-Is tithing for
those in the Christian church today?
Some legalistically
inclined Christians, have made
laws for themselves, mostly because of ignorance, confusion or spiritual
intimidation,
such as 'you will go to hell if you do not change'.
In this, people get trapped in judgments and guilt, but love can change
all that.
Giving was always a thing
of the heart. Giving is living. Getting is fretting.
Good to give to help. Good to offer to others what's in your heart to give.
Tithing however can mostly
be a thing of the pocket, supported and perpetuated
by those who teach the lie that one will be blessed for following what
they
say is a presently applicable 'god's law' of blessing, often using
Malachi
3:8-12 and of course
cursed
if one doesn't follow it. This is limiting the all powerful true God, by
thinking if one doesn't follow a giving of ten percent supposed rule of
contribution, life's circumstances will turn against him or her. This type
of thinking is witchcraft.
It was a different story
when the Old Testament Mosaic law was in effect:.Deuteronomy
14:22; Numbers 18:24. Now,
it isn't:.Romans
7:4,6 "Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law
by the body of Christ...But now we are delivered from the law, that being
dead wherein we were held, that we should serve in newness of spirit and
not in the oldness of
the letter.".Romans
8:1-15.
A churchgoer's concern about
tithing and being blessed for it:."I'm
a churchgoer who believes in tithing 10% of my income but have been out
of work for 2 1/2 years. All savings will be gone by the end of the year.
My two kids are already picking out what they want for Christmas, but unless
work comes it'll be a strain to have any kind of a decent Christmas. To
support the church I continued to tithe even when out of work, except for
the last two months when I stopped tithing. I'm still waiting for the blessing
of God but going down further each day. I don't want to do what is not
pleasing in God's eyes, so what can you tell me about it all?"
Well, at least you finally
stopped tithing. The words 'tithe', 'tithes' and 'tithing' such as used
in.Malachi
3:8-10 and other places in the Old
Testament is 'asar'
in the original and used only in combination to make the numbers 11-19.
A tithe back then in Old
Testament times, could have been any amount from 10 to 19 percent, I guess
as such that an individual back then could choose. It was not a set, but
a suggested number. Don't allow others to override your God given option
in all things, that of choice.
Other Old Testament original words translated 'tithe' are similar and are
'maaser' or 'maasar'
and 'maasrah'
and means just 10% such as used in.Leviticus
27:30-32 and many other places.
Note the verse in Malachi
3:10 "Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse,
that there may be meat in mine house and prove me now herewith, says God,
if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing,
that there shall not be room enough to receive it.".God
owns it all and is able to do this, but many good hearted sincere tithers
of many years never see it. Why? Paul of the New Testament said that if
an individual decides to keep any part of the Old Testament Mosaic Law,
he had better keep all of its over
600 do's and don'ts or he's under
a curse.
The early
use of the tithe was both an expression of appreciation from the heart.(Genesis
14:20) and a bargaining tool, one
as used by the ancient man Jacob:.Genesis
28:20-22. Many religious people today are too fearful to bargain for
anything as they lack the boldness
based on truth.
Comprised with.Bible
Dictionaries: There were three tithes back then; one tithe for
the Levites;
one for the use of the temple and to be used at the great feasts and one
for the poor of the land. Thus there was a yearly tithe for the Levites,
a second tithe saved this same year and the following year to be used at
the time of the festivals, but
this second tithe in every third year was shared by the Levites with the
poor.
In the New
Testament all words regarding tithing mean a tenth.
Information on tithing is
often used to support church 'giving', that is giving of the tithe to
the church. Is it coercion?
Is it required
'giving'.(extortion),
because if sincere believers are being made to think that they would be
guilty by cheating their Creator if they did not hand over what they have
been led to believe is money for the real true God' and would be under
a curse if they do not
comply:.2Corinthians
11:13 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ.".Get
away from it; that's why this site:.Galatians
4:5 "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive
the adoption of sons."
One helpful principle you
could consider:.Matthew
12:3-8.
If you don't have any money
for clothes it will be difficult for you to comfortably let your light
shine:.Matthew
5:16-20.
Heartfelt giving is good:.2Corinthians
9:6-13. Obligated 'giving' is the curse itself!
One comes from greed and the other from the willing heart of the giver.
It's good to give when it
comes from the heart. It's not good to give if it comes from the attitude
that if you don't, you're in trouble with God and if you do give, your
family may suffer. Giving was never to cause division. If one wants to
give from an unburdened heart, then do. And, how much to give? Whatever
is in line with what needs to be left over for all your other needs. Give
occasionally or regularly, but always an amount that is comfortable for
you at the time; then it's of a willing heart and not a heart that feels
obligated to do so:.2Corinthians
9:6-9: Luke 6:38.
Those mixing
what they think is still an applicable law from God with what
they hope is grace, are
headed for hurt.
Some Christians may fear
giving up what they think is a tithe to God, instead using it for what
they decide, such as helping a neighbor in need, buying needed groceries
for one's own family or others, times spent doing things with kids, etc.,
as this would be breaking what they believe to be the law of tithing. Hurting
yourself to 'help God' is stupid, God owns the multiverse.
The spiritual law of kindness
far supersedes
giving based on the outdated concept.of
tithing, the outdated concept being a required
giving:.Luke
21:1-4; 7:44-46. Giving from
the heart is good. Giving because of fear is not!.1John
3:21 "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence
toward God. Hebrews 10:35 "Cast
not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompence of reward."
Avoid doing things that may
appear good yet at the same time cause cognitive
dissonance in you.
Such are they who believe
the tithe is their obligation
to God, necessary
to keep giving in order to receive blessings from God, fearing to do otherwise
because they feel things may get worse than what they presently may be.
So others are allowed to remain hurting, so the tither can hopefully be
blessed, someday. Makes no sense! Like, hello! Anybody residing in that
head?.Matthew
23:23 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay
tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted the weightier matters
of the law, judgment, mercy and faith. These ought you to have done and
not to leave the other undone.".'Not
to leave the other undone' is because the Mosaic Law was still in effect
at this time. Two of the reasons Christ came were to fufil the Old Testament
Mosaic Law correctly.(Matthew
5:17).as
no one around at the time did and to leave us an example:.1Corinthians
10:11.
Tithing was made part of
the Mosaic Law back then, still
extant
in the time of Emmanuel's short stint
on Earth, which law has since become
defunct, Emmanuel having nailed it to the cross He was crucified on,
killing it:.Colossians
2:14; Hebrews 9:8-15; verse
15 especially.
The ancient Mosaic Law was
defective regarding the
purpose God has for humanity, but was put in place because it was necessary
to show the need for this something that later was to come to help man
because man can't get away, by his own efforts, from the nature he has:.Hebrews
10:1-10 "For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not
the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they
offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For
then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers
once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices
there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible
that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when
he.(Emmanuel).came
into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offering you would not.(God
didn't want Emmanuel to have anything to do with the Old Testament various
things), but a body have you prepared
me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you have had no pleasure.(see
at the base scripture listing:.Hebrews
10:1-10). Then said I, Lo, I come,
in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do your will, O God.
Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering
for sin you don't want because you have no pleasure therein those things
offered by the law. Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He
takes away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which
will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Emmanuel Christ.once
for all."
Even David knew the law was
subordinate
to man:.Matthew
12:1-5.
Often it is an attitude of
'we are the religious right ones and we do not bend our mindset for anyone
not of our ilk'.
It is the same old broadcasting used today that the
invisible world of evil uses to gain a foothold in susceptible
minds, as has been done in times past, where
even family members, because of religion, felt righteously indignant
to hack family
members and neighbors to death because they believed differently.
What is this
Infinite Intelligence that we call our Creator really like?
And does He need your money? It is more likely that it is you that needs
what can come from Him, if you only knew the way
that would bring it to you.
Some people believe that
they are worshipping God by their acts.(do
they even know what worshipping
God means?), their acts such as
say, tithing, believing that if they didn't, they would not be in God's
favor.(Romans
8:33).and
would be in danger of not being saved. Of course they are not taught that
this is a lot of bunk;
that the Creator is not worshipped by anything that man's hand has to do
with, not taught that it's the mind that worships God and worship
means to give attention to:.Acts
17:25 "Neither is worshipped with men's
hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he gives to all life and breath
and all things.".And
also not taught that they were saved
before the universe was formed.
Philippians
3:3 "For we...worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Emmanuel
and have no confidence in the flesh.(no
confidence that doing anything physical would get and/or keep us in good
graces with God; yes but, some falsies may hold to tithing with sayings
such as 'doing physical things to please God shows the quality of one's
spirit; read verse 24 below)."
John
4:23,24 "But the hour comes and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such to
worship him. God.(the
Infinite Intelligence of the universe).is
Spirit.(invisible,
available everywhere like the air, the wind).and
they that worship him
must.worship
him in spirit.and
in truth."
We give attention to this
Great Being when we become like Him. We become like God when we are so
thankful because we have received so many good things from Him, not because
of keeping what has been abolished, but because we have learned to use
the laws of the universe established for us to use to acquire
them:.2Peter
1:4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises
that by these you are partakers
of the divine nature..."
Romans
8:8 "So then they that are in
the flesh cannot please God."
So, ask yourself
regarding
tithing, if you are in the flesh or the spirit? If you think that tithing
will affect your fleshly living in some negative way, then guess which
one you are in?
Those believing tithing
is a law of God where one would be out of favor with God for not tithing,
need to read what Emmanuel said to the Pharisees about breaking a part
of the law that was then in effect. Tithing is not only no longer
in effect, but as you will see, can put you under a curse:.Matthew
12:1-7 "At that time Emmanuel went on the sabbath day through the corn
and his disciples were very hungry and began to pluck the ears of corn
and to eat. But when the Pharisees
saw it, they said unto him, Behold, your disciples do that which is not
lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them: Have you
not read what David did, when
he was an hungred and they that were with him, how he entered into the
house of God and did eat the shewbread.(1Samuel
21:6),
which was not lawful
for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for
the priests? Or have you not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days
the priests in the temple profane the sabbath
and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater
than the temple. But if you had known what this means, I will have mercy
and not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned the guiltless."
Romans
4:6 "Even as David also described the blessedness of the man, unto
whom God imputes righteousness without works,"
Many churchgoers today, having
been made free through Christ,
are, unbelievably, being told in church that they are guilty;
guilty of this, guilty of that, such as 'robbing God of his tithe':.Malachi
3:8-10.
Tithing can be reckoned as
bargaining with God if one feels that he will be blessed because he or
she tithes. Did tithing from Abraham's time, even before the law, make
it through the cross?.2Corinthians
5:17.
There is no record of Emmanuel
paying tithes. No record of Paul, the great apostle,
accepting tithes, yet churches collect it today, even obligating
their congregations by devious.methods
to comply:
2Corinthians
11:8-12.
Paul says the Creator loves
a cheerful giver. That's because the Creator is a giver. If one is of the
same mind.(*),
things can be received:.2Corinthians
9:7. Tithing however, is required giving.(and
of course, required by those who teach it).and
has no command in the new
covenant or the New
Testament to back it up.
Emmanuel's opinion of this
then
prevalent.remnant
of the Old Testament Mosaic Law was almost
unprintable. Religion
has carried forth reprehension
of the Old Testament laws into New Testament times:.Matthew
23:1-15 "Then spake Emmanuel to the multitude and to his disciples,
Saying, The scribes
and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.(they
claimed to follow the Mosaic Law).
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe; that observe and do.(they
knew well, the Old Testament laws that were still extant
at this time); but do not you after
their works. For they say and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and
grievous to be borne and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves
will not move them with one of their fingers.(they
were hypocrites).
But all their works they do for to be seen of men. They make broad
their
phylacteries
and enlarge the borders of their garments and love the uppermost rooms
at feasts and the chief seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets
and to be called of men, Rabbi,
Rabbi. But be not you called Rabbi. For one is your Master.(original
for word 'master' is 'one having the knowledge to teach others'),
even Christ and all you are brethren.(*).
And call no man your father upon the Earth. For one is your Father
which is in heaven. Neither be you called masters, for one is your Master,
even Christ.(what
is Christ?). But he that is greatest
among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself.(exalting
the self is of the ego level of existence).shall
be abased and
he that shall humble himself.(humility
is of the spirit level).shall
be exalted. But woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against
men.(you
don't make truth known to you available to them).
For you neither go in yourselves, neither suffer.(allow).you
them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
For you devour widows' houses.(was
easy for them to take selfish advantage).and
for a pretence
make long prayer. Therefore you shall receive the greater damnation. Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you compass sea and land
to make one proselyte
and when he is made, you make him twofold more the child of hell than
yourselves."
Verses
23-35."Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint
and anise and cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy and faith. These ought you to have done and not to leave
the other undone.('the
other' being tithing, as it was part of the Mosaic Law that was soon to
be completely abolished). You blind
guides, which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you make clean the outside of the cup and
of the platter, but within they are
full of extortion and excess.
You blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and
platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited sepulchres,
which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's
bones and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear
righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the
tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And
say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore you be witnesses
unto yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the
prophets. Fill you up then the measure of your fathers. You serpents,
you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men and scribes. And
some of them you shall kill and crucify and some of them shall you
scourge in your synagogues and persecute them from city to city,
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the Earth,
from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias,
whom you slew between the temple and the altar."
Those who teach tithing as
a requirement toward God blessing someone are teaching an alternate
gospel from the one Paul received at the hands of Emmanuel the Christ
after His resurrection:.Galatians
1:11,12. Those who do work in the name of the Creator should have their
minds off money.(Isaiah
45:11-13).and
on service to others.(Luke
22:26,27).trusting
instead for God to supply:.Philippians
4:19; Romans 8:32,33.
2Corinthians
9th chapter talks of the liberality of God's people giving from the
heart with no mention of required giving in the form of a tithe:.2Corinthians
8:12; 9:6-8. Tithing was
not taught in any way, not as a 'law of God' that one should do so that
'God blesses him' or anything like that:.3John
1:7.
From
Easton's
Bible Dictionary:."It
cannot be affirmed that the Old Testament law of tithes is binding on the
Christian Church....."
There was no hard fast.('God
requires this of you' and all such crap).rule
requiring the same standard of giving for everyone:.2Corinthians
9:7,9.
Paul says it is the heart.(and
not your wallet and what is in it).that
has to do with righteousness through belief.(not
righteousness of any tithing):.Romans
10:10. Paul does not say that 'with the heart man believes that he
will be blessed if he tithes'; does not put it that way at all, does he?
You are
blessed
because you have Emmanuel's loving nature in
your heart.
I have heard some preach
that "if you fail to tithe, you'll fail of being blessed by God". Maybe
they never read
Ephesians 1:3 where
it says that we are already blessed with Christ's nature of love
in us.
We continue to look at ourselves
the way God sees us and move
from guilt, believing instead what God says about
us as to righteousness, holiness and perfection, even if we still
have sin in our lives. Tithing is choosing to be blessed by what you
do that you feel that you had better do in order to be blessed by
God instead of by and through Christ's sacrifice:.Galatians
5:4.
Hebrews
7:5,12,18 shows that you don't give God what is already His! That is
unprofitable.
Tithes became part of the
old
covenant.Mosaic
Law. If one chooses to tithe.(perhaps
was talked into it thinking some false minister represented God in this).he
had also better keep ALL the Mosaic Law or he's under a curse:.Galatians
5:3; 3:10.
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