The Rich. Should christians pay thithe?

[Maria222]

My post is long. So read it down in a few posts:

(1)

The Rich. Should christians pay thithe?



What is tithing? The tithe can legally be given only to the Levites or used by people for festival requirements at the Temple in Jerusalem.



Churches make a business forcing Christians to pay the thithe. Do they have a right to do that?



Churches say "the Book of Hebrews which speaks about a change of the law".

They say that Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek, priest of Salem.

Some modern ministers adopt the erroneous assumption that this change of the law involved the direction in which the tithe was to be paid. They want the text to mean that the tithe is not to go to the tribe of Levi any longer but to Christian ministers. But this is not what the Book of Hebrews was teaching!

If we will tead tge context of tge verse, we see that the change was not about tithing in the first place. It was a change in the priesthood itself. Paul said that the Levitical priesthood had been "set aside" and was no longer in force (Hebrews 7:18). The only priesthood that was now valid for Christians was the Melchizedek.



Who was Melchizedek? The name means in Hebrew "king of righteousness". Or Malki Tzedek. The Bible gives the translation of the name Melchizedek as "king of righteousness".



Melchizedek and Abraham first met after Abraham’s defeat of Chedorlaomer and his three allies. Melchizedek presented bread and wine to Abraham and his weary men, demonstrating friendship. He bestowed a blessing on Abraham in the name of El Elyon (“God Most High”) and praised God for giving Abraham a victory in battle:

"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was [is] the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, 'Blessed be Abram to 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 tithe from all."



Melchizedek was called "king of Salem, meaning “king of peace”. Abraham presented Melchizedek with a tithe (a tenth) of all the items he had gathered. By this act Abraham indicated that he recognized Melchizedek as a priest who ranked higher spiritually than he.



Both Melchizedek and Christ are considered kings of righteousness and peace. By citing Melchizedek and his unique priesthood as a type, the Bible shows that Christ’s new priesthood is superior to the old levitical order and the priesthood of Aaron.



While it is true that the Melchizedek priesthood has authority to accept monies from those who worship God (and this was demonstrated back in the time of Abraham when he provided a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek), there is still, however, no law of tithing prescribed by God associated with that priesthood. That means Abraham simply gave a voluntary offering of a tenth to Melchizedek. There was no law recorded in the Bible demanding that Abraham pay Melchizedek that tithe on the spoils he got.



There is another point that needs to be understood. Christian ministers today (including every human on earth) cannot be reckoned as Melchizedek priests. The Bible states in no uncertain terms that the priesthood of Melchizedek is "an unchangeable priesthood". "A priesthood which passes not from one to another." The truth is, the Bible speaks of only one priest called Melchizedek. No human, no matter how holy and righteous or how authoritative he may feel himself to be, can ever be considered a Melchizedek priest. Indeed, only one person can possibly fill that role and he is identified in the Book of Hebrews as being "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Hebrews 7). He is also "without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually".



Melchizedek was "made like" a Son of God, though he was not a Son of God as was Christ. Christ only came in the order of Melchizedek (like Melchizedek on earth). To be in the order of Melchizedek shows Christ representing a priest, but the priesthood itself does not pass to another person.



Now, it would be perfectly proper to pay tithe to that Melchizedek priest if one voluntarily decided to do so. Some Christian ministers have construed that the Book of Hebrews now authorizes the payment of tithe to Melchizedek and they begin to say that they themselves are a part of that Melchizedek priesthood but troubles emerge. In no way is this true. This is because that priesthood "passes not from one to another". To be in that "order" of the Melchizedek priesthood demands that one be perfect as was Jesus Christ. Being in that "order" of priesthood requires each person to be "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners"? How many ministers and preachers are "without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God"?



"There is one God and one mediator [one priest] between God and men, the man Christ Jesus". And that one priest is Christ acting in the capacity like the Melchizedek priest.

So the apostle Paul made the statement that there has now been a change in the law. No longer do Christians have to give heed to the Levitical priests and the tithing laws that were associated with them.



Moreover, God canceled implementation of the Jewish laws and He forbids christians to make cincumcision. Because if you will implement any laws, like a dangerous cult of Messianic Jews, you will fall short of the grace and you will be like sinners in the eyes of God:

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us (christians) free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.

And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace."



To be "fallen away from grace" means to be sinners without God! This is a strict warning to the cult members of "messianic jews".



Christians are free from the Jewish Laws implementation but they have many more strict new commandments (or new laws of Christ) to implement which are even more strict that the Jewish Laws (divorce is forbidden and remarriage, marriage lasts until death, separation is permitted but remarriage is forbidden, hatred is forbidden, unforgiveness is forbidden, anger and wrath is forbidden, filthy language and porn is forbidden (even looking with a lust is forbidden), greed is forbidden, the sin of omission: "Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning."etc.

 

[Maria222]

(2)
Our priest is now Christ Jesus in his role as the one mediator [the one priest] who is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father. He is presently in the orderof the Melchizedek priesthood. All our attention as Christians should no longer be to the Levites and their priesthood supported by the tithe of the Israelites. Our priesthood has been changed and Christ Jesus is our High Priest (and the only one), and we do not need any other priests.



Ministers teach that Christ should receive the tithe of his people simply because he is "the Christ." This may be fine, but the problem remains that Christ is now in heaven. How can the members of the Christian community give tithe directly to him? Some preachers have provided a ready answer. They say that the tithe should now be given to "Christ’s body" (which is his global church on earth). They think that "the Body of Christ" should be supervised by the ordained ministers of the various denominations of Christendom and this would give them authority to receive the tithe that Christians should give to Christ. This may sound reasonable on the surface, but the interpretation will not legally work. The reason is because the "Body of Christ" represents the whole of the global church, not simply the ministers. If the tithing rule were applied to the "Body of Christ," it would mean that all members would be tithing right back to themselves, because all of us (collectively and individually) represent the "Body of Christ."



Another suggestion has been made by such ministers to get the tithe: The Bible states that Christians are now symbolically called "priests". But these "priests" are certainly not Melchizedek priests (as we have just explained). Only Christ is in the order of a Melchizedek priest, not other humans.



In the Holy Torah of the Bible the nation of Israel was reckoned to be a "priesthood nation" to the rest of the world, and Peter and John used the same analogy that the church was also a "priesthood" like early Israel.

"And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”



The members of the church would simply be paying tithe back to themselves. This, of course, is utter nonsense and no one can imagine that Peter and John were suggesting such a thing. The apostle simply meant that the church was like a "priesthood" to the rest of the world as Israel had been to the rest of the Gentile world at the time of the Exodus.

 

[Maria222]

(3)
The fact is tithing should not be accepted even as a principle of giving. In summing up this message on giving monies to Christ for the spreading of the Gospel to the world (that all of us should be active in doing), I wish to give a final method by which anyone can be assured that what money or contribution is given goes directly to Christ. This is a sure way that no one who loves the New Testament teaching can argue with. The teaching comes from Christ himself. Christ told people this certain way to give things directly to Him,

"When the son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats ... then shall the King say unto them on the right hand, Come, you blessed of my father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: Naked and you clothed me: I was in prison and you came unto me."



Christ went on to say that the righteous might be puzzled over this, because none of them ever gave Christ these things personally. But Christ went on to say: If you have "done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, YOU HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME".

There we have it! This is the assured manner to give something to Christ. If you help out the unfortunate man who is an unbeliever, a homeless person or a brother in Christ, you have given something directly to Christ. "You have done it unto me."

So, if a minister says that one is robbing God by not tithing (and one still feels constrained to believe him), then the person can simply give a tenth of his income to any poor man or brother in need and he will know it has gone directly to Christ. One would not be "robbing" God any longer. This shows that a person does not have to give money (even tithe) to a minister or a church organization in order to give something to Christ. The Jewish Laws implementation was cancelled and even forbidden to christians!!!



That’s what Christ said and it seems reasonable for Christians to believe it.

Christians are in a special legal position today, and that special position shows they do not have to tithe the "biblical tithe". It is one of the most important issues of the Holy Bible which every christian should know.



Remember also that the rich do not inherit the Kingdom of God. They were commanded by the Son of God to sell their properties and to give money to the poor if they want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Moreover, if you are a greedy person, you do not inherit the Kingdom of God and this is called a sin of idolatry!

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."



Nor the greedy!!!



"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."



"But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one."



Do not associate with any christian who is guilty of greed and even do not eat with him! This is a command of God!



Jesus said to us:

“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”



Amen

 

[Who Me]

The Jew under the law gave a tithe, first fruits of every harvest, of animals giving birth, as well as freewill and sin offerings.
He was required by the law he lived under to make these offerings.

The Christian by contrast does not live under the law, unless one counts the law of love.

Here's a challenge.
Is the Christian better of spiritually or is the legality of Judaism a better deal?

How can a Christian in love give less than what the law demands.

( the problem of greedy churches one should deal with by asking about how open the finances are to church members and by giving to causes one believes in. )