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Q&A“Should TITHING be considered a NEW TESTAMENT practice? Or was it intended specifically for those who were under the Law?”There were ordinances written in the Law of Moses, governing the bringing of the tithe (the tenth of personal income) into the Tabernacle (or Temple). Tithing itself, however, did not begin with the Law. Abraham gave tithes of all he owned four hundred years prior to the Law. The ordinances which came through Moses, were to educate God’s people on the purpose of the tithe; which was to provide for the work of the Tabernacle, and for the livelihood of those who were the ministers of that work (Numbers 18:21). The most clearly stated, and primary purpose of tithes and offerings in the church today, is recorded in the writing of Malachi, the prophet...
God wants food in the house. He wants His house to be a place where people can be fed. And He promises to open the windows of heaven and pour out the blessing upon those who cooperate with Him. Some would say, “But wait... That was under the Law, and we are under grace now.” Please consider this... Though the Law of Moses was still in effect, Malachi was not an instructor of the Law... He was a prophet. As a matter-of-fact, he was the last recorded prophet prior to the time of Christ. Why would Malachi be giving instruction to the remnant of Israel concerning the tithe? I wholeheartedly submit to you, that Malachi was speaking prophetically to, and of, the church. Just after the promise to “rebuke the devourer”, Malachi writes...
That prophecy certainly did not come to pass for Israel, between the time of Malachi and Christ. It did begin to be fulfilled, however, (in the spiritual sense) with the birth of the church. Likewise, the promises that there will be “meat in mine house” and that God will “open the windows of heaven..” are also fulfilled in the spiritual sense when Christians bring the tithe into the storehouse (the local church). Tithes and offerings are obviously represented by money... The first fruits of your increase (income). The “blessing” God promises to pour out in the church, on the other hand, is not specifically referring to physical or financial prosperity (don’t get ahead of me now). It is referring to the “meat” in the house... It refers to revelation and understanding of the Word. Financial prosperity IS promised, however, in the very next verse...
The most important blessing, though — and that which is largely absent in the church today, is the blessing of sound revelation and understanding of the Word. And I believe it is directly connected to the degree of cooperation of God’s people concerning tithes and offerings. I know personally of a church where there was once a strong and steady ministry of the Word, and the people were feasting every service, and growing spiritually because of it. It so happened that this church was also on record as being nearly, if not completely, a 100 percent tithing church. A new pastor took office and began to teach that tithing was not in accordance with the New Testament. He also taught that pastors and evangelists who were teaching people to tithe, were being manipulative. As a result, this particular pastor, who himself, had benefited from years of “meat in the house”, has yet to walk in a God-ordained pastor’s ability and anointing to feed the sheep. He still preaches, but his messages are empty exhortations. They are void of the Word — void of revelation. It can happen to a whole church. And it can happen to the individual. I have also seen it when seemingly everyone in the church was just filling up on the Word and the blessings of God, except for one or two. Was it coincidence, that those ‘one or two’ were not tithers? Is There a New Testament example?Contrary to what many think, the New Testament was not written (primarily) for our example. There is much more example for us in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, according to New Testament scripture, much of the Old Testament was written expressly for our example (1 Cor. 10:11). The New Testament has some example, but is primarily for our instruction. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul brings out the significance of the laws & ordinances which provided for the care of the Temple and the priesthood; as he teaches that God has also made His plan known, for the care of the church and the ministers of the gospel...
Is tithing even mentioned in the New Testament? Absolutely.Abraham’s example of faith and the giving of the tithe is discussed in Hebrews, chapter 7, beginning in verse 4. Abraham, who was the father of, and representative of, those who have faith in Christ, paid tithes to Melchisedec, who was representative of Christ. Using this event, as well as the Levitical receiving of the tithe as an illustration, the writer of Hebrews makes the following statement...
In this statement, he switches to the present tense, saying that mortal men on earth receive tithes, but there (in heaven), the resurrected Jesus receives tithes. Now... In that he is referring to the resurrected Christ, and he is speaking in the present tense; then he must surely be referring to New Testament times. And if the resurrected Christ is receiving the tithes (in the spiritual sense) that mortal men are receiving (in the physical sense), then of whom are those tithes being received, if it is not the church? The bottom line of all that, is this... The resurrected Lord Jesus could not be receiving tithes if tithing were not New Testament. Once again.. Biblical, New Testament tithing is not a response to law... Neither is it a response to an inward leading... It is a response to faith in the Word of God... And to the believer who desires to deeply know and sincerely worship God — it is the natural response. Is there really a way for a person to fall from the grace of God?The term “fallen from grace” is definitely a biblical term, though used only once. According to some forms of legalistic doctrine today; to be fallen from grace means to have been saved, and then through unrepentant sin, to have lost that salvation and no longer stand in the grace of God. The true meaning of “fallen from grace”, however, is disclosed in the one verse of scripture where those words are found...
J.B. Phillips’ Translation is even more clear...
So, it is not the one who claims Jesus as his Lord, yet often stumbles into sinful activity, who has fallen from grace. It is actually the one who takes pride in his morality, and trusts in his own good behavior as the determinant factor of his eternal destiny. It is the one who attempts to be justified by his or her own good works who has fallen from grace. How can I be saved?John 1:12 says...“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Romans 10:9-10 says...“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” May I encourage you to go to God with a prayer from your heart, similar to this: Almighty God, I come to you now, believing Jesus died for me and rose again, that I might have eternal life. I now receive Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord. With your help, I will serve you the rest of my life. Thank you for saving me an giving me eternal life. Amen. If you prayed sincerley, God heard you, and by His Spirit, has taken up residency within you. You have been born again — a new creation in Christ, and God has made some major changes within you. It will take some time for those changes to surface, but if you will continue to cooperate with the Lord’s marvelous plan for you, your life will become a testimony of the goodness and mercy of a loving God. Get involved with a good, Bible believing, Christ-centered church. If you need help with that, or you have questions concerning your new life in Christ, fell free to contact me at: Eddie Hughes; PO Box 1212; Morgantown, WV 26507 or email eddie@backtotheword.com. You may also call me at 304.288.7715. May God richly bless you and give you more and more of the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord. |
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