It's not that we shouldn't give; we should. But, I believe we should give out of love and from the freedom of knowing Christ. It's in our nature to give if Christ is in us and we want to give; but not because we have to. A close friend once told me that if I didn't tithe, that my finances would be cursed! When she told me that, I was flabbergasted. I was shocked and felt judged and condemned. For some reason, that did not sit right with me and my spiritual discernment radar was sounding the alarm! So, I thought about and prayed about it and came up with this.
As a Bible believing Christian who takes God’s Word literally for what it says and for what it means, I understand it to be exact and without error. In other words, God says what he means and mean what he says; God cannot tell a lie.
God’s Word clearly states that:
With this in mind, how can I keep from hearing the errors of my Christian brethren, of an Old Testament accusation directed towards Israel (“ye sons of Jacob, “Mal. 3:6) under the Mosaic Law which states, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:8-10, NKJV).”
This rebuke in Malachi was not for Christians; he was rebuking the Levite priests who were robbing God by not obeying the Law. The bible says that if we try to obey the Law in order to gain favor with God, we are under its curse. Why would I want to bring a curse upon myself by obeying any part of the Mosaic Law?
I have heard from my own spiritual family members in whom I love that because I chose not to tithe a tenth of my earned income, that I am robbing God! Here is my concern and the root of this little essay about my identity in Christ Jesus.
Since I am a Christian, the Scriptures declare that I have been adopted as a son of the Creator of heaven and earth and I have been grafted and established into the family of God; I am a child of God. Therefore, if I am a child of God and He is my heavenly Father and I am an heir of God through Christ, how then can I be accused of robbing God of anything that is promised to be mine already?
You may ask, “By what motivation does this message come from me?” And, “By what authority do I have in order to reprove such a large audience of hearers and believers?” This Scripture of Malachi 3:8-10 has been used to figuratively "beat people over the head" in order to get them to give money to the churches. By threatening their church members of the curses of God does not encourage people to give from a cheerful heart.
By the way, according to the Law, tithing was only done by people who owned cattle or crops; the tithe was never money. It was to be brought to the storehouse and eaten there at the storehouse in front of the priests (Deut. 12:18,27). The leftovers were stored away in the storehouse for the staple of the Levite priests. Furthermore, people who had occupations such as masons, toolmakers, carpenters, fishermen and such that worked with their hands were not obligated to tithe (that means that Jesus or any of his disciples never tithed). Also, the poor were not obligated to tithe if they owned less than 10 cattle or if their crops were on the decrease for that season.
Concerning the modern church's traditional teaching of the tithe, I once heard a great quote which said, "Tithing doesn't work; it's too hard on the poor and too easy for the rich."
I can tell you honestly that it is my love for the church, the body of Christ, that I desire a necessity to reprove of her. How would you know that the reproof is from God and not from my flesh? The answer is that if the reproof is for correction, then you know it’s from God (Psalm 39:11). In other words, this message is sent to you not as punishment or accusations but instead to correct (to remove and indicate errors), encourage and modify. This message is from God and His Word declares it.
The answer is that I have not robbed God. How can anyone who is in God’s family suggest such a thing? For His Word asserts that, all that is His, is now mine also. Am I robbing from myself? In fact, the answer is, “No.” The contemporary church has been corrupted for a very long time. And, the traditions of men with no biblical basis have perpetuated this curse in this age of grace and generous giving that should come from a freedom in the heart of our souls. The doctrine of tithing has been abused, manipulated and used for capital gain by pastors who buy new homes, new cars and go on extravagant vacations when there are people hurting and going hungry in their own churches. There is absolutely no basis in the New Testament that we are obligated to continue the practice of tithing in the Mosaic Law.
Proverbs 17:11 “A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool (NLT).”
Honestly, I haven't seriously tithed on a steady basis for at least 3 years and we've had our ups and downs, in which I believe are totally unrelated. However, we have given to missionaries, poor beggers on the streets and to charities as the Lord has blessed us; with a purposeful heart and cheerful heart and we have been wonderfully blessed in return. My wife and I actually have been able to save enough money to put into an savings account for the first time in 15 years of marriage. We just had someone buy us a brand spanking new engine for our van. They spent over $7000 on us without asking for anything in return. We were so thankful and grateful for God's blessings! I just got a new job offer to be the main cook at Woody's BBQ in San Marcos, TX making $2 more than any other person there. All my children are healthy and doing very well in school and my wife has a wonderful position at her seasonal place of employment. For years, I have prayed for a job where my boss was a Christian and I was home everyday! It was most definitely a God thing!
God is moving in our lives, not because we tithe, but because we have been given a promise. This promise is confirmed in Galatians 3:9 which says, "All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith (NLT)." We are blessed because we have faith in Christ Jesus, not by tithing.
“Grace will never cause you to do any less than legalism will.” ~ Steve McVey
(Some qualities borrowed from: http://www.goodmorningbible.com/about71.html)
"The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity!" ~ (From Victory Over the Darkness, by Dr. Neil Anderson)What does the bible say about me? In what way does God’s Word describe me? Who am I? What is my identity in Christ Jesus?
As a Bible believing Christian who takes God’s Word literally for what it says and for what it means, I understand it to be exact and without error. In other words, God says what he means and mean what he says; God cannot tell a lie.
God’s Word clearly states that:
- I am God's child. (John 1:12)
- As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ. (John 15:15)
- I have been justified. (Romans 5:1)
- I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
- I have been bought with a price and I belong to God. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
- I am a member of Christ's body. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
- I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child. (Ephesians 1:3-8)
- I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)
- I am complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:9-10)
- I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
- I am free from condemnation. (Romans 8:1-2)
- I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances. (Romans 8:28)
- I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Romans 8:31-39)
- I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16)
- I have been established, anointed and sealed by God. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
- I am hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-4)
- I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me. (Philippians 1:6)
- I am a citizen of heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
- I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
- I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me. (1 John 5:18)
- I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life. (John 15:5)
- I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
- I am God's temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
- I am a minister of reconciliation for God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
- I belong to Christ and am a true child of Abraham (Galatians 3:29).
- I am an heir of Abraham and all the promises God gave to him, belong to me (Galatians 3:29).
- I am a son of God (Galatians 4:6)
- I am an heir of God through Christ (Galatians 4:7)
- I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm. (Ephesians 2:6)
- I am God's workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)
- I may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)
- I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
With this in mind, how can I keep from hearing the errors of my Christian brethren, of an Old Testament accusation directed towards Israel (“ye sons of Jacob, “Mal. 3:6) under the Mosaic Law which states, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:8-10, NKJV).”
This rebuke in Malachi was not for Christians; he was rebuking the Levite priests who were robbing God by not obeying the Law. The bible says that if we try to obey the Law in order to gain favor with God, we are under its curse. Why would I want to bring a curse upon myself by obeying any part of the Mosaic Law?
I have heard from my own spiritual family members in whom I love that because I chose not to tithe a tenth of my earned income, that I am robbing God! Here is my concern and the root of this little essay about my identity in Christ Jesus.
Since I am a Christian, the Scriptures declare that I have been adopted as a son of the Creator of heaven and earth and I have been grafted and established into the family of God; I am a child of God. Therefore, if I am a child of God and He is my heavenly Father and I am an heir of God through Christ, how then can I be accused of robbing God of anything that is promised to be mine already?
You may ask, “By what motivation does this message come from me?” And, “By what authority do I have in order to reprove such a large audience of hearers and believers?” This Scripture of Malachi 3:8-10 has been used to figuratively "beat people over the head" in order to get them to give money to the churches. By threatening their church members of the curses of God does not encourage people to give from a cheerful heart.
By the way, according to the Law, tithing was only done by people who owned cattle or crops; the tithe was never money. It was to be brought to the storehouse and eaten there at the storehouse in front of the priests (Deut. 12:18,27). The leftovers were stored away in the storehouse for the staple of the Levite priests. Furthermore, people who had occupations such as masons, toolmakers, carpenters, fishermen and such that worked with their hands were not obligated to tithe (that means that Jesus or any of his disciples never tithed). Also, the poor were not obligated to tithe if they owned less than 10 cattle or if their crops were on the decrease for that season.
Concerning the modern church's traditional teaching of the tithe, I once heard a great quote which said, "Tithing doesn't work; it's too hard on the poor and too easy for the rich."
I can tell you honestly that it is my love for the church, the body of Christ, that I desire a necessity to reprove of her. How would you know that the reproof is from God and not from my flesh? The answer is that if the reproof is for correction, then you know it’s from God (Psalm 39:11). In other words, this message is sent to you not as punishment or accusations but instead to correct (to remove and indicate errors), encourage and modify. This message is from God and His Word declares it.
The answer is that I have not robbed God. How can anyone who is in God’s family suggest such a thing? For His Word asserts that, all that is His, is now mine also. Am I robbing from myself? In fact, the answer is, “No.” The contemporary church has been corrupted for a very long time. And, the traditions of men with no biblical basis have perpetuated this curse in this age of grace and generous giving that should come from a freedom in the heart of our souls. The doctrine of tithing has been abused, manipulated and used for capital gain by pastors who buy new homes, new cars and go on extravagant vacations when there are people hurting and going hungry in their own churches. There is absolutely no basis in the New Testament that we are obligated to continue the practice of tithing in the Mosaic Law.
Proverbs 17:11 “A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool (NLT).”
Honestly, I haven't seriously tithed on a steady basis for at least 3 years and we've had our ups and downs, in which I believe are totally unrelated. However, we have given to missionaries, poor beggers on the streets and to charities as the Lord has blessed us; with a purposeful heart and cheerful heart and we have been wonderfully blessed in return. My wife and I actually have been able to save enough money to put into an savings account for the first time in 15 years of marriage. We just had someone buy us a brand spanking new engine for our van. They spent over $7000 on us without asking for anything in return. We were so thankful and grateful for God's blessings! I just got a new job offer to be the main cook at Woody's BBQ in San Marcos, TX making $2 more than any other person there. All my children are healthy and doing very well in school and my wife has a wonderful position at her seasonal place of employment. For years, I have prayed for a job where my boss was a Christian and I was home everyday! It was most definitely a God thing!
God is moving in our lives, not because we tithe, but because we have been given a promise. This promise is confirmed in Galatians 3:9 which says, "All who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith (NLT)." We are blessed because we have faith in Christ Jesus, not by tithing.
“Grace will never cause you to do any less than legalism will.” ~ Steve McVey
(Some qualities borrowed from: http://www.goodmorningbible.com/about71.html)
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