The end of the arrogation of the tithe

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10

There is not a person who has ever gone to a protestant church who has not heard this verse bellowed from a pulpit.  This verse found in the book of Malachi is a watchword for almost every sect and church in Christendom today.  It is taught as a command from God, and is seen as a requirement if you are to live a good Christian life.  It usually is accompanied with a stern warning that God will curse you if you do not obey this command. 

We must examine this particular concept, because unlike all the other things that Christians cannot agree on the practice of tithing seems to be one that lives above the fray.  So much is this concept revered that to speak anything against it would usually warrant labeling the blasphemer a heretic; it can be expected that he would be called into the Pastor’s office for an exorcism.  But what does the Bible really say on this topic?

There are several things I hope that these installments have inspired; one is the fact that we as Christians ought to study the scriptures for ourselves, because ultimately we -- not our group but we -- will give an account to God for the things we do.  Secondly, I hoped to enlighten the body about its blind adherence to the Mosaic Law.  One thing that is sure is that once we come to understand the word of God then we are responsible to act in accordance with it.

It never ceases to amaze me how selective we humans are.  We really do relish the power of choice.  This power to choose is usually dictated by our propensity to please ourselves.  With spiritual things we are no different.  How on earth are we to think that it would be acceptable to God for us to go about and cherry-pick what we would follow of the Law of Moses? The scriptures clearly say to us:

And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.  Galatians 5: 3

All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Galatians 3:10

The Law of Moses is not some fruit salad that we can say ‘I’ll take this and I’ll take that and no-no, I don’t want that!’  If you are to follow one part you are required to follow all.  NO EXCEPTIONS!!!  God knew this and that is why he sent his Son.  Only Jesus could have fulfilled the law and meet its requirements.  Through this action he became our gateway to God into a New and Living way; but back to cherry picking.  Isn’t it interesting how we do not even worship in Saturday WHICH IS A PART OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS yet we strain at the gnat in commanding all Christendom to tithe!  Let me ask the question.  Just what is it that makes tithing so special that it survives the cross, but at the same time resting and meeting God on the Sabbath became an option?  Are we serious?  If you want to follow one part then follow all – I dare you.

Please know dear family, whatever he wanted us to do and whatever he desires for us to follow he made such information very clear to us:

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32

He would not leave us to our own imaginations to figure out such things because he knew we would mess it up.  He wants us to obey him.  This is why the principles of the kingdom are not hidden to us:

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. Matthew 13:10, 11

Do you see that?  He wants us to know what pleases God because only then can we do and become righteousness.  So follow Jesus; he is our example.

What was the tithe?

The tithe was a tenet of the Law of Moses.  It was placed in the law for very specific reasons (of which we will talk about later).  The word tithe means a tenth part of something.  It represented what we would call today ten percent of a whole.  It was a requirement of God that was established by Moses to his people.

Was the tithe for everybody under the old covenant and what did they tithe?

This may seem like a strange question but I assure you it is not.  NO, everybody under the old covenant did not tithe, and those that did had to tithe specific things.  Consider the following:

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD. And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.  And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai. Leviticus 27:30-34 

Now before we examine this let me ask you this question.  Did God omit any information that he wanted to tell them?  No way, for if he did then they would not be able to obey him.  So let us now look at what was supposed to be tithed.

1 – Seed of the land

2 – Fruit of the tree

3 – Of the herd

4 – Of the flock

5 – Whatsoever passes under the rod (Shepherding)

This is a simple list.  Ok let us see; seeds, fruits, herds, flocks; wait a minute where are the fish.  No fish brother Moses?  How is it fish is not mentioned?  What then was the fisherman to bring?  In fact this list looks like it only spells out items that a farmer or shepherd would have.  But I thought they were supposed to tithe on all their increase:

Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, [wine and oil comes from the fruit of plants] and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. Deuteronomy 14:22-23

This looks pretty specific to me.  There is no mention of a fisherman tithing before the Lord, because just as with the farmer his increase was the fruit of the land the fisherman’s increase was in the fish of the sea.  So under these requirements his tithe would not have been accepted.

Well how did Peter tithe, or for that matter how did Jesus tithe (remember he was a carpenter)?  The answer is that THEY DID NOT TITHE.  The tithe was based on the increase of farmers and shepherds not all of the people of Israel.  By the way does anyone see what else is missing from this list?  That’s right; money was not included in the tithe. But you say they had no money those days.  Not only did they have money it was also never a tithe. Here are the scriptures to prove that:

And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, Deuteronomy 14:24-26

These verses show that if they were living to far from the temple they turned their tithe into money and when the got to the temple they were to convert it back to oxen, or for sheep, or for wine –again farmers buying from farmers to tithe.  So this is a clear indication that the tithe was only required of a particular subset of the Israelites.

The teaching of the tithe and the church today

Today we are hindered by this principle in the body of Christ.  This is similar to the trouble that Paul had with the Galatians. They had replaced the true gospel with another way to righteousness. 

How is the tithe taught in the church today?   Most churches have what is called an offertory appeal.  This appeal is where someone usually a Pastor or an aid comes before the people to request funds to sustain the ‘work of the church’.  More often than not there would be a reading from the verse in Malachi accompanied with some deep revelation as to how we are to be following this verse.  They will also seek to show how the promises associated with obedience to it are applicable today.  It is very important for them to include the portion of scripture that declares you cursed if you disobey God in this manner.

Well then, to what conclusion should we come and what should be our recourse in relations to all these things.  The only way to determine this is to examine the scriptures for in them we have life.

Examining the tithe

Abraham and Melchizedek

There are some teachers that justify the tithe by saying that they are not following the Law of Moses, but they claim that they are following the example of faithful Abraham.  On its surface this seems to be a plausible argument, but we are obligated to check its veracity.  In this account of Abraham Lot had been captured by the kings that had raided the city of Sodom.  They took Lot away captive and Abraham decided to go after them to get Lot back.  He got together a group of men and they went after Lot.  Let us take it up from there:

And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus. And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.  Genesis 14:15-24

Alright there you have it this is the account of the tithe of Abraham.  Now from the top before we get into this in depth notice one thing; this was the one and only time that Abraham tithed.  God had appeared to him many times and not once did he ever give him this as an ordinance.  That said let us look into this:

1 – Abraham was in a war.  He was victorious in that war and the scripture says that when he won that war he took the spoils of the war from those he was victorious over.  There is no doubt that there was wealth aplenty in this cache.

2 – Abraham bought these spoils before the priest Melchizedek

3 – Abraham gave to the priest tithes of the spoils of the war.

Now from these three points can we use this as a justification for tithing today?  Of course not!  For one thing this was a onetime event and no pastor would say that we should tithe once in our lives!  Second, did you notice that Abraham kept nothing for himself?  What kind of tithing is that?  He kept nothing for himself from the spoils! Third, did anyone see the key word in this verse?  The word is Abraham GAVE a tithe to Melchizedek.  I assure you that this is not just semantics and nit-picking.  If you have read this series in its intended succession you would be well aware by now of what giving is.  I talked extensively on this in Tenet # 3.  I showed that giving is not giving if it is something that is required or demanded.  This is important because while a tithe (tenth) was at the center of this issue the true point is that Abraham gave it.  This is not what we have today. Under the old covenant and subsequently the teachings of today one did not give tithes.  They were an obligation, a command not a gift of one’s freewill.  Consider:

Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. Hebrews 7:4

How does this differ from the tithe of the old covenant and the one we obey today?

And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: Hebrews 7:5

Hello, anyone there?  Do you see what that says?  Under the Levitical priesthood they had a command to take tithes.  This is completely different from what Abraham did.  He gave in this scenario but they had a command they had to obey.  This is not the same thing. There was no requirement that Abraham choose the number ten, this was just a custom of the culture of the day.  Abraham was not acting in accordance to the law; in fact if their culture was to give 17 % that is what he would have given. 

Besides all this did anyone pick up anything else from the verse we just quoted?  Let us look at it again:

And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham

There it is.  The sons of who?  Levi.  So that would make it of the priesthood of who?  That would be the Levitical priesthood.  And what would that priesthood be based on?  The Mosaic Law.  And of what priesthood are we of today?  MELCHIZIDEK:

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.  Hebrews6:20

As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.  Hebrews 5:6

So we see that Abraham gave not of necessity, but freely the ten percent to the priesthood of Jesus.

Jacob’s tithe

And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.  And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,  So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. Genesis 28: 10-22

Jacob’s tithe is not mentioned often.  This is due to the fact that this type of tithing in no way relates to the teaching of the tithe today. In fact this example would contravene what is taught regarding tithing.  The reason for this is that Jacob’s tithe here is a conditional one.  He says to God I will do this if YOU do this.  Listen to me right now; never will you get some preacher to say that.  I can imagine it now; the preacher mounts his pulpit and says ‘Laity listen to your Man-(d) of God (be sure to pronounce the word man with a d-sound on the end; it adds to his spirituality).   I had a revelation last night.  We are to tithe in the manner that Jacob tithes before the Lord.  So from now on only bring in a tenth if the Lord blesses you abundantly this week.’  There would not be many takers I am sure.  This was a conditional tithe, and it was only in the event that Jacob’s circumstances met his request to God.  Preach that, I dare you!

The Annual Tithe

I am going to show you some surprising things about the tithe.  Judge within yourself the scriptures and please let the spirit of the Lord guide you in your search for truth.

Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, Deuteronomy 14:22-26

This is where I get very angry in regards to the doctrine of the tithe.  Does anyone see how the tithe was to be administered in the preceding passages?  Listen to me this is the Law of God that they say we must follow.  Who among them can alter theses words?  Who among them can change what the Lord has said?  Any alteration of these verses is heretical and blasphemous to the sovereignty of God.  May he have mercy on us.  Let us now examine these verses.  READ HIS WORD NOT YOUR DOCTRINE!

1 – His command under the law was for them to tithe year by year.  This is what I call the annual tithe.  In the first instance it was done once a year.  Once a Year!  One time every year, will you understand this?

2 - This is the part where it gets interesting.  Do you see what the very next verse says? God is giving instructions on what to do with the tithe.  God is giving instructions.  What were they suppose to do with the tithe? 

…thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; 

I promise you under heaven that you will never get one of those preachers to declare this verse to you!  They were supposed to bring the tithe to the temple and sit there and EAT and DRINK the tithe before the Lord.  Who changed this?  When did the cross of Christ alter this? If we are to follow this teaching today who changed the rules?  I demand these law-abiders to show me when this rule was altered?  The annual tithe was to be eaten before the Lord by the people who brought it.  Did you know that?  DID YOU KNOW THAT?

3 – In case you still believe they had no money consider the very next verse.

And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose

If the place where they were to bring the tithe was too far for them God said to turn it into money.  But it gets even better!  What happened next will shock you!

4 – Now here is where it gets all the more fascinating:

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

Well now, will you listen to the command of the God you seek to obey?  He says that before the long journey they were to turn the tithe to money.  Ok, when you got to the temple what were you to do?  You were supposed to bestow that money for whatever your soul lusted for.  You get that?  You were supposed to buy whatever you longed for within the following categories: oxen, sheep, wine and strong drink!  Then what were you to do with God’s holy tithe (please say the last phrase in a deep trembling voice for enhanced spirituality)?  You were supposed to eat it before the Lord.  Well blow me down!

Just to show you how depraved the minds of some of these preachers can get, I once heard one preaching on these very same verses.  He recounted it in a very pious way and when he got to this verse he could not handle the truth of God’s word.  He then proceeded to cast out the verse that said they were to buy strong drink with their tithe.  He said, ‘Oh God would not want us to do that -- something that leads you into depravity’.  Well my goodness what does the word of God say?  Please do not misinterpret this as an advocacy for drunkards.  I myself do not consume alcohol and I do not suggest anyone starts, but at the same time we cannot discard this verse as written.

For those of you who still need proof of the administration of the tithe consider the following:

Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto. Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth. Deuteronomy 12:17-19

They were instructed by God to take the tithe and eat it before the Lord.  This was the annual tithe.  Now pray tell me where it can be found in your bible that:

1 – The tithe was changed to money only as an acceptable offering

2 – Everyone was commanded to tithe

3 – The tithe was not to be consumed by those who brought it.

How is it that we can just go about and change the word of God without fear?  To me this is all moot anyway because in the last installment I prove that the Law has given way to the New and Living way.

The tri-annual tithe

This is very interesting, because you will see here that indeed this tithe is the only one accepted and taught by preachers today.

And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. Deuteronomy 14:27-29

When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled; Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them. I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away ought thereof for any unclean use, nor given ought thereof for the dead: but I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me. Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest unto our fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey. Deuteronomy 26:12-15

Do you see these above verses?  This is the only semblance to tithing we hear today.  Look at the elements:

1-Collecting a tithe

2-Bringing to the Levites

3-Waiting for God to bless you

Listen to me; look at what had to be changed in order for us to preach this verse today. 

·         The 3-year tithe had to became the only tithe

·         The tithe became only money

·         The tithe is directed only toward the preachers

·         It moved from a tri-annual event to a weekly event

How is it that we can so callously cut and paste God’s word to fit our own doctrine?

The Sabbath Year

Now here is one most of you have never heard of and I contend you will never hear it because it does not transfer well into the modern church.

And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee. And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat. Leviticus 25:1-7

How come this has been neglected?  This is clearly saying that there was no tithe taken on the Sabbath year.  You know why this is overlooked?  No preacher would dare give you a year off from tithing.  How ever would they support the ‘work of the ministry’?  Yet this is a command of God!  In fact annual, tri-annual and the Sabbath year comprise the Law of Moses on tithing.  It is obedience to these that Malachi demands.  It is disobedience to their specifics to which Malachi accords a curse.

Did Jesus endorse the tithe?

Many use as an argument Jesus’ statement to the Pharisees as an endorsement of the tithe.  Is this so?  Let us consider the following:

"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.  Mathew 23:23

"Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. Luke 11:42

Is this an instance where Jesus endorses the tithe and therefore commands us to continue practicing it?  NO it is not!  Who was Jesus?  Jesus was a Jew.  And what does the scripture say explicitly about him?

But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, Galatians 4:4

Do you understand this?  Jesus was born under the Law.  He complied perfectly with the Mosaic Law and all its tenets.  It was because of this that he was worthy to be an unblemished sacrifice for sin.   At the time of the rebuke to the Pharisees Jesus himself was under the Law.  It may shock you to know that offering a sacrifice for sin of bulls and goats was perfectly acceptable to God up until the death of Jesus.  Until then, one could receive forgiveness of sins through the requirements of the Law of Moses.  But once the new covenant, purchased through the blood of Jesus, was opened to us then we were to find forgiveness of sins under different requirements.  So Jesus was perfectly correct in talking to the Pharisees in this manner – after all he could not tell them to disobey the Law of Moses at that time – but this is in no way an endorsement to continue this practice once the new covenant was open to us.

Who changed the rules?

Now I would like to know just who was so big, bad and bold enough to change alter or simply mess around with God’s holy word.  If the tithe is to be accepted today show me ONE scripture that says that we should change how it was administered.   Show me where the cross of Jesus Christ stopped us from tithing according to the commands of the Law to this watered-down version we have today.  To those of you today who hold fast to this rule that the tithe has changed to things other than described in the scriptures consider this scenario:

Someone walks up to you and gives you a brand new car or blesses you with a new house free of charge.  Now to what do you ascribe this?  Your pastor will say, ‘oh this increase has come to you because of your faithfulness in paying your tithe’.  Well now, how happy are we!  But wait just one minute.  That new car and new house is considered and increase.  Oh, oh, you know what that means?  It means that in keeping with the Law of Moses you MUST pay ten percent.  Now, now, what is the faithful brother to do?  Will he carve off 10% of his car and take it to the alter, or maybe he would have to let some pastor ride it for 10% of the time or better still he must borrow or come up with 10% of the value of the thing and submit it to the pastor in order to comply with this word.  If not then you have been increased and you did not tithe to the Lord. He says to tithe on your increase and since that no longer means just fruits and sheep then it must include your cars and houses.  Sounds like more trouble than it is worth. (Please note that this scenario presents a considerable problem to those of the Prosperity movement, because it is them that expect transference of wealth in the form of cars and houses!)

I must reiterate the question. Who changed the rules?  How is it that the curse in Malachi chapter 3 remains intact and the tithe to which the curse is attached has been massacred?  Are we serious?  We say that God will curse those who do not tithe, but in order to escape that curse we have to be obedient to what God had said in regards to the tithe.  Surely there must be some passage that tells us exactly how to tithe in the New Testament that warranted this change.  It would have to be detailed and not obscure so as to not leave it up to men’s imagination.  How selective are we! We eat ham and pork chops, crawfish and lobster, tuna and turtle meat all with impunity, but oh the tithe oh how we must keep thee. The scripture says:

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33

Sadly brother Paul it is not God’s ways that are past finding out but man’s way.  Indeed we are all baffling.

Remember the words of Paul to Timothy:

For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. 1 Timothy 1:6-7

I am well aware that many preachers say that they do not follow the law in regards to tithing; they are just following the example of faithful Abraham.  If this is so then they cannot attach the curse of Malachi to this for if they do then they are preaching the law.

They are not Levites and they are not Priests!

This concept I believe to be at the heart of the controversy on tithing.  Preachers today have transferred the concept of the Levites and placed this mantle on themselves.  This has no basis in scripture whatsoever!   What have we done today?  We have:

·         Made the preacher a Levite

·         Made the buildings we worship in The Temple(storehouse) of God and the sanctuary

·         Turn the tithe into money

Does anyone see how dangerous this is?  We have created a tradition all for one purpose to cause the people of God to give to these behemoths we call churches.  This is indeed another gospel.

How is it I say to you that the tithe has survived and the position of the Levite has not been fully restored?  If the preachers of today are comparable to the Old Testament Levite how is it that they bear no resemblance to them?  This is important because even they realizes that they cannot justify themselves receiving tithe unless there is some semblance of their position with that of the Levites.

Who were these Levites and what did they do?

The Levites were one of the tribes of Israel. They were responsible for the work of the temple of God.  They were charged with presenting the sacrifices to God, and other ceremonial duties that were essential to the righteousness of the children of Israel under the Law.  What were their duties?

And the LORD said unto Aaron, Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary: and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood. And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness. And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die. And they shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you. And ye shall keep the charge of the sanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Israel. And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel: to you they are given as a gift for the LORD, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for everything of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. Numbers 18:1-7

And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. You do many things like this in fact you have made the word of God without effect because of your traditions. Numbers 18:20-22

These duties in no way describe the activities of the local pastor today.  In fact the word of God says:

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5-6

Do you see this verse?  It says he has through salvation made us, who is this us -- that is all the saints – he has made us kings and priest.  So if the pastor can collect tithes so can every individual in the church!  You are a priest.  Get that through your sanctified skull.  There are no big priests and little priest we are all the SAME.

And another thing.  Do you see where it says that they would not have any inheritance in the land?  Well blow me down! Why has this not transferred into the church today?  Man these preachers today have more of an inheritance than you!

Again I say that this is all moot because the priesthood that we are under is of the order of Melchizedek and not the Levitical.  The doctrine of the tithe cannot stand today because it was God’s way of taking care of the Levites and since the priesthood has change then the law has changed as well.  Consider this:

If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?  Hebrews 7:11

Modern day Levites? HA!  The pastors of today are NOT Levites and you are not under the Levitical covenant!  Still want more proof?  I have read the bible extensively and I have never seen anywhere where Jesus the Christ took tithes from his followers.  Was he doing the work of the Lord?  Yes, more than ye all.  Well how then did he not take this right unto himself?  Surely he would be doing well by giving us this example.  Surely this would have been an end to all discussions.  Why did not Jesus instruct his followers to now bring tithes to him?  Surely if these modern day pastors could demand and accept tithes Jesus could have.  Jesus accepted no tithes because HE COULD NOT DO SO!  Jesus was of the tribe of JUDAH and what does the scripture say of that tribe:

For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. Hebrews 7:14

Hello, anybody there?  Jesus could not accept tithes because he was not a Levite.  Only Levites could accept tithes under the Mosaic Law and Jesus is of a different priesthood that has no requirement for tithing.

By the way neither did the apostles accept tithes.  Let us look again at Acts:

And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. Acts 15:23-29

Well now surely the apostles were doing the Lord’s work.  They took the time to write this long letter and did not even have the decency to include tithing!  Oh the unmitigated gall of the apostles; do they not know that this is how cathedrals and worship centers are built.  How ever should pastors get paid if not for this!

That no one should or even can accept tithes today is sure. We have in place a law to which God no longer demands.  This is akin to what the Pharisees did:

Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.  Mark 7:13

God demands of us that we follow a new tradition not of the letter but of a new and living way:

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 2 Thessalonians 2:15

What therefore does the gospel of the kingdom demand of us today?

So what do we do under this new kingdom; this new covenant?  What is the gospel’s answer to all this:

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written,"HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER." Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, 2 Corinthians 9:6-13

The problem with the mindset of the typical Christian is that we have been taught to interpret the word of God in a strange way.  Most of you reading this would use this verse to support a command to tithe.  Why?  It is because you have been taught that the Old Covenant is an extension of the New and when you see the word give or sow you immediately equate it to the tithe of the Old Testament.  But remember the words of Hebrews:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;

Keep this in mind as we continue to find out what the word of God says we are to do under this New and Living way.  Let us look at the elements in Corinthians:

1 – First Paul begins with a principle.  This principle is based on what Jesus said that if you give it shall be given to you.  One thing that must be realized that under this covenant what one receives is based on what one gives.  You therefore determine the amount of return based on what you give.  This is by far a better promise than in the old covenant.  God placed the determination of how much he returns to you based on how much you give.

2 – Each one must do what he is purposed in his heart to do.  This is by far a better tenet than under the old.  In the old covenant the determination was based on what God commanded.  Under the new and living way it is based on what our hearts lead us to give.  Notice he specifically says that it is free of compulsion or grudgingly.  God wants you to give from the heart not from a law.

3 – Through the next point he shows that we are to give to those who are hurting and are in lack.  This is very important because it was to these people that the gospel speaks in particular.

4 – This is the most important element to these verses.  Paul ends by saying that giving in this way proves our obedience to the gospel of Christ.  Do you realize what he was saying?  This type of giving is what the gospel of the Kingdom requires.  It must be:

• Given
• According to what you purpose in your heart
• Not according to compulsion
• Directed toward those who lack

Together giving in this way proves your obedience to the gospel of the kingdom.

Some have in their efforts to merge the old covenant and the gospel of the kingdom, have gone so far as to say that the tithe is the taxation system of this new kingdom.  No sir it is not.  God intends that under this system people give without law and their giving should be generous and liberal as a result of their changed nature not because of a command.

Will you follow him, will you acknowledge his ways, and will you obey the gospel of the kingdom?

The setting aside of the tutor, the OT, for the New and Living Way

The discovery of electricity revolutionized the existence of man on the planet.  With it we now have the capacity to go farther than was ever dreamed before its discovery.  It provides us with heat, cold, transport; it gives us the ability to see through space and to communicate over vast distances.  Electricity is by far one of the greatest discoveries of mankind.  However, this power would be useless if we were unable to harness this energy and put it to use.  It is through harnessing this energy that we are able to produce all the wonders we now enjoy.

Electricity is therefore a perfect analogy to introduce this next installment.  Your local power company provides your city with the electricity that it needs to run all your appliances and tools that are necessary for your daily activities.  Now the power company does not bring this power to us in a box or in a paper bag does it?  No, each of our homes has a direct link to the source of the electricity – the power station. The power station sends via wires and cables the power -- which in its raw form is completely useless to us and in fact it is quite deadly.  (Anyone doubting this can prove this statement by using their finger to harness the power directly!)  This power becomes useful to us as it is channeled into our homes via outlets.  It is these outlets that provide us with a point of contact that we can use to plug in our devices.

Here is where our use of power gets tricky.  The power is not the thing that you really want.  What you really want is what the power can produce in your life.  For example to make a daiquiri you do not just need electricity but also a blender.  The blender, once connected to the outlet then becomes a useful tool through which you can perform a purpose.  But what exactly causes the blender to work?  You have power, yes.  You have the blender, yes.  But what is the most essential, often overlooked, part of the equation?  It is the power cord that comes with every appliance, tool or electronic device.  This often overlooked element is most important for the simple fact that it turns the electricity into a useful state from which we can fulfill our purpose.  Without the electrical cord the device will never work. 

In keeping with our analogy; the power becomes useful to us through the power cord that converts the electricity to power our devices.  The power cord therefore is the conduit of the power.  But who determines what power cord to use on which device; the manufacturer of course.  But what if you the consumer decided to cut the power cord from the device and connect to a power cord that is not compatible with that particular device.  What would happen if you tried to connect your blender to the outlet using a power cord that is designed for your mobile phone?  It will not work.  Why?  You have power, yes.  You have the device, yes.  But what is the problem?  The problem is the power cord. In this case it would not provide sufficient power to the appliance and would result in the device itself malfunctioning. But what does this all have to do with the Old Testament?  Everything.

The power company represents the power of God that is available to us, the device represents our lives and the power cord represents the covenant that God uses to interact with us and provide us with his power in the earth.  You will come to see the importance of the covenant (power cord) in the life of the believer, and you will understand how important it is for us to connect to God with the correct power cord in order to gain the desired results of life.

What was the other gospel of the Galatians?

The Galatians had a problem.  When Paul wrote to them he used some very harsh words that were instrumental in declaring their conduct as heretical and erroneous to the body of Christ.  He peppered his epistles with phrases like ‘Oh foolish Galatians’ and ‘Who had bewitched you’.  These are indeed strong words from the apostle Paul that were used to target this group.  But why the strong language brother Paul, why the harsh rhetoric?  It was because they had adopted another gospel that was completely different from the one that Paul had preached to them.  Listen to what he says to them:

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6, 7

They had adopted another gospel.  Listen to his concern for the saints:

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. Galatians 5:7, 8

In this verse he says that whatever this ‘other’ gospel was it was instrumental in hindering them from obeying the truth.  Do you realize what this means?  The gospel that they were now listening and submitting to was now hindering them from obeying the truth.  To hinder means to obstruct or get in the way of something.  So whatever this new gospel was it was obstructing their progress in the true gospel.  He clearly says that such a persuasion does not come from the one (Christ) who calls them.

So what was the nature of the other gospel?

This other gospel sought to please men.  Now before establishing what group of men the apostle was talking of let us first prove that this is what he said:

As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. Galatians 1:9-10

Is there any example that can be seen that would prove this new gospel in action?  Yes there is, consider the following:

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?  Galatians 2:11-14

Did you catch that?  Do you see what he said?  These men were not acting in accordance with the truth of the gospel.  But in which way did this occur ‘he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof’.  Peter withdrew himself from eating with the Gentiles.  Why was this?  According with the Law of Moses, the Jews were not to have any accord with the Gentiles.   Consider Peter’s own words in the book of Acts:

He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean. Acts 10:28

What therefore caused this action by Peter and others?  They for a brief moment had reverted to following the Mosaic Law.

For prior to the coming of certain men from James…

These were the Jewish Christians.  Peter withdrew himself in order to please the Jewish brothers.  Now why did he do that?  The answer to that question will help us to realize what this other gospel was that the Galatians were consuming.

Now back to or original thought, can we prove that this new gospel was focused on pleasing men.  Yes we can; we saw it in the above verses.  But just what type of men was this new gospel aiming to please?

But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

Were the Galatians the only ones with this problem?  No they were not.  Paul had the same problem in Ephesus.  Consider the following:

As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines 1 Timothy 1:3

Before we go on let us establish what the men were supposed to be teaching:

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5

So whatever these strange teachings were they did not lead the ones being taught to love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.  This doctrine was indeed strange.  Ok, Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines.  Now does he tell us what those strange doctrines were?

For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. 1 Timothy 1:6-7

Did you see what this other gospel was producing?  These men that were in Ephesus wanted to be teachers of the Law.  DO YOU SEE THAT!  And beside all this the apostle says that they were confident in their assertions.

This new gospel was a compulsion to follow the Mosaic covenant.  The new gospel compelled the Gentiles to live as Jews!  This was the nature of the new gospel, and this is the thing that hindered them from obeying the truth.  Well I ask you, do we have that problem today.  YES we do!  This new gospel is alive and well and not just in some sects of Christendom but in those who are blissfully unaware that they too are following another gospel.

Justification: What does it mean?

Justification is defined as the act of declaring righteous and just a particular thing.  It follows through with the recognition of the justifier deeming the justified righteousness.  This concept can be seen in our court systems today.  Suppose a man is accused of some crime.  Throughout his case both sides of the story is heard.  After concluding arguments the judge deliberates and comes back with a verdict of not guilty.  Under the law this verdict of not guilty declares this individual cleared of all wrong doing in regards to the charges made against him.  This in effect makes him righteous (in right alignment) with the law of the particular society in which he was judged. 

Notice in my definition of justification it is impossible to be justified without being declared righteous.  The concept of righteousness can therefore be intertwined with justification, because in order to be justified one has be declared right.  But this introduces then the concept of righteousness.  Righteousness involves being rightly aligned.  But the natural follow-up to that question is to what is the person rightly aligned.  One cannot be righteous if there are no rules to which you are aligned.

Back to God then; our desire as believers is to be found just in his sight.  This justification is a continual process because it is developed as we continue to be rightly aligned with what he has determined as right.  One cannot, therefore, justify himself because the terms of righteousness is beyond us and this privilege lies with God alone.  So what then is the righteousness of God?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:16, 17

The gospel and by extension the gospel of the kingdom is the righteousness of God.  This means that the righteousness that God uses to justify us is only found in the gospel of the kingdom.  Please recall the definition we have for the true gospel of the kingdom:

The Kingdom of God is a compilation of the ideas, precepts and principles outlined and explicated by Jesus in the New Testament; incorporated into the elements of an individual’s life resulting in the shifting of their core belief system; impacting all areas of that person’s attitudes, behaviors and relations toward their fellow man.  Effectively creating a life submitted to God, while providing a structure that ensures continuous prosperity in every aspect of life.

This is true gospel and is God’s standard for life.  And it is only through our alignment with the gospel of the kingdom that we can find righteousness in God.

Where therefore is righteousness obtained today?

Before we can answer this we must address the statement of Jesus:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17

Just what did Jesus mean when he said this?  He meant exactly what he said!  He came to fulfill the law i.e. he came to satisfy the requirements of the law.  In him was the law complete.  It was through his perfection that he met its requirements, and in doing so he satisfied the demands of God.  The law required that:

• Man should die for disobeying it
• We should seek atonement for our sins

Together Jesus fulfilled these acts by being our substitution for sin and by atoning for our sins before God.  This is why the scriptures tell us that our faith should be in what Christ has done, and not by what we can continue to do by following the law.  The Law itself is a collection of works, but salvation comes through faith and that in Christ.  The best way to describe this, and it is by far not a perfect example, is by the body’s need for vitamins.  We are told by our doctors that we should take vitamins every day as a supplement to our diets.  Now there are many types of vitamins that are essential to the body’s operation.  If we are to be true to doctor’s orders we would be burdened by having to take many tablets every day – one for vitamin c, one for vitamin e, the b-vitamins and a whole host of other vitamins and minerals.  This is how the Law was; there were many requirements that were to be complied with in order to gain righteousness.  But Jesus is like a One-a-Day tablet.  In these types of tablets all the vitamins are concentrated into one simple tablet and by taking this one tablet we no longer need to add other tablets (in fact if we were to do so that would be considered and overdose and for our purposes that is called a hindrance to the gospel).

We can further understand Jesus’ words that he came to fulfill the Law by what he continued to say in his discourse in Matthew chapter 5.  Jesus in this talk on the mount said something very interesting.  In the verses that followed the ‘fulfillment statement’ he would quote a particular law from the Law of Moses and interjected the phrase ‘But I say unto you…’  This phrase was interjected six times in Matthew when he was talking concerning the Law.  This is a very important statement.  What Jesus did in effect was change the nature of the Law of Moses.  Consider the following:

Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:  Matthew 5:21-22a

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 5:27, 28

It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. Matthew 5:31-32

Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Matthew 5:33-34

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:38-39

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:43-45

Do you realize what is happening here?  Jesus is quoting the Mosaic Law and then altering its tenet.  Under the Mosaic Law Jesus said they were supposed to ‘Love their neighbors and hate their enemies’, but under the gospel of the kingdom we are to ‘love our enemies’.  Under the Mosaic Law one could be angry with his brother and be perfectly in alignment with the law, but under the gospel of the kingdom this was not allowed.  Jesus was addressing the heart of man whereas the Law only dealt with the outward behavior and never changed the man.  Consider this:

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  Romans 8:3

The law never addressed the internal changes; this is what God really wanted -- change from the heart.  In this way Jesus fulfills the Law in that he supersedes it with a better law.  The law of life in Christ:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  Romans 8:2

How can persons gain righteousness today?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:16-17

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference. Romans 3:21-22

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. Romans 10:4

What do all these verses have in common?  They all place righteousness with God squarely at the feet of the gospel.  It is the gospel of the kingdom, that if we obey we will gain righteousness with God.

Can the tenets of the Law of Moses justify us?

Another form of this question is: Can we just use the ‘power cord’ of the Old Testament to act as a conduit for the power of God to our lives today?

What is the Law of Moses?

That answer is simple enough and can be declared in a similar fashion to our gospel statement:

The Law of Moses is a compilation of the ideas, precepts and principles outlined and explicated by Moses in the OLD Testament; incorporated into the elements of an individual’s life; impacting that person’s behaviors and relations toward their fellow man. 

The laws that were given through Moses was God’s way of separating his people (the children of Israel) from the world and providing them with a standard for which they would gain righteousness with him.

Can it justify us now?

Now this is a very important question.  Can the Law of Moses provide us, the body of Christ, with the requirements necessary for righteousness?  Consider the following:

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Galatians 2:16

This passage shows us two things:

1-      Whatever the works of the law is, it cannot justify us

2-      The works of the law and faith in Jesus Christ are two distinctly different things

This is important to know because whatever is determined to be the works of the law cannot be the way that God desires for our justification.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Romans 10:1-3

Paul is here addressing the Romans in regards to Israel.  He says that they have a zeal for God but it is not in accordance with knowledge.  How was this zeal for God expressed?  It was shown in their commitment to following the Law of Moses; consider what he says of this:

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Paul is saying that the Jews are ignorant of God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own.  How can this be, seeing that the Jews had the Law of Moses and this Law was the standard of God’s righteousness?  They knew and followed the law, how could they be ignorant?  Well it is evident in the final statement of this verse:

[they] have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Now this is important.  Did they follow the Law of Moses?  Were they zealous for God?  Yes to all, but they were now without righteousness.  How did this happen?  Paul said they have not submitted unto the righteousness of God; so what is this righteousness of God?

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed…

There you have it; the righteousness of God is now in the gospel of the kingdom, and can only be applied to the lives of those who obey the gospel.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2:21

Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. Galatians 3:20

These are poignant statements; first he says that the belief that righteousness can come by the law is a frustration to the grace of God.  Remember he says that it hinders them from obeying the truth, because holding to one takes you from the other.  Then he asserts that if there was a law that could have given life then righteousness would be based on law.  This is proof that the law could not make anyone righteousness.

Consider the superiority of the New and Living way to the law in regards to justification:

…and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. Acts 13:39

Look at what is said about the inability of the law to justify as God intended.  Paul says that the gospel of the kingdom frees us from what…ALL THINGS.  He continues to say that the law did no such thing. 

One more note on this section.  Could it be construed by any stretch of the imagination and interpretation that Paul preached that we should adhere to the Law for righteousness?

And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased. Galatians 5:11

He says to them that if he preached circumcision, which was the Jews connection to the Mosaic covenant, why did he still suffer persecution?  He suffered persecution because he spoke the cross of Christ which was incompatible with the Old Testament covenant.

As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. Galatians 6:12

Here he says that those demanding that you be circumcised only wanted to straddle the fence.  They did not want to be persecuted by the Jews so they compelled that believers be circumcised so they can glory in the flesh!

Is the Law of Moses as a way to righteousness obsolete?

A covenant is a document that articulates benefits, provisions, rules and penalties of an agreement.  It clearly defines the rights and privileges of the parties to the contract while delineating the punishments if the agreement was ever to be broken.

 

God has used covenants throughout the existence of mankind.  The first covenant was in the garden between the human race, represented by Adam and Eve, and God.  This covenant was prematurely terminated by the humans.  The next covenant was between God and the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai.  This covenant was found wanting because it could not produce the righteousness that God was demanding from humanity.  So the last and final covenant was introduced by Jesus in what we call the New Testament today.  This satisfied the high requirements of God, and at the same time it ensured that there were sufficient benefits to be had by the humans. 

But today we have a problem.  By examining these three covenants one thing is completely obvious.  When one covenant was deemed null and void the provisions of that covenant were no longer available, and any benefits now can only be had through the provisions of the covenant that was enforced.  When Adam transgressed he could not hope to continue to receive the benefits under the broken covenant.  The conditions for failure had been met, and therefore he could not hope to experience the benefits again.  Today in the modern church we too seek a similar arrangement.  The law which embodies the old covenant given to Moses is filled with promises and benefits to one’s compliance and obedience.  From Exodus to Malachi there are a host of benefits based on the old covenant.  But God deemed this covenant to be ineffective:

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. Hebrews 8:7-9

There are several important points to see here,

1 – The first covenant was faulty.  Why was this?  It could not produce the righteousness that God demanded.  It did not change the heart of man it just modified his outward behavior.

2- God says that he sought a second covenant because the first was faulty.  God moved to a second covenant because the first was faulty.  The first could not do what he wanted so he moved to another covenant.  How many ways can I say this one thing!  How many ways could God?

3- God made a new covenant.  Do you understand that?  God made a new covenant.

4 – This new covenant that God made was NOT in accordance to the covenant he made with the fathers when he bought them out of Egypt.  What covenant did he use when he came out of Egypt?  Say it with me, The Mosaic Covenant.  So what God is saying is that he made a new covenant not according to the Mosaic Covenant with those who are following Jesus. THIS IS VERY SIGNIFICANT!!!

So what this is saying is that a person is righteous in the sight of God by just following the teachings of Jesus.  Well now, isn’t that a kettle of fish and a kick in the head.  I know some reading this may think they already know this but we shall see.

Hebrews continues with this line of thought:

When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. Hebrews 8:13

Do you know what obsolete means?  Dictionary.com and the American Heritage Dictionary define it.   It means, of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date; to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better; antiquated; No longer in use.  Am I going too fast for anyone?  Do you see the definition of this word? Will you understand it?  Let us move right along. You must realize that this is a huge stumbling block for the church today, because in many respects we are holding onto the tenets of the old covenant in the hopes of maintaining righteousness with God.  We even seek the benefits and promises of the old covenant.  How can this be when God said that these are obsolete?  Oh it gets even better:

Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, "YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK." For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. Hebrews 7:11-19

Again let us examine what these verses say,

1 – Not only was the Law imperfect the Levitical priesthood was imperfect.  Well now, let me hear from my modern day Levites.  This is important because oftentimes preachers of today liken their roles to the Levites.  God himself says their priesthood was NOT PERFECT (please say with loud booming voice).

2 – Jesus arose according to another priesthood.  Get that?  Another priesthood.  It will become clearer in the next point.

3 – For when the priesthood is changed of necessity there is a change of law also.  Did you know that?  Before I began this study I didn’t.  If the priesthood is changed then the law is changed as well.

4 – Here God raps the law again.  He says that the commandment was set aside because it was – get this now, his words not mine – WEAK and USELESS.  Do you understand what that means?  God calls his own covenant weak and useless.  You will see just why he does so in a few minutes.

5 – Now here is the kicker.  He says he brings in a BETTER hope through which we draw nigh to God.  God is saying that the NEW covenant, that has no resemblance to the tenets, rules and order of the old covenant, is what we must use to draw nigh to God.  Hello!  Are you still there?

Therefore let me ask you a question. What do we hope to gain when we remind God of the provisions he made in Deuteronomy?  Realize this that by introducing the new he made the old obsolete which means it has no effect.  What we are doing is trying to find some tenet under the old covenant and make it work under the new covenant.  You are suffering from Covenant Confusion.  You cannot meld Deuteronomy chapter 8 with Luke chapter 6.   You cannot have it both ways.  The old and the new are NOT interchangeable.  They are from two different dispensations.  Look at what he says to us:

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.  Hebrews 8:6

Better covenant and better promises. Better than what?  The old covenant.  Better promises than found where?  The old covenant.  Let me ask you, did the people of the old covenant have our promises? NO!!! Then how is it that we can have their promises under this new covenant.  The key to attaining these better promises is through righteousness.  Righteousness or in right-standing with the new covenant not the old.

So why does God call the old covenant useless and faulty?  It was because it was only suppose to be temporary:

…which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation. Hebrew 9:9, 10

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. Galatians 3:19

The law was only temporary and was put in place to stem transgressions until the time of reformation.  When did this time of reformation begin?  When Jesus uttered these words ‘Repent for the Kingdom of God (The Gospel) is at hand’.

Didn’t Paul observe the Law of Moses?

This confusion arises because of two instances in the scripture that if not read properly would lead us to believe that Paul did indeed follow the law.  The first instance is found in Acts 21:20-24:

And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. "What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. "Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.

The brothers wanted Paul to make an outward show in the flesh to declare that he was walking in accordance with the Law of Moses.  So why did he comply seeing that he himself had denounced it in his letters?

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; 1 Corinthians 9:19-20

This is the reason for his compliance.  By the way do you see that little interjection in verse 20 he says ‘as under the Law though not being myself under the Law’.  If there was still any question consider what he says in the very next verse:

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law.

This Law of Christ is the message of the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Another instance where it seemed as though Paul followed the Law was found in Acts 24:14:

But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets

The context in which he says this verse clears up any discrepancies:

Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. Acts 26:22-23

Paul says he worshipped God in the New Way believing all things that were written in the Law and the Prophets.  On its face this may seem a directive to follow the law, but as he continues his discourse we see how he qualifies this statement.  He says that he believed the prophecies written by Moses and the prophets.

What then is the purpose of the Law of Moses?

The Law of Moses has three purposes relevant to the body of Christ for today.

1-      It was our tutor

2-      It is a symbol

3-      It was a shadow

The Law the tutor

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  Galatians 3:24-26

The law served a purpose as a school master.  It was a temporary measure to lead us to the way of God until faith was revealed in Jesus.  Now it is no longer required.

The Law the symbol

The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, Hebrews 9:8-9

The Law the shadow

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. Hebrews 10:1

This passage shows that the law was a shadow of the things to come and was not the substance which was found in Christ.

What then do we do with the Old Testament today?

Am I advocating that we should only read the New Testament scriptures and discard the reading of the Old Testament?  NO!  Consider the following:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16,17

All the scripture has value!  The trouble occurs when we try to determine righteousness from a particular passage.  So what of the value for today:

1 – The Old Testament displays the nature of God.  God does not change.  He is as he has always been.  Through proper understanding of the Old Testament we can learn the very nature of God himself. We learn of his sovereignty, his requirement for holiness; his justice and his wrath.  We can see his care for his children and learn of his deep understanding.  In the Old Testament we see how God protects those who obey him and we realize how the patriarchs themselves had faith in God and how he rewarded that faith.

2 – The Old Testament provides us with examples, principles and guidelines.  Contrary to popular belief the entire Old Testament does not just speak of the laws of Moses. In fact Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are filled with principles that tell us how God works and why we should obey him.

3 – The books of the prophets provide us with eschatological teachings that are essential for our understanding of the end of time.  No one can discount the importance of Daniel’s vision or Ezekiel’s insights.

What of those who would bring back the tenets of the law for our obedience?

Tell me, you who want to be under law, do you not listen to the law? Galatians 4:21

The desire to follow the law has never really left the church. The early church struggled with this concept and we today still struggle with it.  Of late however there are some that have ramped up their adherence to the Mosaic Law and are seeking to entangle the body of Christ again in this bondage.  See the law is unique, in that, if one is to adopt any part thereof then he is obligated to obey the whole law.   When Paul used the term circumcision in the New Testament; he used this term interchangeably with the concept of obeying the law, because circumcision was one’s connection with the law.  Look at what he says:

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.  Galatians 5:1-3

Several things of importance here,

1 – Paul calls the law a YOKE OF SLAVERY.  Does anyone reading see that?

2 – To those who want to follow the Law, Christ is of NO BENEFIT TO THEM.  What!  Do you understand what this means?  This is nothing to take lightly.  Those of us who are seeking to have both covenants, CHRIST IS OF NO BENEFIT TO YOU.  In fact in verse four in case you did not understand what he said he says, ‘You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace’. Pretty harsh words there Brother Paul.  He says if you are doing something other than what the gospel of the kingdom demands for righteousness you are severed from Christ.

3 – If you take up one part of the Law you are obligated to do all.  Now this is serious.  There are some who want you to observe certain festivals and rituals of the old covenant.  God says, ‘oh yeah’.  If you want to do that then you are OBLIGATED to obey the ENTIRE law.  Listen do not play with this.  Paul did not say this to just say this; this is a very serious thing.  Want to hear more:

For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM." Galatians 3:10

You are cursed if you do any part of the law and not the whole!! THIS INTRODUCES A VERY IMPORTANT CONCEPT.  Do you realize what this verse is saying in Galatians 3:10? This verse is saying in no uncertain terms that if you are living under ANY part of the law and not the whole YOU ARE CURSED. Do you see this?  Those who would take a tenet here and a tenet there and claim it or institute it in their lives God says that you are living under a curse.  Those who would teach any part of the law as mandatory are shackling their listeners to a curse.  The law is a total package and God says that you cannot do one part and not do all.

Is there any way that we can seek righteousness by following the law in our lives?  We shall see!

Paul goes on to say:

But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain. Galatians 4:9-11

 He says we desire to return back to weak and worthless elements.  Remember who he is talking to – the Galatians who had adopted another gospel based on the Law of Moses.  He calls this enslavement!  By the way, what were they doing exactly?

You observe days and months and seasons and years.

Where are these found?  These are requirements of the Law.  Paul in disappointment says that perhaps he has labored in vain.

Paul talks a lot about this problem because he had dealings with it first hand:

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." Acts 15:1

These men were seeking to add to the gospel of the kingdom by including the tenets of the Mosaic covenant.  What was the apostles’ official response to this madness?

…and they sent this letter by them, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. "Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell."

Well now.  Are the apostles seeking to deceive these people?  They are giving them the way of righteousness in the gospel of the kingdom.  Well how is it that there is no mention of recognizing the day of Atonement or celebrating Rosh Hashanah or even of that other popular teaching in the church today (Hint: It begins with a T)?  My goodness they sure left out a lot, probably they ran out pf parchment.  Pretty expensive those days you know. 

Remember what we said at the beginning:

  For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. 1 Timothy 1:6-7

To those who would bring us back under the Law of Moses, remember it is not possible to adopt one aspect and not adopt the entirety of the law.  My question to you is what then do we do with our errant children?  Do you know what the law DEMANDS that we do to them?

"If any man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey his father or his mother, and when they chastise him, he will not even listen to them, then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gateway of his hometown. "They shall say to the elders of his city, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey us, he is a glutton and a drunkard.' "Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so you shall remove the evil from your midst, and all Israel will hear of it and fear. Deuteronomy 21:18-21

Any takers?  Well now, you sophisticated teachers with your brand new revelations of what we should follow from the Old Testament, what is your answer here?  You cannot do too much altering here now can you?  Notice what he does not say.  We cannot bring them before the Lord in prayer, or fast for their salvation.  We are OBLIGATED to bring our disobedient children before the elders to be stoned.  How selective are we!!!

One final note on those who would bring us back to following the old covenant.  The high priest was essential in doing and receiving acts of righteousness under the old covenant.  If then we are to do these acts following the Old Testament who then is our High Priest?  Before you spout off the name Jesus, because the bible says that he is our High Priest, recall for me please, does it really say that -- remember back a few paragraphs:

And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek Hebrews 5: 6

…and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.  Hebrews 5:9-11

Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?

Jesus is not a priest in the order of the Levitical priesthood and so:

For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. Hebrews 7:12

So I ask again who is representing those who would use any tenet of the Mosaic Law for righteousness – who is representing them before God?  I end this section with this:

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. Galatians 5:9

The Gospel of the Kingdom: The new and living way

Jesus came to bring us a new covenant.  This new covenant was designed by God and it is what he always wanted.

By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us… Hebrews 10:20a

The two wills

There once was a man whose name was John Cartwright.  John had a wife and two children that he cared for deeply.  John was a dedicated provider for his family and this dedication was shown by the way he provided for his loved ones.  Through diligence John amassed a great fortune; by all accounts he was a multi-millionaire.  Around the time his family was young -- his oldest child being 5 years of age – he decided to go and draft up a will to protect his family in the event of his demise. He tallied up all his assets, and it was determined that his assets at the time were valued at 10 million dollars. He based his will on his current assets.  The will divided the property and cash between his wife and two children.  That was done and John continued to live life.  He continued for another 10 years, but by this time he had had two more children bringing his brood to 4 and he had increased his fortune to 175 million dollars.  He decides that it is now time to update his will.  He goes to the legal counsel to update his will, but his lawyer tells him that he cannot simply update his will but must have a new will to accommodate his new assets and children.  The legal team goes to the task of writing a new will for John.  They eventually come up with a document that satisfies John and he signs it.  One month later John dies.  With the funeral behind the family the will is bought out to be read.  My question to you is which of John’s wills would his lawyer read?  He would have to read the new will.  Why?  It is because the old will became obsolete once John signed a new will.  In this scenario which is better the old or the new?  The new is better because it had a greater fortune from which to share among the family.  This crude example shows what happened in the new covenant of God.

Consider the following:

…so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. Hebrew 7:22

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. Hebrews 8:6

FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD,  AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. Hebrews 8:10

For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.  Hebrews 9:15

Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.  Romans 7:6

The new covenant is the gospel of the kingdom of God.  We seek after the old covenant because we do not understand the better promises of the New Testament.   It is through these promises that we have power -- power over sin and power over Satan.  Through these promises we can once again gain dominion in life as we reign with him and through him.  Look at what he says the gospel of the kingdom had the power to do:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised  Luke 4:18

The new gospel:

1.      Has the answer to spiritual and physical poverty

2.      Heals the broken hearted

3.      Brings freedom to those in captivity to sin

4.      Release us from oppression

Again you may say that I am not a follower of the Law of Moses but I am a follower of this new gospel.  If so then read with gusto the next installment!