Will A Man Rob God?

I think you guys are carelessly giving scriptural conclusions based on the use or lack there of, of a single word, tithe. We are blessed by giving in a reciprocating fashion and that is solid advice in the Net Testament.

I think it's ok if you don't want to tithe but to encourage others to do as you because you don't find a word used in that context is careless of you to do. What happens WHEN you get to the kingdom and find out you're wrong? This is equivalent to one advising others to drink strong drink simply because the NT only discourages drunkenness. If your relationship with your God says it's ok to consume alcohol then so be it but don't come to a public place where weak Christians and non believers are seeking a choice and carelessly give that advice. That is a very careless thing to do and it mimics what you're doing.

We do know Jesus encouraged giving? (Lk 6:38)
We do know Jesus supported the caring for the poor, widows and orphans? (Mt 26:8,9 & Acts 6:2)
There must be some plan in place to support the ministry? (I COR 16:1)
Saints are encouraged to return to God a portion of what he blessed them with. (Ps 116:12)

So lets drop the word tithe and just use the concept of giving. What you call giving is just semantics. Acts 2:45 is one example we have of giving in the New Testament was to sell all personal possessions and lay the proceeds at the Apostles feet. Since you are intent on being very literal toward every letter in the New Testament, do you abide by this example?

Ac 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

How is it we can be so literal regarding one word but not be literal regarding demonstrated examples of giving?

 

You mean like Melchizedek right? The priesthood after which order is Christ priesthood... :thumbs:

 

So because it was an old testament command, can we also discount the Old Testament verses on drinking alcohol? :tonofbricks:

 

Actually I don't fight over any of the things that you seem to get so incensed about... I just enjoy watching you become more absolute about all the little things you make into majors... :laugh:

Nothing more than my cynical nature taking over.

I have specific beliefs about tithing. I think it is taught, but I will not get into an argument with you about it. I won't answer for you and you certainly won't answer for me at the Judgment Seat. So why spend more than a passing moment to comment when I am not going to change your beliefs and you are not going to change mine.

One last thought, do you count the grass in your yard and tithe that? :type:

 

He ain't jokin'!

 

Alright, next we go into a region and kill all the people and gather up all the spoils, we'll look up a priest and give him a tenth.

 

Don't worry, we'll soon be done in Iraq... :BangHead:

 

Good one, I guess I was typing away without reading... :laugh: :thumbs:



You must be a handful for your pastor. I don't envy him at all... raying:

 

So you do not believe God should receive a tenth or more back from all He has blessed you with? Wow! God has blessed me with so much and its the least I can do to give him back a tenth and sometimes even more than that and I do that because I firmly believe that the Lord wants us to be blessed but that we do owe Him something in return. Remember we are not the owners of our posessions (including our children) we are the managers. When my child was stillborn back in 2003 I was like why does God give and then take away? But the blessings have far outweighed the trial. God brought several relatives to Him through Meghan's death, He also softened some hard hearts. I know that those words hit me so hard --"Why do you rob Me?" thats just so personal, so right to the heart. especially the Me in caps...that is speaking of my Lord, the one who has brought me through my own personal hell for the last 10 years back onto the road of victory, why would we not depend on Him to fulfill all of our needs, dont you feel He deserves His fair share in return, thats just how I feel about it. I am living proof of a faithful tither and how He has blessed me over and over and there is always enough. JMHO take it how you which but I dont rob God I love Him and want to give Him all that I have including His tenth.

 

Who is "removing" or "abolishing" "tithing"? The simple fact is that there is zero Scriptural support for some universal "tithing" principle/obligation/command that would require or suggest that one is in anyway obligated or pressured to give a tenth of his paycheck (net/gross/gross+benefits monetary income) to a local church treasury.

Abraham's one-time tithe of war spoils to a priest-king in no way demonstrates to us or commands us to give a persistent 10% of our net/gross/gross+benefits monetary income to a local church treasury.

Jacob's ambiguous conditional vow testing God's covenant promise to Israel in no way demonstrates to us or commands us to give a persistent 10% of our net/gross/gross+benefits monetary income to a local church treasury.

Well, how often do we see tithing sermons where passages from the Law are references to enforce the myth that Christians are in any way obligated to give 10% of their net/gross/gross+benefits monetary income to a local church treasury? "Leviticus 27:30 says 'And all the tithe... is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord.' Verse 32 says '...the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.' See! The Bible commands you to TITHE!" Yet, the context of every command to tithe in the Bible is completely ignored.

The Israelites definitely had money.

They had gold, silver, and jewelry from Egypt:

Abraham had gold and silver (Gen. 13:2).
The command to circumcize given by God to Abraham before the Law applied to one's biological children or children purchased with money (Gen. 17:12,13,23,27).
Abimelech, king of Gerar gave Abraham livestock and silver (Gen. 20:16).
Abraham purchased a cave with money to bury his dead wife (Gen. 23).
Jacob bought a piece of land for money (Gen. 33:19).
Joseph's brothers sold him to the Midianites for silver (Gen. 37:28).
During the famine in Egypt, Joseph agreed to take the Egyptians' livestock in exchange for bread for them because "the money faileth." (Gen. 47:13-17). During normal conditions, money was the rule for economic activity.
The Israelites were allowed to lend money, but not charge interest (Exo. 22:25, Lev. 25:37).
A ram evaluated in an appropriate measure of money was commanded for a tresspass offering (Lev. 5:15).
When God commanded the children of Israel to journey through Edom, He commanded them to purchase their sustenance with money (Deu. 2:4-6).

There are many more accounts of money in the Bible during these early time periods that I did not list.

Of course, you totally misunderstand. SFIC is in no way condemning anyone for practicing giving 10% of his monetary income to a local church treasury. He is merely pointing out that preaching or teaching that Christians are some how commanded/suggested or in any way obligated to do this is incorrect, poor hermeneutics, dishonest or ignorant. The act of giving 10% of one's monetary income to a church treasury is good. The teaching that one is obligated to do this act is not good because it is Scripturally incorrect and poor hermeneutics.

Yes we can. We just want people to be open and honest with the Scripture when they are confronted with truth, and not let their emotions, logic, and traditions get in the way.

 

You are exactly correct about which tithe was being referenced: the third year poor tithe. You are not completely there with whom was being addressed. When you read 2 Chronicles 31, Nehemiah 10 and 13, and the entire book of Malachi, you see that the priests were being addressed because they were robbing the third year tithes (that went into the Temple storehouse chambers) from the Levites.

2 Chronicles 31

In this chapter, when Hezekiah returns the people to the Law, they begin following the command for the third-year tithe laws. The Law commanded them to lay their tithe every third year outside the gates for the Levites and poor. As they did this, there was so much gathered in the streets that Hezekiah was worried that much would be wasted and spoiled. He ordered that storehouse chambers be built in the Temple to hold and organize the third year tithes so that they can be saved and preserved. Although the Law did not command that a storehouse be used, it was nevertheless a wise thing to do.

Nehemiah 10

When the children of Israel returned from the Babylonian captivity, they once again returned to the Law. They rebuilt the Temple and Nehemiah had them resume the practice of bringing third-year tithes into the Temple storehouse chambers. Notice that Levites were the ones who actually brought the tithes into the Temple. The people would give their tithes to the Levites, who worked in the fields in twenty-four courses (one course ministered in the Temple while the other courses worked in the fields). The Levites would then bring the tithes into the Temple storehouse chambers with the priest's supervision. Now comes chapter 13...

Nehemiah 13

The people brought their tithes to the Levites in the fields. The Levites brought the tithes into the Temple with the priest's supervision. Eliashib, the priest, built his own storehouse in the Temple and secretly stole the tithes that were to be used by the course of Levites while they were ministering in the Temple. These Levites, being defrauded, fled to the fields to work for their living, and no Levites were hence ministering in the Temple. As Nehemiah was an overlapping contemporary of Malachi, this incident is in the exact context for the entire book of Malachi and its scathing rebuke of the priests.