- -----Original Message-----
- Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 9:07
AM From:Lucia Seete, Botswana
- Comments: according to my understanding.
Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins. After his death all things
passed away. and our sins were forgiven. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW/UNDERSTAND WHY
SOME OF THE THINGS WHICH WERE DONE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT LIKE TITHING, ARE
STILL TO BE DONE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. PLEASE CLARIFY TO ME AND GIVE ME
VERSES FROM NEW TESTAMENT ABOUT TITHING.
- THANK YOU
-
-
- Dear Lucia, Thank you for
writing to us. We are happy to hear of your question. Please read our
response after your words.
- "according to my understanding. Jesus
died on the cross to take away our sins."
- >this is correct. Jesus Christ is the
approved and only able sacrifice that God the Father has for taking away any
person's sin. More details can be found on:
- http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/atonement_3.htm
-
- "After his death all things passed
away."
- Not really. God makes all things new,
- Revelation 21:5, Then He who sat on the
throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
-
- (We are not sure exactly what you mean by
this, but maybe these Bible verses will help clarify.)
- Jesus' Words will not pass away.
- Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will never pass away."
- Jesus' death atonement on the cross
completely fulfilled all that was needed for a person's justification by
faith.
- John 19:30 When He had received the drink,
Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed his head and
gave up His spirit.
- Death and sin no longer has authority over
a person when they take Jesus' blood sacrifice of atonement for their own
personal life.
- Romans 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the
law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
- Jesus came to fulfill all that God needed
for a person to be "right" in God's eyes; to make a person
Righteous.
- Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have
come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but
to fulfill them."
- Jesus made the bad things in our past pass
away,
- Hebrews 2: 14Since the children have flesh
and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might
destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15and free
those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 17For
this reason He had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that
He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and
that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because He
himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being
tempted.
- Jesus made those of us who have taken Him
for our own personal Savior and Lord New Creatures -
- 2Cor 5: 17Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this
is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself
in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us
the message of reconciliation.
- More details are on - http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/New_Creation.htm
-
- Sin is removed from the person who
consciously chooses Jesus for their Lord and Savior. We hope this is
helpful.
-
- "and our sins were forgiven."
- Yes! For those who have consciously taken
Jesus as their personal atonement for a right relationship with the Living
Almighty God, YES!!
- Mark 2: 5When Jesus saw their faith, he
said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6Now some
teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why
does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but
God alone?" 8Immediately Jesus knew in His spirit that this was what
they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you
thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins
are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
- >>>10But that you may know that
the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said
to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go
home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them
all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never
seen anything like this!"
-
- Regarding your other question :
- "I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW/UNDERSTAND WHY
SOME OF THE THINGS WHICH WERE DONE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT LIKE TITHING, ARE
STILL TO BE DONE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
-
- There are some things which will always be
carried out in the NT as were in the OT.
-
- One is the obedience to the 10
commandments. However God almighty made it able for those of the New
Covenant to obey these laws by two ways-
- Jeremiah 31:33 "This is the covenant I
will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will
be their God, and they will be my people." Hebrews 8:10
- John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and
He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— John 14:26 But
the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will
teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 16: 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into
all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears,
and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by
taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to
the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is
mine and make it known to you.
-
- Also - Worshipping God John 4:23 Yet a time
is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father
in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
-
- Also - Loving God Matthew 22:37/ Mark 12:30
Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, O Israel, what
does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in
all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart
and with all your soul, Joshua 22:5 to love the LORD your God, to walk in
all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him
with all your heart and all your soul."
-
- Also Tithing. "PLEASE CLARIFY TO ME
ABOUT TITHING."
- Tithing was first shown by God with Abram.
In Genesis 14:17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the
kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley
of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem
brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he
blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of
heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your
enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
- God won the victory for Abram rescuing Lot
from enemy hands in a war. Then Melchizedek came. Read verses 18-19 just
above. Abram wanted to honor the Lord God Most High, of course! So Abram
obeyed the Spirit and gave the King of Salem (King of Peace = Jesus' title
too!) one tenth of everything, as in verse 20. the word Tithe means
one-tenth, or ten per hundred, ten percent.
-
- Ironically, the king of Sodom wanted to
give to Abram, but Abram refused that unrighteous king. Genesis 14:21 The
king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for
yourself." 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised
my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have
taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a
thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I
made Abram rich.' 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and
the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and
Mamre. Let them have their share."
-
- Later on God commanded His people to tithe.
- Leviticus 27:30 " 'A tithe of
everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the
trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
-
- And later God implored His people to tithe,
and gave reasons!!
- Because it is due to God
- Because God is the Owner
- Because if you do not tithe, you rob God
- Because you should see if God will open the
floodgates of heaven in blessings to you
- Because He will protect those who trust in
Him more than their money
- Because we should not be arrogant and
proud, but understand Who is the Sovereign One
- Because God wants you to be His treasured
possession
- Because you should want to obey the
Righteous God
- Because you love and appreciate God
- Because you want to serve God
- Because you want to see what God does with
your first fruits!
-
- Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change.
So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of
your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept
them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty.
"But you ask, 'How are we to return?'
- >>>>>> 8 "Will a man
rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
- "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are
under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my
house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I
will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing
that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from
devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their
fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call
you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD
Almighty.
- 13 "You have said harsh things against
me," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?'
14 "You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by
carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD
Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers
prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.' " 16 Then those who
feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A
scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who
feared the LORD and honored his name. 17 "They will be mine," says
the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession.
I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves
him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the
wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
- We hope this is helpful.
-
- PLEASE CLARIFY TO ME AND GIVE ME VERSES
FROM NEW TESTAMENT ABOUT TITHING.
- Jesus Himself says we are to tithe.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You
give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected
the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness. You
should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."
Matthew 23:23, Luke11:42 Jesus Christ says not to neglect giving the Lord
God Almighty His tithe, and to also practice justice and the love of God.
- This page has more - http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/tithe.htm
- Hebrews 7 shows us that Jesus is our high
priest in the order of Melchizidek, so we are to tithe to Jesus our King.
- Hebrews 7 1 For this Melchizedek, king of
Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the
slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth
part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then
also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 3 without father, without
mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life,
but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
- 4 Now consider how great this man was, to
whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 And indeed
those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a
commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is,
from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6 but
he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and
blessed him who had the promises. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser
is blessed by the better. 8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he
receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9 Even Levi, who
receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10 for he was
still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
-
- 11 Therefore, if perfection were through
the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what
further need was there that another priest should rise according to the
order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12
For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the
law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe,
from which no man has officiated at the altar.
- 14 For it is evident that our Lord arose
from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And
it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises
another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly
commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He
testifies: “ You are a priest forever According to the order of
Melchizedek.”
- 18 For on the one hand there is an
annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and
unprofitableness, 19 for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand,
there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to
God.
- Greatness of the New Priest 20 And inasmuch
as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests
without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “ The LORD
has sworn And will not relent, ‘ You are a priest forever According to the
order of Melchizedek’”), 22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of
a better covenant.
- 23 Also there were many priests, because
they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He
continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also
able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He
always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For such a High Priest was
fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and
has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those
high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for
the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28
For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of
the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected
forever.
-
- Our High Priest Jesus Christ is to Whom we
are to tithe, the true King of kings and Lord of lords, for His purpose and
glory alone, out of love, gratitude and obedience, eagerly awaiting the
fruit He will bear as we give Him our first fruits!! Amen!!
-
- THANK YOU
- Thank you for writing to us! We hope this
was a blessing to you! Watch what God does when you are faithful to the
Author of Faithfulness!
- 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what
he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
- Have a blessed day!
- In Christ's Service,
- Billboards for Christ, Inc.
- Col 3:23, 24
- Psalm 34
Bring me to Questions
Bring me to For the Jews.
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