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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Religion / Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? (800 Views)
Is It True 'there's No Compulsion In Islam? / Prophet Ufuoma Bernard: "No More Tithing In My Church, Daddy Freeze Is Right" / Why Were We Given Free Will Which Could Still Lead Us To Hell? (2) (3) (4)
Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by Heazy2015(m): 7:09am On Sep 20, 2015 |
When a pastor or preacher asks you to pay tithes, he is either
very ignorant of the Bible truth, or he’s trying to take your
money using Bible tricks. I know many would hastily blast me
without reading this piece, especially members who are fanatic
about their pastors and reverends. It is my advice that you read
through before criticising.
Ask yourself one question, is tithing an obligation for the new
covenant Christian?
Tithe is the tenth part of an agricultural produce or personal
income set apart as an offering to God. Tithing is the practice
established by God in the Old Testament of returning 10% of your
earnings to God.
Tithe, which is a Mosaic law, started in the Old Testament. Like
any other law under the Mosaic covenant (the Old Covenant), it
was strictly observed by all Israelites, and was considered as
robbing God when one failed to remit tithe. Malachi 3:8-12
says: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you
say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and
offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed
Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me
now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for
you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such
blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not
destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear
fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of hosts, “And all
nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful
land,” says the Lord of hosts.”
I once heard a pastor say, “The tithe was not given based on the
needs of the priests, of the church or of the poor. It was given
simply in recognition and gratitude for the blessings that God had
bestowed on the individual. Thus, every believer had a need to
tithe to God.” As true as that pastor may sound, he might just be
wrong. Not wrong because of how he presents his case, but
wrong because he thinks payment of tithe is an obligation of the
new generation Christians.
I told a friend that we were no longer bound by the laws of the
Old Testament, he vehemently disagreed with me, citing Matthew
5:17-18: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or
the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill
them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear,
not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by
any means disappear from the Law until everything is
accomplished” .
It is frequently argued just as the case with my friend that if
Jesus did not “abolish” the law, then it must still be binding.
Accordingly, such components as tithing, the Sabbath-day
requirement must be operative still, along with perhaps numerous
other elements of the Mosaic Law. This assumption is grounded in
a misunderstanding of the words and intent of this passage.
Christ did not suggest here that the binding nature of the law of
Moses would remain forever in effect. Such a view would
contradict everything we learn from the balance of the New
Testament (please read Romans 10:4 ; Galatians 3:23-25 ;
Ephesians 2:15 ).
The Mosaic Covenant is also referred to as the Old Covenant (2
Corinthians 3:14 ; Hebrews 8:6, 13) and was replaced by the
New Covenant in Christ (Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2
Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 8:8; 8:13; 9:15; 12:24). The New
Covenant in Christ is far better than the old Mosaic Covenant
that it replaces because it fulfills the promises made in Jeremiah
31:31-34, as quoted in Hebrews 8.
Based on the argument posed in Matthew 5-17, we would have to
take Jesus’ words as enjoining every single commandment and
regulation in the Law of Moses on Christians! The reason is
because Jesus said that “not the smallest letter, not the least stroke
of a pen” from the entire body of the Jewish Holy Scriptures
would disappear until “everything is accomplished.”
To ask again: did Jesus mean Christians had to keep all the
regulations of the Law of Moses, including the “holy time”
regulations of the Sabbath, or strict tithing, or the food laws?
Consider what that line of reasoning would demand. Christians
would be obligated to keep all the sacrificial, ceremonial and civil
laws described in the Law of Moses. They would have to keep
every single law mentioned in Genesis through Deuteronomy —
and the rest of the Old Testament. The Jews calculated that there
were 613 laws in their Holy Scriptures. Christians, then, based on
the idea that Jesus was telling his disciples to keep the regulations
of the Law and the Prophets, would have to keep all 613 laws. No
wonder the apostle Paul said that thinking in these terms was
wrongheaded (Galatians 3:10).
To pick a few examples of this line of reasoning, Christian men
would have to be physically circumcised. All Christians would
have to offer sacrifices. Men, at least, would have to travel to
Jerusalem to keep the annual festivals. Christians would have to
keep the various purification rituals. One of these rituals specified
that individuals who came in contact with dead bodies would be
“unclean” for seven days. They would have to ceremonially wash
themselves on the third and seventh day (numbers 19:11-13). If
any person failed to do this, he or she would be “cut off from
Israel” (verse 13). There are many dozens of such laws in the
Law of Moses that would have to be followed.
Before you concur with keeping the obligation of tithing,
remember that there is a curse attached to keeping some laws
and leaving out the rest. Deut. 27 vs 26; says you are cursed if
you don’t keep all the laws. Lev. 20 vs 22; says keep all my
decrees & laws and follow them. Are you keeping all of them or
are you just keeping only tithe.
Do you remember what apostle Paul told the Jews who still
wanted to practice the laws of Moses in Gal. 3 vs 10? Also in
Acts 15 vs 5-11, the apostles made it clear that we are not to
observe the laws again.
Now let me tell you more about what God said concerning the
Old Testament and its law in the New Testament. Hear what
Rom. 7v6 says, “But now by dying to what once bound us [the
law of Moses] , we have been released from the Law so that we
serve in the new way of the Spirit [the New Testament] , and
not in the old way of the written code [the law of the Old
Testament] “ . Hear this again, “Therefore no one wil be declared
righteous in God’s sight by observing the law,” Rom. 3v20.
Why? Because a new testament has come with its own new law.
Heb. 7v18-19 says the former regulation (the old laws of the Old
Testament) is set aside because it was weak and useless for the
law made nothing perfect and a better hope is introduced (the
new testament) by which we draw near to God. Heb. 8v13 says
again: “By calling this covenant ”new” He has made the first
one or the old one obsolete,” i.e useless or dead. What other
explanations will anybody give you that is more clear than this
simple statement?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the Old Testament is useless,
no, far from it. It’s very useful, but it’s not useful in practice.
Remember Romans 15 vs 4 says: “For everything that was
written in the past was written to teach us, so that through
the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the
encouragement they provide we might have hope” .
Whatever is written in the Scripture has been written for our
learning. We can learn by reading the Book of Deuteronomy. We
can learn by reading Malachi or any other Old Testament book.
However, though all was written for our learning, not all is
written for our application. The Old Testament is addressed to
Jews that were living under the Mosaic law. Jesus Christ had not
yet come. The price for the atonement of our sins had not yet
been paid. The high priest had not yet arrived. As Paul says in
Galatians 3:23-26: “But before faith came, we were kept under
guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be
revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to
Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has
come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of
God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
On a final note, this write-up is not meant to discourage our
church congregation from providing for the church, because even
the Bible supports this in the strongest possible way.
The key to understanding how God wants us to give to the
church is found in 1 Corinthians 16:2: “On the first day of the
week [Sunday] each of you should set aside whatever he
can afford, “ and in 2 Corinthians 9:5-8: “So I thought it
necessary to encourage the brothers to go on ahead to you
and arrange in advance for your promised gift [donation] , so
that in this way it might be ready as a bountiful gift and not
as an exaction” .
Consider this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must
do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace
abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you
need, you may have an abundance for every good work.
To paraphrase: God doesn’t demand a fixed amount of money
from us. He wants us to give from the heart. If people are forced
by their church to give a certain percent of their income, that’s
extortion. https://www.naij.com/552119-truth-pastor-will-never-tell-tithing.html 1 Like |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by benedictnsi(m): 7:12am On Sep 20, 2015 |
It is Compulsory to the best of my knowledge |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by okpamson15(m): 7:15am On Sep 20, 2015 |
Give the money to the poor or ophanage home is better than... |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by sweetval: 7:19am On Sep 20, 2015 |
Paying tithes in ma opinion should be a Free will thingy... You can't compel smone to give thanks.. It should be between him and his creator.. These days people brag about it Like it's a passport to heaven.. Only God will judge... |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by Tallesty1(m): 7:36am On Sep 20, 2015 |
benedictnsi:It is fraud to the best of mine. 1 Like |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by benedictnsi(m): 8:02am On Sep 20, 2015 |
Tallesty1: Then you will need to grow up in Christian life |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by Tallesty1(m): 8:05am On Sep 20, 2015 |
benedictnsi:Actually you are the one that needs to search for the truth. Everything you need to know is there in your bible, 2 Likes |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by benedictnsi(m): 8:51am On Sep 20, 2015 |
Tallesty1: So what are you tryna make me understand Buttress your points with references to the Holy Book..... I'm not arguing yet |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by AdeniyiA(m): 4:18pm On Sep 20, 2015 |
benedictnsi: NOTHING is by compulsion in the Bible, God wants a willing heart of giving and doing. God has given us the power to choose and thus laid before us life and death but ADVISED us to choose life that we may live. ANYTHING done out of compulsion or grumbling/unwilling heart is not acceptable to God. The Bible is about works and consequences, so it isn't made compulsory ... |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by benedictnsi(m): 4:48pm On Sep 20, 2015 |
AdeniyiA: It is important when attempting to derive spiritual principles from the Bible on a particular subject to go back to the time it was first mentioned. When was "the tithe" first mentioned? Gen 14:18-20 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (NIV) Verse 20 says Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. What is a tenth of everything? Here we turn to the Living Bible for more clarification... Gen 14:15-16 15 He divided his men and attacked during the night from several directions, and pursued the fleeing army to Hobah, north of Damascus, 16 and recovered everything-- the loot that had been taken, his relative Lot, and all of Lot's possessions, including the women and other captive Gen 14:19 19 Then Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing: "The blessing of the supreme God, Creator of heaven and earth, be upon you, Abram; and blessed be God, who has delivered your enemies over to you." Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the loot. (TLB) Emphasis mine. From the verses above, it is clear that Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth or ten percent of all the loot that has been recovered (verses 16 and 19 above) not of all that Abraham possessed. See also Hebrews Chapter 7 verse 4. This is important because the tithe is based on the increase, not the capital. The next time we hear of the word "tithe" is in Bethel after Jacob had his famous dream of angels ascending to and descending from heaven..... Gen 28:22 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." (NIV) Notice that Jacob promised a tenth of what God intends to give him not a tenth of what he already had (not much though at this point in time). So once again we find that tithing is based on increase not capital. So, what do you think |
Re: Discussing Tithing: Compulsion Or Free Will? by paul288yahoo(m): 8:30pm On Sep 20, 2015 |
kingdom taxation |
(1) (Reply)
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