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The
Word of Truth Ministries | |
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The Dangers
of Going Under the Law
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Paul was more emphatic about Gentile Christians being placed under the Law than was the first church council. And although he was more emphatic, his admonition was the same as theirs. Regardless of what the argument for such things as Sabbath Day keeping and tithe-paying in the New Testament Church is, they are a part of the Law. They were commanded, codified, and tithes were paid to the Levites rigidly under the Law as God's inheritance to the Levites who had no land inheritance. Paul, looking at the idea of the Law or any aspect of it being a part of the New Testament Church, wrote extensively to the Galatians Church and to the Roman Church about the perils of taking saints back under the Law. In Galatians 3:1-5; 4:9, Paul calls them foolish for wanting the beggarly elements of the Law. He tells them that they have been bewitched into craving aspects of the Law that certain men felt it convenient to have them subjected to. Just as there were bewitching Jews wanting to impose the Law on the church during Paul's day, so there are bewitching preachers wanting to impose the tithes of the Law on the church today for their own gain or through their ignorance. Paul plainly tells the church then and us now that we are not under the Law; our faith in God takes us to the faith covenant of Abraham. Abraham was never under the Law; he believed God and that belief was imputed to him for righteousness. And Paul argues that we who believe God are the children of Abraham; we are not under the Law, nor the works of the Law. Indeed, we are justified, being Gentiles, by faith in the preaching of the gospel. Nowhere in the preaching of the gospel is tithes preached, only that we Gentiles are the children of Abraham by faith. It should be observed that Abraham never gave tithes--Abram gave tithes before he was in a covenant agreement with God. When God covenanted with Abram, his name was changed to Abraham to reflect the fact that he would be the father of many nations--Christians by faith. But in that covenant with Abraham, a covenant of faith, there was no aspect of it that dealt with tithing. If we look at how Abram gave a tithe, we see that he gave it once and of a certain booty. Furthermore it was up to him to decide whether to give and what amount to give. This is the principle Paul exalts to New Testament saints. Paul argues the covenant God made with Abraham (430 years before the Law) cannot be voided by the Law, and we are under that covenant. Tithing was never a part of that covenant with Abraham. We were never under a tithe covenant, and if one places us under it today, Paul says that we are fallen from grace, and Christ is made of no effect unto us because it was under the Law, and we go under the law as well. To take any portion of the law obligates us to do the whole law. [Galatians, Chapters 3-5] This is the real danger posed by those placing Christians under the Law. They take away God's grace! There are many a Christians who have allowed ignorant men, not worthy of representing the things of Christ, to take them under the law. A minister who takes one under the Law for any reason says to those who they take that Christ is not enough. The scripture says that we are complete in Him/Christ, yet these willingly ignorant minister thunder down from their pulpits, which are not pulpits of God, untoward things of themselves and not the things of God; they reach into the Law and appropriate those unnecessary aspects to bring about a completion of Christ. But such a one does not know, nor does he care to know the truth of God. These are those in the class of people Peter identified as the "Willingly Ignorant." Were these ministers to use the New Testament's way of faith, God would bless by faith, but because these preachers of tithes have no faith, they do not and cannot trust God's word. And since they have no faith, they are unsaved, for without faith, it is impossible to please God. [Heb. 11:6] And being unsaved and on a road to perdition, they take perfectly good Christians who are saved and complete in Christ on that road to hell with them. Most of the tithe-payers and Law keepers are unaware that they are doing acts that are unpleasing and contrary to God's word because most have a fear of a willingly ignorant pastor placed in them so that they have lost the fear of God and have gained the fear of a man--an ungodly man for sure. But Jesus said fear not man, who can only destroy the body, but God who can destroy both the body and soul into hell. The Law was added to Jews because of transgressions till Abraham's seed came--it was nothing more than a guide to Christ. He came and fulfilled the prophecy of the Law. [Gal. 3:19-25] The word till is future tense, denoting that an action will transpire for a prescribed duration or at a future time. Once that duration has occurred, the action/prophecy ceases to exist. The law had a prescribed time; its duration ended on Calvary! That was why the veil of the temple was rent. [Mat. 27:51] The covenant God made with Abraham took hold upon us at Pentecost--it was a faith covenant. That is why we call our relationship with God the New Testament; a testament is merely a covenant. The terms of that new covenant Jesus begun to teach while here and after leaving, he gave commandments to the church through the Holy Ghost via his holy apostles. [Acts 1:1-2] The scripture teaches that without faith it is impossible to please God. [Heb.11: 6] The New Testament way of giving requires that we trust God to move on the hearts of his people to give. Tithing is a prescribed method requiring no faith, just a calculator. And because the ministers of money, who would tear a tenth from God's people, are not ministers of God, they have no faith, instead they have Malachi 3 and calculators. But Malachi was never written to the Church but Malachi addresses his remarks to Jews--Mal. 3:6, ye sons of Jacob; Malchi 3:9, ye have robbed me, even this whole nation; Malchi 3:12, All nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall be a delightsome LAND.... God never gave the Law to anyone except Israel; Gentiles were never under the law and tithing is under the Law. Those who argue that Tithing was before the Law cannot find biblical legs to stand on in attempting to place it into the New Testament Church. Even if clear thinking, which is Godly thinking, would allow one to honestly say tithing was before the Law, that assumed fact (albeit incorrect) would not imply, suggest, command, demand or mandate in any way that it be placed in the church. But sound thinking and a right division of God's word will not allow that flawed ananlysis to mascarade as light when, in fact, it is darkness and a perpetration of a fraud on the people of God. Paul plainly says in Galatan 3:10:
Jesus said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the Law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." [Mat. 5:17] Thus, Jesus shows us, without a doubt, by implication that the Law was prophecy to be fulfilled, and Jesus fulfilled the Law completely for us! He also said that the scriptures [all] testified of him. [John 5:39]. The Law is not a code Christians are obligated to follow, and if we do, we fall from grace. We are complete, without the Law, in Jesus who fulfilled the Law for us. Wherefore do we serve the Law? If Jesus fulfilled the Law, there is no reason we need to obey the Law. We are paid up of tithes and other aspects of the Law through Christ; he has fulfilled all the requirements of the law. If a saint takes a portion of the Law, Paul said he is debter to do the whole Law. [Gal. 5:3] Paul says this in duplicate: A little leaven leavens the whole lump. [Gal.5: 9] Therefore, although one argues that tithing was before the law, clearly he/she will not argue that it was not under the law as well. And if it was under the Law and we take it into Christian practice, we are obligated/debters to do the whole Law because it is a portion of the Law. Furthermore, we fall from grace. We cannot snatch tithing from the Law, arguing it was before the Law and place it under grace; to do so obligates us to do the whole law. And if one argues tithe was before the Law, under Abram, there is no room there either: the covenant God had with Abraham had no mention of tithe! If we try to model tithing as Abram engaged in it, that would mean we would give it once, after we have go a warring to recapture someone, and it would be given only of the booty acquired through/from that war. And, of course, there is the doctrine of first mention that limits our use of this sourse. As you can see, to attempt a before the Law argument for tithes runs us into a position tithe-takers don't want. Furthermore, in this naive and falwed argument of before the law, there are other aspects of the law that predated the law: the Sabbath (gen. 2); Circumcision (Gen.17); Animal sacrifices (Gen. 22). Consistency of their argument would demand that these aspects be brought into the New Testament Church as well. Again, Paul says that one who does a part of the law is a debter to do the whole law! This before the Law argument is, of course, the same one used by Sabbath Day keepers to justify their obedience to the Law and especially the Sabbath Day aspect of the Law. Don't let men place you into their tithing scheme. They will rape your finances, and, more importantly, they will take you under the Law and away from grace! Being saved according to God's word is not about feelings and emotions, which can deceive you; it is about what God's word says about being saved. You, as well as the minister who takes you under the Law, fall from grace. Joseph and Mary, the mother of Jesus, went up to Jerusalem, and when leaving they thought Jesus was with them, but after a number of days they recognized that Jesus was not with them, and they had to travel back to find him. No doubt they felt that he was in their midst, but he was not. Feelings, a thing that too many Christians rely on, are not the measure of one's salvation; when it comes to matters of spiritual truths, the word of God is the test. John says that anyone who does not abide in the doctrine of Christ (not the Law or the teaching of tithes) has not God. Feelings aside, if one is not abiding in the doctrine of Christ, that person has not God. Regardless of how many tongues a person spoke in or speaks in, regardless of what shaking he receives or does not receive, regardless of the voices he hears, regardless of revelations he receives, etc., if that person does not obey the rightly divided word of God, that person does not have God in his life. [2 John 1:9] At some point in a believer's life, God's word, rightly divided, must take precedence over money-hustlers and Satan who are after your money, your souls, and the minds of men. The fear of man must be abandoned, and we must fear God, who can destroy both body and soul into hell. [Mat. 10:28] Know this, no man can affect your standing with God. He cannot commend you to God or cause God's face not to shine upon you; your trust in and obedience to God's word commends you to God, not some preacher who claims to be of God. A saint should never lose his soul because of a minister; yet many are doing just that, as they obey ministers who are defying God's word and teaching them to do so. Each person must examine the word of God for himself and determine if he in the faith or under the Law. Do not fall from grace by going under the Law to please some man who should know the word of God sufficiently or who deliberately misconstrues God's word for his financial gain. [Isa. 56:10-11] You must save yourselves from this untoward generation of leaders. [Acts 2:40] You are responsible for your own salvation! Do not allow Satan, through men, to deceive you. Finally, understand the situation you are in as you pay tithes: you are actually paying a deceived minister who does not know the word, as he takes you under the Law. Being under the Law obligates you to do the whole Law. And even if you could do the law, you have still made to non-effect the cross of Christ and you have fallen from grace. I suggest that you get away from such a minister and/or church as soon as possible because he will never change--he loves money and the truth puts his money is at stake, and that is more important to him than is the word of our Living God! [1 Tim. 6:10]
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