Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian's Conclusions about a Taboo
Doctrine
Where in the Bible Were Tithes Abolished?
1.
WHO #1: The Levitical servants to the priests who received the first whole tithe have been
abolished. See Numbers 18:21-24. Modern equivalents to the Levites are unpaid ushers, deacons, choir, musicians, etc.
2.
WHO #2: OT priests who received a tenth of the tithe (only 1 per cent) have been abolished.
See Num 18:25-28 and Neh 10:38.
3. WHAT: The definition of tithes as only food miraculously
increased by God from inside His holy land of Israel has been abolished and replaced with the false unbiblical definition of income.
See Leviticus 27:30-34 and 14 other texts which describe the contents of the tithe. Yet money was common in Genesis.
4.
WHERE: The destination of the OT tithes first to the Levitical cities some to the Temple has been abolished.
See Neh 10:37b and Mal 3:10.
5. WHEN: The time to tithe has been abolished. The
Levitical tithe was paid yearly in the Levitical cities. The second festival tithe was eaten at the three festivals. The third
poor tithe was kept in the home every third year. Tithes totaled 23 1/3 per cent.
6. WHY
#1: The covenant which prescribed them was abolished per Heb 8:8-13; Gal 4:21-26' 2 Cor 3:6-10.
7.
WHY #2: The "commandment" for Levites and priests to collect tithes was "annulled"
per Hebrews 7:5, 12, 18.
8. WHY #3: The law which condemned believers has been
rendered of no effect when the believer died in Christ per Romans 7:4. No law can tell a dead person what to do.
9.
HOW #1: Jesus abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances per Eph 2:13. Tithing
was an ordinance per Num 18.
10. HOW $2: Jesus blotted out the handwriting of ordinances,
per Col 2:14. Tithing was an ordinance per Num 18.
11. HOW #3: The Temple which
tithes supported was abolished in AD 70. God's
temple is now within each believer per 1 Cor 3:16; 6:19-20.
12. HOW #4: The priesthood which was supported by tithes was abolished
in AD 70. God's priesthood is now within every believer per 1st Peter 2:9-10.
13. HOW #5: The blessings
and curses of tithing as part of the whole law have been abolished per Galatians 3:10-13.
Would
you continue to send money to a church after a.
The building is destroyed? b. The
preacher has been defrocked? c. The workers
have found other jobs? d. The members have
all left? e. The land has been inhabited
by non religious people? f. The purpose
for the church no longer exists? g. You
have died?
Russell Earl Kelly, PHD
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