RUSS KELLY REBUTS WILLIAM BARCLEY ON TITHING

MAY 27, 2021

The Bible Commands Christians to Tithe

March 28, 2017  |  William Barcley / check for full article

WB: My argument, in a nutshell, is this: The requirement to tithe preceded the Mosaic law, was codified in it with ceremonial aspects added, and was affirmed by Jesus as binding on his followers.

RK: Tithing before the Law was from unclean pagan goods which were not holy tithes. Tithing during the laws was always only food from inside God’s holy land. It was limited to Hebrews living inside that holy land. There is no such thing as tithing after Calvary. Matthew 23:23 is during the law.

WB: [Genesis 14 (Abram) and 28 (Jacob) are validated by Genesis 26:5.]

RK: Not everything Abram did was in obedience to a command from God. For example, using Gen 26:5 to justify tithing is wrong because it could also justify his lie to Pharoah in Genesis 12.  The biblical definition of a “holy tithe” does not fit Gen 14 or 28.

WB:  [Gen 4, firstfrut and firstborn.]

RK: Scripture nowhere EQUATES “firstborn,” “firstfruit” with “tithe.” They are always distinctly different. Both were only food from inside God’s holy land. One tree out of many thousands in Gen 4 does not constitute a tithe.  

WB: Some have suggested Jacob was offering a one-time tithe in Genesis 28. But as John Currid observes, the verb “to tithe” describes frequent, multiple actions. Jacob appears to be “making a lifetime commitment to Yahweh in the matter of tithing.”

RK: We cannot elevate John Currid’s opinion to the level of Scripture. The Bible has a huge “if” which means that Jacob was bargaining with God – telling God the sequence.

WB: Why does Moses record these events? …

RK: Why does Moses, Nehemiah, Malachi and Jesus not uses Gen 14 and 26 ass examples of holy tithing? --- they were from unholy pagan sources.

 

WB: … Yet far from revealing discontinuity, Hebrews leaves the impression that Christians will also tithe to their eternal high priest.

RK: Hebrews 7 teaches certain discontinuity. (1) Messiah will be “after the ORDER of Melchizedek” – a non-Hebrew king-priests. (2) Messiah will not be from Aaron. (3) His coming will forces a NECESSARY CHANGE OF THE LAW (V12). And (4) that “change” will be the “disannulling of the commandment going before” of tithing from 7:5.

WB: When we come to the law, it becomes clear that the tithe is God’s standard for giving.

RK: Read Lev 27:30-34 and Num 18:20-28. The “standard” only applied to food-producers living inside holy Israel!!! It did not apply carpenters such as Jesus! It did not apply to tent-makers such as Paul! It did not apply to any outside Israel. It did not apply to Gentiles.

WB: Under the Mosaic law, there appear to be three tithes …

RK: They all had things in common: they could not own or inherit God’s holy land and could not amass wealth (Num 18:20-28). Yet today many “tithe recipients” own much land and are wealthy.

WB: SABBATH and TITHING

RK: Natural law and conscience teach both worship and giving. Neither tell us which day to worship or how much to give.

WB: Mal 3:8-10

RK: The worst God-robbers of Malachi were the minsters:   See Neh 13:5-10. Follow the “you” from Malachi 1:6-14; 2:1-17; 3 all. Every priest in the nation was stealing from God.

WB: Matt 23;23

RK: The context is “matters of the law” before Calvary. Jesus was not commanding his disciples to tithe to support He and His apostles. Although ignored, the priests were still not allowed to own property in Israel or amass wealth (Num 18:20-28).

It befuddles me that a Reform pastor would force tithing on those whom he believes have been predestined by God to obey.

The Mass and Transubstantiation

 

THE MASS AND TRANSUBSTANTIATION:

R[V1] oman Catholics teach that eating the bread at mass is literally eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus Christ. This infusion of grace (sacrament) is essential for salvation. The mystery of the mass requires that Jesus be crucified again every time mass is said. See John 6:35-71.

1. Most Protestants very strongly disagree and call this cannibalism.

2. In John 3:5-16, salvation was by being “born again” of the Spirit.”

3. In John 4:14, salvation was by drinking of the water symbolizing faith in Jesus.

4. In John 5:24, salvation was by personal faith in Jesus.

5. In John 6:35, 40 and 47 salvation is by coming to Jesus and believing on Him.

6. When Jesus said in John 6:48 “I am that bread of life,” He was not speaking of literal bread, but of God’s only channel of salvation. In the same Gospel of John, Jesus also says “I am” a lamb (John 1:29), door (Jn 10:9), shepherd (Jn 10:11), road (John 14:6) and vine (Jn 15:1). John the Baptist called Him the “lamb of God” (Jn 1:29) and John calls him “the lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev 5:5). Yet Roman Catholics only insist on literally interpreting Jesus’ reference to Himself as literal bread” to be literally eaten.  Neither do Roman Catholics literally interpret Matthew 16:23 and teach that Jesus taught that the Apostle Peter was literally Satan.

6. In John 6:50-56 “eating Jesus” means to accept His vicarious death for all sin and accept Him as one’s personal Lord and Savior.

7. In John 6:57 Jesus compares His own “living by the Father” to believers’ “eating me.” Just as Jesus lived by obeying the will of the Father, even so believers are to live by believing in Him.

8. In John 6:58 Jesus contrasts eating His spiritual words with eating physical bread under Moses. It is clear that He was not speaking of literal physical eating, but of spiritual obedience.

9. In John 6:63 Jesus sums up his dialog with “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

10. In John 6:70, 71 Jesus again spoke figuratively when He said that Judas Iscariot “was a devil.” 

11. Matthew 26:26-29and First Corinthians 11:24-30 are the two best references to communion in the Bible. In Matthew 26:26 , Jesus summed up the meaning by saying “But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” And, in First Corinthians 11: 24-26 He says And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”

In neither reference does Jesus link communion with a essential part of salvation. “Do this in remembrance of me” focuses on His return, not salvation.

12. The Bible says that Jesus was sacrificed once for all time and for all sin (past, present, future). God’s Word does not justify repeating Christ’s sacrifice.

Heb 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many …

Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

Heb 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Heb 10:14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Heb 10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

13. All believers, with the same order of Aaron as high priests, now enter into the very presence of God without the necessity of any other mediator. There is no biblical example or biblical command for believers to confess their sins to a mediator.

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