Reply to Tim Guthrie, SBC Today Blog
When a Standard is Lost, 2-14-2010
http://sbctoday.blogspot.com/2010/02/when-standard-is-lost.html
Guthrie: When we look at the issue of tithing it is important to remember this word [standard]
Kelly: A "standard" is supposed to apply to everybody alike. Since tithes were always only food from inside Israel, then tithes were only a standard for food producers who lived inside Israel. Those who worked in Israelite cities as traders and craftsmen did not qualify as tithe payers and the tithe was not a standard for their giving. And those who lived outside of Israel could not tithe off defiled pagan dust. Therefore there was no standard which applied to all people.
Guthrie: In the discussions that have made their way into the blog world of late we are learning that people who set out to prove a position to justify their behavior will often forget about this word STANDARD.
Kelly: It is wrong to accuse somebody who has a different biblical interpretation of "trying to prove a position to justify their behavior."Guthrie: When a person looks in the Word of God a clear standard is seen concerning the tithe. Though some are trying to ignore this standard, it is there.
Kelly: This cannot be proven. Just this week Dr. David Croteau of SBC Liberty University made his new book available, You Mean We Don't Have to Tithe? It is endorsed by three leading SBC theologians and Craig Blomberg.
Guthrie: Those who claim to hold to the New Covenant Theological position completely ignore that the Old Testament and the Law have been given to us for this very reason.
Kelly: Are the five leading theologians above all "ignoring" the clear teaching of the Word of God? Could you be the one ignoring our arguments?
Guthrie: We are free from the Law. Christ did what we could not. Yet NC people forget that the Law was God's STANDARD! Christ's payment for our sins does not change this standard.
Kelly: NC people? Croteau is in Virginia; Blomberg is in Colorado; MacArthur is in California; Unger was in Texas; Elwell was in Illinois, etc, etc, etc.
Guthrie: The Law was God's STANDARD! Christ's payment for our sins does not change this standard.
Kelly: Incredible. You imply that the word "Law" means "Ten Commandments, minus Sabbath, plus tithing." If I am wrong, then please please please define the way you use the "law." The Law in Exodus 21:15,17 still commands killing disobedient children and the Laws in Numbers 18:21-28 still commands recipients of Levitical tithes to forfeit property ownership. How do you justify ignoring most of the Law in order to teach tithing?
Don't delete his post. Engage in an in-depth discussion of the issue.
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1 comment:
Dr. Kelly,
Thanks for posting these. I came to this discussion late, so it probably won't do much good for me to try to get involved at this point. One of the bloggers is apparently not posting comments by those who disagree and another has stated he will no longer respond.
I agree that it seems that Tim and others seem to be of the position that "The Law" is the 10 Commandments minus the Sabbath plus tithing.
I would imagine that to a man none of them hold that the Sabbath is a creation ordinance that is obligatory today in the way that it is taught in basically all historic Baptist confessions prior to the BF&M 2000. If they were, at least there would be some consistency with their position. It would be even more consistent were they to "baptize" infants and espouse Christian Reconstructionism, stoning disobedient children, etc.
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