Since titihing is not mentioned within the New Covenant,those that say we need to be tithing;are they in bondage to subtle legalism?
Do these same people also want to bring others into legalism?
In the Old Covenent there is a free will offreing.
Exo 35:4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying,
Exo 35:5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,
Exo 35:20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.
Exo 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
Exo 35:22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered offered an offering of gold unto the LORD.
The Hebrew word for willing heart in verses 5&22 is the Hebrew word;
Hebrew 5081
נדיב
nâdı̂yb
naw-deeb'
From H5068; properly voluntary, that is, generous; hence, magnanimous; as noun, a grandee (sometimes a tyrant): - free, liberal (things), noble, prince, willing ([hearted]).
Since YHWH asks for a free will offering is does tithing bring people into bondage?
What is the difference between tithing and a free will offering?
Agape' and Charis:
St.George
ps:
Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
But woe unto you, Pharisees! 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 have left the other undone.
�So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work.� - 2 Corinthians 9: 7-8
I think our motives make the difference. If you are tithing grudgingly, it is legalism.
There's another example of free will offering, this one in the NT:
2 Corinthians 8:1-7. � �Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.�
They gave out of joy, and to minister to the saints. The passage indicates that they first gave themselves to the Lord and then to Paul and Titus, so this is the principle - to give freely and willingly.
Does this mean that we shouldn't tithe just because we don't feel willing? No, I don't think so. We are reminded that everything belongs to God anyway. (Psalm 21:1). He gives each of us a certain amount (1 Timothy 6:17), He told us not to be greedy or worry about provision. (Matt. 6:24, Matt. 6:19-34), and He told us to be thankful. (1 Thess. 5:18). Remembering all of that, I think there is an element of obiediance that comes from a heart that wants to please God.
I personally do not tithe,or give to the local assembly i meet with.
There was a time when i did give,I would only give cash no checks.
I would give in an envelope with my name.
I was a believer a short while,and had been told that in order to recieve a reciept for tax purposes for the yearly offering I needed to write my name on the envelope.
At the end of the year people were given a piece of paper with the total amount they had given that year.
This was to be used as a tax write off against my taxes.
This affected me so much to see people giving to the LORD,only to get something back from the government.
I asked about this,being told,the LORD says to submit to the governing authorities,and the government says this is ok,seeing that the CHURCH has a tax exempt statis.
I was so hurt by this that i refused to give anything with my name attached.
A few years after this,i read about the free will offering in Scripture.
The free will offering is where i happen to be right now.
I see the abuse placed upon the people by those that tell them to tithe.
These charlatins drive big fancy cars.
Have nice homes.
Eat at the best places.
They want a paycheck and benefits.
Have expensive clothes,yet those that cannot afford to give are told that they will not be blessed of YHWH until they tithe.
This money is wasted on big buildings,which produce nothing, yet take great deals of cash to buy/rent and be maintained
There are many programs which are not necessary,which take funds.
Pastors and their wives retreats.
Scholarships for people to go to retreats:
I thought Christians were to be advancing,not retreating.
I find that paying a man to read the Scriptures,only to have him tell me what he believes the Word says,is such a waste of time,energy,and funds..
Better to teach the people to do this for themselves,and use the funds for helping those that really are in need.
Such as orphans, widows,and those who lost their place of employment,or have had something terrible happen to them.
I find there are many ways to be giving,not just money:
Time
Visiting sick friends,people
Giving to those in need throughout my life.
Helping those with needs,painting homes,yard work,giving a ride to those in need.
I would give the shirt off my back for someone needing a shirt,but i will not give to the local assemblies.
I am not against giving,just the motives of those giving;
And the purposes of those recieving/taking the offering,
What is it being used for.
Maybe there are others out there who might be thinking the same as i do.
I have some questions~is tithing a civil, ceremonial or moral law? Which one of the C laws did Paul command us to obey?
Do pastors have the right to lay Malachi on the New Testament believers when we no longer have a temple government with Levites living in it that live off 10% of the people's crops, grain and goods?
Is church our government?
What is Malachi 3 really all about?
Did all of Mesopotamia pay a 10% tithe to the church government of that day like we pay FICA?
Freewill is always the way of the Holy Spirit~:purpleangel:
