• Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact
Premium Times Opinion
Sunday, June 26, 2022
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight
No Result
View All Result
Premium Times Opinion
Home Faith Article of Faith

No Tithing in the New Testament Church (2), By Femi Aribisala

by Premium Times
November 8, 2020
5 min read
0

Every pastor who collects tithes is a thief and a robber.

At a Sunday service in a New Testament church, the pastor asked the church-members to open their Bibles to Deuteronomy 21:18; and they began to read.

“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city.  And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’  Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones.’” (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).

He informed the church that the son of Mr. and Mrs. Tunde George has been rebellious. The parents, in concert with the church, have exhausted all the available resources for counselling him. They have now reached the conclusion that he is past redemption.

Therefore, the pastor regrets to announce that they are left with no choice than to require that the boy be stoned to death, according to the Law of Moses. This stoning will take place without further delay immediately after the service in the parking lot. All parents should endeavour to attend with their children so that lessons could be learnt by all.

Tithing Deception

I was wondering if this kind of announcement has ever been made in your church. My guess is that it probably has not because, in the New Testament: “We are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:15).

There is no scripture whatsoever in the New Testament asking Christians to tithe. When Jesus once referred to the practice, he was talking about Pharisees who were still under the Law of Moses and not about New Testament believers.

Nevertheless, he pointed out that, even under the law, tithing was not an important matter. (Matthew 23:23).  The only other scripture that deals with tithing in the New Testament says people only receive tithes “according to the law.” (Hebrews 7:5).  It then points out that tithing (and everything else under the law) was annulled.

“The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.” (Hebrews 7:18-19).

Nevertheless, there is one scripture which is the mother of all scriptures.  It is the favourite of pastors.  It is repeated ad nauseam.  And yet, the scripture is also rooted in the Old Testament.

That scripture says: “‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,’” says the LORD of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.’” (Malachi 3:10).

I am sure many Christians have heard this scripture applied to them in church before. The genius of modern-day pastors lies in their ability to hoodwink church members into believing that while scriptures like Deuteronomy 21:18-21 are no longer applicable under the New Testament, Malachi 3:10 remains mandatory.

Thieves and Robbers

Therefore, let me state it categorically here: Every pastor who collects tithes from his congregation is a thief and a robber. The reason for this is simple. If Jewish rabbis, whose terms of reference remain the Old Testament from Genesis to Malachi do not collect tithes, then Christian pastors who are supposedly under a New Testament built upon better promises, have no business collecting tithes.

Pastors cannot say Christians are no longer under the law in one breath, then continue to insist that their church members pay tithes in another breath. The payment of tithes is a requirement that comes under the law.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for keeping part, instead of the whole law. That is what tithe-collecting pastors demand of Christians today. But if they insist that tithes must be paid, they must also insist that they keep the rest of the law. James notes that: “Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10).

Therefore, if pastors insist on tithing, they should also refrain from eating pork. They should stone adulterers, execute homosexuals, stone Sabbath violators, sacrifice animals and leave the corners of their fields for the poor to harvest.

Precisely because it would now be inappropriate to do any of these, given the novel teachings about the kingdom of God, Jesus warns that we cannot put new wine in an old bottle. (Matthew 9:16-17).

More Deception

Pastors try to whitewash this contradiction by insisting that while Christians are no longer under the law, the payment of tithes pre-dated the law. Here Abraham is cited as a prime example of someone who paid tithes before the promulgation of the Law of Moses, as also did his grandson, Jacob.

However, such arguments are disingenuous. Before the law, tithing was at best an example but not a commandment.  Moreover, pastors fail to mention that Abraham only tithed once in his lifetime. When he did, he did not even tithe his own money: He tithed the spoils of war. He gave ten per cent of the plunder he took when he rescued Lot to Melchisedec, king of Salem.  But then he did not even keep the rest but returned it (all ninety per cent) to the king of Sodom.

For his part, Jacob also only tithed once. He did this in a “let’s make a deal” arrangement he made with God that hardly constitutes precedence in righteousness.

“Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.’” (Gen 28:20-22).

This tit-for-tat with God certainly cannot be a term of reference for any serious believer.

Jerusalem Council

In any case, the Jerusalem Council nailed the coffin on the law. When a dispute arose over whether Gentile believers had to be circumcised according to the law, the disciples of Jesus sent a circular directing that they do not have to abide by the Law of Moses.

“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.” (Acts 15:28-29).

No mention of tithing here because it is no longer required.  Jesus gave them the authority to give this kind of directive.  He said to them: “Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18).

Faribisala@yahoo.com; www.femiaribisala.com

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • More
  • Pocket
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Previous Post

Letter To U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, By Azu Ishiekwene

Next Post

Buhari’s Painful Hobson’s Choice Called Open Society, By Festus Adedayo

Related Posts

Trust and Confidence Building As Conditions of Good Governance, By Uddin Ifeanyi
Columns

The Policy Implications of 2021’s Low Growth Projections, By Uddin Ifeanyi

February 1, 2021
Akinwunmi Adesina: Africa’s Spotless Son, By Wole Olaoye
Columns

Iron Woman of Berlin, By Wole Olaoye

January 31, 2021
Rethinking Heroism and the Nigerian Civil Service, By Festus Adedayo
Columns

Aliko Dangote’s Costly Mess of the Libido, By Festus Adedayo

January 31, 2021
Why Lai Mohammed Must Be Fired Immediately, By Femi Aribisala
Article of Faith

Is God Invisible?, By Femi Aribisala

January 31, 2021
Religion As Africa’s Trojan Horse, By Osmund Agbo
Columns

South-East Governors: Preparing For a Post-oil and Restructured Nigeria, By Osmund Agbo

January 30, 2021
People Deserve The Coach They Hire, By Owei Lakemfa
Columns

Again, Entombed Humans Triumph Over Death, By Owei Lakemfa

January 30, 2021
Next Post
Rethinking Heroism and the Nigerian Civil Service, By Festus Adedayo

Buhari’s Painful Hobson’s Choice Called Open Society, By Festus Adedayo

Akinwunmi Adesina: Africa’s Spotless Son, By Wole Olaoye

The Three-sided Coin, By Wole Olaoye

Editorial

  • EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

    EDITORIAL: The Urgency of Tackling Nigeria’s Second Wave of COVID-19

  • EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

    EDITORIAL: Unearthing the Cogent Lessons In the NESG-CBN Economic Policy Imbroglio

  • EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

    EDITORIAL: COVID-19: Calling On Nigeria’s Billionaires and Religious Leaders To Step Up

  • EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

    EDITORIAL: Bichi Must Go; Buhari Must Halt Slide Into Despotism

  • EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

    EDITORIAL: The Flaws In Governor Emefiele’s Five-Year Plan For Central Bank of Nigeria

Subscribe to our Opinion articles via email

Enter your email address to get notifications of new opinion articles as they are published.

Join 526,540 other subscribers

Most Popular

  • More Fiction than Reality: Anambra’s Purported ‘Golden’ Finances and Grand Legacy of the Obi Era, By Fidelis Nwangwu
    More Fiction than Reality: Anambra’s Purported ‘Golden’ Finances and Grand Legacy of the Obi Era, By Fidelis Nwangwu
  • The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Bad Consequences and Dangers of Adultery and Fornication (Zina) In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • The Qualities of a Good Leader In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Qualities of a Good Leader In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
    Islam and the Conditions For Marrying More Than One Wife, By Murtadha Gusau
  • You Will Be Held Responsible On What Happened To Your Children!, By Murtadha Gusau
    You Will Be Held Responsible On What Happened To Your Children!, By Murtadha Gusau
  • World Teachers Day and The Position of Teachers In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    World Teachers Day and The Position of Teachers In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
  • The Women Prohibited For Men To Marry In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau
    The Women Prohibited For Men To Marry In Islam, By Murtadha Gusau

Like us on Facebook

Like us on Facebook

Podcasts

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

  • Main News
  • About Us
  • Contact

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Democracy and Governance
    • Bámidélé Upfront
    • Jibrin Ibrahim
    • Okey Ndibe
  • Economy
    • Ifeanyi Uddin
  • Issues of the Day
    • Adeolu Ademoyo
    • Aribisala on Tuesday
    • Dele Agekameh
    • Pius Adesanmi
  • Politics
    • Ebeneezer Obadare
    • Femi Fani-Kayode
    • Garba Shehu
    • Hannatu Musawa
    • Zainab Suleiman Okino
  • Guest Columns
  • Faith
    • Article of Faith
    • Sunday Ogidigbo
    • Friday Sermon
    • Elevated Sight

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.