Exploring the idea of my last video a little further. I take a look at how the wrong premise about what the Christian life is all about leads to skewed views of various scriptures. When the premise is that we're supposed to always be teaching each other "what to do," then we often miss the point entirely. I look at one passage in particular, Hebrews 7, to show how the church has honed in on a certain aspect of "doing" and has missed the point of the passage entirely! My hope in all this is to highlight the love, grace and goodness of God!
Grace Roots Blog
Showing posts with label Abraham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abraham. Show all posts
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Faith Itself - Not Works - Is What Pleases God
The Old Testament Bible characters listed in Hebrews 11 did some very wonderful things. But what was the root of all that they did? Were they credited for doing great things because they were such great, godly people? Or is there something deeper that is the root of what they did? Join us this week as we take a look at the foundational truth in their lives that caused them to do the things they did - the foundation of simple faith and trust in God. We look at how Abraham had been credited with faith, and how God had justified him by faith, before he had ever done a thing, and we look at a few more of the men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11, showing how it was faith itself that pleased God - not what they did. The things they did were simply the outflow or result of their foundational belief in God.
gigcast.graceroots.org
Friday, September 12, 2008
Freed from Tithing, Free to Give - Part 2
How Much Should I Tithe?
The word "tithe" means "one-tenth." A common question that I've heard all throughout my Christian life is, "Should Christians tithe off of their gross income or net income?" Please excuse my incredulity, but come on! - The whole basis of the question is misguided, at best. It assumes that "tithing" is for Christians, and that it has to do with money. Let's begin, through the scriptures, to put those ideas to death. I do want to point out as we get into this that I am differentiating between "giving" and "tithing." "Giving" is part of the Christian's new nature, and is done through grace - just like the rest of the Christian life. Unlike the 10% tithe, "giving" has nothing to do with a set amount or a legally prescribed amount, but rather has much more to do with a cheerful heart that truly desires to give. Christian giving is by no means limited to money, but may involve the giving of possessions, time, talents, services and other resources (we'll get into this later on in the series.) Tithing, however, is a completely different story.
More Than One Tithe
It may come as a surprise to many people that Malachi 3 is really only a small portion of the scriptures that talk about tithing. Did you know that? Judging by all the tithing teachings that I've heard in my life, you'd think that Malachi 3 was "IT" when it comes to the teaching of tithing.
Notice the Malachi passage says "bring all the tithes (plural) into the storehouse." What tithes? And what storehouse? It seems the modern church is ignorant about all this (doesn't really have a clue what this really means) - and in fact has, in its ignorance, turned the Malachi passage into something that it is not. However, Israel - the actual people to whom the laws were given - knew exactly what was meant. Under the system of law that they lived in, many instructions had been given regarding various tithes, and each tithe had various purposes. As we go through them, take note as to whether or not any of them had to do with income or paychecks - or money in any way. Also take note as to the frequency of each tithe (weekly? monthly? yearly? every three years? etc). And take note as to where the tithes were taken to, and how they were distributed and used. And finally, take note as to whether the people had a free choice on whether to tithe or not. (In other words, could they decide in their hearts to give cheerfully, or did they have to give).
Abraham's Tithe
The first mention of a "tithe" in the Bible is in Genesis 14. I'll summarize the story, but make sure you read the story for yourself. It's a quick and easy read. In short, a handful of kings had gone to war against another handful of kings. During a battle, Abraham's nephew, Lot, was captured, along with his family and goods. So Abram planned and executed an attack, and was able to bring back Lot and his family, and all of the goods that had been taken. Then Melchizedek king of Salem blessed Abraham, and Abraham "gave him a tithe of all." (Update: Does "all" mean that Abraham gave a tithe of everything he owned? I wrote this blog post on that subject.)
I don't know how many times I've heard this story used to teach the "principle" of tithing. I've heard it said that it was through "Abraham, the father of our faith," that the principle of tithing was introduced, and so we can follow Abraham's actions as an example of the principle of tithing since we're his children by faith. Well, remember - Abraham's tithe was a one-time tithe. It wasn't something Abraham continued to do, nor did it have anything to do with his salary or employment earnings or wealth. After fighting in a battle and winning back the goods and people that had been taken, he took the spoils of war and offered a tenth of it to Melchizedek. It's that simple.
(Update: Some historians note that it was either a law or custom in that part of the world at that time to give a tithe of the spoils of war to the local king or priest. That is to say, Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek - "king of Salem, priest of the Most High God" - Heb 7:1 - had nothing to do with him having a generous or a giving heart. He was following the local law or custom.)
Tithing Not a "Type" for New Covenant Giving
This one-time tithe of Abraham was never meant to be used to promote or teach a principle of tithing or giving in the New Covenant church. That idea is made up. In fact the writer of Hebrews gleans something out of this story that does have to do with the New Covenant, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Christian giving. You perhaps know that many things in the Old Covenant are "types and shadows" of the "substance" of the New Covenant. It seems that Old Covenant "tithing" and the Old Covenant "storehouse" are reckoned by many as a type and shadow of Christians giving money to a church. But nothing could be further from the truth.
In the book of Hebrews we find Abraham's tithe brought up as part of the writer's explanation of something else... something that has nothing at all to do with tithing. In Chapter 7, Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek is used to show that there was a need for something greater than the Levitical priesthood, which turns out to be the priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus. It says, "Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him." If you read all of Hebrews 7, you'll see that the whole point of Abraham's tithe being brought up has nothing to do with Christians following some principle of tithing, but it has everything to do with showing how Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood. More on this in Part 7. The point here is that Abraham's tithe is not used in the New Testament as an example of Christian giving.
Abraham's tithe was not given out of sacrifice or obligation. It wasn't given as a gesture of his good heart, or a heart of faith. It wasn't given as a result of being "convicted" by a sermon on "giving." It wasn't given to a local church or congregation of people of faith. It wasn't given to help a cause. It wasn't given to pay a salary to Melchizedek or his "staff," nor to pay for building costs or church programs. It also had nothing to do with a principle of sowing so that he could reap. Anyone who teaches you any of these things is making it up. Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek was simply a one-time offering from the spoils of war. Let's please take it for what it was, and not make it into something that it wasn't.
Jacob's Voluntary Tithe
In Genesis 28:22, Jacob said to God, "of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to you." This was a voluntary vow to give God a tenth, and it was a conditional vow, starting with the "if" in Gen 28:20. Also, Jacob said this of himself. All of the rest of the people didn't make this same pledge. I don't know of any other examples of the voluntary giving of a tenth. There could be more but I don't know of any. (If you know of any, please let me know). The thing I want to point out is that there is hardly enough evidence, in my opinion, to conclude - or even to merely suggest - that tithing (giving a tenth) was ever meant to be a normal part of the lives of people of faith. It's conjecture at best, with a stark absence of other examples of voluntary tithing in the lives of the Old Testament saints.
We do see plenty of examples of giving all throughout the Bible! Giving is done by all sorts of people in all sorts of ways and in all sorts of sizes and amounts. Giving is done in corporate ways and in ways that are much more personal. (More on this in Parts 9 and 10). But to me there seems to be an underwhelming amount of evidence that would support the idea of tithing (giving a tenth) as a principle in the lives of believers.
Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The word "tithe" means "one-tenth." A common question that I've heard all throughout my Christian life is, "Should Christians tithe off of their gross income or net income?" Please excuse my incredulity, but come on! - The whole basis of the question is misguided, at best. It assumes that "tithing" is for Christians, and that it has to do with money. Let's begin, through the scriptures, to put those ideas to death. I do want to point out as we get into this that I am differentiating between "giving" and "tithing." "Giving" is part of the Christian's new nature, and is done through grace - just like the rest of the Christian life. Unlike the 10% tithe, "giving" has nothing to do with a set amount or a legally prescribed amount, but rather has much more to do with a cheerful heart that truly desires to give. Christian giving is by no means limited to money, but may involve the giving of possessions, time, talents, services and other resources (we'll get into this later on in the series.) Tithing, however, is a completely different story.
More Than One Tithe
It may come as a surprise to many people that Malachi 3 is really only a small portion of the scriptures that talk about tithing. Did you know that? Judging by all the tithing teachings that I've heard in my life, you'd think that Malachi 3 was "IT" when it comes to the teaching of tithing.
Notice the Malachi passage says "bring all the tithes (plural) into the storehouse." What tithes? And what storehouse? It seems the modern church is ignorant about all this (doesn't really have a clue what this really means) - and in fact has, in its ignorance, turned the Malachi passage into something that it is not. However, Israel - the actual people to whom the laws were given - knew exactly what was meant. Under the system of law that they lived in, many instructions had been given regarding various tithes, and each tithe had various purposes. As we go through them, take note as to whether or not any of them had to do with income or paychecks - or money in any way. Also take note as to the frequency of each tithe (weekly? monthly? yearly? every three years? etc). And take note as to where the tithes were taken to, and how they were distributed and used. And finally, take note as to whether the people had a free choice on whether to tithe or not. (In other words, could they decide in their hearts to give cheerfully, or did they have to give).
Abraham's Tithe
The first mention of a "tithe" in the Bible is in Genesis 14. I'll summarize the story, but make sure you read the story for yourself. It's a quick and easy read. In short, a handful of kings had gone to war against another handful of kings. During a battle, Abraham's nephew, Lot, was captured, along with his family and goods. So Abram planned and executed an attack, and was able to bring back Lot and his family, and all of the goods that had been taken. Then Melchizedek king of Salem blessed Abraham, and Abraham "gave him a tithe of all." (Update: Does "all" mean that Abraham gave a tithe of everything he owned? I wrote this blog post on that subject.)
I don't know how many times I've heard this story used to teach the "principle" of tithing. I've heard it said that it was through "Abraham, the father of our faith," that the principle of tithing was introduced, and so we can follow Abraham's actions as an example of the principle of tithing since we're his children by faith. Well, remember - Abraham's tithe was a one-time tithe. It wasn't something Abraham continued to do, nor did it have anything to do with his salary or employment earnings or wealth. After fighting in a battle and winning back the goods and people that had been taken, he took the spoils of war and offered a tenth of it to Melchizedek. It's that simple.
(Update: Some historians note that it was either a law or custom in that part of the world at that time to give a tithe of the spoils of war to the local king or priest. That is to say, Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek - "king of Salem, priest of the Most High God" - Heb 7:1 - had nothing to do with him having a generous or a giving heart. He was following the local law or custom.)
Tithing Not a "Type" for New Covenant Giving
This one-time tithe of Abraham was never meant to be used to promote or teach a principle of tithing or giving in the New Covenant church. That idea is made up. In fact the writer of Hebrews gleans something out of this story that does have to do with the New Covenant, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Christian giving. You perhaps know that many things in the Old Covenant are "types and shadows" of the "substance" of the New Covenant. It seems that Old Covenant "tithing" and the Old Covenant "storehouse" are reckoned by many as a type and shadow of Christians giving money to a church. But nothing could be further from the truth.
In the book of Hebrews we find Abraham's tithe brought up as part of the writer's explanation of something else... something that has nothing at all to do with tithing. In Chapter 7, Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek is used to show that there was a need for something greater than the Levitical priesthood, which turns out to be the priesthood and sacrifice of Jesus. It says, "Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him." If you read all of Hebrews 7, you'll see that the whole point of Abraham's tithe being brought up has nothing to do with Christians following some principle of tithing, but it has everything to do with showing how Jesus is superior to the Levitical priesthood. More on this in Part 7. The point here is that Abraham's tithe is not used in the New Testament as an example of Christian giving.
Abraham's tithe was not given out of sacrifice or obligation. It wasn't given as a gesture of his good heart, or a heart of faith. It wasn't given as a result of being "convicted" by a sermon on "giving." It wasn't given to a local church or congregation of people of faith. It wasn't given to help a cause. It wasn't given to pay a salary to Melchizedek or his "staff," nor to pay for building costs or church programs. It also had nothing to do with a principle of sowing so that he could reap. Anyone who teaches you any of these things is making it up. Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek was simply a one-time offering from the spoils of war. Let's please take it for what it was, and not make it into something that it wasn't.
Jacob's Voluntary Tithe
In Genesis 28:22, Jacob said to God, "of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to you." This was a voluntary vow to give God a tenth, and it was a conditional vow, starting with the "if" in Gen 28:20. Also, Jacob said this of himself. All of the rest of the people didn't make this same pledge. I don't know of any other examples of the voluntary giving of a tenth. There could be more but I don't know of any. (If you know of any, please let me know). The thing I want to point out is that there is hardly enough evidence, in my opinion, to conclude - or even to merely suggest - that tithing (giving a tenth) was ever meant to be a normal part of the lives of people of faith. It's conjecture at best, with a stark absence of other examples of voluntary tithing in the lives of the Old Testament saints.
We do see plenty of examples of giving all throughout the Bible! Giving is done by all sorts of people in all sorts of ways and in all sorts of sizes and amounts. Giving is done in corporate ways and in ways that are much more personal. (More on this in Parts 9 and 10). But to me there seems to be an underwhelming amount of evidence that would support the idea of tithing (giving a tenth) as a principle in the lives of believers.
Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Friday, May 23, 2008
Waiting - Part 1
I know it's been cliché to say this during at least the past decade or two, but I'm going to say it anyway because it's true: "Your way, right away" is not the way of the life of faith!
Generally speaking, we don't learn life lessons "right away." We don't experience answers to our prayers right away. We don't grow right away. We don't have visions and dreams fulfilled right away. We don't overcome obstacles right away. We don't perfect walking by the Spirit right away. We don't put to death the deeds of the flesh right away.
There are exceptions to all of this, of course. Sometimes things happen suddenly, out of the blue. But in my personal experience those things are rare, and in my understanding of God's dealings with man through scripture, those things are rare.
A few examples:
Abraham - God made a promise to Abram that he would have a child, and in fact that He would make him a "great nation." Abram was 75 years old at the time, and he and his family went to live in Canaan (see Gen 12:1-6). After living in Canaan for 10 years, Abram went in with his wife's handmaiden Hagar, and Ishmael (who was not the promised child) was conceived. Finally when Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him and made a covenant with him and changed his name to Abraham. A year later, the promised child, Isaac, was born.
Five years is a long time to wait for something. Ten years is harder. How about being a 75-year-old man, and being promised a child. You'd probably think, "If this is real, this had better happen soon, before I'm really too old!" (Not to mention the age of his wife, who was 10 years younger than him). And then finally, after 24 years of waiting, the LORD finally reveals that it will happen the following year! A total of 25 years from promise given to promise fulfilled!
And the impossibility of it all! Sarah was a 90 year old woman, and she even laughed at the whole idea when she heard what was going to happen (See Gen 18:9-15). I love how the LORD responded. He questioned Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'" And then He spoke words that should speak to us all:
"Is anything too hard for the LORD?"
David - David was a mere shepherd boy when the LORD, through Samuel, chose him to be the king of Israel. But it was after many years of war and fighting, and eluding Saul (who wanted to kill him), that he actually became ruler over Judah, and then over all of Israel.
Joseph - Sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers as a young boy. Later he was wrongfully imprisoned but eventually, after many many years, was made governor of Egypt and his family was able to live there "in the best of the land."
Jesus - Simple carpenter for most of His life as a human being. Most, if not all, people were very surprised when He suddenly, at the age of 30, began teaching with authority and performing miracles, signs and wonders.
Peter - Walked with Jesus for three years. Had times of great faith and times of great doubt. Said he would stick by Jesus and then denied him. Was given the keys of the kingdom by Jesus. Gave a wonderful 'sermon' on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2), leading many to Christ. Years later stood opposed by Paul for his legalistic hypocrisy! As a side note, I guess it's a good thing Peter did what he did because it inspired a speech by Paul that included some great doctrine about being crucified with Christ, dead to the law, and living a life that is really a matter of faith and not law! (see Gal 2:11-21).
There are obviously so many other great biblical examples. These are people who had to wait for years for promises to be fulfilled. They had to go through lots of things, including injustice, mockery, pain, loss - as well as hope, joy, pleasure, other types of fulfillment, etc - before certain things happened. In the "meantime" (during the years they spent waiting) some of them tried to fulfill God's promises through their own means, and there were some dire consequences, but God, who is faithful even when we are not, still fulfilled His plans and His purposes for their lives. Some of them were taught wonderful things by God, and were truly people of faith, and yet had times of not trusting God, and were sometimes slow to learn and slow to appropriate the goodness of God.
But in all of it, they still lived and they still were God's people. They still experienced everyday life. Life went on. And it was good!
The "meantime" is really where life is at. The meantime is now. The meantime is everyday, moment by moment life. I wrote about that about a year and a half ago, so I'll end this part by linking to that.
"In the means-time..." (1/26/07)
Generally speaking, we don't learn life lessons "right away." We don't experience answers to our prayers right away. We don't grow right away. We don't have visions and dreams fulfilled right away. We don't overcome obstacles right away. We don't perfect walking by the Spirit right away. We don't put to death the deeds of the flesh right away.
There are exceptions to all of this, of course. Sometimes things happen suddenly, out of the blue. But in my personal experience those things are rare, and in my understanding of God's dealings with man through scripture, those things are rare.
A few examples:
Abraham - God made a promise to Abram that he would have a child, and in fact that He would make him a "great nation." Abram was 75 years old at the time, and he and his family went to live in Canaan (see Gen 12:1-6). After living in Canaan for 10 years, Abram went in with his wife's handmaiden Hagar, and Ishmael (who was not the promised child) was conceived. Finally when Abram was 99 years old, the LORD appeared to him and made a covenant with him and changed his name to Abraham. A year later, the promised child, Isaac, was born.
Five years is a long time to wait for something. Ten years is harder. How about being a 75-year-old man, and being promised a child. You'd probably think, "If this is real, this had better happen soon, before I'm really too old!" (Not to mention the age of his wife, who was 10 years younger than him). And then finally, after 24 years of waiting, the LORD finally reveals that it will happen the following year! A total of 25 years from promise given to promise fulfilled!
And the impossibility of it all! Sarah was a 90 year old woman, and she even laughed at the whole idea when she heard what was going to happen (See Gen 18:9-15). I love how the LORD responded. He questioned Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?'" And then He spoke words that should speak to us all:
"Is anything too hard for the LORD?"
David - David was a mere shepherd boy when the LORD, through Samuel, chose him to be the king of Israel. But it was after many years of war and fighting, and eluding Saul (who wanted to kill him), that he actually became ruler over Judah, and then over all of Israel.
Joseph - Sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers as a young boy. Later he was wrongfully imprisoned but eventually, after many many years, was made governor of Egypt and his family was able to live there "in the best of the land."
Jesus - Simple carpenter for most of His life as a human being. Most, if not all, people were very surprised when He suddenly, at the age of 30, began teaching with authority and performing miracles, signs and wonders.
Peter - Walked with Jesus for three years. Had times of great faith and times of great doubt. Said he would stick by Jesus and then denied him. Was given the keys of the kingdom by Jesus. Gave a wonderful 'sermon' on the day of Pentecost (see Acts 2), leading many to Christ. Years later stood opposed by Paul for his legalistic hypocrisy! As a side note, I guess it's a good thing Peter did what he did because it inspired a speech by Paul that included some great doctrine about being crucified with Christ, dead to the law, and living a life that is really a matter of faith and not law! (see Gal 2:11-21).
There are obviously so many other great biblical examples. These are people who had to wait for years for promises to be fulfilled. They had to go through lots of things, including injustice, mockery, pain, loss - as well as hope, joy, pleasure, other types of fulfillment, etc - before certain things happened. In the "meantime" (during the years they spent waiting) some of them tried to fulfill God's promises through their own means, and there were some dire consequences, but God, who is faithful even when we are not, still fulfilled His plans and His purposes for their lives. Some of them were taught wonderful things by God, and were truly people of faith, and yet had times of not trusting God, and were sometimes slow to learn and slow to appropriate the goodness of God.
But in all of it, they still lived and they still were God's people. They still experienced everyday life. Life went on. And it was good!
The "meantime" is really where life is at. The meantime is now. The meantime is everyday, moment by moment life. I wrote about that about a year and a half ago, so I'll end this part by linking to that.
"In the means-time..." (1/26/07)
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