Reply to Cathy Deaton on Tithing

Reply to Cathy Deaton, Who God Is
http://who-god-is.com/give-god-what-is-rightfully-his
Give God What Is Rightfully His!

Cathy: Many Christians feel that tithing a tenth of their income is optional depending on whether they have extra after all the bills are paid.

Russ: True biblical tithes were always only food from inside Israel which had been miraculously increased by God. Although money was common even in Genesis, money was never included in 16 texts which describe the contents of the tithe for over 1500 years from Leviticus to Luke. Jesus, Peter and Paul did not qualify as tithe-payers and neither did the poor nor those who lived outside Israel. Only Old Covenant Israel was commanded to tithe. The New Covenant church is never commanded to tithe after Calvary. Period.

Cathy: According to the Bible, that is not what God intended at all.

Russ: According to Exodus 19:5-6 God intended for every believer to be a priest and priests do not pay tithes to themselves. That has been fulfilled in 1st Peter 2:9-10. OT tithe recipients were not allowed to own or inherit property. The tithing statute of Numbers 18 is not followed by any Church.

Cathy: He wants His Children to put Him first in every aspect of their lives, including giving the tithe money to Him first before any bills have been paid.

Russ: According to 1st Timothy 5:8 the Christian is supposed to spend the first on essentials such as medicine, food and shelter. Firstfruits were never the same as tithes in the Bible according to Deu 26:1-4 and Neh 10:35-38.

Cathy: God already knows how He is going to provide, but He wants us to trust Him to do it in the way He sees fit. Malachi 3: 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Russ: Tithing was only a very small part of the whole law of over 600 commands. The whole law was a test --not merely tithing. Obey ALL to be blessed; break ONE to be cursed. Galatians 3:10-13 clearly replaces Malachi 3:10-12 for Hebrews while Gentiles and the Church were never under the law.

Cathy: Trust, try and prove God to see what He will do in your life. Make the choice to put Him first in your finances by paying the tithe first thing and then proceed to the other bills. I don’t know how He does it, but when you put Him first He then has the liberty to work on your behalf and truly “open the windows of Heaven” to handle whatever problem arises.

Russ: No matter how many times you repeat the word "first," it still does not make firstfruits and tithes the same thing. Firstfruits were only very small token offerings in the Bible.

Cathy: Make sure you give God what is rightfully His and learn to trust Him no matter what might come your way, knowing He is fully capable of handling it.

Russ: NT giving for the Church after Calvary is: FREEWILL, generous, sacrificial, joyful, not by commandment (or percentage) and motivated by love for God and others. That means much more than 10% for many and much less for others.

See my web site at www.tithing-russkelly.com.