Jeremy & Daniel

What the Bible Says About Tithing and Christian Giving

2008-01-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

Has anyone ever told you to tithe by giving one-tenth of your income to the church? Or perhaps someone has told you to give to a particular ministry so that God will prosper you. Maybe you were even made to feel that you needed to make up for your sins by giving.
But have you ever stopped to wonder which, if any, of these approaches to giving is the right one for Christians? In this article, we will examine each of these ways of looking at giving to determine whether it is biblical. We will also see whether there is another approach to giving--one that is less popularly promoted. Because it is so commonly taught, we will devote the first section of this article to tithing.
The Tithe
If you tithe, or have been told that you should tithe, you are in the company of many other Christians. Tithing is a common practice in the church, and it is a doctrine that is frequently taught from the pulpit, sometimes quite vigorously. There are even entire websites devoted to the practice of tithing. Usually what is meant in Christian churches by tithing is the paying (or, as some say, giving) of one-tenth of one's income to the church. Some say that the tithe should be one-tenth of one's gross income (before any deductions, including taxes), and others say we should tithe on our net income. By net, what is usually meant in this case is after taxes are taken out. Some few might teach that we should tithe on only that money that is left after we have paid our bills. We will not get into these differences of opinion over how to tithe, but will limit ourselves to determining whether the Bible says that Christians are to tithe. Some of this may sound a little dry, but I hope you will continue reading because it will serve as a background to the eye-opening material later in this article.
The fact that tithing is found in the Bible is undeniable. Tithing is frequently mentioned in the Bible. The word is found as early as the time of Abraham, as mentioned in Genesis. Before examining its occurrence in Abraham's life, however, we will first look at the law of tithing as God gave it to the Israelites under Moses.
The Law of the Tithe
Leviticus 27:30-34: "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai."
Numbers 18:21-24: "And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance."
A law for the Jews: Notice certain facts that we learn from these Scriptures. As stated in the verse that immediately follows the tithe instruction in Leviticus 27, "These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai" (Leviticus 27:34). God gave this law of the tithe through Moses to the Israelites (the Jews) at Sinai. Nothing here says anything about God commanding anyone other than the Israelites to tithe.
The tithe given to the Levites: The passage quoted above from Numbers 18 tells us who received the tithe. The tribe of Levi, the Levites, among whom were the priests and those who cared for the tabernacle (and, later, the temple in Jerusalem), were to receive the tithe (but see also below). As God explains, of all the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Levi was to have no inheritance of land when the Israelites entered the promised land. Instead, they were to be sustained by the other tribes giving them the tithe. This is confirmed in Hebrews 7:5: "And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham."
For an agricultural society: These passages tell us something else that is important. In Leviticus 27, the tithe is called "the tithe of the land," "the seed of the land," "the fruit of the tree," and "the tithe of the herd, or of the flock." The Israelites' society was agrarian. Most people were involved in farming (raising crops and livestock), and the economy centered on this. The tithing laws God gave were tailored to such an agrarian economy. The Israelites were to tithe their increase (Deuteronomy 14:22, 28; 26:12; 2 Chronicles 31:5). Increase to a farmer in ancient times was an easily figured, tangible thing. When a farmer planted grain, his increase was his harvest minus the seed he had planted to create that harvest. In the case of livestock, the increase was the calves or kids born that year. But when someone works for an employer for 40 hours a week and gets a paycheck, the question must be asked, What is the increase? Many people, after taxes, commuting expenses, housing, food, clothing, and other expenses, have little (and sometimes nothing) they could call an increase. That is why there is such a controversy among tithing churches about what the tithe should be figured on. The problem arises because the tithing law was not meant for any other society but ancient Israel.
Confusion when taken out of historical context: Still more confusion arises when, despite the Scriptures quoted above about the Levites receiving the tithe, other Scriptures can be found that say that the poor are to share the tithe (Deuteronomy 14:28-29) and even the tithers themselves are to eat the tithe: "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always" (Deuteronomy 14:22-26). A number of theories have arisen to explain this. The most common ones say that there were at least two, and perhaps even three, tithes. One tithe is an annual one-tenth tax that went to support the Levites. Another tithe was an annual tithe of the increase that all of the Israelites ate during the annual feast days (especially the Feast of Tabernacles). Another tithe was only every three years when the tithe of the increase was given to the Levites, strangers, orphans, and widows. What, then, should all of this mean to Christians? Are they to observe three tithes? And to whom are they to give these tithes? Let's look at some of the ways people today try to apply the Old Testament tithing laws.
Abraham's Tithe
Tithing proponents point to the tenth that Abraham gave to Melchizedek. This account is found in Genesis 14:16-20:
"And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all."
Tithing proponents say that this is an example of tithing before Moses. They then say that because tithing predates Moses, that it continued past the doing away of the Mosaic law when Christ came. But is this incident between Abraham and Melchizedek an example of true tithing?
Please notice these points essential to this topic: 1) There is no mention of Abraham being under a compulsion to tithe. He freely gave the tenth to Melchizedek. No tithing commandment is ever cited. 2) This was a one-time event. The Bible never says that Abraham tithed before this incident, and it never says that he tithed after it. 3) Related to the previous point, Abraham tithed only the spoils of war. He did not tithe the increase of his flocks or a tenth of all he had. This was a one-time, voluntary giving of a tithe of the spoils of war. 4) Melchizedek's blessing of Abraham was graciously given before Abraham gave the tithe. Despite the rhetoric from some pulpits that tithers are blessed and non-tithers are cursed, Melchizedek did not bless Abraham for tithing. So we see that Abraham's tithing to Melchizedek was a one-time, voluntary event. It was unrelated to tithing as it was detailed under the law of Moses. The promoters of tithing contradict themselves by admitting that the law of Moses was done away at the death and resurrection of Jesus while trying to impose on Christians tithing rules from the law of Moses. They do so with the lame excuse that Abraham tithed. But as we have seen, Abraham's tithe had nothing to do with tithing as it was taught by Moses and as it is taught today. Conclusion: Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek does not even remotely support the notion that Christians are to tithe.
The New Testament and Tithing
Jesus and the Pharisees. In only three places do the Gospels record Jesus as mentioning tithing. Two of these places are records in two of the Gospels of the same incident. In Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42, Jesus blasts the religious legalists of His day for missing the weightier matters of the law: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Yes, Jesus said that they should also have been tithing. But to whom was He speaking, and when? Jesus was speaking to the Jews who were still under the law before His crucifixion and resurrection.
In Luke 18:9-12, Jesus gives the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. The Pharisee prays by telling God of his good works, including giving tithes of all he possessed (Luke 18:12). This does not justify him. The publican, however, is justified because he confessed his sinfulness and begged for mercy.
While Jesus does not condemn tithing in these Scriptures, He does liken tithing in the absence of judgment, mercy, and faith to straining at a gnat, and swallowing a camel (Matthew 23:24). It is also something that obviously does not justify. What must be stressed concerning these Scriptures is that they are the only times that Jesus mentions tithing. Jesus never tells His disciples to tithe, and He never established tithing for Christians.
Hebrews 7: Another place where tithing is mentioned in the New Testament is in Hebrews 7. Here we read again of Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek. In verse 3, we read that Melchizedek was "without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually." The author makes this point because he wants to show that Melchizedek was greater than any of the Levitical priests, or even Abraham, because they were mortal men but Melchizedek has no "beginning of days, nor end of life." The reason this is important is because it makes Melchizedek's priesthood greater than the Levitical or Aaronic priesthood. In fact, the Melchizedek priesthood supersedes the Levitical priesthood: "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law" (verses 11-12). This change in the law has far more ramifications than I can go into in this article. Suffice it to say that Hebrews 7:12 proves that those who say "because God does not change therefore the law does not change" are wrong. Hebrews 7:12 clearly says that the law has changed. And it also says that the priesthood has changed. Does this mean that the Melchizedek priesthood should receive tithes from Christians?
Certainly, Melchizedek received Abraham's tithe of the spoils of war. But, as already explained, this was a one-time event. There is no biblical command that Christians are to pay tithes to the Melchizedek priesthood. Anyway, as has also already been explained, Jesus Christ and all Christians are the Melchizedek priesthood. We would only be paying tithes to ourselves. Hebrews 7 contains no evidence to support the idea that Christians must tithe. The author's point is to show the superiority of the Melchizedek priesthood over the Levitical priesthood.
Silence: Have you ever heard complete silence? Of course not, because there is nothing to hear. That is the way the rest of the New Testament is on the subject of tithing. Complete silence. Paul, although he has much to say about giving (as we shall see), says nothing about tithing. Although he chastens his readers for many sins and exhorts them to avoid others, he never once mentions non-tithing as a sin. The same holds true for the other New Testament writers. Certainly, Christians have the freedom to tithe if they like, but tithing is not a part of the New Covenant, and Christians are under no obligation to tithe. Therefore, preachers should not preach tithing, and churches should not discipline or judge others for not tithing. Old Testament tithing laws are not what God intends should motivate Christians to give. Christian giving is something far more wonderful than a legal obligation.
Christian Giving
Some people think that Christian giving is the New Covenant equivalent of Old Testament tithing, but this is not correct. Why? Because tithing and giving are not related. As we saw in the first part of this article, the ancient Jews had to tithe by law. Tithing was not giving; it was paying, much as we pay our taxes. The Israelites no more thought of tithing as giving a gift than we think of income tax as giving a gift. It is something we have to pay by law. As we have seen, Christians are not obliged to tithe. Christians are under the New Covenant, not the Old Covenant, and the law of the tithe is not part of the New Covenant. There were, however, gifts in the Old Testament. For example, we read of freewill offerings (see Leviticus 22). But even with these, the law tightly prescribed when and how they were to be given. In this part of this article, we are going to look at how Christians are to give, especially at what should motivate them. First, let's look at what should not motivate them.
The Three Common But Wrong Motivators
I think I am not in any danger of exaggeration when I say that most churches and other ministries try to get people to donate using wrong, unChristian motivators. I am not saying that these churches and ministries know that these motivators are unChristian, but they are unChristian nonetheless. This problem is so serious that it has literally warped many Christians' thinking on the subject of giving. That's right, we are crooked in our thinking on this subject. Only the truth from the Bible can untwist us. So, with the hope that exposing error and revealing the truth will straighten us out on this subject, let's take a quick look at three errors and then see what real Christian giving is.
1) Tithing: This has been covered in depth in the first part of this article. When Christians believe that they must truly tithe, they are acting on the wrong motivation. As already explained, tithing has nothing to do with Christian giving. Tithing is something even the carnal Israelites who were not born again could do when they watched their p's and q's. On the other hand, real Christian giving is something only born again Christians can do. If someone has been telling you to tithe, don't believe it. If you have been telling people to tithe, stop.
2) Give to Get: No doubt you have heard it before: Donate and be blessed. You will be blessed for your giving. You cannot out give God, so the more you give, the more you will get. When you give, you will receive showers of blessings. As with many errors, there is, as we will see, an element of truth in this. Unfortunately, the way in which this is presented is usually a complete distortion of the biblical teaching. Many people are looking for what is often termed "a financial miracle," so they turn to the religious version of the get rich quick scheme. Notice what popular televangelist Benny Hinn has said: "How do you get a financial miracle? By giving! That activates our faith! That gets our faith loose!... Every time I put my tithe in...or an offering, I say, 'Thank you for my harvest.' Audibly, I say it. Audibly. 'Thank you for my harvest'" (TBN's April 1990 Praise-A-Thon, as quoted in The Confusing World of Benny Hinn, G. Richard Fisher and M. Kurt Goedelman [Saint Louis: Personal Freedom Outreach, 1995] 147). Is this Christian? Does it reflect the freedom we have in Christ, or does it bind us? Does it motivate us to give unselfishly, or does it incite greed?
Hinn is typical of those who espouse this doctrine: "Make a pledge, make a gift. Because that's the only way you're going to get your miracle.... As you give, the miracle will begin. All right, so get to the phones and get busy" (TBN's April 1990 Praise-A-Thon, as quoted in Confusing 146). In this case, the motive for giving is not love; it is not God-centered. It is selfish.
There are myriad others who are of essentially the same school as Hinn. They tell us that it is harvest time for our miracle, but we must first sow the seed for that miracle by donating to their ministry. They tell us that if we place Christ first (by giving to their ministry), we should be prepared to inherit a fortune. But it is they who are inheriting an earthly fortune while they distort our thinking about Christian giving. As Jude says, "These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear" (Jude 12).
Other ministries stress nonfinancial miracles in return for giving. They might suggest miraculous healing, or even little health benefits such as losing our headaches or backaches disappearing. Some tell us to look for other types of miracles. I know of one ministry that goes so far as to suggest that, after tithing, we may find that irritating co-workers are transferred or problems in our home's plumbing will go away! Where are such things found in the Bible? Nowhere!
These false teachings might be amusing if they were not so tragic. Millions are taken in by them. I am intimately acquainted with an elderly couple in their 80s. They have been completely sucked in by the promises of miracles in return for money. There is no talking them out of this way of thinking. Saying anything to the contrary would only incite an argument. They give so they can get a miracle today. It doesn't come, so they give more and expect a miracle tomorrow. But it, too, doesn't come. Although they have been deceived into thinking that what they believe is from the Bible, in reality they have turned from the Scriptures to false teachers who promise them miracles in return for their money. Please don't misunderstand me. The tragedy is not that these people are sacrificing to give. It is that they are sacrificing for the wrong reason.
I must add here that there are some highly respected Christian writers and radio personalities who promote the idea that giving to God is an investment that will yield a good financial return. They make people think that financial troubles stem from failing to tithe or not giving enough. They say that the first step to financial success is tithing or generous giving. But as Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton, authors of a book about religious addiction, explain, "God is not a financial investment opportunity. He isn't a 'good bet' to place your money on. What kind of faith would guarantee a return on money invested? That would not be faith; that would be a bank account" (Toxic Faith, Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton [Nashville: Oliver-Nelson, 1991] 62).
As an example of real faith and giving, Arterburn and Felton tell of a Christian physician in Bangalore, India. After his children were raised, he went back to school and obtained a degree in psychiatry so he could help the many mentally ill people in his area. While others in his field drove expensive sports cars, he drove a broken down vehicle and lived in a small house that had no hot running water. On Sundays, he held church services in a lean-to shack made of scrap boards and raw lumber. The authors write, "The faithful walked, limped, and dragged themselves to that mat-covered room to worship.... It was poverty at its most extreme. The people listened to the sermon, sang, prayed, and had communion. Then they did an astonishing thing. They gave their money. Having almost nothing, they gave very little, but the percentage of their earnings that went to God was extraordinarily high." (Toxic Faith, 61). These people were not giving because of some Old Testament law or because they thought they would get a financial return or because they needed to repay God for His grace by giving. They were giving because they wanted to, because they saw their church as the light in a dark world. These people, and Christians like them, give because they love God, because they put their money where their hearts are.
Here we see a physician and his congregation who were giving their all to God. Yet they lived in poverty most of us can only try to imagine. Why? Because they were not giving enough? Of course not! The answer lies in God's sovereignty and His blessing His people with what He knows they need, not depending on their works. And, as the authors explain, these people "seem to prove that when all you have left is God, you get as much of God as you possibly can. The comforts of wealth often rob people of dependency on God" (Toxic Faith, 62). Accounts such as this ought to make the purveyors of the "give to get" and "God as a financial investment" gospels pull their books off the market, cancel their programs, and hide their faces in shame.
Before going on, I want to address a common misunderstanding of what the Bible means when it says that God will meet our needs. Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:24-33).
Some people take the last part of this passage out of context and use it to support the false idea that Jesus has promised us wealth if we seek the kingdom of God first (usually defined by these people as generously supporting their ministry). But the context reveals that Jesus was saying something quite different. He tells us that we cannot serve two masters: God and mammon (material wealth or possessions). We will love the one and hate (disregard) or despise (think slightly of) the other. Obviously, we should love God. Therefore, we should disregard or think slightly of material possessions. And Jesus goes on to say just that. We should take no thought for the things of this life--food and clothing (and, obviously, the money that buys these things). God will provide these necessities for those who are seeking His kingdom first. But this is where most of us in our affluent society misunderstand. Jesus is not saying God will provide a large house, nice car, extensive wardrobe, and home theater. What Jesus is saying is that God will provide what we need to sustain our lives--necessities (some food in our bellies and clothes on our backs)--while we dedicate our lives to the priority of all Christians of seeking the kingdom. And what is seeking the kingdom of God? It is doing what Christ tells us as Christians to do: believe, love one another, and spread the Gospel. Jesus is not calling us to a life of health and wealth, but to a life of self-sacrifice.
The apostle Paul wrote, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be [spiritually] rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus gave up the riches of heaven to be born in a stable as a human. He dedicated His life to teach the poor and ignorant masses, and eventually He gave His life to pay for their sins and your sins. And He left "us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:21). Are we following those steps?
Now please do not think that by saying these things, I am trying to create feelings of guilt in you. Quite the reverse, I want you to remember the depth of God's grace and desire that others should know it too. I am just trying to stir some thought and, perhaps, remind some of you of your first love and get you back onto the "strait" and "narrow" (Matthew 7:14). Those who try to manipulate by laying guilt on people are doing something quite different.
3) Giving to get rid of sins or pay for grace: Have you ever been made to feel that you can pay for your sins or buy your way into God's favor by giving to a certain ministry? In the early 16th century, Martin Luther fought against the Roman Catholic Church's practice of selling indulgences to spring people out of purgatory. Yet variations on this practice continue in ministries that call themselves Protestant, Baptist, Evangelical, or Fundamentalist. Apparently, it is easy for many ministries to succumb to the temptation to imply to their donors that a person's giving reflects his standing before God. If we give, we gain favor with God. If we don't, we may fall from grace. But anyone who knows the definition of grace--that it is something freely given--knows that this cannot be. We cannot earn what is freely given.
It can be amazing how carelessly people in responsible positions in Christian organizations can treat grace. I have heard ministers speak of coming late to church as if it were the next thing to the unpardonable sin. One minister cited in a book on spiritual abuse clearly stated from the pulpit that a drop in weekly church attendance meant the church had fallen from grace! (The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, David Johnson and Jeff VanVonderen [Minneapolis: Bethany, 1991] 65). In reality, the minister had fallen from grace in his mind; he had forgotten that grace does not depend on our performance. But it is perhaps in the area of asking for money that the temptation becomes greatest. For example: The organization needs money. The leadership needs to motivate people to give. Guilt is a powerful motivator. The leadership makes people feel their sins for not contributing enough. So they say things like, "I don't know how anyone who is saved can give so little," or "Surely, if the Holy Spirit were living in you, you would be giving more." Or, and perhaps this is the king of all money manipulators among Christian groups, "God did so much for you. Won't you pay Him back even a little by sending your contribution today?" Yikes! Run when you hear that one. You can never repay God. How can you repay what is freely given? While God may want you to do good works, He does not want you to do them thinking you are paying Him back. By trying to put a burden of repayment or trying to lay our sins back on us for not giving, manipulators are trying to pull your strings and make you dance to their tune. This is how cults operate, and, unfortunately, it is also a trait in too many Christian churches and parachurch organizations. But Jesus came to freely remove our guilt. God's motivator is love, not guilt or repayment of debt.
This is not to say that our conscience cannot play a role in our deciding to give. Jesus uses the word "compassion" to describe the difference between the Samaritan and the others who passed by when they saw the man lying half dead in the road (Luke 10:30-35). But words such as guilt, conscience, and compassion are abstract, and we can have trouble getting a handle on them. The Greek word translated "compassion" that Jesus uses in Luke 10:33 literally means to be moved in one's inwards. In other words, the Samaritan's inner most being was moved with pity when he saw the man lying in the road.
Now suppose the Samaritan had an urgent appointment and had convinced himself that he should pass by without helping. I think we can safely say that his conscience would have bothered him. And this would have been right. His conscience should have bothered him. James says, "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (James 4:17). If the Samaritan had passed by the man in need, he would have been guilty of violating what he knew to be right; he would have been guilty of violating his conscience. So our compassion is our desire to do what is right, and our conscience tells us that this action is right. But what about guilt? Guilt is outside of us. If we do something wrong--such as not doing what we know to be right--we are guilty. It is a verdict that God brings against us. If the Samaritan had passed the man by despite his knowing that he should have stopped, he would have been guilty of not doing what he knew was right. If he then turned back to help the man, he would have been doing the right thing. But this would not get rid of his guilt before God.
For example, if I rob a bank, I am guilty before the law of robbing the bank. If I then have such pangs of conscience that I bring the money back, I have done what is right, but that does not get rid of my guilt. I am still guilty of having robbed the bank. I can now confess my guilt before the judge and beg for mercy. And the judge may pardon me or give me a shorter sentence. But I don't deserve it. I am still guilty of having robbed the bank.
So, if the Samaritan had first violated what he knew to be right and passed by the man in need, then turned back and helped him, what could he do about his guilt of first passing the man by? He could call upon the Judge of us all and plead the blood of Jesus Christ his Savior as the payment for his sin. No amount of good works will make up for his sin. He would need grace alone, by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
What has all this to do with the way people try to get us to donate? There is nothing wrong with appealing to our compassion and conscience. The Bible is full of appeals of this sort. It is not wrong for a ministry to tell us of their need. It is not wrong for a ministry to tell us that if they had more money they could do more good. It is not wrong for a ministry to say that lack of funds is keeping the Gospel from reaching more people. It is not wrong for a ministry to remind us what our priorities are as Christians. What is wrong is when a ministry implies that we are guilty for not having given before, and we can alleviate our guilt by giving now. Or that we can gain remission for any sins by works such as giving. Or that continued giving will keep us in right standing before God. Or that we can pay God back for His grace. Only the blood that Jesus Christ freely shed for our sins can remove our guilt, and that free gift can never be repaid.
Real Christian Giving
We have seen that the Christian's motive for giving should not be legal obligation, getting wealth or health, or trying to pay for our sins or God's grace. Giving--really giving without being forced by law or giving to get or giving as a payment--is an expression of love. But what characterizes this pure giving?
Voluntarily, freely, and cheerfully: In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul instructs the Corinthian church about the giving of a gift for the needy brethren in Jerusalem. In verse 7, he writes, "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." Notice that this is not a legal obligation because it is not "of necessity." It is not to be a fixed amount of one's income set by the law or by the church, but every man was to give "as he purposeth in his heart"; that is, each person is to give as he or she has decided. Also, it was to be given freely, "not grudgingly," and it was to be given cheerfully, "for God loveth a cheerful giver." This is quite different from tithing, giving to get, and giving out of a feeling of repaying a debt.
Before we leave 2 Corinthians 9, let's examine verse 6, for it is often used by the followers of the give to get philosophy to support their teaching. In 2 Corinthians 9:6, Paul states, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." Remember that earlier I said that there is an element of truth to the idea that we will be blessed for giving. This Scripture shows that truth. So do other passages, such as Jesus' words in Luke 6:38: "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." But notice what Jesus says just a few verses earlier: "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil" (Luke 6:35). If we give, God will reward us. Perhaps He will do so in this life or perhaps He will do so in the next. Also, even if it is in this life, our reward may not be an abundance of riches, but, for example, more opportunities to serve God.
Remember that Jesus said that he who is faithful with few responsibilities will be given more. You didn't know that Jesus said this? This is what He is saying in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. When God gives us something--whether it be money, property, abilities, etc., He expects us to use it. With all that we have comes the responsibility to use it for good. As can be seen in the parable, those who do well with their responsibilities will be given more. In Luke 19:12-27, the rewards are called cities. Now, if you were given a city, I believe you would very quickly feel the responsibility. And, as Christians, God has given us cities, towns, villages, and countryside. In fact, He has given us the entire earth in which to spread the Gospel and to do good in His name. Going back to Matthew 25, notice that the parable of the talents is immediately followed by the parable of the sheep and goats. The sheep, God's elect, are distinguished by their feeding and clothing the poor (the food and clothing both represent spiritual and physical sustenance), visiting prisoners, etc. The fact that these poor people are likened to Jesus Christ means that some of them were elect, so that ministering to them was ministering to Jesus. The King rewards the sheep. The goats, on the other hand, ignore the needs of others, live to themselves, and are given everlasting punishment.
So, are we to give in order to get? No! Jesus says, "But when thou doest alms [give to the poor], let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" (Matthew 6:3). We are to give to help others, not ourselves. When we give to others, it is as if we are giving to Jesus Christ. Our motives are to be pure. Yes, God will reward us, but getting must not be our motive.
How much to give: If tithing is not for Christians, how are we to know how much to give? In Mark 12:43-44, Jesus observed a widow who gave all she had. He did not say she was stupid to do so or criticize her in any way. In Mark 10:21, Jesus told a rich man (see verse 22) to sell all he had, give the money to the poor, and then take up his cross and follow Jesus. Is the Bible saying that only poor widows and rich men should be willing to give up all? Let's find out.
Notice, now, this contrast with the widow and what Christ told the rich man. According to Barna Research, Ltd., the average donor in 2000 contributed a mean of $649 to churches and $176 to religious organizations other than churches. That is a total of $825. Notice these figures: "In 1916, Protestants were giving 2.9% of their incomes to their churches. In 1933, the depth of the Great Depression, it was 3.2%. In 1955, just after affluence began spreading through our culture, it was still 3.2%. By 2001, when Americans were over 480% richer, after taxes and inflation, than in the Great Depression, Protestants were giving 2.7% of their incomes to their churches" ( http://www.emptytomb.org/research.html ). Now, I am not saying that we should return to an Old Testament idea of worrying about percentages. But anyway you figure it, 2.7 percent, or $825 a year, is a lot less than giving all. $825 a year is under $16 a week. That is about an hour's wage for the average worker in the United States. So, the average American Christian donor works one hour a week for the Lord and 39 hours for the things of this world.
As I write, I have just heard the news that a woman had to be hospitalized after being trampled in a stampede to buy DVD players on sale at Wal-Mart. People often stand outside for hours in long lines, even during inclement weather, to get into stores during sales or to get tickets for games or concerts. When was the last time you heard of people standing in line to volunteer to serve the poor or being trampled in a stampede to get into church? Does this sound ridiculous? In Mark 2:2-4, we read of so many people trying to get into the house where Jesus was that friends carrying an invalid had to get onto the roof, make a hole in it, and lower the man through it to Jesus. Matthew 13:2 mentions that so many people were trying to get near Jesus that He had to get into a boat and speak to them from there. Several other incidents of crowds pressing around Jesus are mentioned in the Gospels. And at least twice, multitudes of people followed Jesus into the wilderness without even being concerned that they had taken no food with them (Matthew 14:13-21; 15:29-38). Jesus didn't criticize them; He miraculously fed them. In fact, I can think of no time that Jesus criticized someone for giving up too much for His sake.
What am I saying? Am I saying that we should sell all we have and give everything away? No, how much we give is an individual decision (2 Corinthians 9:7), and I am not going to suggest what that should be. Everyone's circumstances are different. And we must remember that providing for our family comes first (1 Timothy 5:8; Mark 7:9-13). But does providing for our family mean that they (or you) must have the latest designer clothes, the best home entertainment system, weekly trips to the beautician, a new carpet? Do you need the jet ski? What about the snowmobile? Only you can decide. What I am saying is that we must examine our lives and prayerfully evaluate our priorities. Those of us who believe we truly cannot spare the money may be able to donate our time.
If we are Christians, and I assume we are, then let's get out of our 21st century affluent lethargy and get more radical for the Gospel. Let's realize that our past motivations for giving have probably been wrong, and that they have likely caused us to give in a legalist or selfish frame of mind. We need to pray that God will rid us of these errors and will motivate us to selflessly give with a generous spirit. We may have a long road ahead of us before we reach that point, but we can start right now. I am not saying to start with guilt--Jesus has taken our guilt away, but let us start with a desire for the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Where to give: I would like to discuss the question of where we should give. Just as our motivations for giving have been warped by wrong teachings on the subject, so have our ideas about where to give. Sometimes we are afraid to give because we think the money will be misused. And some churches teach that we should give only to the local church. But the Bible gives us different criteria.
1). Give to where you have heard (or read) God's Word being taught. Paul explains this in Galatians 6:6: "Let him that is taught in the word communicate [share--NKJV] unto him that teacheth in all good things." The Greek word translated "communicate" in the King James Version has an interesting meaning. It means to have shares with someone, to do something in common with him. In Galatians 6:6, it means that someone shares the Word of God with you, and you share what you have of your physical substance with him so that you are sustaining one another and having a common part in the teaching of God's Word.
A few people have tried to promote the idea that the ministry should not be paid because Paul worked to support himself (Acts 18:3). But this is completely opposite of what Paul himself says. Paul may have had to work at a trade for his living, but he strongly chastened the churches for making him do so by their not contributing enough to his support. Look at 1 Corinthians 9: "Have we [Paul and Barnabas] not power to eat and to drink? Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to forbear working?" (verses 4-6). In other words, Paul is asking, "Don't Barnabas and I have as much right as the other apostles to eat and drink and to support a wife or sister off of your contributions? Or do only Barnabas and I have no right to stop working for a living?" It was well known that the saints that the other apostles ministered to fully supported them so that their ministry was their living. Paul was trying to make the Corinthian Christians that he and Barnabas ministered to realize that he and Barnabas should also be making their living from that ministry.
In verse 7, Paul writes, "Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?" Everyone gets paid for what he does. A soldier does not pay his own way when he goes to war. Farmers enjoy the fruit of their labor. Those who labor in the Word should be paid for it.
Paul next cites Deuteronomy 25:4 and explains it from a New Testament perspective: "Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope" (1 Corinthians 9:8-10). In the Old Testament, God said that the ox that is used to thresh the grain should be allowed to eat of that grain; he has earned it. Paul applies this to humans. Those who work should receive gain from it. Paul and Barnabas were laboring in the Word among the Corinthians, but the Corinthians were, in effect, muzzling them by not sharing their worldly goods with them.
Verse 11 is pivotal: "If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?" The New American Standard Bible renders this very well: "If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we should reap material things from you?" It is a give and take. God's ministers sow spiritual things, and they should receive material things in return. In verse 12, Paul says that he had not exercised his right to a living over the Corinthians because he was concerned he would offend them away from the Gospel. But he tells them of his right, and he does so to their shame. In verse 13, Paul explains that the Temple priests in the Old Testament made their living by eating the offerings that were brought to the altar (verse 13). "Even so," Paul continues in verse 14, "hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." Although Paul mentions the Old Testament priests, he is not suggesting tithing. He is simply using the priests as an example of the basic principle that we should be able to make our living from the work we do. Ministers of the Gospel should make their living from proclaiming the Gospel, not from making tents (as Paul had to) or any other occupation.
Interestingly, the Philippian church had a different attitude toward Paul. They helped to support him, at least sometimes. In Philippians 4:10, Paul tells them, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity." Paul was happy that the Philippian brethren had revived their interest in his welfare. He says this even though he has learned how to be content in any circumstance, even when needy and hungry (verses 11-16). Notice in verse 17, Paul says that his joy over their gift is not because he had received something, but because he knew that God would profit the Philippians because of it: "Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account."
While Paul may have considered it his lot to suffer the wrong of not being supported by those to whom he preached and to be rewarded by God for his suffering this neglect, he ordered that other ministers should be supported: "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (1 Timothy 5:17-18). And Paul is not alone in his opinion. Jesus, when sending His disciples out on a missionary journey, instructed them not to take money or extra clothing with them, for they should expect to be paid: "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat" (Matthew 10:9-10).
In summary, then, the local church has little to do with what Paul and Jesus are talking about. True, Paul's reference to the elders who rule well likely refers to the elders of one's local church. They certainly should be supported, if they rule well and especially if they "labor in the word and doctrine." I am not advocating abandoning one's local church. But support should be based on faithfulness to the Scriptures, not locality. Paul and Barnabus were not members of the churches that should have supported them. They merited the support because they were faithfully preaching God's Word. After all, bringing the Gospel to someone is the greatest gift one can give. Therefore, supporting the preaching of the Gospel is the primary way to give love to our brethren and to our neighbor.
Besides legalism, giving to get, and giving to get rid of sins or pay for grace, there is another wrong way that Christians have come to think about giving. I mention it here because it fits the context of giving to support the preaching of the Gospel. This fallacy is one that modern Christians have picked up from the world around them. It concerns results. Often, Christians will donate only to ministries or churches that produce big, visible results. It is as if the investment mindframe has crept into Christian giving. You might be shocked to learn (at least I was) that there are now businesses that "help Christians put together a sound donation portfolio of ministries that produce results." Just as Wall Street investors want to put their money behind obvious winners, Christians have come to feel that they should give only to those ministries that appear to produce the biggest bang for the buck. Ministries are judged by how many Bibles they distributed, how many hungry they fed, how many people came forward in their crusades, etc. Churches are judged by how many thousands they are bringing into their massive structures. Even our modern emphasis on financial efficiency is results oriented. When we look at what percent of a ministry's income is spent on fundraising and administrative expenses, for example, as opposed to the work we expect them to be doing, we are really saying that we expect to get as many results per dollar as possible. But what are those results?
Are such results the criteria the Bible tells us to look for? No. The Bible shows us that we should evaluate Christian ministries by their faithfulness to God's Word. As we have already read in many Scriptures above, God tells us to be faithful to His Word and to support the preaching of His Word. The results are up to God. Often, those ministries that are most faithful to His Word are among the smallest because God, in His good will, has sovereignly determined that this is the way it should be in this age. Also, the visible results of faithfulness to God may not show for many years. We must remember that God has His timetable, and we should not try to impose our schedules and expectations on Him. When we attempt to judge God's work with such human criteria, we can cut ourselves out of having a part in ministries that God judges faithful.
To look at this another way, many even obvious cults are very successful by worldly standards, are financially sound, attract large numbers of people, and do "good works." But it should be evident that Christians are not to support them. Just because we think a ministry is producing solid results, or because it claims to be doing so, does not necessarily mean that God is blessing that ministry or that we should support it. God does not judge by the outward appearances that men usually use. Instead, He looks on the heart: "For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7b). Because sin so easily clouds our judgement, we must be sure to be led by the guidelines God gives us; we must look to faithfulness to His Word, the Bible.
It is common to misunderstand Jesus' words when He said, "By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:20), as meaning "by their results." But in the verses that immediately follow, Jesus tells those who in His name have "done many wonderful works" that He never knew them: "depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:21-23). Why did He not know them? Because they did not know Him through His Word. The "fruits" that we are to use as criteria in examining a ministry are their words, their faithfulness to the Bible.
2). Give to needy brethren. Are there both poor people and affluent people in your church? There should not be. The Bible clearly instructs us to care for our needy brethren. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (1 John 3:16-17). And, in 1 Timothy 6:17-18, Paul writes, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate." (Remember that "communicate" in the language of the King James Version means to share.) The end result should be that the poor do not remain poor.
Of course, I am not saying that poor people who can work but refuse to should be allowed to syphon off the resources of those who work hard to make a living. Paul addresses this problem: "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread" (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). Sadly, however, a Rush Limbaugh conservatism has crept into the church that has allowed us to conveniently dismiss all poor people, even other Christians, as lazy and shiftless and undeserving of our help. Such thinking should not have a place among God's people. Other factors besides an unwillingness to work can cause people to be poor.
The idea that Christians should readily share with those in need, especially their brethren, is found throughout the New Testament. Earlier in this article, we saw God's people represented as sheep feeding and clothing the poor (Matthew 25:35-45). We have also seen that Jesus told the rich, young ruler to sell all he had and give the proceeds to the poor (Mark 10:21). Luke quotes Jesus as saying, "He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise" (Luke 3:11). If you have excess beyond your needs, share it with others. In Luke 12:33-34, Jesus instructs, "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." How often have we read such statements and not realized their radical nature? As we go about our daily business, how do we "remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive"? (Acts 20:35).
It is interesting that when Paul, Barnabus, and Titus went to Jerusalem, James, Peter, and John did not interfere with the work they were doing among the Gentiles, except to tell them, as Paul says, "that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do" (Galatians 2:10). Paul gives us further instruction in Galatians 6:10: "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."
Now let us try to read Acts 2:44-45 without bringing into our minds modern concepts of capitalism and communism, which are completely foreign to the context of Acts: "And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." Now, if you have read this far, you might not be surprised to learn that the Greek word translated "common" in this verse is related to the Greek word translated "communicate" in Galatians 6:6 and 1 Timothy 6:18 discussed earlier in this article. It means, "belonging to several." In other words, they shared what they had with each other so that no one was in need.
This is explained in more detail in Acts 4:32, 34-35: "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.... Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." No one forced anyone to give his possessions to someone else (modern socialism), and no one said there was no such thing as private property (modern communism). This was all done voluntarily, as each person was led by the Spirit to share with his brethren in need.
Some are critical of this sharing in the early church and say that it led to poverty in the Jerusalem church. But the Bible says that the need in Jerusalem arose because of a drought (Acts 11:28-30). And, more importantly, the Bible does not criticize these Christians for sharing. So, how dare we criticize them and, by so doing, judge the Bible? Is not the Bible supposed to be our standard for belief and practice? Of course! Then we had better start doing what it says.
3). Give to our neighbor. And who is our neighbor? Jesus answered this way: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise" (Luke 10:30-37).
Of course, if the man who helped the man in need was his neighbor, then the man in need was the helper's neighbor. That answers the question. The person we come across who is in need is our neighbor and, therefore, the person we are to love as ourselves (see Luke 10:27; Matthew 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Leviticus 19:18). Earlier, I quoted Galatians 6:10, which says, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith." Our first priority in caring for others is to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ. But we are also to help those in need whom God puts in our path. By the way, when we help our neighbor, we are to do it in the name of Christ. That is, at the very least, we should make certain that our neighbor understands that we are not helping because we are "good people," but because we are Christians. As we have opportunity (and we should try to create that opportunity) we should tell our neighbor the Gospel. Also remember that supporting ministries that faithfully preach the Gospel is also a way to help our neighbor.
Conclusion
What have we learned? We have learned that false teaching has wounded many Christians' view of giving. They either see giving as legalistic tithing, or as a way to get, or as a way to alleviate guilt. Also, many are afraid to give except to ministries producing concrete results as judged by man's standards. And we have learned that God instead wants us to give to those who faithfully teach Truth, and to the poor in the church, and to our neighbor in need; and we are to do so voluntarily, freely, and cheerfully. We are to give as we determine according to our ability. Our ability may be more than our old patterns of thinking allowed, especially when we consider the luxuries we in our society heap upon ourselves with the excuse that we "need them."
To get over our old ways of thinking about giving, we will need to seek God's help in prayer. But we will also need to start breaking out of our old patterns of thinking by giving in the ways the Bible instructs. This breaking out of the old patterns can be very freeing (I always think of Ebenezer Scrooge at the end of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol), which, after all, is what the Truth always does: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

A Scriptural Explanation of the Lake of Fire

2008-01-05T18:29:00.002-08:00

We will now delve into some spiritual matters—"yea, the DEEP things of God."
How does the Church decide just what the lake of fire is, what happens there, why, to whom, and for how long? Remember back about thirty pages where I showed you that the Scriptures in Rev. 20 and 21 do not actually say what happens to a person who is thrown into the lake of fire? It does not say they are burned or tortured. It does not say if they are killed. It does not say how long they are in this fire (there is an indication as to how low the beast, false prophet, and Satan are in this lake of fire, however). So how then does the church decide that those who are thrown into this lake of fire are tortured, in their physical flesh, by real fire, for all eternity? A detractor recently e-mailed me and asked how I could say that a certain thing Jesus said was "spiritual?" He told me, "Ray, these things that Jesus spoke of are REAL!" Wow! As though "spiritual things" are NOT REAL?
I never thought about this before, but just maybe that is what scares people about spiritual things—maybe they think spiritual things ARE NOT REAL! I assure you that the lake of fire IS REAL. It is, in fact, MORE REAL being spiritual than if it were physical, material, and literal!
Let me share a practice that I have seen applied to the explanation of Scriptures. It is a common practice to compare physical things with physical things in an endeavor to prove that the thing in question is indeed physical and literal. Ironically, those who practice such things believe that they have accomplished a spiritual undertaking. God, on the other hand, tells us that even all the physical things in creation are signs of His spiritual divinity (Rom. 1:20). Contrary to human logic, physical things are not made out of solid matter. God says they are made out of things [‘things’ not out of nothing] which "do not appear"—invisible things, things of God. God is invisible and therefore "visible things" are made out of the invisible Creator God (Heb. 11:2). Scientists know this for a fact. Physical, tangible, material substances can be reduced down to atomic and subatomic invisible energy—SPIRITUAL ENERGY, if you will!
Theologians say that "the lake of fire" is physical, material, and literal. They compare this phrase with similar phrases in Scripture thinking that they have proved that the lake of fire is literal. Here are a few examples that they believe proves that the "lake of fire" is physical, material, and literal:
"…cast into everlasting fire…cast into hell fire," (Matt. 18:8-9).
"…cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark. 9:45-46).
"…cast into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 13:42-43).
"Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," (Matt. 25:41).
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever," (Rev. 20:10).
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14-15) and "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death," (Rev. 21:8).
I will add one more, not because it mentions either hell or fire, but because it is often used to establish the length of punishment in hell. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment…" (Matt. 25:46).
There are other verses and parables that mention "burning" and "fire," but these are the most frequently and strongest verses used to establish the Christian doctrine of eternal torment by literal fire. The proof that these are all literal, however, is found in the carnal mind, and not in the Scriptures. Some of these verses regarding "fire" may sound like they can be taken literally, but that is not the test of whether something is literal or figurative—whether it sounds like it could be literal. Some of the parables of Jesus sound like they could be literal, but NONE OF THEM ARE LITERAL, they all have a higher spiritual truth than is ever conveyed in the literal example or story.
Well, what about it? Do all of these verses combined establish that the lake of fire is a literal fire that burns literal physical bodies as an eternal punishment for unbelieving sinners? No, they do not. They in fact prove something quite opposite from that of eternal torture in real fire. They have NOTHING to do with physical bodies! They have NOTHING to do with physical torture! And they have NOTHING to do with eternity! You have been lied to long enough: it is now time that you know the TRUTH. I am now going to rock some boats!
"THE FLESH PROFITS NOTHING / MY WORDS ARE SPIRIT"
When Jesus Christ said in John 6:63:
"It is the SPIRIT that quickens [gives life]; the FLESH PROFITS NOTHING: the words that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT, and they are life"
The Scripture then tells us in verse 66:
"From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him."
Why did Christ’s words so offend His own disciples? Because they were carnal and unconverted, that’s why. They did not, could not, and would not understand "spiritual things." They could understand and believe physical, material, and literal things. They could not understand "spiritual" things, and therefore they walked with Christ NO MORE!
So what’s new? Has human nature changed over the past two thousand years? I think not. After reading this next section, many of you may decide that you too have had ENOUGH. You may feel that these things are getting just too "spiritual" for your liking. Maybe you too will doubt the existence of spiritual things, and that if you can’t have things in their natural, physical, material, carnal and literal way, then you will have none of it!
Jesus Christ asked in Luke 18:8,
"Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, shall He find FAITH ON THE EARTH?"
Orthodoxy would answer, "Why YES, He will find lots of faith—no less than a BILLION or two, filled with the faith of God." Oh really? Does anyone believe that Jesus would have asked such a profound question if He already knew and believed that there would be no less than a BILLION or two believing Christians on the earth waiting to prove their faith to Him? Many professing Christians do not believe God; they do not believe Jesus Christ; and they do not believe the Scriptures! I didn’t say they don’t believe there is a God or that there is a Christ or that there is a book of Scripture; I said they don’t believe God or Christ—they don’t believe what They have said in the Scriptures.
Don’t think that I am always trying to be hard on the Christian Church; I am not. I am trying to get people to BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES, BELIEVE GOD, and BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST! I hear a lot of lip service, but I fear that all too many have a heart that is far from God. We claim to believe the Scriptures, but do we really? We may believe part of a Scripture, one word of a Scripture, someone’s interpretation of a Scripture, our own interpretation of a Scripture, but do we believe ALL THE SCRIPTURE? How am I to prove to someone that the lake of fire is not God’s eternal version of a terrorist’s torture chamber, if they do not believe in the credibility of Scriptures? If I give a Scripture and someone says, "Well, I don’t believe that! That’s YOUR interpretation," how are we to ever establish the truth of the Scriptures in such minds and attitudes?
There really is simplicity in the Scriptures. But who believes them? We SAY, we TALK, we AFFIRM, we SWEAR, we PRETEND, but do we really believe the Scriptures? "GOD IS LOVE" (I John 4:8). How many believe it? Do YOU believe it? Not if you also believe that God will torture the majority of mankind unmercifully in real fire for all eternity, you don’t. The two thoughts are incompatible and incongruous. One cannot hate one’s enemies while claiming to love them. One cannot torture someone while at the same time insisting that this is showing love. One cannot lie to his children while claiming to be truthful. Little children understand these concepts; why can’t adults?
Heb. 12:6-8, "For whom the Lord LOVES He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If ye endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for which son is he whom the father chastens not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye BASTARDS, and not sons."
There isn’t a theologian alive who can explain this Scripture if he also believes that God will torture most of humanity in a literal lake of fire for all eternity. God chastens EVERY son, but He does not torture him in literal fire for all eternity. If we endure chastening, then we know that God is dealing with us as SONS! But. . . .BUT, if any are "without chastisement" then they are "bastards, and NOT sons." Now then, does God LOVE all His sons whom He scourges and chastises? Yes, of course He does, He says He does. But here’s the sixty-four thousands dollar question: "Does He also LOVE the bastards, or does He HATE the bastards and enemies of the cross?" Don’t be too hasty to answer, as your answer has huge and eternal consequences. Well, some may say, "Love," while others may say, "Hate." Okay, let’s look at both:
If God "Loves" the bastards, then He will eventually HAVE TO CHASTEN THEM, because….He chastens "EVERY son whom He loves." And God then "receives" all that He chastens. No exceptions here. So God can’t burn any whom He "Loves" in a literal lake of fire for all eternity.
But if God "Hates" the bastards who are enemies of the cross…wait a minute…God can’t "HATE His enemies!" Jesus Christ said we are to, "Be ye therefore perfect EVEN AS your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." A great part of becoming perfect is to LOVE ONE’S ENEMIES! Jesus said we are to, "LOVE YOU ENEMIES, BLESS them that curse you, DO GOOD to them that hate you…." No exceptions here regarding any enemies that we are allowed to hate. This is HOW ones becomes perfect like the Father. "LOVE YOUR ENEMIES!" (Matt. 5:48 & 45)! And so God can’t burn any of these enemies in a lake of fire for all eternity, either, and still be Our PERFECT Father Who LOVES HIS ENEMIES, just as we are to LOVE OUR ENEMIES!
Bastards are born bastards and did not create themselves or choose to be bastards…"!!!
By the way, just what does God do with those who are "enemies of the cross" (Phil. 3:18)?
"For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the ENEMIES of the cross of Christ: Whose end is DESTRUCTION…"
Need I remind you of the Scriptures we covered in the last installment on who Christ came to SAVE: those who are "lost, perished, and destroyed?"
So by God’s Own Words He prevents Himself from hating or torturing enemies for all eternity in a literal lake of fire. You see, GOD REALLY DOES LOVE HIS ENEMIES! But many of us do not, and so we make God into a carnal-minded image of ourselves, which is IDOLATRY! God has never said in His Word that He will torture anyone in literal fire for all eternity—carnal-minded theologians have come up with such utter rank blasphemy! Let me get frank for a moment (as if I am not normally frank). Not many people "LOVE their enemies." No, they don’t. Don’t even try to tell me that they do. A few do. Not many. I myself struggle with the command at times.
DO YOU LOVE YOUR ENEMIES?
How many prayed for the seven POW’s held captive in Iraq? I myself prayed earnestly for them. I hate the thought of being tortured, and I had no idea how badly our POW’s were being treated. Millions upon millions prayed for them. But how many prayed for not only Jessica, but for her enemy captors who "cursed her, and hated her, and despitefully used her, and persecuted her?" How many? That’s what I thought. How many would like to see her captors BURN IN HELL? (That is, were there such a place). I rest my case. We do NOT believe the Scriptures. We pretend! We boast! We LIE! By the way,
"…and ALL LIARS [do you see any exceptions in that statement, ‘ALL liars?"] shall have their part in the lake which BURNS WITH FIRE AND BRIMSTONE: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8)!
How many still desire that this lake should be a LITERAL FIRE that tortures the flesh for all eternity? So maybe you think you’re not "a murderer, or whoremonger, or sorcerer;" maybe you are just an occasional "liar who hates his enemies?" Think about it.
So you are one of those who "Believes the Scriptures," are you? And you believe that billions upon billions of human beings "…shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death?" And do you believe that they will be tortured there for ALL ETERNITY? Do you? Do you really? Is this what you think the "lake of fire/second death" is? An eternal torture chamber? Well, then you must also concede that if you or anyone you know is "fearful" (same verse) ("fearful" in the Greek here is "timid"), or a "liar," then you and everyone you know who is either "timid" or a "liar" is going to burn and burn and burn in literal fire in this lake of fire for ALL ETERNITY. Are you ever "timid?" Do you ever tell a "lie?" Are you ready to go to Hell and be burned in real fire for all eternity? Why does God lump such relatively minor character flaws such as "timidity (fearful)" with "murderers" and "sorcerers?" Have you ever had the reason for that explained to you? Ask your pastor, I am sure he will be able to explain it to you. (On second thought scratch that last statement. I believe that statement is a "lie." I don’t believe your pastor can explain it to you, and I don’t want to burn in Hell for all eternity for being a "liar").
I can see it all now: Satan is standing at the Rusty Gates of Hell welcoming all newcomers:
SATAN: "And why are you here, young man?"
YOUNG MAN: "In my life I was ABOMINABLE, committed MURDERS, practiced SORCERY, and was an IDOLATER!"
SATAN: "Throw this young man into the burning lake of fire for all eternity!"
SATAN: "And why are you here, young lady?"
YOUNG LADY: "I have never done anything abominable or committed murder or practiced sorcery, nor was I an idolater. But when I heard all those Hell-fire and brimstone sermons on television by all those worldly millionaire preachers of doom, I became a little "fearful" as I am timid by nature."
SATAN: "Throw this evil sinner into the burning lake of fire for all eternity!"
SATAN: "Demon Scribe, how many fearful and timid young ladies have we thrown into the lake of fire thus far?
DEMON SCRIBE: "Your Unholy Corruptness: that last one makes four billion, six hundred and eighty-nine million, five hundred and seventy-eight thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine!"
SATAN: "Very good! Next….."
WE MUST BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES
Here is another verse that will test your faith in the Scriptures:
"That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved" (Rom. 10:9).
Is not this Scripture so absolutely fundamental to our faith that every Christian on earth believes every word of this Scripture? Let us see. Test yourself: First we must "confess Jesus." Not just saying the name of Jesus as a real historical Figure, but EVERYTHING THAT HIS NAME STANDS FOR! Jesus means "Jehovah-Saviour." Saviour of what? Saviour of whom? Here’s a Scriptural answer:
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son [Jesus—Jehovah - SAVIOUR] TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD" (I John 4:14)!
Do you know of a verse anywhere in the Bible that says Jesus will FAIL at being "The SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD?" Do you then completely believe Rom. 10:9 as the infallible Word of God? Do you believe that Jesus IS what His name SAYS He is—Saviour of THE WORLD? Do you believe that His Father gave Him a commission that could only be hoped for, but never accomplished? Do you believe that Jesus Christ will FAIL TO LIVE UP TO HIS NAME? Well, then, if you believe that Jesus IS the Saviour of the world, then you certainly cannot believe that He will NOT save most of the world but rather torture most of the world for all eternity in a lake of fire.
Jesus gave a parable about a father who commissioned one of his sons to do a job. The son said he would do what his father commissioned. However, he lied and did not do what his father commissioned. Jesus told those Pharisees that harlots would enter the kingdom before someone with an attitude like that, (Matt. 21:28-31)! Are we to believe that the very Son of God Himself is no better than this failing servant in Christ’s own parable?
What will it take before we really BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES? We hear a great deal these days about "THE GREAT COMMISSION," (as though those talking about it have a clue as to what it is). Teaching the gospel is certainly commanded by our Lord, but the greatest thing about the gospel is never taught by most evangelists. That Jesus Christ died to save a small fraction of sinners is only a small fraction of the gospel. And the gospel is not the Great Commission. Would you like to know what The Great Commission really is? Okay, here it is: "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent [Gk: apostello, to send out on a mission—commission] TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD" (I John 4:14)! See Second Witness in John 3:17. Now if anyone knows of a GREATER mission or commission than this, I am sure we would all like to know what it is?
Now it would only be fitting that such a Dignitary ought to have a name that exemplifies so great a commission:
"Wherefore God also has highly EXALTED HIM, and given Him A NAME WHICH IS ABOVE EVERY NAME: That at THE NAME OF JESUS [Jehovah-SAVIOUR]…" (Phil. 2:9). See Second Witness in Eph. 1:21.
Okay then, we have the "commission," and we have "a name" befitting that commission, but do we have a Son Who will do the works of that commission or will He fail?
"…the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I DO, bear witness of Me…." (John 5:36).
A second witness: Did Jesus take the works ("to be the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD") seriously?
"I MUST WORK THE WORKS [SAVE THE WORLD] OF HIM THAT SENT ME…." (John 9:4)!!!
What power might Jesus lack that could disable or frustrate this august commission of His Father?
"ALL POWER IS GIVEN UNTO ME in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18)!
See Second Witness in Dan. 7:14.
Has Jesus already proven that He has enough power to overcome all the "free wills" of the world? "Be of good cheer; I have OVERCOME THE WORLD" (John 16:33).
See Second Witness in I John 4:4.
Maybe God doesn’t want the whole world to be saved?
"Who WILL have all men to be saved" (I Tim. 2:4).
Second witness:
"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, Who is the Saviour of ALL MEN, especially [but not exclusively] of those who believe" (I Tim. 4:10).
Doesn’t God will that most of humanity will eternally perish in the lake of fire?
"The Lord…is NOT WILLING that ANY should perish [eternally]…" (II Peter. 3:9).
Second witness:
"And I, if I be lifted up [on the cross] from the earth, will draw ALL MEN UNTO ME" (John 12:32).
But doesn’t the whole world need first to have their sins atoned for?
"And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our’s only, but also for THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD" (I John 2:2).
Second witness:
"The next day John sees Jesus coming unto him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, which TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD" (John 1:29).
Hasn’t the Church proven by their interpretation of the "lake of fire" that it is "impossible" to save all mankind?
"Who then CAN be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE" (Matt. 19:25-26).
See Second Witness in Job 42:2.
Isn’t it up to each individual to "CHOOSE CHIRST" in order to be saved?
"You have NOT CHOSEN ME, but I have CHOSEN YOU…" (John 15:16).
But didn’t Billy Graham say at one of his crusades that "we must come to Christ all on our own?" To not even pray for those making that decision, because that decision to "come to Christ" must be theirs and THEIRS ALONE?
"NO MAN CAN COME TO ME [by his own free will choice] except the Father which has sent me DRAW HIM [Greek: DRAG HIM] and I WILL raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).
See Second Witness in Verse 65.
Are you telling me that I never did seek God ON MY OWN?
"There is NONE that seeks after God" (Rom. 3:11b).
See Second Witness in Psalm 14:2.
But what if I believe that I can and I do WILL to serve God on my own.
"For it is GOD which works IN you both TO WILL and TO DO of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
See Second Witness in I Cor. 15:10.
Well I know for a fact that it says in Heb. 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God, so surely we must work up our OWN FAITH in order to please God?
"For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that [that ‘FAITH’] is NOT OF YOURSELVES [well where does it come from then, if not from US?]; it is the GIFT OF GOD" (Eph. 2:8).
Second Witness:
"…and what have you that you did not RECEIVE….?" (I Cor. 4:7).
But surely everyone will have to acknowledge the RISEN Jesus Christ as their Lord and their Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] before they can ever be saved, so when does that happen?
"That at the name of Jesus [Jehovah-Saviour—THEIR Saviour] EVERY knee should bow, in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth; and that EVERY tongue should confess [‘That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised Him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED, Rom. 10:9)] that Jesus Christ [The Christ that God ‘raised from the dead.’ Christ was already ‘RISEN’ when this was written in Phil. 2:11] is Lord [‘Lord’ means ‘master’—acknowledging Christ as Master of their lives], to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).
But doesn’t this sound like ALL that we do to be saved is OF GOD, and not of ourselves?
"God is operating ALL in all" (I Cor. 12:6)
"Yet ALL is of God" (II Cor. 5:18)
"For OF Him, and THROUGH Him, and TO Him, ARE ALL THINGS: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:34)
"…being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who works ALL THINGS after the counsel of His OWN WILL" (Eph. 1:11).
This almost sounds like we can do absolutely NOTHING on our own to bring about our own salvation.
"I am the vine, you are the branches … for without me you can do NOTHING" (John 15:5).
All these Scriptures make it sound as if the Church has many worship practices that are nothing but the philosophies, commandments, and traditions of men rather than Scripture.
"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men…Full well you reject the commandments of God, [like: ‘LOVE YOUR ENEMIES’] that you may keep your OWN TRADITION" (Mark 7:7 & 9).
Am I failing to find even a single Scriptural excuse for Christ to FAIL in His Great Commission? I hope so! Perhaps your pastor knows of a Scripture that will justify the Christian concept that Jesus Christ will FAIL to fulfill His commission. If anyone finds such a Scripture, be sure to e-mail me immediately.
Maybe your pastor will say that I am being too negative and expecting too much of our Saviour. Shouldn’t I be content that Jesus saves at least a few? The small flock? The narrow gate? The firstfruit? Is not a FIVE PERCENT success rate something to be praised and awarded even if NINETY-FIVE PERCENT of humanity are to be lost and eternally tortured in a lake of fire? Is FIVE PERCENT considered a GOOD RETURN on His investment according to our Heavenly Father? Jesus gave another parable about a Lord [God] who gave five, two, and one talents to each of his servants ("But made Himself [Jesus] of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a SERVANT….," Phil. 2:7), and later reckoned with them about how well they did with their talents. The two servants with five and two talents were praised and rewarded. The one with one talent (TWENTY PERCENT as much as the one with five talents) gave his Lord back his one talent to which the Lord commanded:
"And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:14-30).
The servant gave back to his Lord ALL that He had given him. Did the Lord consider that something to be praised and rewarded? DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT GOD THE FATHER EXPECTS NO MORE THAN THIS FROM HIS OWN SON, JESUS [JEHOVAH-SAVIOUR] THE SAVIOUR OF THE WHOLE WORLD? God the Father commissioned HIS OWN SON to do a job, which His Son agreed to DO.
How many of you parents would be content with your children if they achieved the SAME PERCENTAGE OF SUCCESS, as the Church attributes to Jesus Christ in saving the world? Are five or ten percent test scores from your children in school acceptable to you as parents? What about if they get FIFTY percent? If they always achieve at least a fifty percent grade on their papers, will you consider that ACCEPTABLE? Fifty percent is considerably higher and better than what is attributed to Jesus Christ for the work God has set before Him! Do you think that if Jesus saves FIFTY percent of humanity that it will be "good and acceptable" to His Father?
NO! NO! A thousands times, NO! I’ll show you what percentage is "good and acceptable" to God the Father:
"For THIS is GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have ALL men [What percentage? Five percent? Fifty percent?] … ALL men to be saved..." (I Tim. 2:3-4).
Jesus DIED FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD. That part of the commission is finished ("IT IS FINISHED" Jn. 19:30). The sins of the whole world are already forgiven,
"And He [Jesus-SAVIOUR] is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD" (I John 2:2)
And,
"To wit that God was in Christ, reconciling THE WORLD unto Himself, NOT imputing [reckoning] THEIR TRESPASSES [SINS] AGAINST THEM" (II Cor. 5:19).
Why then is not the whole world saved, NOW? Because "dying for the sins of the world" is not the total commission. Well what pray tell could still be remaining? Answer: JUDGMENT and KNOWLEDGE!
"And as it is appointed unto [all] men once to die, but after this the JUDGMENT" (Heb. 9:27)
"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come into the KNOWLEDGE of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4).
"For the EARTH shall be FILLED with the KNOWLEDGE of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14).
"For when Thy [God’s] JUDGMENTS are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will LEARN [that’s KNOWLEDGE] righteousness" (Isaiah 26:9).
Rest assured that Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] will not fail to fulfill His commission and become an unprofitable Servant to His Father. And don’t let anyone tell you that Jesus is only the "potential" Saviour of the world and that actually getting saved is up to man! One cannot even be the "potential Saviour of the world," and yet NOT save the world, because that would be proof that the "potential" was not really there in the first place?
One cannot be the "SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD," and yet, NOT SAVE THE WORLD!
Am I going too fast for anyone?
All that we covered here is the meaning of the name itself, "Jesus=Jehovah Saviour." Believing in the name of Jesus also means believing the dozens and dozens of godly character traits of our Lord. We could certainly spend many pages going through all of the qualities of character, virtue, godliness, and love, contained in the person of "Jesus." But hopefully many of my readers are beginning to see the light.
Why should I have to spend paragraph after paragraph trying to persuade people that Rom. 10:9 and I John 4:14, and I Tim. 2:4 and dozens and dozens of Scripture just like these, really are TRUE? Why? Because many Christians DO NOT BELIEVE THESE SCRIPTURES, THAT’S WHY!
Back to our Scripture, second part of Rom. 10:9, "…that God has raised Him from the DEAD?" Do you believe that? Do you really? Or do you believe as orthodoxy does that Jesus (Himself) NEVER DIED! That’s right. Jesus Christ (the REAL Jesus) Himself, is said to have never died. Theologians teach that only His body died. That Jesus Himself was not DEAD, but was rather on a preaching mission, somewhere in a place called Hell, during the time He was supposed to be dead, and was supposed to be in the heart of the earth, and was supposed to be fulfilling the sign of Jonah, and was supposed to be paying for the sins of the world by suffering death, and supposed to be fulfilling prophecy, all in accord with what His Father ordained for Him to do. Do you believe "JESUS" died or that only His "body" died?
But some will protest: "How can GOD die?" God can die IN THE FORM OF A MORTAL MAN! Jesus emptied Himself, lowered Himself, gave up His glory to BECOME A MAN for the express purpose of DYING!
"But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the SUFFERING OF DEATH…" (Heb. 2:9).
Remember that just as we have a spirit in us that gives us life and at death preserves who we are, Jesus likewise had a spirit that He gave up to His Father when He died. The life of Jesus was preserved in that spirit even though He, Himself, was unconscious and DEAD for three days.
Please understand that what I am saying does in no way negate the faith of those who believe that Christ DIED for them, but do not as yet understand that Jesus Himself died, and not just His shell, His housing, His clothing of a physical body. It is essential that one believe the Gospel, that Christ died for them and that God raised Him again from the dead in order to be saved. This is the gospel, of course, and one doesn’t have to "understand" a thousand and one other facts surrounding the gospel in order to be saved. But let’s also understand that the faith to believe and the faith to be saved is as much a GIFT from God as is the very GRACE by which we are saved. It isn’t that we provide one (faith) and then God will provide the other (saving grace). No. God provides BOTH (Eph. 2:8). Here is what we must believe in order to be saved:
"That if thou shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, YOU SHALL BE SAVED" (Rom. 10:9).
"Sirs [Paul and Silas] what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and YOU SHALL BE SAVED…" (Acts 16:31).
"We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we SHALL BE SAVED…" (Acts 15:11).
"…whereby you and all your house SHALL BE SAVED ... God gave them the like gift as He did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ…" (Acts 11:14 & 17).
"…that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, Whom God raised from the dead…Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we MUST BE SAVED" (acts 4:10 & 12).
"I [Jesus the Christ] am the door: by ME if any man enter in, HE SHALL BE SAVED..."(John 10:9).
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED" (Acts 2:21).
And, of course, EVERYONE in heaven and earth will ultimately believe this gospel:
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Ask a hundred pastors or theologians if your mother, let’s say, were to bow her knees in the name of Jesus [Jehovah-Saviour] Christ and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, will she be saved? I am pretty sure all one hundred would say, "YES, OF COURSE!" Next ask the same one hundred whether all those in heaven and earth who will also bow and confess Jesus as Lord will be saved, and I am pretty sure all one hundred would say, "NO, OF COURSE NOT!" See the difference? Me neither!
Ever consider how the thief on the cross was saved? It doesn’t say whether he was Jew and circumcised, or Gentile and baptized—all it says is that he was a sinner and he acknowledged it, (remember that it was for just such sinners that Jesus was commissioned by God to come into the world in the first place). Did the thief on the cross believe on the name of Jesus Christ? Did he acknowledge Christ as his Lord and Master? Did he believe that God would raise Him from the dead? Yes, he did:
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, seeing you art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man has done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Luke 22:40-43.
The thief believed that Jesus was the Christ and the Saviour (this Man has done nothing amiss). He acknowledged Him as his Lord and Master (calling Him Lord). He knew that in order for Jesus to "come into" His kingdom, God would have to resurrect Him from the dead, for soon they would all be dead. Simple, isn’t it? I will give you my shortest possible statement as to how one is saved: "BELIEVE THE SAVIOUR!" That’s it.
I don’t want anyone to draw false assumptions from the things that I teach. I firmly believe that God will save ALL. But I have never said that anyone HAS to believe that the salvation of all order to be saved, anymore than one must believe that his faith to believe God in the first place came from God and not himself. Again, the Scripture says we must "believe," but does not say that we must know "where" that faith came from in the first place. I believe that we are all in for lots of surprises when God reveals all. My papers are trying to show people the wonderful Truths of God and His plan for the salvation of the entire human race, and the entire heavenly host. God sent and commissioned His Son Jesus [Jehovah-Saviour] to save the whole world. Do you believe the following Scriptures:
"For God sent NOT his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that THE WORLD through Him [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] might be SAVED" (John 3:17)!
"…the Lamb of God [Jehovah-SAVIOUR], which takes away the sin of THE WORLD" (John 1:29)!
"And He [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] is the propitiation for our sins [satisfactorily covered all sin] and not for our’s only, but also for the sins of THE WHOLE WORLD" (I John 2:2)!
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] to be the SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD" (I John 4:14)!
"…for when Thy [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of THE WORLD will learn righteousness" (Isaiah 26:9)!
"…for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, [Jehovah-SAVIOUR], the Saviour of THE WORLD" (John 4:42)!
"To wit that God was in Christ [Jehovah-SAVIOUR], reconciling THE WORLD unto Himself, NOT imputing their trespasses unto them…" (II Cor. 5:19)!
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation [will you accept it?] that Christ Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] came into THE WORLD to SAVE SINNERS…" (I Tim. 1:15)!
"And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge Him not, for I [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] came not to judge the world, but to SAVE THE WORLD" (John 12:47)!
How then can one believe all of these Scriptures and yet believe that Jesus [Jehovah-SAVIOUR] will NOT SAVE, but will eternally torture in the lake of fire, most of THE WORLD? My prayer is that many of you will, for the first time in your lives, repent of your stubbornness, and start believing these marvelous Scriptures.
Now it is no secret that I firmly believe that there are a dozen or two Scriptures in the King James and other modern English Bibles that are not translated correctly, and that those dozen or two Scriptures are of such paramount importance that many false doctrines can be attributed to them. I also know that there are a dozen or so English translations that DO translate those dozen or two Scriptures correctly. However, setting those few Scriptures aside for the moment, let me say this: When I present the really powerful and spiritual Scriptures to orthodox Christians, they invariably will either disagree with the verse or try to contradict it with another Scripture! I present a Scripture to prove a vital point, my opposer then presents another verse, which he says proves my Scripture wrong. In other words, he thinks he has found a Scripture that contradicts my Scripture, which only proves that this person believes the Bible is a book of CONTRADICTING SCRIPTURES! Unbelievable!
DO YOU BELIEVE THE SCRIPTURES?
Test yourself now with another classic prophetic verse that I firmly believe, but that I have had many Christians tell me will never be fulfilled. The verse I am referencing is correctly translated; it is profoundly and simply stated; and yet is believed by virtually NO ONE! Most Christians don’t believe it because THEY DON’T WANT TO BELIEVE IT. If I were to show you a Scripture that says God will NOT torture most of humanity in an eternal lake of fire, would you believe it? What if I showed you a dozen such Scriptures? What about two dozen? Let’s just try one and see how serious you are about believing the Scriptures. We cannot believe that God will save ALL mankind while, at the same time, torturing most of the mankind in an eternal lake of fire, now can we? Here then is just one profound and beautiful statement of Good News from God that virtually none of the Christian world teaches or believes:
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour: Who WILL HAVE ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4).
Now I don’t mean to be continually picking on the World of Christendom, but understand that it is ONLY Christians (lead by Christian theologians, clergymen, pastors, and teachers) that teach the whole world that Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the Whole World (I Jn. 4:14), WILL NOT SAVE THE WHOLE WORLD. It is only THEY, who teach the world that this prophecy in I Tim. 2:4 will NEVER COME TO PASS. And so in being obedient to Titus 1:9, I expose them for their heresy. If atheists and pagans and heathens had a billion-dollar campaign to tell the world that I Tim. 2:4 will never come to pass, then I would expose them as well!
Understanding the colossal and far-reaching implications of such a verse, many translators have tried to water down this Scripture. People have told me personally many times that this verse doesn’t mean that God really "will" save all men, but that He only "desires," "wants" "longs" and "wishes" that if only He could save all mankind, it would "please" Him. And I have four translations that use the words, "desires, wants, longs, and wishes" in this verse! NONE of which are a correct translation of this verse.
Consider for a moment if this verse had said in the original Greek manuscripts that, "God our Saviour Who desires and pleases that all men be saved." Would such a translation open the door to possible failure as most contend? Is there a verse of Scripture somewhere that declares that God can’t have or bring about things for which He only desires or pleases? IS THERE? WHERE? SHOW ME? Before we can believe that God will actually and factually DO WHAT HE SAYS, is it necessary and mandatory that He say something like this: "I swear on a stack of Bibles that I absolutely, positively will do, accomplish, and carry out 100%, totally and completely……such and such." So why make such unscriptural and stupid statements that if God only "desires or pleases" for something He can’t always have what He wants? After all, HE’S ONLY GOD!!!
Let’s now look at a few verses where “thelo” has to mean something that absolutely is going to be, rather than only wished for:
“I will [thelo] not send them away fasting...” (Matt. 15:28). Jesus not only “desired” to not send them away, HE absolutely was not going to send them away famished.
“To whom our fathers would [thelo] not obey...” (Acts 7:39). Is anyone so silly as to assert that Israel only “DESIRED” to disobey God, but maybe they really wouldn’t disobey?
“What will [thelo] this babbler [Paul] say?” (Acts 17:18). Where these Greeks only interested in what Paul “desired” to say? If Paul would not actually say anything, but only “desire” to say something, then the Greeks would have to be mind-readers to know what Paul only “desired” to say, but maybe wouldn’t actually say audibly. No, they wanted to hear what Paul “would” say, not what maybe Paul “desired” to say.
“For I will [thelo] not see you now...” (I Cor. 16:7). Was Paul really telling them that he had no “desire” to see them now? Of course not, he had a very strong desire to see them, but it just was not possible to see them now. Paul was clearly stating a physical hindrance to seeing them now rather than that he had NO EMOTIONAL DESIRE to see them now.
“For it is GOD which works in you both to will [thelo] and TO DO...” (Phil. 2:13). When God’s Word adds “to DO” to the word “will/thelo,” it becomes a contradiction to say that the “will” part does not have to come to fruition. The “and TO DO” makes the “thelo/will” an absolute necessity rather than a mere wish.
“If any would [thelo] not work, either should he eat” (II Thes. 3:10). Imagine Paul stating that if anyone has a ‘desire not to work” then he shouldn’t eat? Why that would include just about everyone, even those who do work. Most people in the world have no “DESIRE” to work when the alarm clock goes off, but they go to work anyway, because they know that is the only way they “will eat.”
“Yea, and shall that will [thelo] live godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution” (II Tim. 3:12). Can we even imagine Paul telling us that if we don’t actually, but only desire, to live godly in Jesus, we will, nevertheless, suffer persecution? Do people suffer persecution for what they “think or desire in their heart,” but don’t actually live out in their Christian walk? Absurd. “Thelo” will be fulfilled just as “thelemo” will be fulfilled.
Well, that’s seven, a good number to stop.
God is not obligated to even state whether he "wills" or "desires" something or not; all He has to do is SPEAK IT! God "SPOKE IT" in I Tim. 2:4; that’s all that is necessary for it to be accomplished. Are we so blind that we cannot see that it is blasphemy for mere mortals to diminish, disparage, degrade, and derogate the desires of VERY GOD into watered-down, wish-washy, unattainable, weak wishes? The SAME GOD Who created the entirety of the universe with its TWO HUNDRED BILLION GALAXIES EACH HAVING TWO HUNDRED BILLION STARS? And pious, carnal-minded theologians tell us that God WILL NOT accomplish His Own desires? !
Must we assume that if God had said: "I will [Gk: thelema] that there be light" that then there WOULD be light?" But had He said: "I will [Gk: telo] that there be light" that then there WOULD NOT be light? It is foolish and demeaning to try to relegate a POSITIVE statement of intent by God into a NEGATIVE and unattainable reality. All God had to say was: "LET there be light and there WAS light"! God is not obligated to preface everything that He says He plans do with such words as, I will…, I wish…, I desire…, It pleases me to…, etc. Has not the Lord also "spoken it" in I Tim. 2:4? All God has to do is SPEAK THE WORDS AND IT WILL SURELY COME TO PASS. Now then, are there any who doubt that I Tim. 2:4 ARE THE WORDS OF GOD? Then why do so many insist that it will NEVER HAPPEN? They have not a love of the Truth. They do not believe God. They do not believe Jesus Christ. They do not believe the Scriptures!
They are traitors of the Truth.
More proof: We have shown that God doesn’t need to use a strong word such as "WILL" in order for His word to be fulfilled. But on those occasions when God uses a word such as "pleases," "desires," or "wills," does not that word then contain within its meaning the possibility of negating God’s whole statement? No, absolutely NOT. If it merely "pleases" God to do something, it will be done just as assuredly as if He had "WILLED" it,
"So shall my WORD be that goes forth OUT OF MY MOUTH [just as in I Tim. 2:4 and everywhere else] it shall NOT return into me void, but it SHALL ACCOMPLISH THAT WHICH I PLEASE, and it SHALL PROSPER IN THE THING WHERETO I SENT IT" (Isaiah 55:11).
Here then is an opportunity for everyone to stand up and be counted. Is Isaiah 55:11 TRUE or is it FALSE or is it only sometimes true and sometimes false? The only negative in that verse is: "it shall NOT return into me void." That is the only thing that can NOT happen in this verse. Notice God’s Word, "SHALL go forth…," "SHALL accomplish that which I please…" and it "SHALL prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." This is not rocket science. This is 1, 2, 3, elementary deduction:
"ALL Scripture is given by inspiration [Greek: God-breathed—out of His mouth] of GOD…" (II Tim. 3:16).
I Timothy 2:4 IS " SCRIPTURE"!
Therefore what God has inspired (breathed) in I Tim. 2:4, "SHALL go forth…," It is has gone forth for nearly two thousand years and is going forth over the whole internet on this very printed page that you are reading. It also "SHALL accomplish that which I please…," Is the word "will" weaker than the word "please"? And finally, it "SHALL prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."
So here we have just one more Scripture that says God, SHALL, SHALL, SHALL, while at the same time Traitors of the Truth tell us that God, shall NOT, shall NOT, shall NOT!
So again I ask, if God only "pleases" that something prosper in the word that He sent fort to accomplish, shall it "prosper" or shall it not "prosper?" Theologians say if God only "pleases" that all men be saved, then THEY WILL NOT ALL BE SAVED, but God says if He "pleases" to do something, "…IT SHALL PROSPER in the thing whereto I sent it." Who ya gonna believe: men or GOD?
More proof: I Tim. 2:4 says that God "wills" that all mankind be saved. What determines God’s will? Answer:
"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him Who works [operates] ALL THINGS after the COUNSEL of his own WILL" (Eph. 1:11).
Now then, will God’s "counsel" stand? Answer:
"There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the COUNSEL of the LORD, that SHALL STAND" (Prov. 19:21).
Will God’s "will" be done both in the heavens and on the earth? YES:
"Our Father Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE in earth, as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10).
More proof: When God speaks something, is He so weak and incapable as mortal men who make great boasts and are unable to accomplish their boast?
"God is NOT a man, that He should LIE [do we think God LIES when He says that He WILL save all mankind in I Tim. 2:4?]; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not DO IT? Or has He spoken [as in I Tim. 2:4 and many other places], and shall He not MAKE IT GOOD?" (Numbers 23:19).
Well? Those of you who contend with your Maker: "Hath God SAID" in I Tim. 2:4 that He "WILL have all men to be saved?" Well then, "SHALL HE NOT DO IT?" (Num. 23:19). Has "He [God] SPOKEN" in I Tim. 2:4 and many other places, that He "…WILL have all men to be saved?" Well then, "…shall He NOT MAKE IT GOOD?" (Num. 23:19).
More proof:
"…Let God be TRUE [Who says He "WILL save ALL MANKIND"], but every man a LIAR [who says He WILL NOT "save ALL MANKIND"]!
More proof:
"Remember the former things of old: for I am GOD, and there is none else; I am GOD, and there is none like Me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel SHALL STAND, and WILL DO ALL MY PLEASURE [as in I Tim. 2:4 and everywhere else]:
Calling a ravenous bird from the east [Cyrus?], the man that executes my counsel [just as the king of Assyria] from a far country: yea, I have SPOKEN IT [as in I Tim. 2:4 and everywhere else] I WILL ALSO BRING IT TO PASS [as also in saving all mankind]; I have PURPOSED IT [as also in saving all mankind] I WILL ALSO DO IT" (Isaiah 46:9-11).
God says, "I WILL DO IT," and He will also do EVERYTHING ELSE that He has , said, declared, spoken, desired, counseled, willed, decreed, or pleased in His Word!
By the way, God NEVER, EVER "wishes" or "hopes" for ANYTHING! He "desires" things that absolutely are certain to come about, but God never wishes or hopes for things that may or may not come about! The very thought of God "hoping" for something, blasphemes His sovereignty!
Now then, how many of my readers still believe that God will NOT save all mankind as He says He "WILLS" in I Tim. 2:4? It is foolish and stupid to insist that God will not perform and fulfill and do His Own WILL in I Tim. 2:4. I have PROVEN it by the Scriptures. I have given you the absolute proof from both the etymology of words and the many Scriptures regarding the fulfillment of God’s will, pleasures, word, desires, etc., etc., etc. Anyone who denies that I Tim. 2:4 will be fulfilled also must deny HUNDREDS of other Scriptures as well. But yet I sense in my spirit a dozen carnal minds out there in computerland that are anguishing over a new approach to prove that I Tim. 2:4 will never be accomplished and that this verse is at best a never-to-be-fulfilled pipe dream of our Great Creator God and Saviour.
Consider this: Suppose I Tim. 2:3-4 did not say what is in our Bibles, but suppose it said the following: "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will NOT have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."
Would not every single detractor who teaches that God will NOT save all humanity then use this Scripture to PROVE THAT GOD WILL NOT SAVE ALL MEN? YES OF COURSE THEY WOULD; YOU KNOW THEY WOULD! They would be delighted to show from the Scriptures a statement saying that God "WILL NOT" save all men? And this Scripture would then be the one most profound statements in all Scripture to back up their doctrine that all men will NOT be saved. This would be their "proof text" that God most assuredly WILL NOT (pardon my redundancy here, but I am attempting to make a point of major consequence) save all men.
Now then, the ONLY difference between the fabricated verse above and the real verse found in all Bibles in I Tim. 2:3-4 is the addition of the word "not." So if the addition of the word "NOT" would prove that God will not save all men, then the deletion of the word "NOT" would have to prove that God WILL save all men—this is axiomatic! So if this verse had said that God "WILL NOT" save all men, then it would definitely mean that all men will NOT be saved. I don’t think there is a theologian alive who would deny that! But here is the unbelievable irony of their teaching: since it says that God "WILL have all men to be saved" (according to theologians), this phrase also MEANS THAT GOD WILL NOT SAVE ALL MEN! Excuse me, but am I missing something here?
When Christians don’t want to believe that God will save all humanity, it doesn’t matter what God says. They will believe what they want, not what the Bible says.
If anyone believes that God’s statement that He "will" save all mankind really means that He "will NOT" save all mankind, then maybe they had better click off this site and listen to some Jack Van Impe tapes prophesying that according to his newly revealed knowledge of the length of a Biblical generation, Jesus Christ will return to set up His kingdom in the year 1996! Yes, you saw that correctly, I said NINETEEN NINETY-SIX! In 1990, when I heard Jack say that, I PROPHESIED that Jack didn’t have a clue as to what he was talking about. It is now, 2003! I’ll say this, however, Mr. Van Impe certainly has a lot of Scripture verses memorized—now if he only he knew their meaning. (Excuse my little diversion—just trying to relax your intense concentration for a moment with a little humor).
Imagine if I Tim. 2:3-4 really did say that "God will NOT save all men," and then I would try to argue (using the same stupid scholarship as theologians use) that this verse doesn’t really mean that God will NOT save all men, but that it means He only "DESIRES" that all men "NOT" be saved when in reality they WILL all be saved, even if God were to say He "will NOT" save all men. Would not my detractors try to laugh me to scorn over such inane reasoning? OF COURSE THEY WOULD! YOU KNOW THEY WOULD. EVEN THEY KNOW THEY WOULD. Well, guess what? The word "NOT" is NOT in this verse. So God really "WILL save ALL men!"
Here then is true Christian scholarship: If God will NOT save all men, then He will NOT save all men, and if God WILL save all men, then He also will NOT save all men!! Do you see now why it has become popular to say that: "You can prove ANYTHING from the Bible?" And HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of Christians do not see a problem with kind of inane and insane reasoning! Does anyone think that the word "HYPOCRISY" is too strong to describe the way God’s word is slanderously perverted to maintain such evil doctrines as eternal torment in a lake of fire for those whom theologians say God won’t save even though God says He WILL save them?
Do you still believe that the "lake of fire" contradicts I Tim. 2:4, and that when God says He WILL save all men, what He really means is that He will NOT save all men, but will rather torture MOST men for all eternity in a lake of real fire? Is that what you still believe?
Let’s not neglect the first part of the sentence which begins in verse 3 of I Tim. 2:
"For this is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our Saviour…"
That God will "have ALL men to be saved" is both GOOD and ACCEPTABLE in God’s sight. These verses do NOT say: "For this is GOOD and ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our Saviour; Who WILL NOT have all men to be saved, and WILL NOT have all men come unto the knowledge of the truth" now does it? Theologians tell us that the reality of this Scripture is that all men WILL NOT come into a knowledge of the truth and that all men WILL NOT be saved. THAT they tell us is the reality and truth of the Scriptures.
Now then, if the reality is that all men WILL NOT BE SAVED, but rather most men will be tortured in a literal lake of fire for all eternity, I ask: Is this "GOOD and ACCEPTABLE in the sight of God our SAVIOUR? Again I ask: Is it "GOOD and ACCEPTABLE" that most of humanity be tortured for all eternity? If it is "GOOD and ACCEPTABLE" that God DOES save all mankind, then it CANNOT also be "GOOD and ACCEPTABLE" that God DOES NOT save all mankind! Am I going too fast for anyone?
I believe that our Christian friends have been once more painted into their little theological corner from which the only way out is repentance!
God says in I Tim. 2:3 that it is "good and acceptable" that all men come to a knowledge of the truth and that all men be saved. This is a fact. This is not debatable. We know for sure the answer to that question. However, theologians tell us that most men (and women and teens) will be tortured in a lake of fire for all eternity, so they will NOT all be saved. Hence my next question: Is it "good and acceptable" in the sight of God our Saviour that most of humanity be tortured in a literal lake of fire for all eternity?
If we say: "Yes," we blaspheme!
If we say: "No," then God is compelled to do what IS "good and acceptable!"
Does anyone have a third alternative to this question? Do we really believe the Scriptures?
I can give you much more proof on this one verse, but more proof is not what we need. What we need is FAITH! FAITH to believe God; FAITH to believe Christ; FAITH to believe the Word!
So that was my little "test verse" to see how many truly believe the Word of God and have a love of the Truth. If you will not and can not believe I Tim. 2:4, then what need have I to show you more verses that you ALSO WILL NOT BELIEVE? If you still believe that I Tim. 2:4 will NEVER be fulfilled, then you have just proven to yourself conclusively that you will NEVER accept ANY VERSE OF SCRIPTURE THAT DOES NOT AGREE WITH YOUR OWN PRECONCEIVED PERSONAL AND CARNAL DOCTRINES!
There are only two options for those who claim that I Tim. 2:4 will NEVER come to pass: (1) You must prove that this verse is WRONGLY TRANSLATED and has a different meaning from what is stated, or (2) You must confess that YOU REALLY DON’T BELIEVE that the Scriptures are the divinely inspired Words of God. You have now been painted into your own little theological corner, and the only way out is REPENTANCE! There is NO WAY AROUND this verse in I Tim. 2:4 (and a dozen just like it). I have book-ended this verse so that no one can Scripturally contradict it. Anyone who attempts to do so is a LIAR and attempts to make God a LIAR! Now then, with that said:
"…and ALL LIARS, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8)!
But know this: all liars enter the lake of fire, but after going through it, they emerge honest as the day is long! I will prove that! For those of you who still have a love of the Truth, let’s continue:
Now for all of those who insist that all of God’s Word must be taken literally, I have another problem verse for you. Jesus Christ said in John 6:63b:
"…the words that I speak unto you, THEY ARE SPIRIT and they are life."
Even this simple statement is a metaphor! Condensed, it says this: "[my] words are spirit." That’s not literal; that’s figurative. Here’s the proof: If all the words that Jesus spoke were "literally" "spirit," then no one could ever READ THEM. You could never see them on a printed page because THEY WOULD BE INVISIBLE! SPIRIT IS INVISIBLE! GOD IS INVISIBLE!
Maybe here is the place that I should explain what I believe a metaphor represents. I have heard many and complicated theories as to what the components of a metaphor are and represent. Here are a few:
"The lake of fire, which, by virtue of being its cause, thus, represents the second death.
Not true.
"In the interpretation of a metaphor, the goal is to take note of the essential way in which the SYMBOLIC subject is like the LITERAL predicate."
Not true.
"Indeed, if in the presence of a symbolic, subject-expression, the meaning of the predicate-expression were itself unknowable—which would be the case if the predicate expression were a figure of speech—it would be IMPOSSIBLE to note the likeness between the two." (All CAPS are mine).
Not true.
"Meaningful, metaphorical usage entails a literal, predicate nominative."
Not true.
Not one of the above definitions of a metaphor is true.
Interestingly, the same person who says that the subject of a metaphor must be "symbolic" and the predicate "literal" or there would be no real comparison to determine the meaning of the metaphor, also goes on to say that the people thrown into this lake of fire are LITERALLY burned up and DIE. So they would have to die and be burned by SYMBOLIC FIRE? Give me a break. Symbolic fire does not literally burn up physical matter! The reverse is also true: LITERAL FIRE cannot burn up SYMBOLIC BODIES! No, the subject AND predicate of this metaphor are BOTH symbolic! Nor does one part of a metaphor "represent" the other part as stated above.
The above definitions of a metaphor just won’t work in the real world. Let’s try a couple:
"All flesh is grass" (I Pet. 1:24)
"All flesh represents grass"—In no way does "all flesh" represent "grass"!
"All symbolic flesh is literal grass"—In what way is "symbolic flesh," "literal GRASS? Or, in what way is literal grass like symbolic flesh. This is nonsense.
"All flesh" is itself a symbol for "life" and specifically HUMAN LIFE. "Grass" is ALSO a symbol for a very fragile FORM OF LIFE. BOTH are symbols! And it is not "impossible," but rather very easy to see the likeness between them.
For the benefit of my critics, let me get technical here for just a paragraph and then we will move on. Even a metaphor must be understood in the context that we find it, as no Scripture is its OWN interpretation. In our example "all flesh is grass," it does not say whether it means, "all living flesh is living grass" or "all living flesh is dead grass" or "all dead flesh is living grass" or "all dead flesh is dead grass." Is it important for us to know which it is? Well, yes it is, and God tells us in the verses that follow:
"All flesh is grass, And all its glory is as the flower of grass. Withered is the grass, And the flower falls off … Yet the declaration of the Lord is remaining…" (I Pet. 1:24-25).
This clearly shows a flowering grass in the "process" of dying, contrasted with God’s declarations which "remain" and do not die. In Isaiah 40:6-8, we also have the phrase, "the PEOPLE is grass," so again, we are speaking of living people who will rather quickly become like "dying grass."
Now then, is there a simple way that we can at least represent all metaphors in an intelligent, understandable statement? I think so. I have come up with a statement that seems to represent ALL metaphors correctly and honestly. Here is how it works: Take ANY metaphor and apply this principle to it:
A. "The WORDS that I speak unto you, they are SPIRIT." Or condensed: [My] Words ARE Spirit.
Next, add the words "like" and "in certain ways," and state the metaphor like this:
B. "The WORDS that I speak unto you, they are [like] SPIRIT [in certain ways].
There it is. Simple. Christ’s words are not literally spirit, but like spirit, but not in all ways, only in certain ways. And so far I have found this principle to work in all metaphors. Christ’s words are not like spirit in that they can be audibly heard by physical ears. They are not like spirit in that we have them on physical paper imprinted with physical ink, etc. But they are like spirit in that they have INVISIBLE POWER. Jesus Himself gives us an explanation of this very sort of thing,
"The wind blows where it will, and you hear the sound thereof, but can not tell whence it comes, and where it goes, SO IS every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
Jesus could have used a metaphor here and said something like this: "Those born of the Spirit are wind." But He didn’t. He explained in what "certain ways" they are "like" the wind. And that, you see, is what a metaphor really is. Now let’s try this principle to other metaphors and see if it does not simplify them:
A. "Take, eat: this [bread] is my body" Or condensed: "Bread is Body"
B. "Take eat: this [bread] is [like] my body [in certain ways]"
As physical bread gives nourishment to the physical body, the Bread from heaven is spiritual nourishment to our spiritual life as if we were eating Christ’s spiritual body.
A. "All flesh is grass" (I Pet. 1:24) Or condensed: "Flesh is Grass"
B. "All flesh is [like] grass [in certain ways].
Flesh, specifically that of humans, is very fragile like grass. It is short lived. It is easily killed or destroyed, etc.
A. "The lake of fire. This is the second death" (Rev. 20:14). Or condensed: "Lake of fire is Second death"
B. "The lake of fire is [like] the second death [in certain ways]."
But before we can see in what ways the lake of fire is like the second death, we must determine what this lake of fire is and what the second death is.
This metaphor is, admittedly, considerably more complex than most for a number of reasons:
The subject contains the addition of an adjective.
The Predicate contains the addition of an adjective.
The phrase "lake of fire" is used nowhere else in Scripture.
The Phrase "second death" is used nowhere else in Scripture.
A lake is a body of water not fire.
Nowhere do we find a counter-balancing phrase such as "the first death."
Satan is thrown into this metaphor—real fire can’t hurt him.
Why are the beast and false prophet thrown in to this metaphor before Satan?
Although it is called the "second death," NO ONE ACTUALLY DIES!
Why would we find "brimstone" or sulfur in this metaphor—brimstone is not something that is used to torture? (
Death and hades are thrown into this metaphor—death and hades are not living creatures.
Many humans are thrown into this metaphor, but we are not told that their bodies are either "burned" or "killed."
Being only "fearful" (Greek: "timid") is cause to be thrown into this lake of fire. Even my detractors might find eternal torture rather excessive punishment for merely being "timid." There are Scriptural answers to all these enigmas.
How then shall we interpret this metaphorical Scripture? Or is this the enigma of all enigmas? The riddle of all riddles? Actually the Scriptures tell us exactly what this "lake of fire/second death" really is. But let me be quick to reassure you that we will never come to an understanding of this metaphor by applying the principles of Christian Theology. This metaphor is NOT physical, material, or literal, but SPIRITUAL in every way! We must look to the spiritual, through spiritual eyes if we are to ever comprehend this enigmatic metaphor.
THE KEYS TO SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATION
We will consider four guiding Scriptures:
1. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation" (II Pet. 1:20).
The KJV is not the best translation of this verse—it is neither by far the worst. The word "private" tends to fog the understanding of this Scripture. If no Scripture is to be of a "private" interpretation, are we to look for a "PUBLIC" interpretation? That sounds silly.
This is a profoundly important verse when it comes to interpreting Scripture. Yet, I doubt that there are many who understand this verse.
The Greek word translated "private" in the KJV is the word idios, and although it can mean private or separate, more specifically it has reference to "one’s OWN" or "his OWN" or "their OWN" or "your OWN" or "OWN." In this case, it would mean "ITS own" as a prophecy is non-personal and inanimate. See Strong’s Greek Dictionary p. 119. Now notice a couple of translations that retain this definition:
First from the Concordant Greek Text in an "Ultraliteral English Sublinear": "…this BEFORE-most KNOWING that EVERY BEFORE-AVERment OF-WRITing OWN ON-LOOSing NOT IS-BECOMING."
Rendered in the Translation as: "…knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture at all is becoming its OWN explanation."—Concordant Literal New Testament
Next from the Emphatic Diaglott English Interlineary: "…this first knowing, that all prophecy of a writing, of its OWN loosing not it is."
Rendered in the Translation as: "This first ascertaining, That All Prophecy of Scripture is not of its OWN Solution"—The Emphatic Diaglot, A New Emphatic Version.
I go to all these extra efforts of showing you the Greek so that you can be convinced yourself and not just believe that this is "my interpretation" of how a verse can or cannot be "interpreted."
So now we can make sense out of this verse, and how profound it is. It destroys the carnal minded approach to Scriptural interpretation. So here is what God is teaching us. No prophetic statement (Revelation is prophecy—See Rev. 22:18, "…the words of the prophecy of this scroll") has within its OWN statement the explanation and fulfillment of that statement. Therefore it is wrong and unscriptural to insist that the very verse that contains the prophecy (such as "the lake of fire. This is the second death") has within itself the interpretation of itself. That’s what God has now taught us in II Pet. 1:20! Therefore, we must go elsewhere to find the correct interpretation. But how do we do that without making blunders and mistakes? We have three more Key verses that will keep us on the right track.
2. "It is the spirit that quickens [makes alive]; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, THEY ARE SPIRIT and they are life."
We touched on this verse already, but it is an important part of our four-verse key. Again I ask: Who believes this verse? If the words that Jesus spoke are "spirit," then how can anyone suggest that everything He said must be taken "literally?" Christ taught in public by parables only. Parables are spiritual, not literal. The book of Revelation is the "Revelation of Jesus Christ," therefore the words of the book of Revelation are SPIRIT! The book of Revelation was "signified" (that is SYMBOLIZED). It is a whole book of symbols, metaphors, and figurative language. Therefore the metaphor: "the lake of fire which is the second death" must be spiritual! But how do we discern things that are "spiritual?"
We need another key.
3. "But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED" (I Cor. 2:14).
And so when I explain spiritual things, I get a lot of e-mail from Christians who condemn me in not too flattering tones, because they are carnal and cannot possibly receive spiritual things. They truly are FOOLISHNESS to them. They ask me if I can’t read. They tell me the verse ITSELF tells us what it means. (But isn’t that just what Peter said cannot be done? That no verse of prophecy explains ITSELF)?
There are reasons God put these verses in the Scriptures.
Remember earlier when we discussed how theologians compare physical things with physical things thinking that they will accomplish something spiritual? Show me a Scripture where God instructs us to compare physical things with physical things for spiritual understanding? SHOW ME! David said "A good understanding have all they that KEEP God’s commandments." The problem with all too many is that they don’t obey God ("Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed CAN BE" Rom. 8:7), and they don’t believe God. We MUST believe God when we are told that the book of Revelation is the words of Jesus Christ and therefore is SPIRIT! Next I will give you one of God’s commandments we are to follow if we are to ever understand such things as "the lake of fire."
The Scriptures don’t command us to compare physical things with spiritual things or spiritual things with physical things or physical things with physical things, so why do we do it? That is exactly how theologians have come to believe that the lake of fire and second death are literal physical tortures for all eternity. They have compared physical fire with physical fire and came up with the conclusion that the lake of fire is physical, material, literal FIRE! God never instructed us to learn spiritual lessons in this manner!
Next we will see how God does instruct us to understand SPIRITUAL MATTERS.
4. "Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth [not by comparing physical things with physical things], but which the HOLY SPIRIT TEACHES; COMPARING [OR MATCHING] SPIRITUAL THINGS WITH SPIRITUAL" (I Cor. 2:13)!
This is really quite profound. This marvelous Scripture, plus the three prior Scriptures will open up understanding to us that has been closed to many Christians for two thousand years.
Let’s recap what we have discovered about "the lake of fire" so far, not according to man’s wisdom, but according to God’s declarations in the SCRIPTURES:
"The lake of fire is the second death" is FIGURATIVE language.
"The lake of fire is the second death" is composed of four word SYMBOLS.
"The lake of fire is the second death" is a classic example of a METAPHOR.
"The lake of fire is the second death" was written in a book that was SIGNIFIED which makes something known by a sign, and a sign is a symbol.
"The lake of fire is the second death" is a statement of prophecy and cannot be its OWN INTERPRETATION according to II Pet. 1:20.
"The lake of fire is the second death" is a prophecy by Jesus, and Jesus has told us that His words are SPIRIT!
"Things of the SPIRIT…are SPIRITUALLY discerned" (I Cor. 2:13). The "lake of fire" cannot, therefore, be PHYSICALLY discerned.
Here are seven proofs that "the lake of fire is the second death" cannot possibly be physical, material, and literal, as many claim to deduce from the verse itself.
Now back to our fourth key verse: "…comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Several translations make this "…matching spiritual things with spiritual." And that word "matching" clarifies this verse even more. Notice the next verse which we have already quoted above, "But the natural [carnal, Greek: animal man] receives NOT the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither CAN he know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned." Now I have heard that verse quoted as many times as any of you, but how many quoting it had even a clue as to what they were quoting? It is often used by charismatic preachers to insinuate that they have special powers of spiritual discernment, and can therefore read your mind and heart and know whether you are in a bad attitude or maybe have a demon, etc., etc. But notice that God tells us exactly how to have "spiritual discernment." We are to follow the instruction in the preceding verse: "comparing [and/or matching] SPIRITUAL things with SPIRITUAL!"
So we have SEVEN proofs that this "lake of fire-second death" is FIGURATIVE language SIGNIFIED IN SYMBOLS, taking the form of a METAPHOR witnessed by John in a VISION and written in a BOOK OF SYMBOLS that is prophetic and therefore cannot be its OWN INTERPRETATION, being a revelation of Christ Who’s words are SPIRIT! And therefore we know two things to be absolute Scriptural truth: (1) This phrase is SPIRITUAL in meaning and not literal. (2) This prophecy cannot be its OWN INTERPRETATION as God commands in II Pet. 1:20. But if one doesn’t believe these seven spiritual proofs (or even ONE of them), how is he to have a spiritual understanding of spiritual things? To find the true interpretation of this spiritual metaphor we must compare it with other spiritual teachings of the same nature until we find a MATCH!
Before we look for something spiritual to match this metaphor, it will be helpful to know just what it means to be "spiritual." There is a giant different between something sounding spiritual and something that actually is spiritual.
WHAT DOES "SPIRITUAL" MEAN?
The American Heritage Dictionary, p. 1335, spiritual adj. 1. Of, relating in, consisting of, or having the nature of spirit; NOT TANGIBLE OR MATERIAL.
Strong’s Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, "spiritual" #4152, pneumatkos, "Pneumatkos ALWAYS connotes the ideas of INVISIBILITY and of POWER" p. 205. (All CAPS are mine).
THE "LAKE OF FIRE-SECOND DEATH" IS NOT TANGIBLE OR MATERIAL OR LITERAL, BUT RATHER IS AN INVISIBLE POWER! THE LAKE OF FIRE IS SPIRITUAL!
That’s right: the lake of fire is spiritual and therefore invisible. No one will ever SEE the lake of fire; just as no one will ever SEE God’s Spirit; and just as no one will ever SEE God’s "consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). But make no mistake about it; the lake of fire is REAL, and it is very HOT, and it BURNS things, and its effects are ETERNAL—all, of course, SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING.
We need also to understand that not everything that is "spiritual" is holy and good. There is also "spiritual wickedness" (Eph. 6:12). Many believe that the impartation of "immortality" and "incorruption" automatically impart holiness and perfection as well. This is obviously not true, as there is much "spiritual wickedness" in high places among those who do possess incorruption and immortality. We must understand that something "spiritual" can also be extremely wicked, as this has much to do with the purpose and function of the lake of fire. Not only is the lake of fire itself "spiritual," but, everything that is thrown into the lake of fire is either spiritual or at least inanimate or intangible (as with "hades and death").
Okay, fine; the lake of fire is spiritual, but what about these questions: Who are thrown into it? When is it? Where is it? Why is it? What does it accomplish? How long will it burn, and how can you escape it? Now I could answer all those in one sentence, but it wouldn’t be very detailed, and I am sure you would want to know more.
I think most of my readers by now realize that I don’t believe for one second that the lake of fire is some hellhole of real fire that burns and tortures human flesh for all eternity. So we will now concentrate on just what the lake of fire is, what it accomplishes, for whom, and how long will it take.
To do this we must follow God’s four keys to understand spiritual things. God has provided these Scriptural keys so that the wise can and will understand His Word. We need to compare this SPIRITUAL lake of fire with something else SPIRITUAL that will tell us exactly what it is and what it does, to whom, and for how long. Is there such a spiritual Scripture in the Bible that matches the spiritual lake of fire? Yes, there is. There is but one other section of Scripture that fits that of the lake of fire and actually tells us what happens there.
A SPIRITUAL MATCH
In Rev. 20:11 we read of "a great white throne." In Verse 12 the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books are opened, and God presents us with a double witness that "every man’s work" shall be judged by "fire":
"and the dead judged… ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS," (Rev. 20:11). And they are judged in "FIRE," Vers. 14, 15 & 21:8.
"…they were judged every man ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS." (Rev. 20:13). And they are judged in "FIRE," Vers. 14, 15 & 21:8.
Now then, is there another Scripture that speaks of the judgment of "every man’s WORK?" and every man’s work judged by "FIRE?" Yes, there is, and only one other:
"EVERY MAN’S WORK shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by FIRE" (I Cor. 3:13a).
"…And the FIRE shall try EVERY MAN’S WORK…." (I Cor. 3:13b).
We have now located our "two witnesses." These are the only two places in the entirety of the Bible that speak of:
"EVERY MAN…,"
"Every man’s WORK…,"
"Every man’s work, JUDGED…MANIFESTED, DECLARED, REVEALED, AND TRIED...,"
"Every man’s work judged…tried BY FIRE."
We have proven by SEVEN proofs that the lake of fire in Rev. 20 is not physical, material, or literal, but SPIRITUAL. We shall now prove conclusively that the fire of I Cor. 3 is likewise, not physical, material, or literal, but SPIRITUAL as well. These two sets of Scriptures will explain each other. Remember that we learned there are two groups of people to be judged: (1) The whole world in the day of judging (Acts 17:31), and (2) The house of God NOW (I Pet. 4:17 & I Cor. 11:32). Since God is no respecter of persons, He judges both groups by the same means.
EXAMINING THE METAPHORS AND SYMBOLS OF I COR. 3
"I [Paul] have planted, Apollos has watered; but God gave the increase" (I Cor. 3:6).
"Now he that plants and he that waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor [works]. For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry [garden], ye are God’s building" (Vers. 8-9).
Comment: Paul didn’t plant carrots in a garden, which Apollos then watered, and God made them grow. This is not speaking of produce in a vegetable garden. This is figurative, symbolic language concerning the spiritual growth of PEOPLE! Paul says "YE" are God’s garden, and "YE" are God’s building. Now then, people are no more buildings than they are gardens. "Ye are God’s garden" is a METAPHOR and "Ye are God’s building" is a METAPHOR. Remember my aid to understanding metaphors: "Ye are [LIKE] God’s garden [IN CERTAIN WAYS]; "Ye are [LIKE] God’s building [IN CERTAIN WAYS]."
WE ARE GOD’S GARDEN
In what "certain ways" are we "like God’s garden?" Remember we must compare spiritual things with spiritual. Answer:
"My Father is the Farmer… "I [Jesus] am the grape vine. You [that’s us] are the branches. He who is remaining in Me, and I in him, this one is BRINGING FORTH MUCH FRUIT" (John 15:1 & 5). I
sn’t this easy when we stop fighting God’s Word with our own preconceived doctrines? And trust me; this is as hard as it get, if we will just allow God’s spirit to TEACH US spiritual things!
Now then, WHAT KIND of fruit are we talking about—apples and grapes? Let’s again, compare spiritual things with spiritual. Answer:
"But the FRUIT of the SPIRIT [in God’s spiritual garden, which we are] is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self control" (Gal. 5:22-23).
All of these character traits from God’s Spirit are invisible and they are SPIRITUAL. But does that mean that they are not real? Of course not. In fact, we can SEE the results of these invisible, spiritual character traits of the spirit just as Jesus told us we can see the results of the invisible wind.
WE ARE GOD’S BUILDING
In what "certain ways" are we "like" God’s "building?"
"Know ye not that YE [that’s us] ARE the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells IN YOU" (I Cor. 3:16). "For ye are the temple of the living God…" II Cor. 6:16).
Notice that "ye are the temple of God" is another metaphor. In what certain ways are we like the temple of God? Answer:
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief corner stone; in Whom ALL THE BUILDING fitly framed together grows unto AN HOLY TEMPLE in the Lord: In Whom YE [that's us again] ALSO ARE BUILDED TOGETHER for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:19:23).
The Lord of heaven and earth "dwells not in temples made with hands" (Acts 17:24). Where does God then dwell? Are you ready for this? This is heavy stuff!
"If a man love Me, He will keep My words: and my Father will love him, and WE [both Jesus Christ AND His Father] WILL COME UNTO HIM [this is US if we love God], AND MADE OUR ABODE [our home] WITH HIM" (John 14:23)! WOW!
LOVE IS THE KEY TO DWELLING WITH GOD
And how does God make His abode with us? The key is to LOVE GOD!
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God; for GOD IS LOVE. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, GOD DWELLS IN US, and His love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that WE DWELL IN HIM and HE IN US, because He hath given us of His SPIRIT" (I John 4:7-13).
Now for those who are glorying in the above marvelous Scriptures (to the exclusion of about FIFTY BILLION brothers and sisters whom they think will never experience any of this LOVE OF GOD), let us not neglect to read the next verse:
"And we have SEEN and do TESTIFY [so apparently this is more than just pious, unattainable, wishful thinking] that the Father SENT [COMMISSIONED] THE SON TO BE THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD"!
Do we need a second witness on this:
"We trust in the living God, Who IS THE SAVIOUR OF ALL MANKIND…" (I Tim. 4:10)!
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
DON’T BE DECEIVED! Those who glory and delight in the doctrine of eternal torment do NOT have the Spirit of God, and God does NOT make His abode with them! Such persons have a darkened heart, and what fellowship has light (God) with darkness? If you have been deceived into believing that God is going to torture most of humanity for all eternity in fire, but have hated the whole idea with all of your heart, then God will have mercy on your ignorance. But if you gloat in your pious self-righteousness, and eagerly await the day when those who do not follow your religion will be thrown into some hellhole lake of fire, then you have some serious repenting to do.
Here is where this evil doctrine of eternal torment brings out the evil in those who endorse it. Obviously if one feels that God is justified in TORTURING billions of precious human beings in literal fire, then certainly it must seem okay for us to have disdain now for these people that we just know are on their way to hell. I understand that one of the Queens of England justified burning people at the stake by stating that she was only doing NOW what God will be doing to them LATER. Sick!
And so Paul tells us that we are His "garden" where there will be fruit produced, and we are His "building" where God Himself will dwell. But He also tells us that we will have our old man pulled down and humbled while the fire of His spirit burns the wood, straw, and stubble till all such evils and destroyed. And at the same time, God builds man up by refining and purifying gold, silver, and precious stones (the very character traits of God Himself). First comes the physical, the carnal, the Old man that must be destroyed. Then comes the Spiritual—the man of God.
"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a NATURAL body; it is raised a SPIRITUAL body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (I Cor. 15:42-44).
First we are born into mortal bodies with carnal minds by which we build a plethora of straw, hay, and stubble. In judgment these things are burned up and destroyed by the God’s spirit, which is a CONSUMING FIRE. At the same time the qualities pictured as gold, silver, and precious stones are purged and purified by the fire of God’s spirit and made even better.
And so God’s instructions to Jeremiah in chapter one verse ten, are applied to each and every individual whom has ever lived: "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms [of every man and every man’s work] to root out [‘For it is a FIRE that consumes to destruction, and would ROOT OUT all mine increase’ Job 31:12], and to pull down [‘And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall He PULL THEE DOWN’ Isaiah 22:19], and to destroy [‘To deliver such an one unto Satan for the DESTRUCTION of the flesh, that the spirit may be SAVED in the day of the Lord Jesus’ I Cor. 5:5], and to throw down, [‘And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and THROW DOWN all thy strong holds’ Micah 5:11, And the ‘idols in their heart’ Ezek. 14:7, ‘CASTING DOWN imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and brining in to captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ’ II Cor. 10:5], TO BUILD [‘And now, brethren, I command you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to BUILD YOU UP, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified’ Acts 20-32], and TO PLANT [‘Thou shalt bring them in, and PLANT THEM in the mountain of Thine inheritance {heavenly Mount Zion} in the place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established’ Ex. 15:17]!"

No such thing as hell of fire.

2008-01-05T18:08:00.000-08:00

Ok think about this. Preachers say that sinners go to hell and they are far far away from God. They can't talk to him and they cant see him. Well lets look at psalm 139 verse's 7-8 he's talking to God. Here it is: Whiter shall I go from they spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. {KJV}
Ok so if you go to heaven your there with God and if you go to hell your also there with God. But the thing is God is not in hell. Because the word they got hell from is sheol it does not mean a place where you burn and all that kind of junk. Sheol means grave when you die you die cant do nothing about that. So just think about this one before you say someone is going to hell and they wont be with God. Cause according to you the best bible in the world KJV says that God is in hell to. So wake up my friends your doctrine is totally fake and man made.

The only hope for peace was born in the middle east

2008-01-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Hey Guys! Whats Up? Me Nothing much just studying the bible and different beliefs. Im also getting ready for college to start on Jan 14th. The title for this post is: The only hope for peace was born in the middle east. See most of us look at the middle east like nothing good could come from there that their all just really bad people. But guess what? Jesus Christ was born in the middle east. He lived he preached he healed the sick made the blind see for the first time in their lifes and made the crippled walk again. So 2,000 years ago somthing good came from the middle east. Our lord our sherperd. The cool part is that he is coming back. We still have hope for peace on earth so sit back relax dont worry and know that Jesus Christ is coming back on Gods time not ours. But that he takes his own time for our benefit. Well lata'z guys.

The Tithe is illegal

2007-12-31T20:04:00.000-08:00

When I say "illegal," I certainly do not mean from the government’s point of view. The American federal government has been extremely generous in allowing religious organizations almost free hands in their money raising endeavors, even to the point of giving them many kinds of tax advantages. By illegal, I mean that God never authorized Christian leaders to take a tithe from God’s people. One will not find the modern church tithe authorized in the Old Covenant, nor in the New Covenant. Certainly, church historians are in agreement, when they say that tithing was not practiced by the early believers.
The tithe is a subject that is very dear to most church leaders. Those denominations that can get their members to actually bring in a full 10% of gross income can create very powerful forces far beyond their strength in numbers. The leading "tithing" sects according to an article in Christian Ministry, are interestingly what Evangelicals would term "cults." The Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and the World Wide Church of God are the leading givers. The fourth is the Assemblies of God. Recently, the World Wide Church of God abandoned the tithe as un-Scriptural. Donations dropped 30 per cent in the first year. (While the article in Christian Ministry lists the Jehovah's Witneses among leading tithing denominations, I've since been informed by that organization that Jehovah's Witnesses do not practice tithing.)
According to Newsweek, most church members give far less than 10%, most giving under 2 per cent. Not surprising is the fact that the poor give a far greater portion of their income than the rich. USA Today (Oct. 25, 1990) tells us that families earning less than $10,000 give 5.5 per cent of their income to charity (not necessarily to church). Families earning between $50,000 and $60,000 give only 1.7% of their earnings.
We hope to show in this book that while many church fund-raising organizations and Christian financial counseling ministries tell us that not paying "the tithe" is robbing God, the actual Biblical facts are that those who teach tithing as a Christian doctrine are, in fact, the ones who are "robbing God." As we go through this article, keep in mind the above statistic that the poor far out-give the rich percentage-wise.
I am going to make a statement that will probably shock many Christians who have been in church for a long period of time and feel they know the Bible pretty well. I hope this statement encourages the reader to "see for themselves" that this statement is 100 per cent Biblically true. My hope is that when we see how far off Scriptural ground we have come in such basic Christian teachings as giving, we will renew our desire to study to "show ourselves approved." Here is the statement: The tithe as taught by most Christian denominations as being 10 per cent of gross or net income is not contained on the pages of the Bible!
Many Christian publications say that those who do not tithe are robbing God and will suffer curses for not doing so. I am going to use one of them as an example of what Scriptures and reasoning are usually used to support the idea that the church is full of God robbers, that is, people who do not tithe 10 per cent of their income.
A booklet entitled Tithes, Offering, and Alms states: "Today many churches do not teach tithing because they do not want to drive people away. In reality they are robbing God’s people of their blessing. When tithing is not taught, they are allowing their people to ignorantly rob God. By this they allow the devourer to have free access to their people. Then the church and the people wonder why they are not being blessed. When God’s people return again unto God, He will return unto them as He has promised."
By this minister’s own reasoning then, the Churches of the world are full of "God-robbers." The vast majority of Christians do not even come close to giving ten per cent of their income. Most churches are overflowing with "God-robbers."
While this booklet Tithes, Offerings, and Alms deals with more than just the tithe, we will only focus on the tithe since that is the subject of this article.
I am not mentioning the author of this work hoping in days ahead he will see the foolishness of what he wrote.
In one small paragraph, this minister condemned to the devourer entire congregations who do not tithe. As long as people do not tithe, he says, they have turned their backs to God and He cannot bless them. They are God robbers! The booklet I just quoted is very typical of publications like this. They all refer to the same handful of Scriptures to justify their position.
I will use this one as an example of which Scriptures are used to support their view and then show how these Scriptures have not only been grossly taken out of context, but even these Scriptures out of context do not support the teaching of tithing being 10% of income.
We will then study the history of tithing in the Old Testament, the early church view on the subject, and what we believe is the correct Biblical view on giving.
What Saith the Scriptures?
Those who teach that Christians are obligated to tithe can be categorized into two main groups: 1. those who say we are still under the Mosaic Law or portions of it; 2. those who say the tithe is part of the Abrahamic Covenant which is pre-Mosaic. The latter group says the Abrahamic Covenant, being a covenant of faith, is valid for the church. They say Abraham was a tither. Therefore, we should tithe.
Let us deal first with the pre-Mosaic arguments. This teaching is used by those ministries who have taught the Mosaic Law is done away with and therefore cannot be put upon Christians. They are correct regarding the Mosaic Law having passed away.
(We cannot get into this subject fully because it would take up too much space, but a handful of Scriptures might be helpful to those who disagree on this point. See 2 Cor. 3:11,13; Hebrews 8:13; Gal. 4:21-26; really all of Galatians and Hebrews.)
Briefly, the Old Covenant (Mosaic Covenant) was a two-sided agreement between Israel and Yahweh in which Yahweh would bless them if they kept their part of the agreement and He would curse them if they didn’t. It was an all or nothing package. A person was not allowed to turn this agreement into a smorgasbord, picking and choosing what suited one’s religious diet. They could not choose what to keep and what to throw out. James 2:10 tells us that "whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."
Almost all denominations of Christianity have taken portions of the Mosaic Covenant, "Christened them," and added them to the New Covenant. Without being aware of it, this has made most Christians guilty of the whole Mosaic Law, which says it all must be kept. At the same time, they have "fallen from grace" because of mixing it with a covenant which no longer serves a purpose for those under the New Covenant. This is not to say that we cannot learn many wonderful truths from the Mosaic Law. We are just no longer in covenantal relationship with God through that covenant. We are in covenantal relationship with God through a New Covenant ratified by Jesus Christ, not Moses.
The fact that most denominations of Christendom have not understood this vital point has caused us to fall from "grace through faith," the very power of the New Covenant itself. What is tragic is that most Christians are not even aware of this "falling away" which has been going on for hundreds of years. Most denominations have mixed the Mosaic Covenant instituted by Moses with the New Covenant, which is the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:2) One covenant brought death (and always will); the other brought Life. If you believe any of the Old Covenant is still binding to a believer in Christ, read what Paul has to say in 1 Corinthians chapter three verses four through eighteen about the cornerstone of the Mosaic Covenant, that is, the Ten Commandments. This should cure anyone of binding themselves to the "ministry of death." The consequences of this mixture have been catastrophic. A careful non-biased survey of church history should reveal what this mixture has produced. While this paper is not about Mosaic Law versus Grace, I felt the subject had to be touched somewhat. Back to the subject at hand.
Is the "tithe" Pre-Mosaic?
Now let us deal with the teaching that says that the Biblical tithe was pre-Mosaic.
Able
The first place we come across offerings of any kind is in Genesis 4:3-7. Cain brought forth an offering from the fruit of the ground to the LORD and Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. The LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering, which caused Cain to become very angry.
Most Christians who teach tithing would also consider themselves Bible literalists, that is, they are opposed to "spiritualizing" the Scriptures. However, when we get down to some of their pet doctrines, we find that literalists often quickly abandon their "literalism" and "spiritualize."
In Genesis 4:3, the passage mentioned above, there is not a hint as to the amount being offered. Both fruit of the ground and flocks are acceptable offerings. One could point out that Able brought blood and Cain did not. One could perhaps make something of the fact that Able gave of his "first-born" while nothing is said about Cain’s offering. We could attempt to "spiritualize" here, but if we let the Scripture stand as it is with a "literal" interpretation, we do not have a "Biblical tithe" here. We have two offerings; one acceptable—one unacceptable.
Abraham
We have to travel 2000 years ahead in history to find another trace of offerings to the LORD. We come to Abraham and His offering to Melchizedek, the king of Salem. I want to make an emphatic point here as we analyze this portion of Scripture. As I said before, literalists are not very literal. If true "spiritual" understanding comes from a "literal" approach, then Scriptures such as the following do not make much sense: "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are "spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2:14) If the Bible can be understood with the natural mind using a "literalist" approach to the Bible, then the above Scripture is not true. The fact is, the Scriptures and the things of God need to be "spiritually discerned." They are "foolishness" to the "natural mind." Even Christians can be naturally, carnally, fleshly minded. "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ." (1 Cor. 3:1) A Christian, while claiming to be a literalist, who finds himself having to add to or subtract from Scriptures to make them fit into their doctrines, is still very carnal. The next portion of Scripture we will look at will bear this out.
There are those who say that, while we are not under the Mosaic Law, we Christians, are children of faith. Our father in this faith is Abraham. (So far so good.) Then comes the nice little carnal step which shows how unliteral "literalists" can be. They say that Abraham was a tither and therefore we must be tithers. Well, let us be literalists for a moment and look at that Scripture to see what it "literally" says.
The 14th Chapter of Genesis deals with a battle between 9 kings, five against four. The first part of Chapter 14, is very difficult to understand. The King James Bible does not tell us, but the Jewish Bible called the Tanakh (which is the Old Testament) tells us that some of the meaning of the Hebrew in this Chapter is uncertain. (It seems the Jews are more honest in their translating than some Christian Bible translators.)
Abram, with 318 of his men, went after the four kings who spoiled the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah. Abram defeated the kings, and set his nephew Lot free. On the way back with all the spoils of war, the king of Sodom met Abram in the king’s valley. Here a mysterious king of Salem, priest of the God Most High, brought out bread and wine and blessed Abram. Abram then gave a tenth of those spoils to Melchizedek.
At this point, the king of Sodom told Abram to take everything except the people. It is not clear in the text whose goods and people are involved here. The armies which Abram defeated had attacked several other kingdoms before they spoiled Sodom and Gomorrah. When Abram defeated them, he must have collected a tremendous amount of wealth plus people which could be turned into slaves.
One thing is clear in this passage, these "spoils" were not the property of Abram. They belonged to other kingdoms which were defeated by the previously mentioned kings. The dividing of all the "spoils of war" and the people is also not completely clear. One thing, however, is clear--Abram kept nothing! Furthermore, there is no reference in the Bible that Abram gave the king of Salem anything else, ever. In other words, there is no tradition prior to nor after this event of giving a tenth of the spoils of war to the king of Melchizedek. In addition, there is no directive anywhere in the Scriptures which grants the right for any human being to place themselves into the priesthood of Melchizedek commanding tithes of God’s people! The jump from this event to the modern day tradition of offering tithes to a pastor or head of an organization claiming this fulfills the event in Genesis is going way beyond literalism and way beyond "spiritualizing." It is nothing short of twisting the Scriptures for self-gain.
Let us also consider the fact that slavery was certainly a part of life in this region. Spoils of war included people. Are we to "tithe" captured enemies when Christian nations go to war?
The king of Sodom said Abram could keep all the goods, he just wanted the people. It is not clear which people he referred to. We may assume he was referring to his own citizens who were captured, but that would be mere conjecture.
There are many questions which can be asked about this mysterious passage, but there are some very clear points that can be made. Abram gave a tenth of these spoils of war to Melchizedek. If tithing is the issue here, then Abram had every right to keep the rest, but Abram gave it all back. He used a part to feed his army and he allowed three men to keep their share. Abram didn’t give a "full tithe" of ten per cent. Abram gave it all away!
"I will take nothing from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’" (Gen. 14:23)
There is nothing here to indicate Abram gave a tenth of his personal possessions. Note Abram said, "I will take nothing that is yours." This shows he did not tithe his own possessions. It should also be noted, these spoils went to this mysterious king of Salem, not to a pastor, denominational headquarters, etc. There is not one record that Abram did anything like this again. There is nothing in the Bible up to this point to indicate that God wanted a tenth of everything a person owned. If He did want that, it seems it wouldn’t have been to difficult to simply state that He did, but He didn’t. Abram offered a free-will offering of spoils of war to a mysterious king.
If we take passages of Scripture such as the previous one which describes an event which occurred thousands of years ago in a culture totally foreign to our ways today, and say that we should do the same things, then we should be consistent. Why pick and chose those Scriptures which suit our carnal little minds? This Scripture taken literally means we will all starve to death. We end up with nothing! Furthermore, if we literally follow Abram’s example, we should be giving most of our earnings to the king of Sodom! Obviously, something else is going on here other than what tradition has taught us.
It is important not to take cultural traditions from generations thousands of years ago, and apply them to today just because they are recorded in the Bible. Abraham took several animals and cut them in half when making an agreement with God. Why do we not do the same in our modern cultures? Why are tithing teachers so selective as to which ancient traditions they wish to place upon the backs of God’s people? I suppose checks in the offering plate are more desirable and less messy than chopped up animals on the altar or in the offering plate. Just because the Bible records a practice done thousands of years ago, is not a good reason to continue the practice today. We must "rightly divide the Word of God."
There is another example of God’s people receiving spoils of war from which portions were divided into "offerings" to priests. Will we find this act consistent with what Abram did? Let us look at that event.
In Numbers Chapter 31, Israel "took vengeance for the Lord on Midian." (Num. 31:3) Twelve thousand Israelites went to war with Midian. First, they killed all the males. Forget the Geneva Peace Accord about proper treatment of prisoners. Kill them all! Remember how we feel when our troops are treated this way in war? We are outraged!
Next they took the women and children captive and brought them along with the rest of the spoils to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation. Now some ministers might be proud of a congregation such as this, but Moses was angry with them. "Have you kept the women alive?" he said. "Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD. Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known a man intimately. But keep alive for yourselves all the young girls who have not known a man intimately." (Num. 31:16-18)
Now we could talk about this passage of Scripture for days and still not run out of things to say, so we won’t analyze this incident beyond its relationship to tithing. Suffice it to say, that a minister who would try to bring the above command from the Lord into modern society, would find himself in jail or seated in the electric chair.
Just a few glances into the New Testament to see how Jesus treated Gentile sinners should shed some light on the difference between the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus and the Law of Moses. What did Jesus do to the woman at the well who had 5 "husbands," was living with a sixth who was not her husband? Did He stone her? What about the woman caught in the very act of adultery? Did Jesus cast the first stone? Jesus never commanded anyone to kill anyone! Moses did. How should we as Christians treat our enemies? Do you remember? Could you, as a Christian, kill baby boys and women who were not virgins if your government or your pastor told you to do it? I hope not! These examples and dozens more throughout the books commonly, but incorrectly named The New Testament should reveal to us that the New Covenant and the Old Covenant are radically different!
"Count the plunder that was taken—of man and beast..." (Num. 31:26) We see that humans were counted as "plunder." Then the "plunder" was divided between those who went to war and those who didn’t. From those spoils, an offering was given. Those who went to war were to give one out of every five hundred persons, cattle, donkeys, and sheep to Eleazar the priest. Those who didn’t go to war had to give one out of every fifty persons, cattle, donkeys, and sheep to the Levites (ministers).
Unlike Abram’s offering to Melchizedek, a good part of their spoils had to be killed. Then they had to give two-tenths of one per cent to the high priest. Those who didn’t fight had to give two per cent to the Levites (ministers). If tithing was like what is preached today, or like the Abram incident, why does this incident totally contradict "ten per cent off the top?" Why do tithing teachers not refer to this Scripture and make it the standard for giving? Could it be the simple fact that ten per cent is much more than 2 per cent or two tenths of one per cent? These very commands were given by "the LORD to Moses." (Num. 31:25) They are God’s very words written in the Bible. Why do tithing teachers avoid reference to this passage of Scripture?
First of all, it totally contradicts their teaching. Furthermore, it reveals some aspects of Moses Law which they would prefer laymen not study too thoroughly. When a Christian truly begins to see the difference between the Old Covenant and New, deceitful ministers who use portions of the Old Covenant to hold God’s people in bondage, will become manifest. They do not want to be exposed.
We must go on. But I do want to point out that this portion of Scripture is full of spiritual truths which the "literalist mind" will never be able to learn anything from. This Scripture as well as all Scripture needs to be "spiritually discerned."
Why do those who teach and practice tithing no longer practice slavery, and the killing of women and children as revealed previously? Well, perhaps they do, but most of the slaves do not realize they are slaves to a system which places burdens upon the backs of God’s people that He never placed upon their backs! Few Christians are aware of how spiritually dead they really are until they come out of the graveyards in which they worship!
This passage of Scripture tells us the "spoils" had to be cleansed with fire and water. From a "spiritual" point of view, this speaks volumes. From a natural point of view, hygiene might be the best we can get from the passage.
Having been a part of quite a few churches, I have been amazed at some of the occupations many Christians are involved in. Many of these occupations clearly violate Old Testament Laws and the New Testament spirit. Yet I have not found too many ministers reject the money from these sources due to these people or their occupations being "unclean" from a Mosaic Covenant point of view. Spend a few weeks reading specific laws, and the penalties for breaking those laws found in the first few books of the Bible and then try to bring them into our present day cultural and religious societies. They just won’t work. Remember, one can’t pick and choose which laws to leave out. The Mosaic Law is a contract which one cannot break by deleting certain ordinances, rites, or commands. All must be kept in order to receive the benefits which God would bestow upon those who kept their part of the agreement. Furthermore, it was a national covenant. A single person’s sin could and did affect the entire nation. Please think this through. This is vitally important to realize.
Summarizing "Spoils of war"
So we have seen two accounts of how spoils of war were dealt with by God’s people. It should be pointed out that the incident with Abram was prior to God making a covenant with him. The Abrahamic Covenant is in Chapter 15 of Genesis. The tithe on the spoils given to Melchizedek is in Chapter 14. If God made a law that ten per cent of the spoils of war belonged to Him, then He must have changed the law in Numbers Chapter 31. But God never changed anything. The fact of the matter is there was never a law demanding ten per cent of income before or after Abraham, before or after Moses, before or after Jesus, or before or after any of them. It has never existed except under deceitful or ignorant or sincerely misled ministers claiming for themselves in the name of God what God has never given them the right to take.
The Abrahamic Covenant
The ratification of what we call the Abrahamic Covenant, or the Covenant of Faith is found in Genesis Chapter 15. Not one single word is found about tithing. Abram brought a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon. He cut everything except the birds in half, drove the vultures away, and fell asleep and beheld a great horror and great darkness. Then when the sun went down, "Behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces." (Gen 15:17) Here we have the ratification of the Abrahamic Covenant. Two lights passed between the animal halves while Abraham slept. Here is the Covenant of Faith ...all God. Man sleeps. Man can never enter into covenant with God because he will always break the covenant. God instituted the Mosaic Covenant to prove that. So then, in the Abrahamic covenant, we see a one-sided agreement, God agreeing with Himself, while Abraham slept. No tithe here. (By the way, a person who thinks they "decided" to follow Jesus, still doesn’t know what the Abrahamic Covenant is all about.)
Jacob
Returning back to our search for tithing in the Old Testament, we see the word tithe is found in Genesis 28:20-22. Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, spent the night at a place called Luz (almond tree). He had an incredible dream in which Yahweh reaffirmed the promise He made with Abraham. Jacob anointed the stone which was by his head when he slept and called the place Bethel, which means "house of God." At this point, Jacob tried to make a deal with God.
"If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD (Yahweh) shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all You give me I will surely give a tenth to You." (Gen. 28:20-22) What we see here, is typical of Jacob, the heal-grabber, conniver before he became Israel, "a prince with God."
If Abraham had taught his children to tithe, then Jacob had no business trying to make a deal with God. "You take good care of me and I’ll give you back 10 per cent." Jacob, the heal-grabber made a conditional promise to God. We do not find God answering Jacob. (Jacob also called a stone which he anointed with oil the "house of God." Is that stone the "house of God?" If we are going to be literal, then let us be consistent. Either that stone is the "house of God," or Jacob still had some growing up to do spiritually.)
While we find Jacob playing "Let’s make a deal" with God, we do not find a single passage of Scripture which declares the deal was made or that the deal was to be passed on to his off-spring. There certainly is no indication whatsoever that any of His attempt to make a deal with God has anything to do with us apart from the fact that many of us seem to have the same nature Jacob had. We seem to play the same games with God that Jacob played. There are many truths we can learn from Jacob who would one day become Israel, but tithing is not something we can learn from him. There is not a single record that God commanded him to tithe and not a single record that he ever did.
Joseph
If there were ever an opportunity for God to conclusively show He was interested in 10 per cent of gross income, Joseph had a perfect opportunity to make it absolutely clear. If you recall, Joseph interpreted a couple of dreams foretelling 7 years of good harvest followed by 7 years of famine. Joseph, "a man in whom the Spirit of God is," (Gen. 41:38) told Pharaoh to set aside one fifth of the grain from the 7 years of plenty to carry them through the 7 years of famine. I am sure there are many great truths we could dig up in the 47th Chapter of Genesis, but we must stay on the topic of tithing.
As the famine grew, Joseph sold grain to those living in Egypt and Canaan, until "Joseph brought all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan." The famine continued. The Egyptians then sold all their livestock to Joseph. At the end of that year they came to Joseph again. This time he bought their land and their very bodies in exchange for food. At this point, the Pharaoh, through Joseph’s administration, owned everything in Egypt except the land of the priests. Pharaoh had given the priests an allotment of food throughout this time and they therefore did not sell their land.
Joseph had in that moment in history, a perfect opportunity to create a perfect economical system. What did he do? Did he institute a "tithe?" After all, if tithing was a God ordained system among the patriarchs, here was Joseph’s perfect opportunity to institute the system throughout all of Egypt. After all, Joseph’s descendants were going to spend the next several hundred years in Egypt. He had a perfect opportunity to create an environment in which Yahweh would bless them and not curse them. So, did he set up a tithe of 10 per cent of gross or net income? No! Joseph first of all did not give the Egyptian people their possessions back. Capitalism was out. He gave them seed to grow new crops on land which now belonged to Pharaoh. Then, from the harvest of the government-given seed, 20 per cent went to Pharaoh to do with as he willed. The citizens of Egypt were allowed to keep the other eighty per cent. The people remained servants of Pharaoh. (The term "servants" in the Old Testament usually meant "slaves.")
"And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s." (Gen. 47:26)
It should be pointed out that there is not even a hint in Scripture that Israel while in Egypt would be under a different system than the one Joseph set up. For those of you who do see types and shadows in the Old Testament, many see Joseph (increaser, adding) as a type of Jesus Christ. There is much to learn here, but tithing is not one of them.
Now twenty per cent, is a very reasonable and probably healthy tax to keep a government running. You see, most of the countries at this time were not structured anything like governments today. Those who teach tithing do not tell us that there was no such thing as separation of church and state at this time in history. The kings and Pharaohs were often recognized as gods. These kingdoms were theocracies. What the king collected from the people could be used for anything from building roads, paying teachers, making war or building temples. Like I said, there was no separation of church and state.
What Joseph set up, whether we like it or not, was an economic system which forbid private land ownership with a twenty per cent tax on grain. Keep in mind, the Spirit of God was in him.
We do not find a 30 to 40 per cent tax for the government, and then a ten per cent tithe for the priests (pastors). Joseph did not institute a 10 per cent tithe off the top because God did not require it! Pharaoh did, however, need funds to keep the government running.
Now that is the end of any Scriptures relating to anything close to what we would call tithing prior to the institution of the Mosaic Law. Clearly, if God had instituted a 10 per cent tithe prior to Moses, either the Biblical characters must have been unaware of it, or God did not make it very clear. The truth is, He never demanded or even suggested it.
The Mosaic Tithe
As we begin to try to decipher what tithing in Israel was all about after they left Egypt, keep James 2:10 in mind. This is a New Testament warning of the consequences of trying to mix the Old and New Covenant together.
"Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." The penalty is death!
The entire law goes way beyond the Ten Commandments. For instance, the one who wants to put the Mosaic tithe on others will also have to stone their rebellious son or daughter (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). This would eliminate quite a few second-generation preachers. Preacher’s children are notorious for entering into much rebellion in their teen years due to having to project the right image all the time.
Anyone who has eaten a rare steak or catfish or shellfish is excommunicated from the congregation and separated from the blessings of God. (Lev. 17:14; Lev. Chapters 11 and 12) I won’t give all the references for some of the rest of these items tithe keepers must also keep. Leviticus and Numbers are full of laws most Christians would not like to place themselves under. Pork chops and bacon, of course, are definitely out. If your sister’s husband dies without producing children, her brother would have to give her children. Those who practiced a traditional Christmas would surely be guilty of idolatry and put to death. The images in most churches, especially those that have pictures of Jesus in them, would also qualify the pastors to be stoned.
I think you are beginning to get the point. Those who want to use the Mosaic tithing system to finance their churches and ministries are not willing to accept the rest of the package. I am afraid it was, is, and always will be a package deal, all or none. If you don’t believe me, see what Paul called the Ten Commandments in 2 Corinthians 3:5-7.
"Our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious."
And what was the glory of the Old Covenant, whose glory was passing away even as Paul was speaking? It was the ministry of condemnation! People who love to judge also love to condemn. They love to lift themselves up by putting others down. That is the ministry of the letter of the law; the ministry of condemnation; the ministry of death! And we wonder why there is so little life in the church.
I cannot get into a long discussion about Mosaic Law versus Grace through Jesus Christ. I just want to point out that Jesus Christ came to fulfill all the requirements of the Mosaic Law for us. The ultimate requirement of the Mosaic Law really boiled down to an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life. The sentence of death was on every single descendant of Adam. In Adam all died. It took the death of an innocent man to set those in Adam free. Life for life. All descendants of Adam (which is all mankind) died because of Adam’s transgression.
"For if, by the trespass of one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." Romans 5:17-19
(We have a lot of material on the subject of Grace through Faith versus Mosaic Law. We will be happy to send some to the reader if requested.)
Jesus walked this earth for 30 to 35 years sinless. When He died, He took away the sin (singular) of the world. He set those who died in Adam free. One day we will all come to this realization. Today, very few Christians really realize the far-reaching consequences of the righteous act of Jesus Christ.
But let us assume I am wrong. Let’s say Jesus didn’t fulfill all the requirements of the Law and therefore we are still under the Mosaic Law. Even if that were the case, the tithe that ministers are demanding is still not found in Moses’ Law.
A trip into a handful of Bible dictionaries should cure anyone of the simplistic idea that there is such a thing as 10 per cent off the top to a priesthood. Harper’s Bible Dictionary under "tithe" on page 1078 tells us,
"Reconstructing a clear picture of the nature and function of tithing in biblical times is extremely difficult due to the conflicting accounts and the problems in identifying the dates and provenance of the texts. Apparently, tithing was understood and practiced differently at different times and localities throughout the Biblical period."
The above statement may come as a surprise to many people. This is very sad because it shows how little most of us know about the Bible. Many of those who teach tithing want it that way.
Brief History of the Mosaic Tithe
The five volume Dictionary of the Bible by James Hastings, under "tithe" tells us,
"The history of the tithe in Israel is in many respects obscure ... It is accordingly remarkable that no reference is made to tithes in the Book of the Covenant. This is usually explained on the theory that the tithes were originally identical with the first-fruits, and that the need of more strictly defining the amount that should be paid, led, in the later legislation, to the use of the term which had already been employed in the North Israel sanctuaries. W.R. Smith, on the contrary, thinks that the tithe was a fixed tribute, comparatively modern in its origin. At an earlier period the tribute took the form of first-fruits, which were a private offering. When this was no longer adequate to meet the expenses of a more elaborate cultus, the tithe was charged as a fixed burden on land."
Now this is most interesting. Experts in Old Testament studies tell us that tracing the "tithe" and how it was administered is "obscure." Yet many ministers quote two or three passages out of Leviticus, Exodus, or Malachi and tell us "ten per cent off the top and it should go to your local ‘church.’" Those of you who want to see for yourself rather than just believing a preacher because he said so, will discover the following:
No tithe of any kind is found in the Book of the Covenant given by Moses which consisted of the Ten Commandments and various civil and religious requirements. Funds to provide for these activities came from free-will offerings. (see Ex. Chapters 20-23, Ex. 34:22,29; 36:3,7)
Almost a year after the Book of the Covenant was written, a tithing system was instituted. (Lev. 27:30-33) "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD." (Lev. 27:30-32) Please note some very important things here. The tithe was specifically directed to the "land, whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree," and the animals which ate of the land. God specifically did not mention the fishing, mining, tent-making, lumber, or various professional occupations. The focus was a tenth of the seed and fruit of the land. Note that if a person wanted to pay money instead of the actual produce, he had to pay 20 per cent more! Obviously money was not what God was after. Furthermore, regarding the animals, it was the tenth one which passed under the rod which was to be tithed. A man with less than 10 animals did not have to tithe his animals! Also note, he could not redeem the animals, that is, he could not give money instead of the actual animal. Place a dead chicken in the offering plate next week and see whether your pastor is interested in your fulfilling the law or is he or she really more interested in your money. Their reaction to the chicken should tell you something.
When looking at all the Scriptures in the Bible that deal with tithing, only the owners of the land and animals had to tithe those items. Servants or slaves who worked that land did not tithe; the produce did not belong to them!
There may be one exception to the above point. 1 Samuel Chapter 8 tells us that the children of Israel at that time wanted to be like the other nations around them. They wanted a king. This displeased Samuel the prophet, greatly. Samuel prayed and Yahweh answered and said, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you; for they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them...Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them behavior of the king who will reign over them." (Use your imagination and bring this passage home, to today. Obviously, the chariots are no longer here; they have been replaced by cars, etc. We no longer have kings, but we have those who seem to act like kings.) "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day." (1 Samuel 8:4-18) Sad to say, many Christians today are not familiar enough with church history to discover that she also has rejected the LORD and has placed kings over her to rule her and be fleeced by them. Those who strongly teach tithing look very much like the "king" just described. And these kings separate us from our true King! Here is the modern church tithe!
As Israel changed from nomads in the wilderness to a nation with boundaries and set cities, the regulations on tithing changed showing again there was never a set "Biblical tithe." Deuteronomy Chapters 12 and 14 tell us of some of the changes. Deuteronomy 12:8 tells us, "Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here (prior to entering Canaan) this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes." When Israel entered Canaan, they then set up a system which would distribute tithes, taxes, offerings, etc., which would logistically take care of a country 200 by 50 miles in area.
Due to the inconvenience of having to carry grain and animals perhaps as far as 100 miles, the 20 per cent surcharge for converting to cash was dropped. (Deut. 14:24,25) Furthermore, they were allowed to "spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household." (Deut. 14:26)
Deuteronomy Chapter 14:23 says in every third year the tithe of the produce was to be laid up for the Levite and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, that they may eat and be satisfied. Please note, we are talking about people not going hungry.
One of the purposes for the tithe was to provide for the Levites. The Levites received a smaller allotment of land than the other tribes. The Levites provided not only much of the religious functions of the community, but judicial, governmental, and educational as well. In other words, the tithe was also used for secular purposes. Levites were often musicians, administrators, architects, judges, teachers, scribes, doctors, what we would call "professional people" today. The Levite would tithe the tithe given him and give that to the priests. The priests did not have to tithe. I realize most people equate Levites with priests, but somewhere in the history of Israel, two different classes developed.
Those responsible for getting money out of their congregations often use Scriptures not even dealing with the tithe to teach tithing. The laws centering on first-fruits and first-born are different from the laws around the tithe. For firstlings see Num. 3:12,13, 40-45; 8:16-18. For first-fruits see Lev. 23:10-14; Num. 18:12-28. If we re-institute all these Mosaic Laws dealing with trying to get something out of God’s people, why not re-institute all of them? Of course, that would be ridiculous. We would have to start slaughtering lambs and killing rebellious children. Remember, he who fails in one point of the Mosaic Law, is guilty of it all!
When the children of Israel were in their land, they were required to come to Jerusalem for three feasts each year. A portion of their tithe was to be used for them to rejoice! 10 per cent of gross income in addition to hefty federal, state, and local taxes is nothing to rejoice about especially since most churches don’t allow one to use a portion of the tithe to "rejoice with wine or similar drink." The Mosaic Law commanded the children of Israel to come to Jerusalem three times a year. How many pastors force their congregations to take a trip to Jerusalem three times a year. This was just as binding as the Biblical tithe.
It appears that tithing varied from year to year. Scholars (including Jewish Rabbis) are in disagreement with each other exactly how this was done. One scholar suggested that in the seven year sabbatical period, the first, second, fourth, and fifth year the tithepayer could eat of the tithe at the temple along with the Levites. In the third and sixth year, the tithe stayed in the tithepayer’s home town instead of being brought to Jerusalem. This was to take care of the fatherless, strangers, widows, and Levites.
In the seventh year, there was to be no planting, no reaping, and no tithing. (Lev. 25:1-7) Do tithe-preaching pastors give their congregation a break every 7 years? I haven’t met one yet. (I told you they didn’t get their tithing teachings from the Bible!)
The Levites did not live completely off the tithe. They only ministered in the temple twice a year for a week at a time. (Ex. 23:14-17; Lev. 23; Deut. 16:16) They were allotted quite a bit of land around their home cities. (Num. 35:4) These fields belonged to the Levites for a perpetual possession. (Lev. 25:34)
Only Levites could receive the tithe! Jesus Christ himself could not receive the tithe because He was from the tribe of Judah. Remember, the Mosaic Law is a contract in which all must be kept. It cannot be broken into pieces. The Levites are gone. Even modern Jews cannot tithe to them anymore.
It is also important to note that the entire Mosaic Law system was only for Israel. This system did not require the Roman, the Greek, the Babylonian, the American Indian to tithe. One had to become a part of Israel through a system of ritual which began with circumcision for the male. Only after being accepted into the community of Israel were the Mosaic Laws binding. Furthermore, the tithe was at first only applicable to the land of Israel. When large populations of Jews lived in Babylon, Ammon, Moab, Egypt, and Syria, these lands became titheable land. But most gentile land was considered "unclean" by Jews and a tithe from them would not be found acceptable. The United States under the Mosaic Law commandments would certainly have been considered "unclean."
Modern Jews do not tithe
Jewish Rabbis today (those who should know the Mosaic Law better than pastors), do not collect tithes because they know only Levites can collect the tithe. Because the genealogical records were destroyed in the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, they cannot determine true Levites. They use a patron system of so many dollars for each seat in their synagogues to raise funds for the maintenance of their synagogues. Of course, the more prominent seats command a higher price, but they do not tithe. Now isn’t that amazing? I wonder how many ministers can prove biological descent from Aaron? Remember, this is not the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
Well, I think we have covered enough ground on true Biblical tithing to show that what is pawned off today as the "Biblical tithe" is not only unscriptural, it is outright deceit!
Now as I say this, I realize there are thousands of sincere ministers and laypeople who are teaching and practicing tithing. Please understand. I am not attacking you. It is very easy to pass on the traditions of men and find ourselves ending up very ignorant of the Scriptures and the ways of our Father. Many who are reading this right now are probably amazed at how little they actually knew about what the Bible has to say about the tithe. O.K. Now you know. Now you are responsible for what you know. Repent. Turn. He is there to forgive and He has the power to turn all things to our good, including our mistakes.
Some who are tithing may not feel as bad about giving the tithe as those ministers who taught Christians to do it. But when one sees how much evil rather than good those tithes have actually done, they may see that repentance and Godly sorrow is needed. Study the cartoon at the end of this book. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how the religious system which instituted the tithe has created many obstacles for people coming to Christ. Furthermore, this system has prevented millions of Christians from entering into a deeper walk. It has prevented many Christians from entering into their gifts and callings. The tithing system has been used to institute a priesthood which is not lawful under the New Covenant. The system of tithing has been instrumental in creating a priesthood and laity structure which God did not intend under the administration of Grace. It has hindered millions of poor people from entering churches. The methods used to extract the tithe from people have turned many away from Christianity. Those who are proud "tithers" must see their participation in such a system is really nothing to be proud of. We have a very merciful Father Who is able to deal with our self-righteousness and haughtiness in just the right way. But we must come to Him allowing Him to reveal the error of our ways. We must become poor in spirit and humble of heart. And we must repent...turn from our dead traditions.
In analyzing that booklet Tithes, Offerings, and Alms, I noticed the author almost completely avoided all those Scriptures I just covered about true Biblical tithing under the Old Covenant. He quoted all kinds of unrelated Scriptures about Abraham’s sacrifice of his son, James writing about our faith being made perfect through works, Hannah’s vow to God, giving alms to the poor, etc. But he almost completely avoided Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Exodus, and Numbers where the tithe is defined. Why? Because the 10 per cent of income which he preaches isn’t in there! Most people never read that part of the Bible. As long as Christians will not study for themselves to show themselves approved, then perhaps they deserve to be fleeced by wolves in sheep's clothing!
Now this little booklet I have been referring to, refers to the Book of Malachi on a least 6 different occasions—far more than any Books that actually lay down the laws dealing with Old Testament tithing.
"Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ "In tithes and offerings. 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 such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’" (Malachi 3:8-10)
How many times have you heard this passage used to put guilt on people for not coughing up the dough for a new parking lot, steeple, missionary fund, new organ, etc., etc.?
The main focus of tithing throughout the Old Testament was food!!! Food for the Levite, food for the stranger, food for the widow, food for the orphan and God doesn’t change the subject in Malachi. The subject is still "food in My house." It is very sad that it never occurs to pastors of churches that the early church wasn’t concerned about choir robes, pews, organs, pastor retirement funds, building funds, retreats, new carpets, etc. They didn’t have any of these things nor did they want any of this stuff! Pastors who are so interested in that 10 per cent off the top are usually building their own kingdom which usually requires a lot of money. Jesus is building His church in an entirely different way, and He doesn’t need padded pews, stained glass and steeples to get the job done.
The next time a pastor has one of the elders, deacons, traveling financial counselor, or evangelist put the guilt on you about tithing, buy a truckload of wheat and dump it on the pulpit and see his reaction. "Food in my house." You would have fulfilled the Old Testament Law perfectly, if you were a landowner and it wasn’t the 7th year. If you brought the truckload in on the seventh year, you would have broken the law and would have been under a curse. Now isn’t that amazing?
This is not to say there is no proper place for money in ministries. Of course, there are many financial needs even in Holy Spirit directed works. How this money is raised and how well it is managed and for what purpose is the real issue.
Is Tithing New Covenant?
This little booklet I have been referring to, says that tithing (meaning 10 per cent of your income), is also a New Testament ordinance. The booklet quotes:
"But woe unto you, Pharisee! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment, and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." (Luke 11:42)
From this Scripture, the writer of that booklet, deduced that 10 per cent off the top was a New Testament teaching. Let us see if this "reasoning" is correct.
Jesus was born under the law. The law would not pass away, not even one jot or tittle until all things be fulfilled. Just because Jesus spoke in Matthew does not mean it is New Covenant teaching. The New Covenant is not the set of books from Matthew to Revelation! The New Covenant was not ratified until Jesus offered up His blood in heaven which was after His resurrection! Prior to that, the Old Covenant, and the Levitical Priesthood was still in effect. Jesus Himself said to do what those who sit in Moses seat said to do. But don’t do what they do. (Matt. 23:1-4) (Keep in mind, Jesus was speaking to Jews still under the Mosaic Law which was still in effect. Do not apply to yourselves what was spoken to another people under a different administration.)
Now isn’t it interesting that what these Pharisees tithed was produce from the land. Even in what we call the New Testament, when the word "tithe" comes up, it always speaks of agricultural or animal products. We never see people tithing fish, gems, fabric etc. But even though they tithed even the smallest of seeds (agricultural), the word to them was "Woe" not "well done thou good and faithful tither." (Luke 11:42) The other account of a tither in the improperly named "New Testament" occurs in Luke 18:12-14. Between the tither who "fasted twice a week and give tithes of all that I possess" and the publican, a sinner—it was the sinner who "went to his house justified" and not the tither. So much for tithers being blessed.
It should be pointed out at this time, that Jesus condemned the Pharisee who tithed even the smallest of seeds, but neglected other parts of the law dealing with proper judgment and the love of God. "Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law; justice and mercy and faith."(Luke 11:42, Matt. 23:23) Keep in mind that when Jesus told the people to do what those in Moses seat commanded that He was not condoning their commands and actions. He was acknowledging the authority that God set up. The Levitical priesthood was the valid agency set up by Yahweh Himself. But when the tree did not produce the fruit of the kingdom, He cursed it. When one studies the fruit of the Law of Moses and the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil, one will find great similarities and powerful truths. The law tells us what is good and evil, but it still can only bring us death for by the law "shall no one be justified."
The Mosaic Law was til the Promised Seed should come and that was Jesus, the Messiah.
There is one very difficult passage of Scripture in Hebrews which is often taken out of context to prove that the tithe was either pre-Mosaic, and therefore, still in effect or a part of the Mosaic law that we are still to perform. Rarely is this Scripture studied in its proper context. If it were, one would discover the passage does not deal with tithing, but a higher priesthood than the Levitical Priesthood, that is, the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.
We find a rather confusing discussion about priesthood in the first part of chapter seven in the book of Hebrews. This book becomes a hopeless mass of confusion to most Christians unless they keep in mind who the book was written to (Jews), the time in which it was written and the purpose of the epistle.
First of all, this book was written to Jews who believed that Jesus (Yeshua) was the Messiah. They began to understand salvation by grace through faith, not of works, or genealogy, or nationality. Paul’s gospel of grace was taking root. Although he was always battling the Judaizers who wanted to put the Mosaic law even on Gentiles, Paul’s message of grace through faith, not of works (the law) was making inroads among the Jews. It was a difficult process. Even Peter had to be rebuked for his legalism at Antioch. (Gal. 2:11-16) But Paul was having some success. Then something very tragic happened. Most scholars put the writing of Hebrews in the 60’s A.D. In 64 A.D. the city of Rome was burned and Nero blamed it upon the Christians. Prior to this time, Christians were just another sect of Judaism, which was protected by Roman law as a legal religion. Nero’s wife, Poppaea, was a "God-fearer," which was a person who had great respect for Judaism, but did not go so far as to become a Jew herself. When Rome burned, many citizens of Rome felt Nero burned it himself. To get the "heat" off of himself, so to speak, he looked for a group of people large enough to make a large display of and satisfy Rome’s lust for blood in the circuses. The ordinary Jews who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah wanted Christians to be considered a separate religion anyway. They were trying to get these Christians killed wherever they were spreading their poison and so the stage was set to forever separate Christianity from its Jewish roots. Hundreds of Christians were huddled into Nero’s Vatican Gardens known as the Hippodrome. For two days they were made one of the most despicable spectacles this world has ever seen. Read The Flames of Rome by Paul Maier for a graphical account of the butchery of hundreds of Hebrews and Gentiles who believed in the Messiah Yeshua. This event became the turning point at which Christianity was no longer a sect of Judaism, protected by the Roman laws which sanctioned Judaism. Christians now were considered "atheists" by the Romans. A religion without statues and temples was no religion at all. Many awful rumors were spread about the evil wicked things Christians did in their house meetings. For example, from the Lord’s supper, rumors were spread that Christians killed children and drank their blood and ate their bodies. Much like today, these slanderous rumors were believed by many. Even those whose who did not believe them to be true, spread the rumors anyway, because these Christians did not also worship the Roman Gods and the state. The Caesars, at this point in history were also declared gods. Declaring loyalty to the state became synonymous to declaring Caesar as Lord. Most citizens of the Roman Empire had little difficulty with this. But for Christians, it meant betraying Christ.
I cannot go into great depth in this area because it would take too much time. I only bring these points out to show that many times we misinterpret many passages of Scriptures because we take verses out of context and time, which allows us to make them say anything we want them to say. This is perhaps one of the main reasons there are thousands of different sects of Christianity.
Now place yourself in the life of a Hebrew who now realizes that his belief in the Messiah could send him and his wife and children into the circus to be horribly mutilated and then killed. Faith in the Messiah now cost one their very life. Many thousands of believers felt is was safer to hide their belief and practice Judaism. After all, the temple was still standing, the sacrifices were still going on, and there were many Jewish-Christians who practiced the Law of Moses and grace through faith. After all, James, the head of the Jerusalem Church and those associated with him were "zealous for the law." (Acts 21:14-28) Keep in mind, this happened many years after Christ’s resurrection. Jewish Christians following James still practiced the whole Mosaic Law! So it was very convenient for Jewish Christians to slide back into the priesthood, old promises, old hope, and old covenant.
The writer of Hebrews spends a great deal of time explaining that the old system is but a "copy and shadow of the heavenly things." (Hebrews 8:5)
"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshippers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire. But a body You have prepared for Me..." (Hebrews 10:1-5)
I wish Christians could really grab hold of what the writer of Hebrews was pointing to here and apply it to the whole Law of Moses, they would be free indeed! If Christians not only read, but actually believed in their hearts what the writer of Hebrews meant when he wrote: "then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat sown at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified." (Hebrews 10:9-13) God knew that the blood of bulls and goats could never clean our conscience of guilt and therefore under the law, we would always be under condemnation. (2 Cor. 3:9) We could never be set free in our minds. The Old Covenant sacrificing of bulls and goats was a temporary image of what Jesus Christ would do in actuality, that is, in the spiritual. One righteous act of the Lamb of God Who would "take away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) While many Christians have read this passage dozens of times, few truly understand the power and significance of the Lamb taking away the singular "sin" of the whole world. (This article will not deal with that subject.) However, if one can understand that the blood of bulls and goats were signs and shadows and not what God really wanted, perhaps we could see that the Creator of all could really care less about everything else we try to offer Him that are signs and shadows under the Law. The blood of bulls and goats centered around cleansing our conscience of guilt so that we could enter, not into the shadow Most Holy Place, but into the very Temple of God, sprinkled by His own blood, that is His life. (Hebrews 10:19-23)
We could spend a great deal of time discussing this topic, but the bottom of the line is that "the life is in the blood." (Deut. 12:32; Lev. 17:11,14) Abundant life is only possible with a pure heart, clean mind and sincere faith. One will only approach the Most High God in a state of sinlessness because sin will drive us away from the presence of God. It is not God driving us away, but our guilt and fear of punishment. Christ came to overcome this problem for us. Unfortunately, most Christians have fallen from grace, placed themselves back under some form of law-keeping and therefore live a defeated life back under condemnation. When we truly understand that we have access to the throne of grace not because of our own righteousness, but because of the righteousness of Christ which is accounted to us, then guilt no longer can keep us from the source of all power and life. My words cannot describe the reality of this—only when one truly experiences this can one understand this mystery. The blood of Able spoke vengeance. Our Father said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay." He said this knowing He could kill and make alive again. Man can only kill. Man’s justice and mercy falls far short of the righteousness of God. The blood of Christ spoke forgiveness and mercy. And it speaks today still making intercessions for all mankind.
With all this in mind, what was the higher purpose of the tithe? What was it pointing to? Was there more to it than provision for the Levites, poor, widows, and the stranger? What was this mysterious 10 per cent of the spoils of war given to a priest who had no beginning or ending of days? Is God really interested in 10 per cent of anything we have? He makes it clear that while He commanded Israel to kill bulls and goats and offer them up to Him, He really did not delight in sacrifices.
If you go back to the garden of Eden, we discover that when Adam and Eve (and as a result all of mankind) were cast out of the garden and removed from the Tree of Life, the earth became cursed. From the sweat of his brow would man have to eek out a living for himself. In this fallen state, he became prey to fear of lack. From his own labor would come provision. But because of that fear of lack, man began to hoard, steel, manipulate things to have "more than enough" for himself. As man became more separated from God in his mind, he saw himself as the source of his own goods. He earned them, worked for them, wisely invested etc. Man forgot that all really belonged to God. Man forgot that we are just stewards of His possessions. The tithe, or anything offered back to God, whether Mosaic or pre-Mosaic, served as a reminder that the source of all things was God Himself! Giving part of one’s possessions to a person acting as a representative of God, reminded that individual that God is the ultimate supplier of all things. The grave is a good reminder that a person cannot take any of his earthly possessions with him. The tithe or any offering to a representative of God seems like a healthy reminder, but it failed, and it fails today. Instead, of producing gratefulness, thankfulness, and an awareness of the need for God, it produces pride in many of those who do tithe. It does not produce thankfulness for God’s provisions like a living relationship with Jesus does. Also, under the New Covenant, rather than giving 10 per cent of the increase of the agriculture and livestock, and other offerings reminding them of God’s provisions, the believer gives what he is called to give to the people of the world, not to a representative priesthood. Jesus tells us that when we do something for the least of His brethren, we do it unto Him. (Matt. 25:38-45) Here is the New Testament reality of the pre-Mosaic and Mosaic types and shadows. God is the giver and sustainer of all life. He is conforming us to His image and therefore we are also to give of our lives. He has prepared good works for us to walk in prepared from the foundation of the world. (Eph. 2:10) We should give of ourselves, which is really God giving through us, to His creation that His creation might be set free from the bondage of corruption. We should give, not from the letter of the law which kills, but from the Spirit Who prepared works for us to walk in. One comes from bondage to a set of laws, the other comes from love, which is the nature of God. The first usually produces pride and self-righteousness, the latter produces joy. The higher ways of God are much better than the lower ways of the Old Covenant. And that is what the writer of Hebrews was telling Jews who were fleeing persecution by retreating back to the law and Judaism. He told them it was no longer a refuge.
The writer of Hebrews was correct. Within a few years of his warning, in 70 AD, the whole Mosaic structure was destroyed. The Priesthood, the temple, the genealogical records, and Jerusalem were destroyed even to the tearing down the huge stones in the temple as Jesus prophesied. Judaism lost its special status with the Roman government.
It is sad to note, but much of Christianity has dug up much of the Old Covenant system and replaced the higher ways with the ways of death again. Few Christians are ambassadors of the New Jerusalem, the mother of us all. Most of Christendom has never risen out of the letter of the law and pagan practices. Few ever rise to the higher calling in Christ which the book of Hebrews so beautifully reveals. This is very sad, but true.
In summary then, the New Covenant did not begin with the Gospel of Matthew. It began when the heavenly things which the Mosaic and Solomic tabernacles and temples were just shadow of, were sprinkled by the very (life) blood of the True Lamb of God, Yeshua, the Messiah. Jesus spoke under the Law of Moses and told those in His audiences to keep it because they were still under it. He also told them not to do as those who interpreted the Law of Moses who "made the word of God of none effect by their traditions." When one studies the priesthood of Israel and its political, religious, and economic connections and practices, and compares them to the ecclesiastical systems of Christendom today, one may be amazed at the similarity. The tithe has certainly produced many physical temples (churches, monasteries, cathedrals, shrines, etc.), but it has not manifested in the true temple of God, his people, what the tithe was only a shadow of, that is, giving out of the spirit of love which does not give based upon percentages of income.
How the early church was financed
It should come as no surprise that the early congregations of Christianity were financed the same way the early Israelite society was financed—through a free-will offering, which according to Moses, was more than ample to provide that which was needed.
"Men and women, as many as were willing hearted, brought bracelets, and earrings, rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold ...the children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the Lord ... They brought yet unto him (Moses) free offerings every morning ... the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much." (Exodus 35:22, 29; 36:3,7)
When our Father’s people give according to His heart and do the work He has called us to do in His way, those offerings of the heart will be sufficient and more than sufficient. The keys are the willing heart and the proper work!
Church historians make it very clear, the early Christian congregations were not financed by tithing of any kind. Apparently tithing promoters do not read very much early Christian history. The Encyclopedia Britannica tells us that "The Christian Church depended at first on voluntary gifts from its members." Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church says, "It is admitted universally that the payment of tithes or the tenths of possessions, for sacred purposes did not find a place within the Christian Church during the age covered by the apostles and their immediate successors." The Americana declares: "It (tithing) was not practiced in the early Christian Church." Even the Catholic Church, notorious for its many finance raising schemes, says in the New Catholic Encyclopedia: "The early Church had no tithing system ... it was not that no need of supporting the Church existed or was recognized, but rather that other means appeared to suffice."
The recently published Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary tells us that in "the New Testament, the words ‘tithe’ and ‘tithing’ appear only eight times (Matt. 23:23; Luke 11:42; Luke 18:12; Hebrews 7:5-6, 8-9). All of these passages refer to Old Testament usage and to current Jewish practice. Nowhere does the New Testament expressly command Christians to tithe."
It is ironic that the Roman Catholic Church, which brought many Old Testament traditions and rituals back into the church in modified forms, at first did not partake in usury, that is, in interest on money. They felt usury was un-Biblical because of passages such as Exodus 22:25; Lev. 25:35-37; Deut. 23:19-20; Nehe. 5:7,10; Ps. 15:5. To finance their building programs and wars, the popes and kings assigned Jews in their court to do that kind of "dirty work." That was perhaps one of the leading contributors to the Jewish people becoming prominent in banking, that is, through being the Christian’s money lenders.
Isn’t it interesting that those who quote the Old Testament to support tithing for Christians mysteriously avoid scriptures dealing with charging interest as being unlawful? These same tithe promoters usually have plenty of money stashed into all kinds of interest bearing bonds, savings accounts, etc. As a matter of fact, every time a bullet or bomb is dropped to kill someone, thousands of churches across America make a profit. How so, you might ask? Churches and denominational headquarters have billions of dollars which are invested in hundreds of different profit-making or interest-bearing ventures. Most churches invest in conservative mutual funds with portfolios composed of Blue Chip companies such as defense contractors. Some of these same conservative companies are even controlled by religious organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church. When these defense contractors, like McDonnell Douglas, sell their war machines to our government, the stockholders, thousands of which are churches, make a profit. War machines are made to kill people. The church invests in many companies that make all kinds of products that kill or are harmful to humanity. One would be shocked to find out how much Christian organizations earn from the world’s military industrial complex. (For more information on this subject write for the audiotape The Church is a Rich Prostitute.)
It was not until after Constantine (fourth century A.D.) made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire that the free-will offering was replaced with various forceful means of raising money. Constantine began a huge building program, constructing churches and renovating pagan temples for use in what would become Roman Catholicism. Prior to this time, believers did not need ornate buildings. After all, they knew that they were the true temple of God, not some buildings constructed in the very same form as the pagan temples only with some Biblical themes added to them. A study of the things Constantine and his mother did to pervert Christianity would be a very worthwhile study.
So, back to New Covenant financing. Matthew through Revelations is really full of Scriptures that deal with proper giving. There are really too many to put into such a small publication. But a few will suffice.
Throughout the Bible, Old Testament and New, the God of Christianity makes it clear that He is really not interested in our "offerings of sacrifice."
"Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God! I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are continually before Me. I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine and all its fullness. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High. Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me." (Psalm 50:7-15)
"For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise." (Psalm 51:16,17) "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure." (Hebrews 10:5,6; Psalm 40:6-8)
Our Father makes it abundantly clear that we have nothing that does not even now belong to Him already. Offering 10 per cent of His goods or 90 per cent of His goods or all of it, means nothing to Him. He knows it all belongs to Him. We are the ones who seem to have the problem of forgetting that. What He is really after is our sincere thankfulness, our gratefulness for what He has given us!
Every person knows in their heart that God does not need stained glass windows, steeples, plush carpet, gaudy looking crosses, and a host of others things "tithes" are used to purchase. He would probably prefer a bull to a steeple. At least He made the bull, he didn’t make nor authorize church leaders to make much of the "stuff" those tithes are spent on.
Let me ask you, "How did Jesus send out the disciples? Did He give them a Cadillac or an American Express Card in the name of the ministry like many modern American evangelists do today? No, He sent them out with nothing and they were provided for with all they needed as they went.
"Go your way; behold I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor script, nor shoes ... and in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give; for the labourer is worthy of his hire ..." (Luke 10:3,4,7)
Perhaps it should be made clear at this point, that Jesus did not use any money in the Treasury of Israel of which tithes on the land and livestock were certainly a part. As mentioned before, Jesus, Himself, being from the tribe of Judah and not the tribe of Levi, could not legally receive tithes. Jesus was financed through free-will offerings from various people.
"And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, ministered to and provided for Him and them out of their property and personal belongings." (Luke 8:3)
Sometimes Jesus even provided for Himself miraculously as when He had Peter catch a fish with the Temple tax in it. (Matt. 17:24-27)
Paul did not Receive Tithes
Paul’s missionary efforts should make it abundantly clear to everyone that the tithe, whether on agricultural products, livestock or 10 per cent of income, is not a New Testament teaching. Of all the New Testament writers, Paul of all people should have been able to use the Old Testament Scriptures to get people to tithe to him so that his expenses would be taken care of. But Paul did not quote a single tithing Scripture to make people give, not one. He most certainly could have, because the Temple and its sacrificial system was still going on during his life-time. But Paul knew only Levites could collect tithes. Paul could have made some Levites his treasurer and then gotten the tithes, but he did no such thing. When he quoted the Old Testament to justify receiving financial help from Christians, he quoted Deuteronomy 25:4, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." (1 Cor. 9:9) He quotes it again in 1 Timothy 5:17,18, "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads the grain,’ and ‘The laborer is worthy of his wages.’" (The words for double honor in the Greek include monetary remuneration.)
Why didn’t Paul just blast them with some real good strong tithe Scriptures and then throw the Malachi "you are robbing God" thing at them like many preachers do? Because Paul knew the Old Covenant much better than modern preachers do! He knew that there was a new temple, a new priesthood, and new covenant, and a new way of giving—out of the love of Christ in your heart! Just as our Father gave—
"For God so loved the world that He gave ..." Here is our example of giving. "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:43-48)
"Remember this—meagre sowing means meagre reaping; generous sowing means generous reaping. Each person must make up his own mind what he is going to give. He must not give as if giving hurt him, or as if the money was being forced out of him. God loves a man who enjoys giving. God can give you more than enough of every good gift, enough for you to have plenty for yourselves always and in any circumstances, and to have enough left over to contribute to every good cause. As Scripture says: ‘He gave generously to the poor; his kindness lasts for ever.’ God, who gives seed to sow and bread to eat, will give you an abundant supply of seed, and he will make it grow into a plentiful harvest, which will be the result of your charity to others. He will always make you rich enough to be generous to every claim on you, and your generosity will make many people thank God when we have distributed it to those who need it; for this piece of Christian service, which you have accepted as your duty, not only supplies the needs of God’s people, it also overflows in a tide of thanksgiving to God. This service, which you are rendering, will be proof to those who receive it that you really are pledged to obedience when you publicly declare your faith in the gospel of Christ. They will also see how generously you share what you have with them and with all. And, when they see this, they will praise God for it. Because God gave you a superabundance of his grace, their warmest affection will go out to you, and they will be praying for you. Thank God for his gift, which has no price, and which is beyond words to tell of." (2 Corinthians 9:6-15, Barclay Translation)
Can it be any plainer? I suppose for those who have eyes and cannot see, they just will never be made to see. The Pharisee, whether Jewish or Christian will always put burdens upon other people’s backs that they are unwilling to put upon themselves.
At the beginning of Paul’s missionary work, he provided for himself from his tent-making abilities. "Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’" Many of his early converts were Jews. Surely, if Paul had legal rights to tithes, they would have given them to him. But it was not legal. Paul was a Benjamite.
Later in his ministry, when some churches had been established, he "robbed some churches to preach to others."
"Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God free of charge. I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you." (2 Cor. 11:7,8)
Some Christians do not give to ministries at all because they believe the minister should also have a job and take care of their own expenses. But they do not really take all the Scriptures into account when they come to that conclusion. Some Christians use the tent-making Scripture as an excuse to not support those who labor in God’s vineyard full-time. This excuse to hide their own selfishness is not supported very well in the Scriptures. All of us, who are Christians, are called to be full-time Christians. Unfortunately, too many Christians are Christians for two hours on Sunday and maybe an hour or so at mid-week. But there are also those who are called into full-time ministering in many different ways. Some of these, Paul says are worthy of "double honor." This Greek term includes far more than a "congratulations for a well-done job." The term speaks of financial remuneration as well. (1 Tim. 5:17)
"Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel." (1 Cor. 9:13,14, NKJV)
Again, please note all of Paul’s references to Old Testament types, and yet he never quoted any of the tithing passages. He didn’t because he knew he was ministering from a different temple. He was a priest after a new priesthood, and he was ministering from a new place, not from the letter of the law that kills, but from the Spirit which gives life. Paul would never use some of the deceptive ways many ministers use to extort money from people.
I have seen ministers use the story of Ananias and Sapphira to firm up their Sunday message to get a good offering. This account in the book of Acts, however, has nothing to do with tithing. They probably gave much more than ten per cent of the sale of the property. It has everything to do with lying to God!
"You have not lied to men but to God." (See Acts 5:1-11)
Some denominational headquarters even go so far in twisting Scriptures that they say 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 says that church moneys should go to headquarters and then be redistributed.
"Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to churches of Galatia, so you must do also: on the first day of the week let each of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem."
Just a little bit of Bible and historical study should show that what Paul was storing up was food for the believers in Jerusalem who were experiencing a famine. Acts 11:27-30 tells us that:
"And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul."
Just a little study into history using Bible dictionaries and chronological charts, we find Claudius Caesar reigning from 41-54 A.D. 1 Corinthians was written, according to scholars at the end of Claudius’ reign. The "collection for the saints" was a voluntary relief program made up of free-will offerings that were to be distributed to other believers in distress! Again, we do not hear the word "tithe." In fact, if one goes to a concordance and looks up the word "tithe" or "tithes," and searches through Paul’s pastoral epistles, letters leaving instruction to church leaders on how to conduct church business, he fails to mention these two words even once! That should tell us something. Furthermore, when one looks at the percentages of the tithe sent to oppressed brothers and sisters in third world nations, one will discover that the tithe-taking churches of today are much less humane than the free-will offering churches of the first century.
Jesus Never Received Tithes
The life of Jesus should be an example to us on giving. If He collected tithes, perhaps, a minister could make a reasonable argument for collecting tithes, but He did not. "Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." (2 Cor. 8:9) "Freely have ye received, freely give." (Matt. 10:8)
There are some who reason that since Jesus is the High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, and since Abraham offered him tithes, ministers should receive tithes because they, being a part of Christ, are part of that priesthood. Therefore, they should receive those tithes. While on the surface that may have a ring of reasonableness to it, there are enough holes in this line of reasoning to sink a ship.
As mentioned before, Abraham tithed only the spoils of war and he did not keep the rest. He gave it all away, much of it to the king Sodom. Furthermore, Christian ministers today cannot be called a Melchizedek priest. This priesthood is "unchangeable." (Hebrews 7:24) The literal rendering of this passage in the Greek means "a priesthood which passeth not from one to another." There can be no successor to Melchizedek. Jesus Christ is the only One Who can fill that position. Ministers here on earth, even good ones die, proving their priesthood here on earth has an end. To make the matter even more difficult for those who refuse to let go of their lust for money to finance their kingdoms, Peter tells us that the called-out ones, the ekklesia, the church is a "chosen generation, a royal priesthood ..." (1 Peter 2:9) That’s all of us! You are a priest. Are we all supposed to tithe to each other? I am sure that is not what tithing ministers want. They want your tithes given to them. But according to their own reasoning, you have just as much right to demand that they tithe to you, since you are a part of the same priesthood.
I mentioned at the beginning of this article that those teaching tithing as a New Covenant law or principle are actually the very ones who are robbing God. How so you ask? Well, as many passages of Scriptures make abundantly clear, under the New Covenant, there is a new temple, new priesthood, and a new law. The Old Covenant had Levites and priests, the New Covenant has apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The New Covenant has "gifts of men." (Eph. 4:8) It also gave through the Holy Spirit "gifts to men." We find some of them listed in 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. This is the main list Pentecostals and Charismatics use to prove supernatural gifts are for today. Unfortunately, too few are aware of another list of gifts equally needful and equally New Testament. We find that list in Romans Chapter 12:4-8. Non-Charismatics and Pentecostals are probably more familiar with this list. One of the gifts listed is the gift of giving.
"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophesy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." (Rom. 12:8)
Now if the Holy Spirit divides the gifts as He wills, then different members of the body do different things and are equipped differently to do their job. The tithe demands, according to tithe proponents, 10 per cent off the top from everyone. But there are those who are specifically given the "gift of giving." What if God blesses a man in a business venture that makes that man a billionaire. What if God has given him the gift of giving and he is to give away 99 per cent of what he earns? But when he is taught that if you are a tither you are doing great, he will not actually give the full amount of what God called him to give! The man then ends up boasting in giving his ten per cent, is nominated to be treasurer of the church, and yet is not bearing the fullness of the gift he has been given to bless the body of Christ and the world.
Remember the parables about the talents distributed unevenly among people? I believe there have been men and women in the body of Christ who should have given billions of dollars away who, because of this false teaching on tithing, have fallen short in fulfilling their giving. So those who teach the tithe have lead many to live by the Mosaic Law instead of being lead by the Holy Spirit.
I have found that many Christians who do tithe are also self-righteous. Why? Because mixing law and grace produces that—self-righteousness, the spirit of the Pharisee. "I thank God I am not like them. I fast twice a week and tithe even the smallest of seeds. Surely God must be pleased with me." What should our attitude be like?
"And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’ So the Lord said, ‘If you have the faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat.' But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterwards you will eat and drink.’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’" (Luke 17:5-10)
When we truly understand "grace," when we really understand that everything we have, our material goods, our spiritual gifts, our very lives are but a gift from God, then we cease our boasting. Show me a Christian, minister or layman, who mixes the Mosaic Law with Grace, and I will show you a Christian Pharisee. I know. I have been one for a number of years! Tithing, because it is not for the dispensation of grace, (and the tithing modern Pharisees preach is not even Biblical) can only produce self-righteousness. Grace Christians give because that is their nature, the nature of our Father Who rains on the just and the unjust. He is the sustainer of all and we are conforming to His image.
Those who teach the modern day tithe rob God’s people of the rest which He promised them. Christians striving to keep the Mosaic Law while at the same time trying to live the life of Grace are the most miserable of creatures. The torments to the soul are endless.
"Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter the rest, as He said: ‘So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,’ although the works were finished from the foundation of the world." (Hebrews 4:1-3)
You see, Christians lead by the Holy Spirit cease from their works and enter into the works of the Lord prepared for them from the foundation of the world. A tither cannot enter this rest. They are always giving to something which will build a man’s kingdom, something which will produce pride instead of the fruit of righteousness.
Any work our Father gives us to do, He also gives us the means to do it. They are His works and we are blessed to partake in them. There is no striving even though the works may be difficult. But the works, which come from this law and grace mixture, of which this modern tithing teaching is certainly a part—these works are laborious indeed—except perhaps for the one who is collecting the proceeds from them and using them for their own kingdom building program—a kingdom made in the image of man that is destined to fall. Babylon is not being built by ancient Babylonians anymore; the building of the tower of Babel has been taken over by christendom.
Most born-again Evangelicals, Pentecostals, or Charismatics feel they are being "lead by the Holy Ghost." This is the environment in which I have spent much of my Christian life. There is just as much deception, if not more here, than in the mainline denominations, which most "born-again" Christians consider dead. Religious spirits and the Holy Spirit are not the same thing! We need to humbly ask our Father to reveal the difference to each of us.
Trillion Dollar Church!
The American church system through its thousands of schemes to gather money, has amassed over a trillion dollars worth of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, insurance programs, real estate, etc. The interest they pay on the mortgages of their buildings could literally feed all the poor in the world! The deceptive means 10’s of thousands of ministers use to raise money, of which the modern tithe is one of them, has drained our country of resources that could tremendously bless the world. But the church is sitting on the money. Now they are beginning to be fleeced themselves.
Recently, hundreds of the leading Christian organizations lost millions of dollars investing in a fund named "New Era." It was a scam called a "Ponze scheme." An evangelical, named Bennett, dropping the right names such as Billy Graham and Rockerfeller, convinced most of the leading Protestant ministries to invest as much as over 500 million dollars into a fund that promised them a doubling of their money over a 6 month period of time. Now anyone with a little sense should smell something amiss here, especially since conservative Christians should be looking at conservative investments that usually give a low return on investment. But top Christian ministries invested hundreds of millions of dollars in a fund started by another Christian, whose sole purpose in setting up the fund was to defraud them of their, or should I say "your" money. The federal authorities finally shut it down, but not before millions of dollars were lost. (See Dew from Mount Hermon, issue number 7 for more details.)
A person who teaches tithing robs God’s people from hearing from God Himself about what and whom to give to each and every day. Someone who pays their taxes, and gives 10 per cent of their income to their pastor, plus offerings for missions, building fund, bake and rummage sales, etc., because the law or tradition of their organization pressures them to do so, is likely to develop an attitude that their giving is finished at the offering plate. They are so drained of finances that when Jesus arrives at their door for a piece of bread, their response might be, "Oh, I gave already at the church!" Laws such as the modern tithing law, instituted by either ignorant or deceiving ministers keep God’s children from hearing what they should be doing on a day to day basis! Yes, Mr. or Mrs. or Reverend Tithing Teacher, you are robbing God’s people, God, and the world from the blessings He wants to pour out on them and through us! Now repent and stop it! His mercy endures forever! Go to the fountain of Grace and discover how to enter into His rest yourself! Then and only then can you lead God’s sheep into that rest themselves. Until then all you will do is fleece them and eat them yourself!
"Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them." (Ezekiel 34:2-4)
"My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; they have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill. They have forgotten their resting place. All who found them have devoured them." (Jeremiah 50:6-7)
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that those who mix Mosaic Law and Grace, or worse, twist the Mosaic Law to say what it doesn’t say, are robbing God even though they may not be aware of it. They are also robbing themselves of much needed rest, and they are robbing the world around them from the true blessings they are to bestow upon their neighbors.
This world needs Christians full of the works of the Lord prepared from the foundation of the world, not weak, beaten, and fleeced sheep who look like they haven’t had a day’s rest since they became Christians because they are always so busy building their minister’s kingdom while thinking they are doing God’s work. Yes, Mr. or Mrs. or Reverend Tithe Collector, I am being very hard right now. But so have you been! It is time for it to stop! Now!!
I am not speaking from a "holier than thou" position here. I have been duped by this false system and I have used guilt-centered ways to get people to support some of the work I have done. "I am a man of unclean lips living in the midst of an unclean people," as Isaiah said. There is a right way to teach proper Christian giving. I do not say I have all the answers on the subject, but some of the methods and techniques we, (Christians in ministry) use to extract funds, are just outright sacrilegious!
I used to feel so unclean whenever I brought a visitor to a church who had to listen to an elder, deacon, evangelist, or the pastor himself spend a great deal of time laying on the guilt to make sure the offering was a "good" one. "Bring in your tithes and offerings unto the Lord." And then the plates, buckets, envelopes, bags, anything—whatever would hold a lot of cash would get passed around the church. Of course, every one could see whether you placed anything in the plate or not. In some churches, the pressure was even worse, they made you go up to the altar with your offering. I have been in churches where they passed that plate as many as 7 times in one service until the pastor felt there was enough in it. And we wonder why people don’t want to go to church. As far as I am concerned, no visitor should be pressured to give anything to a church. As a matter of fact, the fund-raising activity should be such that a visitor does not participate in that activity.
The Scriptures are abundantly clear, that the work of the Lord is to be done by His people, not the people of the world.
Churches are full of people who do not have a living relationship with our Father. They may bring in the bucks, but this mixture always corrupts downward to carnality and not upward toward the works of the Holy Spirit.
Free to Give Freely
Does not being under the Mosaic Law and its ordinances free us from the obligation of giving? Yes, and no. If you are giving out of fear placed in you by hard task masters (often in the form of ministers), or giving in order to get more back or a host of other reasons for giving stemming from fear and selfishness, then you are free to stop giving. He can keep this universe going without your help, financial or otherwise. God does not want your money! It is all His anyway. We just keep forgetting that. Perhaps the grave is a good reminder of that fact. See how much of what you think is yours will still belong to you on the other side of the grave. Some of us will be amazed at our emptiness, how little we actually have gathered in this lifetime. It is not too late to begin gathering things that will be yours to keep on the other side. Begin to ask the Holy Spirit about these kinds of possessions.
He wants our hearts! And when He has our hearts, He will fill them with Himself and we will give because that is His nature. He is a giver. Apart from His giving, the universe would cease to exist. It is by the giving of Himself that all things are sustained. He wants to give Himself through us. Why? Because He wants to bless us! He wants us to experience what it is to be like Him. He pours Himself out to the object of His love. As we give Him to the world through our obedience to the Law of the New Covenant, the law of Love (John 15:12,13), we give from His will, His gifts, His nature, His fruit, and we partake of it as we give it. He wants you to pass it on... and He wants to give it back. How?
"’I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’"
"Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’" (Matt. 25:35-40)
When we become the instruments in His hands to bless His creation, we ourselves are blessed. It truly is better to give than to receive. He made it that way. The only way one can be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ is to give. We are all in need of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our selfish ways so that we can be truly changed within.
We pray this publication will be helpful to the body of Christ in discerning the proper way to give and help to discern what kind of Christian activities to support. Much of what goes on in the name of Christ is nothing more than wood, hay, and stubble. May you be found faithful with the talents He has given you. May this publication be found helpful to you in the matter of giving.
We realize those ministers who repent and change their methods of fund-raising, will experience some profound changes. An organization viewed as a cult by most Evangelicals has recently changed its teachings regarding tithing. It used to teach the modern day tithe and in some years, a second and third tithe. It has dropped this teaching. This organization’s income dropped thirty per cent in the first year of the change. Programs such as their orchestra program had to be dropped.
And there is the rub. The cost of changing to Scriptural means of support will cost too much. Many ministers are not willing to let die the many projects they have begun. They would rather see the world starve to death than to dismantle their Christmas Cantata program, or their new steeple fund.
While we may think that only those who have been teaching this un-Biblical tithe should repent, it is just as important for those who have been tithing to clearly see that much of the fruit of their tithing has not produced good fruit; instead much of it has alienated the world from Christianity. In other words, we must all repent—those who teach it and those who give it.
In summary, because the tithe as taught by modern churches is not the New Testament way of giving, it will not produce the fruit of the New Covenant, neither for the people who tithe, nor the "programs" for which the money is used. Should we give? Graciously and abundantly! Should we support those who minister the Gospel? Even to the point of giving "double honor." They who preach the Gospel have a right to live from the Gospel (1Cor.9:3-13), even though it is often abused.
All Christians must never forget, however, that those in leadership and those not in leadership are priests, a royal priesthood. You, my dear Christian brother or sister, are to be a blessing to the world because you are ladened with gifts from above which He has called you to manifest in the earth. It is time to stop supporting wolves in sheep's clothing and be about your Father’s business. This will restore the joy of your salvation.
"Remember this—meagre sowing means meagre reaping; generous sowing means generous reaping. Each person must make up his own mind what he is going to give. He must not give as if giving hurt him, or as if the money was being forced out of him. God loves a man who enjoys giving. God can give you more than enough of every good gift, enough for you to have plenty for yourselves always and in any circumstances, and to have enough left over to contribute to every good cause." (2 Cor. 9:6-8)
"You must love your enemies; you must be kind to them; you must lend without hope of getting anything back. If you do that, you will receive a rich reward, and you will be like the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and to the mean. You must show yourself merciful, as your Father is merciful.
Do not make a habit of judging people, and you will not be judged yourselves. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Be generous, and you will find others generous to you. Good measure, close-packed, and shaken down, brimming over, will be poured into your lap. You will get in exactly the same proportion as you give." (Luke 6:35-38, William Barclay Translation)