Posts Tagged ‘bible’

Did Jesus Fulfill the Law?

Friday, May 28th, 2010

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus states, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Frankly, i’m quite tired of this verse being used, abused, misused, and misinterpreted. When most people use this verse to defend tithing they have no clue what that verse means. When people point to that verse, their purpose is to say, “Look here! See . . . i told you that Jesus wasn’t throwing out the law; He was actually confirming it.”

Of course, i get all fidgety because their ignorance  requires a great measure of restraint on my part. I just wanna shake them, slap them, and scream until my blood vessels are bulging from my eye balls!

People only whip this verse out to defend some sort of  biblical pet peeve of theirs. Would most people use this verse to defend their stance on stoning children, on circumcision, or clean meats? Obviously not. Call it hypocrisy, inconsistency; i don’t care. Just don’t classify their behavior as a clear, mental state.

Truthfully, i hate when arguments about tithing always whittle down to debates about obeying, defining, and fulfilling the law. I don’t claim to have it all figured out; but to me, if we’re still arguing about the law 2000 years later, we might as well pack our bags and leave the argument. It’s quite laborious and somewhat embarrassing to actually be in a conversation about what Jesus meant when he came to fulfill the law.

Do i really need to take the time to explain why ‘do not kill’ is irrelevant because ‘do not hate’ has always existed? Do i really need to explain that although Jesus emphasized ‘do not hate’ in the New Testament, this doesn’t mean He was raising the standards? Do i really need to give the difference between eternal laws, compared to civil and ceremonial laws? Do i need to explain to you why giving 10% is just as effective as circumcision is? Seriously? Do i really?

Did Jesus fulfill the law? Of course he did. What did Jesus mean when he said, ‘fulfill’? Here’s a short synopsis of the definition of fulfill from blueletterbible.org

  1. To make full
  2. To complete
  3. To carry through to the end
  4. To accomplish

What part of the definition of fulfill makes a strong case to continue or confirm tithing? I seem to get the feel of termination from the words ‘complete’, ‘end’, & ‘accomplish’. I’ve used this analogy before, so i’ll use it again. Let’s say i  gave you an empty bucket, and i wanted you to use it to gather rain water. Once the bucket was full, could you continue to use it to gather more rain water? You would either need to get a new bucket, or empty that one out. Filling the bucket up wouldn’t abolish the purpose of that bucket, it would just abolish your reason to continue its use.

Romans 7:4 states, “My brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another

So, did Jesus fulfill the law?  I’m not saying i have it all figured out, but my final question to you is, which bucket are you still carrying around? The one that’s full or the one that needs to be filled?

Top Verses That Televangelists Won’t Preach

Friday, September 12th, 2008

I must say that in my research for these verses, i have become convicted of my neglection on the poor and needy. I never before realized how much rebuke there was in the bible for oppressing or exploiting them. There were many more verses in the bible that i did not mention here.

I want to tell you that these verses are not here to prove that being poor is more godly than being rich. There is nothing wrong with being rich. John D. Rockefeller’s philosophy was to earn as much as you can and give as much as you can. And i particularly like that philosophy. I just don’t like wolves cloaking themselves in the sheepskin of God’s “anointed” and using that to prey on the weak and helpless.


Proverbs 22:16

He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.

This is a great one to start out with. He who gives to the rich will be poor. Wake up people! The only reason why these Televangelists are rich, is because a sucker is born every minute. They aren’t rich because they’ve worked hard, or received money from the sky. They are rich because you give to them. I don’t mean to simplify all of God’s financial blessings in this manner, but their riches is a matter of simple addition, and your poverty is a matter of simple subtraction. There is no devil that cast a voodoo-like spiritual curse on your finances. And there is no cupid poking them with financially blessed arrows. You give to them and they become richer. Plain and simple.


1 Timothy 6:6-10

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

Plain and simple. Televangelists desire is to be rich. I don’t want to argue about their true motives and hear that you think their heart is pure. I don’t want to hear it. They’ve fallen into a snare.


Luke 12:15-21

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’

So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’

But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”


Matthew 6:19-21

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The thing is for prosperity preachers is that their riches is their identity. Without their riches, they lose their identity. Preaching prosperity and riches is their purpose in life, and defines them. Without it, nobody would know who they even were? They’ve become somebody because of their riches, not because of Jesus Christ.


James 5:1-5

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.

These televangelists are complete frauds. They have taken from people and have suckered them into giving so that they can live on earth in pleasure and luxury. I don’t understand how anyone can be without a guilty conscience when they live in their mansion by financial sacrifices that others have made.

Think about it this way. If your grandmother gave half of her tiny social security check every month so that you could have more and she could have less, how would you spend that social security check? Would you even be willing to spend it? Would you feel guilty buying those diamond cuffs while your grandmother sat home with nothing?


Job 24:9-10
benny hinn wants your money
Some snatch the fatherless from the breast, And take a pledge from the poor. They cause the poor to go naked, without clothing; And they take away the sheaves from the hungry.

This one is priceless. I swear if the conviction of taking a pledge from the poor does not make you think about TBN then i don’t know what will.


Isaiah 10:2-3

To rob the needy of justice, And to take what is right from the poor of My people, That widows may be their prey, And that they may rob the fatherless. What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory? Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall fall among the slain.

Doesn’t this remind you of the wolves in sheep’s clothing waiting to prey on the weakest


Amos 5:11
Therefore, because you tread down the poor And take grain taxes from him, Though you have built houses of hewn stone, Yet you shall not dwell in them; You have planted pleasant vineyards, But you shall not drink wine from them. For I know your manifold transgressions And your mighty sins: Afflicting the just and taking bribes; Diverting the poor from justice at the gate.


Matthew 23:14

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses

What? You think I’m Lying. What demographic people do you think gives the most to TBN? It’s poor old women. You are probably are used to this passage because it proceeds to talks about tithing next, but you are not used to hearing the rebuke for the burden on the poor.


Malachi 3:5

And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien— Because they do not fear Me,” Says the Lord of hosts.


Isaiah 3:14-15

The Lord stands up to plead, And stands to judge the people. The Lord will enter into judgment With the elders of His people And His princes: “For you have eaten up the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses(mansions). What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the faces of the poor?” Says the Lord GOD of hosts

Amos 4:1
Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!”

You don’t think God was referring the these two bovine’s do you?


Zechariah 7:10

Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor.


Luke 6:20

Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.

Hmm, I’m not used to hearing the word blessed and poor in the same sentence from those televangelists.


2 Corinthians 8:9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor

Becoming poor just doesn’t make sense to these televangelists, so this passage is definitely not on the preaching list.

Do you have any more verses to add? I know there are more out there, but i’m just one man searching for them.

The Tithe Test

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

taking the tithe test

I know i had seen this tithe test floating around here and there on other websites. So i figured i might as well post it here. As a side note, i just want to say that i do not particularly agree with all of the answers to this test, but you should Take the Tithe Test anyways.

The Tithe Test – What Do You Really Know?
by Robin Calamaio
11/25/2007 / Finances

Is 10% of your gross income to be given to the local church for the rest of your life? What do you actually know about the Biblical teaching on the tithe? Well, here is your chance to find out! Below are twenty questions worth five points each. Normally, 60% would be a passing grade. But in this case, I want you to study this subject until you score 100% ! Why do I want this? Well, if your income averages $50K a year, after fifty years, you will have given a quarter of a million dollars to the local church. It does seem sensible to ask some questions about this – and know some answers. Actually, it is wrong for you to give 10% of your gross income to anybody without knowing for sure it is God’s will …100% sure. That’s why I want you to work on this until you are an A+ student!

So, … get your pen and paper and take this 3 minute test right now. Don’t cheat by looking at the answers. Go!

  1. How many Bible authors wrote commands about the tithe – its purpose, amount and procedures?
  2. Who are they?
  3. What was done with the third and sixth year tithe? Who had access to it?
  4. Can you explain the “tithe cycle” of the Israelites?
  5. What was done with the tithe every seventh year?
  6. Explain Abram’s tithe. What did Abram give Melchizedek?
  7. Did any of the Levites tithe? If so, to whom and how much?
  8. How much money did the tithers give to the Levitical Priests?
  9. In the “to the Levites” tithing years, did all the tithe go to the Levites?
  10. What group did Jacob give his tenth to?
  11. What were the conditions God must meet before Jacob would give that tenth?
  12. When was the tithe “rediscovered?”
  13. Who is credited with that “rediscovery?”
  14. What was the catalyst for that “rediscovery?”
  15. Is tithing the number one responsibility for the Christian and his/her money?
  16. What kind of curse should the Christian expect for failing to tithe (Malachi 3:17-23)?
  17. Where did Jesus tell Christians to bring their tithe?
  18. Where did Paul, or the other New Testament writers, tell Christians to bring the tithe?
  19. When the Corinthians, and others, were making their collection for the saints, what was done with that collection before Paul and company took it to Judea?
  20. Can the tithe be given to parachurch ministries?

Now, before rushing down to grade yourself, let’s address one other little item. It seems reasonable to me that anyone who tells you God requires you to tithe – should be willing to answer a few questions (like … maybe twenty?). And if that person fails to score 60%, well, … where I grew up, that was an “F.” Should you be expected to yield to such “expertise?” But, even if expected … should you?

ANSWERS

To calculate the score, count the number of correct answers and multiply by 5.

1. One.

2. Moses. In Malachi, God was speaking and simply reiterated the commands in the Law.

3. It was kept in the local town. It was for the local Levite, alien, orphan, and widow.

4. Year one, two, four and five were taken to the designated place (eventually Jerusalem). Year three and six – see question 3 answer. Year seven – see below.

5. There wasn’t one. There was not one on year fifty (Year of Jubilee) either.

6. He gave him 10% of the choicest spoils of a bunch of stuff he had no intention of keeping anyway. He gave nothing of his own possessions.

7. Yes. Those Levites not of Aaron’s family gave a tithe of the tithe they received. They gave it to the priests of Aaron’s family.

8. None. The tithe was never money.

9. The tithe of year one, two, four and five were shared by the tither with the Levite in a celebratory meal when the tithe was given. What was left over stayed with the Levite. In year three and six, it appears the tither deposited the whole amount in the local town without partaking of any of it.

10. There was no “group” to give it to of which we know. If your testee responds with, “God,” count that as a correct answer. The testee is still going to flunk.

11. God had to be with him, keep him on his journey, give him food to eat, give him garments to wear, and return him safely to his father’s house. At that point, God would be his God. The tenth came (we assume) twenty years later. It was a vow fulfillment.

12. After the Bill of Rights was adopted in the United States.

13. American Theologians in the Higher Criticism of Systematic Theology.

14. The loss of the church’s ability to tax citizens (The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights) caused a financial crisis in the church. That led to this “rediscovery.”

15. No. Family obligations are number one. There is no tithe for Christians anyway.

16. There aren’t any. Christians are not Jews under Law.

17. He didn’t, because there isn’t one.

18. They didn’t, because there isn’t one.

19. It was saved … most likely at home by each contributor.

20. There is no such thing as a parachurch ministry, and there is no tithe for the Christian either. All the assumptions in this question are nonsense.

These answers are correct.

The teaching that is going around today is not the Tithe of the Bible. In fact, this “new teaching” is totally foreign to the Bible. A legitimate Biblical word and teaching (tithe) has been hijacked – and applied it to this new concoction.

God does give clear directives for the use of your money. But that design is not found in this “new teaching.” This “tithe” teaching is actually extortion in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, it is not just the extortioner who will be held to account. The duped one is accountable too. It is ultimately our responsibility to learn God’s will for us – especially when it is written in black and white. And in this matter, “I have not spoken in secret, in some dark land” (Isa 45:19). God’s material on the tithe, and His priorities for our money, are clearly stated in the Bible – there for the reading.

So, how did you do? Are you comfortable with your current knowledge level on this matter?

Free, unique ebooks at http://www.freelygive-n.com/Free_Christian_Ebook_Home.html . Or find out how to get right with God through a visual Stick Figure Gospel Presentation at http://www.freelygive-n.com/Gospel_Presentation.html ! Robin has a Master of Divinity – Emmanuel School of Religion, 1992.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com

Another Point of View on Tithing

Friday, April 11th, 2008

Not that i agree with everything this guy is saying, he still presents a good perspective on the tithing error.

Personalized Promise Bible of Financial Increase

Friday, March 14th, 2008

Came across this on A Little Leaven. Its called, “Personalized Promise Bible of Financial Increase”. Amazon has it here.

Personalized Promise Bible of Financial Increase

The Prosperity Bible

Monday, February 11th, 2008

Prosperity Bible

I came across this Prosperity Bible on A little leaven. Here’s an excerpt from the editorial review on Amazon.com

“The Prosperity Bible is a one-of-a-kind resource that collects the greatest moneymaking secrets of authors from every field-religion, finance, philosophy, and self-help-and makes them available in an attractive, keepsake edition.”

I guess you can say that now there officially is a prosperity “gospel”.

Bible verses about tithes

Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

Here is a list of all the bible verses from the Old and New Testament that are about tithing.

  • Genesis 14:20 – Melchizedek comes out to meet Abraham, as Abraham gives him a tithe of the spoils of his victory.
  • Genesis 28:20-22 – After the vision of God’s renewed covenant, Jacob initiates a covenant with God vowing to give him a tithe of what he receives from the promised land.
  • Leviticus 27:30-32 – The specifications of the tithe is introduced into the law of Moses.
  • Numbers 18:21 – The tithe is dedicated the Levites for the work in the tabernacle.
  • Deuteronomy 12:5-11 – God gives instructions for what to do with the tithe once Israel crosses the Jordan.
  • Deuteronomy 14:22-29 – God gives instructions on how to disperse and exchange the tithe.
  • Deuteronomy 26:12-15 – God gives instructions on how Israel should sanctify the tithe before they can ask for a blessing.
  • 2 Chronicles 31:5-12 – The children of Israel do what’s right under the reign of Hezekiah, and bring the tithes to the designated places.
  • Nehemiah 10:37-38 – Israel obeys God and brings the tithes to the storehouse.
  • Nehemiah 12:44 – Officers were appointed to watch over the tithes in the storehouse.
  • Nehemiah 13:5-12 – Nehemiah cleanses the storehouse and kicks Tobiah out of the room that was designated to store the tithe. He then restores order.
  • Amos 4:4 – God commands Israel to bring back the tithe and reiterates the curse that is upon them if they don’t.
  • Malachi 3:8-10 – God reprimands Israel for not delivering the tithe, and reiterates the blessings and curse that would be in result of whatever decision they chose.
  • Matthew 23:23 – Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for not obeying the weightier matters of the law along with tithing.
  • Luke 11:42 – A parallel passage of Matthew 23:23 as Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for not obeying the weightier matters of the law along with tithing.
  • Luke 18:12 – A Pharisee brags about his obedience to the law and tithing.
  • Hebrews 7:5-9 – Abraham’s tithe is used to illustrate a change concerning the priesthood.