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Matthew 5:17-18 states Christ came to fulfill the law and not abolish it.
This is where some education in law is useful. What does fulfill mean? What does abolish mean?
Let me give an example. A legal contract is enforceable under the law. Let’s say you hire a contractor to build a swimming pool in your back yard. Once the contractor has completed the job, and everything in that contract has been completed, the contract has been fulfilled. The contractor’s job is to fulfill the contract, not abolish it. He fulfills it by completing the terms, bringing it to an end.
Consider:
Hebrews 8:13 (KJV) - In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Colossians 2:14 (KJV) - Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Galatians 5:18 (KJV) - But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Galatians 3:19 (KJV) - Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. In other words, until Jesus came and fulfilled the law.
Galatians 3:23-25 (KJV)
23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Galatians 3:10-14 (KJV)
10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Monetary income is NOT a form of increase.
Wages are NOT anywhere in scripture classified as a form of INCREASE. Anyone who disagrees, I invite them to show otherwise.
Why?
Simply stated: WAGES are an EXCHANGE of one's labor, time and skills for money, or some other commodity.
If that were not the case, then we would see the Law including any form of compensation for labor, time and skills as titheable, but that clearly is not the case in relation to the Bible as it is written.
INCREASE is what God designed into creation in the arenas of PRODUCE, such as what comes from the fields, orchards, vineyards. A man plants each seed, and each seed produces INCREASE because of God's handiwork, not man's. God Himself furnished the increase by His own hand, therefore man enjoyed an increase that, by himself, could NEVER have been accomplished.
Galatians 5:18 (KJV) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Notice the “But if” in the above scripture? IF you are led by (of) the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Tithers today are rejecting both the law AND the Spirit. They have the immature “I can do anything I want” attitude. Yes, we CAN do anything we want. We can reject Christ if we want. It is our choice.
Since God, Himself, defined His tithe in Leviticus 27:30-33, no one has a right to change His definition and call it His tithe. Since God, Himself, gave the command (Numbers 18) to take His tithe to the Levites, no one has a right to take His tithe to anyone else.
The ONLY way one can tithe to the church today is for man to make up the rules. And man did just that around 1870, which one can find when they research the history of tithing from income in the Christian Church. That makes it all about man, while the Biblical tithe was all about God.
IF one is led by the Spirit, and the Spirit leads him to give a tenth of his income, he should do it. But that tenth has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Biblical tithe. It would NOT be God’s Holy Tithe.
Unfortunately, many church goers are tithing from their income TO THEIR PASTOR OR LOCAL CHURCH, per the man-made tithing definition. If they think they are tithing to God, then they are being disobedient to God’s command. They are following directions given by man, not God.
This is where some education in law is useful. What does fulfill mean? What does abolish mean?
Let me give an example. A legal contract is enforceable under the law. Let’s say you hire a contractor to build a swimming pool in your back yard. Once the contractor has completed the job, and everything in that contract has been completed, the contract has been fulfilled. The contractor’s job is to fulfill the contract, not abolish it. He fulfills it by completing the terms, bringing it to an end.
Consider:
Hebrews 8:13 (KJV) - In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
Colossians 2:14 (KJV) - Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Galatians 5:18 (KJV) - But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Galatians 3:19 (KJV) - Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. In other words, until Jesus came and fulfilled the law.
Galatians 3:23-25 (KJV)
23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Galatians 3:10-14 (KJV)
10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Monetary income is NOT a form of increase.
Wages are NOT anywhere in scripture classified as a form of INCREASE. Anyone who disagrees, I invite them to show otherwise.
Why?
Simply stated: WAGES are an EXCHANGE of one's labor, time and skills for money, or some other commodity.
If that were not the case, then we would see the Law including any form of compensation for labor, time and skills as titheable, but that clearly is not the case in relation to the Bible as it is written.
INCREASE is what God designed into creation in the arenas of PRODUCE, such as what comes from the fields, orchards, vineyards. A man plants each seed, and each seed produces INCREASE because of God's handiwork, not man's. God Himself furnished the increase by His own hand, therefore man enjoyed an increase that, by himself, could NEVER have been accomplished.
Galatians 5:18 (KJV) But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Notice the “But if” in the above scripture? IF you are led by (of) the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Tithers today are rejecting both the law AND the Spirit. They have the immature “I can do anything I want” attitude. Yes, we CAN do anything we want. We can reject Christ if we want. It is our choice.
Since God, Himself, defined His tithe in Leviticus 27:30-33, no one has a right to change His definition and call it His tithe. Since God, Himself, gave the command (Numbers 18) to take His tithe to the Levites, no one has a right to take His tithe to anyone else.
The ONLY way one can tithe to the church today is for man to make up the rules. And man did just that around 1870, which one can find when they research the history of tithing from income in the Christian Church. That makes it all about man, while the Biblical tithe was all about God.
IF one is led by the Spirit, and the Spirit leads him to give a tenth of his income, he should do it. But that tenth has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Biblical tithe. It would NOT be God’s Holy Tithe.
Unfortunately, many church goers are tithing from their income TO THEIR PASTOR OR LOCAL CHURCH, per the man-made tithing definition. If they think they are tithing to God, then they are being disobedient to God’s command. They are following directions given by man, not God.