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Thursday, April 08, 2010

Reply to The Plain Truth Restored

The Plain Truth Restored
http://thepuretruthrestored.com/pages/tithing-today-the-blessed-alternative/
Tithing Today - The Blessed Alternative
PT: Tithing is an ancient scriptural law that 10% of everything you earn, over and above expenses, belongs to your Creator and that He requires it to be used to support His ministry (not just any religious effort, but that of the pure truth specifically).

Kelly: True biblical HOLY tithes were always only food from inside Israel which God had miraculously increased from inside His holy land. Although money was required for sanctuary worship, money was never a tithing item. Jesus could not tithe and neither could anybody who lived outside Israel.

PT: His blessing of abundance is promised to those who obey Him, yet today most ignore or misapply this law (by supporting heretical religions and ministers, pastors, etc.), and the results are rather obvious.

Kelly: You ignore and misapply the plain biblical definition of holy tithes. God only commanded Old Covenant Israel to tithe and not the New Covenant Church.

PT: Some think this Law is "antiquated"

Kelly: The fundamental underlying moral law which is the character of God applies to all creation. The Old Covenant law only applied to national Israel.
PT: Others accuse anyone who chooses to live by that Law of "inventing" it

Kelly: Most preachers and bloggers cannot correctly define the word “law” and tell what it includes and what it does not include.

PT: Tithing is just such a Law you must learn, know, and follow if you want to truly prosper!

Kelly: You have changed the biblical definition of a HOLY tithe to include income from outside Israel. Our God is now dealing with His Church through purely New Covenant principles given to the Church after Calvary.

PT: Prosperity, of course, doesn't necessarily mean rich

Kelly: Except for many prosperity preachers who fleece their flocks.

PT: Tithing is giving a tenth of your increase (what is left after taxes and work-related expenses are deducted) from the fruits of your labors back to your Creator

Kelly: This definition is not found in the Bible.

PT: Some may wonder if tithing is still required today, since there is no Levitical priesthood in place to receive such tithes.

Kelly: The tithe of food from Israel was the only inheritance of the Levites and priests. Today dishonest so-called “tithe-teachers” own and inherit property contrary to the tithing statute of Numbers 18:21-28.

PT: Such thinking is short-sighted and perhaps deliberately obtuse.

Kelly: Redefining the true biblical holy tithe is deliberate dishonesty to rob the flock.

PT: The ministry of pure truth is your means of learning about the Laws and Commandments of your Creator,

Kelly: The Church does not obey ANY of the OT tithing laws today.

PT: Those who teach you these things are worthy of "double honor" in terms of financial support (cf. I Timothy 5:17)

Kelly: From the context of 1 Timothy 5:1-17, “double honor” refers to discipline, not to salary.

PT: "'Test me in this,' says Yahveh of hosts, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough to receive it'" (Malachi 3:10).

Kelly: The tithe in Malachi 3:10 is still only FOOD 1000 years after Leviticus and Numbers. The definition never changed.

PT: What is the sole condition for you to receive such a blessing? "'Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse, so there is food in my house'" (op. cit.), is all He requires of you.

Kelly: The whole law was a test, not merely tithing. Obey all to be blessed; break one to be cursed. See Gal 3:10.

PT: A storehouse, in modern terms, is actually the ministry that feeds you strong and healthy spiritual meat in due season (cf. "Matthew" 13:52)!

Kelly: The OT tithe was first brought to the Levitical cities and not the Temple because most of those who needed it for food lived there per Neh 10:37-38. The early church owned no legal buildings for over 300 years.

3 comments:

57chevypreterist said...

Beautiful!

Unknown said...

Russell:

You really should heed the Savior's warning about the blind leading the blind.

You have erred in so many ways, in your attempt to critique my article, I hardly know where to start.

Let's start with the ludicrous idea you stated that: "From the context of I Timothy 5:1-17 'double honor' refers to discipline, not to salary."

What then could verse 18 possibly mean, where the context of verse 17 is concluded with: "For the scripture says, 'Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,' and 'The worker deserves his wages.'"

While it is true that most wages in ancient times were doubtless reckoned as some form or food, this did not mean that only farmers or ranchers made a living or had to pay tithes on their increase.

Regarding tithes being a tenth of the spoils of war, we have Abraham's example (Genesis 14:20).

It says simply "a tenth of everything" not merely a tenth of only foodstuffs such as grains, or animals.

Take Deuteronomy 26:12, which says simply: "all the tithes of your increase."

While that usually did mean produce, it also meant other material goods, as the context of Deuteronomy 16:15 reveals:

"Yahveh your Almighty One shall bless you in all your increase, and in all the works of your hands."

Similarly the same word translated "increase" is elsewhere used to describe material possessions, in the context of silver:

"Whoever cares for silver never has silver enough; whoever cares for wealth is never satisfied with his increase" (Ecclesiastes 5:10; based on the NIV and KJV).

I could go on, but why bother?

You've got the entirely false idea that the Law revealed through Moses is the "Old Covenant" (it is nothing of the kind, but rather it preceded the Covenant, which was an agreement between the children of Yasarel and their Creator to obey His Law and Commandments), so like "Most preachers and bloggers" you also apparently cannot correctly define the word 'law' as intended by our Creator.

We live in the time just prior to the Savior's imminent return, when the work of restoring all things includes remembering "the Law of my servant Moses, the decrees and Laws I gave him at Horeb for all Yasarel" ("Malachi" 4:4).

The end result is that, unless the Lawless are turned to the wisdom of obedience -- which is the very definition of righteousness ("Malachi" 4:6, Septuagint; cf. Luke 1:17) -- the entire earth could be totally destroyed ("Malachi" 4:6).

We do indeed live in an age, just like that of Noah's flood, and the day when Lot left Sodom ("Matthew" 24:37-39; Luke 17:26-30), when wicked religious rebels are refusing to heed the warning to return (repent) to the Law and Commandments of their Creator, due to their pagan and utterly unscriptural idea that His Law was "done away with," mainly by twisting the scriptures written by Paul (II Peter 3:15-16).

You, Russell, so far are counted among the number of these wicked rebels. Won't you repent of that?!?

Hank Scott

P.S. It's The PURE Truth, not "The Plain Truth," Restored, as you incorrectly stated twice before citing the website address.

Unknown said...

P.S. Why didn't you obey the Savior's admonition to go privately to discuss your accusations with me first, before going "public" with your screed? (cf. "Matthew" 18:15-17)

Where you afraid of a little well-needed rebuke?

Or do you just like to appear "wise" in the eyes of the clueless who have read your nonsense, whom you scour the earth to "convert" to your Lawless and rebellious, soon to be judged and utterly rejected, religious misbeliefs?

As here, when I have something to say about somebody else, I go to them (you) first, before I ever try to publish anything exposing their falsehoods and errors publicly (this page seems "private" enough for me to reply to your mistaken critique).

Your pride in the letters after your name, titles forbidden the Elect ("Matthew" 23:8-12) who are to remain humble and teachable, will not serve you well when you come before the majestic presence of He whose Law you seem to despise and refuse to obey!