which resembled the howling of

14 Should Christians Tithe? wild dogs or wolves of another world! The howling was so intense, terrible and piercing, that it caused one to feel such terror that words cannot describe!!! I looked towards the left side of the hallway because the howling was coming from that direction and I saw a very deep darkness! The darkness was not inside the building. The howling was coming towards us with the speed of lightning. I could not see the howling animals! They were invisible! As soon as the shepherd got out into the hallway, they grabbed him and pulled him into the outer darkness! And the intensity of the howling became louder revealing a sense of triumph!!! At this point I woke up. I don t think that it is necessary for me to describe my feelings. However, if you dear Reader are a pastor of a Christian church and you are placing the servants of the Lord under the curse of the Mosaic Law, I advise you to read the previous dream again. The eternal sacrifice of the Lord of hosts, who died on the cross so they can enjoy freedom, cannot be mocked! Consider your position before Him! Either you are a real Pastor of His flock and a preacher of the true gospel, or you are a hired manager who looks after his own financial interests or that of some religious investors! Each one of these positions offers the appropriate payment! If you are the latter, I encourage you to read the word of God objectively; let it speak to your heart and repent before the Lord of hosts. He is against those who try to undo His work on the cross. Do you really wish to be one of them? 6. I have discussed the subject of tithing with many Christians. It is perplexing that when I say that those who keep

15 Should Christians Tithe? part of the Mosaic Law are under the curse of that Law, some of them change their story! They say that the Christians must tithe not as a fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, but in order to follow the example of Abraham who tithed to Melchizedek (Genesis14:18-20)! They try to say that because Abraham gave one tenth of the loot to Melchizedek before the law was given to the Israelites, the giving of the one tenth (tithing) must continue even after Christ fulfilled the law of Moses with His eternal sacrifice! However, this line of reasoning generates the following thoughts and questions: i. If it is only for the sake of following Abraham s example and not for fulfilling the law of Moses, then, why do they use Malachi 3:8-10 which instilled fear in the Israelites so they would fulfill the Mosaic Law? ii. iii. iv. Did Abraham tithe to Melchizedek monthly? The answer is No! Abraham tithed to Melchizedek only once! Did Abraham give to Melchizedek the one tenth of all of his yearly income, or only the one tenth of the loot he collected after a battle? The answer is, No! Abraham did not give the one tenth of all of his income. He gave only the one tenth of the loot he collected after a battle! (Hebrews 7:4) Then, how could Abraham s case become our example? Why is this case used to convince the Christians that they must give the one tenth of

16 Should Christians Tithe? all of their income, every month, to the religious institution they belong? v. How is it that Jesus and the apostles did not use Abraham s case to teach the Christians of the first century that they must tithe? vi. vii. viii. Do the Scriptures say that Melchizedek symbolizes the religious institutions of our time? If not, then, why should Christians tithe to them? Clearly, the Scriptures indicate that Melchizedek symbolizes the Son of God and His eternal priesthood because he was without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. (Hebrews 7:3). If we take the case of Melchizedek in a symbolic way, as Jesus is High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7:11), then, our priesthood as priests of God and of Christ (Revelation 20:6) is also according to the order of Melchizedek! Thus, what should we say? That Melchizedek must tithe to Melchizedek? This case has become ridiculous! If the Christians must tithe because Abraham tithed before the law, then, what will we say about circumcision? Is it possible that the Christians must also follow this example of Abraham and circumcise because Abraham was circumcised before the law? God forbid! (Galatians 2:2-4)

17 Should Christians Tithe? Obviously, the doctrine of tithing is not in harmony with the gospel of the New Testament, the gospel of grace, of which we are sharers! The monetary needs of the Pastors and of the local churches whose goal should be to help the poor, should be covered by free-willed offerings of the flock of God (1 Corinthians 9:11-14; 16:2; Galatians 2:10) --- not because they are keeping part of the Mosaic Law! I hope that all the evangelical Christian churches which have adopted the law of tithing will follow the excellent example of the Worldwide Church of God (Grace Communion International), who, in order to uphold the truth of the gospel, abolished the law of tithing although they knew that their decision would lower significantly the income of their institution. May the Lord God bless them for their decision to stand for the truth on the subject of tithing! In any event, I have presented and supported the serious subject of tithing with the written word of God, with prophecy, with a dream and with case stories. The decision of how each one of the Readers of this article will react is as personal as is the reward which each one will receive from the Lord when He comes (Revelation 22:12)!