Temples and Tithing
A
Look At Old Testament Practices Today
By
John Edmiston
�Introduction
When I was
studying my Bachelor of Divinity we were set the essay question "What is
the
authority
of the laws, precepts and principles of the Old Testament in the life of the
Spirit-filled
believer" (or words to that effect). That question was a time bomb! It got
me
researching
and thinking and asking questions and years later I too have set it to my
students.
Now I am
writing a book about it.
This
actually started out as a book on tithing - because of my grave concern at the
way
tithing
sermons regularly misuse Scripture. The book soon expanded as I realized that
the
problem
was more than just tithing. Similar errors were being committed in a wholesale
manner
in many
other areas of church life. I'll still be using tithing as my starting point
partly because
as soon as
I talk on this topic someone soon asks "but what about tithing". Also
because it
focuses
the argument around a practical and controversial point just as Martin Luther
used the
sale of
indulgences as a springboard into Romans and justification by faith.
I am
deeply troubled by the way the distinction between law and gospel has been
blurred by
so many of
today's preachers. Proper systematic interpretation of the Scriptures has been
replaced
by a homogenizing of the OT and NT. The sharp differences between the two
covenants
and why there was a need for a New Covenant in the first place seems lost in
much
pulpit
preaching and church practice. There seems to be a prevailing cynicism towards
theology,
commentaries and good hermeneutics and a feeling that "if it's in the
Bible I can
preach
it".
Preachers
are imposing rules on their congregations without regard to what the rest of
Scripture,
particularly the gospels and the epistles reveal about that topic. Along with
this we
have seen
a resurrection of what can only be called "Christian superstition". A
revived concern
with holy
days, vegetarianism, curses and blessings and even "Christian
astrology" and
numerology.
Much of this comes from still thinking that we are in the OT era with its very
different
way of spiritual operation. However I don't want this book to be all negative.
As well
as
demonstrating the folly and perils of imposing the Old on the New I would like
to point out
the
wisdom, glory and wonder of what God has done in Christ.
Now I'd
like to say straight out that I value the Old Testament. It�s "the Bible
Jesus read" as
Phillip
Yancey says. I also want to say that I believe in the inerrancy of Scripture in
the
original
manuscripts and its authority and inspiration for the Christian. That's my
starting point.
However I
believe that Scripture contains within it some very valuable clues about how it
should be
interpreted and how much of the Old Testament - if any - is binding on
Christians
today.
So yes,
this is a book about tithing and Christian finances but it's also a book about
circumcision,
diets, the Sabbath, festivals and rules in general. Above all it�s a book about
Jesus and
what He has done for us on the cross. You should come out of it with a very
clear
understanding
of the differences between the Old Testament and the New Testament, law and
grace,
faith and works and a powerful appreciation of the amazing yet radical nature
of the
gospel.
The Relationship Of The Spirit-Filled
Believer To The Old Covenant And Its Laws and
Practices.
This
chapter is a very brief tour of the topic that takes up the rest of the book
and lays some
foundations
for all that follows
The Spirit-filled believer is not
under the Law
The terms
used are absolute. The New Testament is unequivocal about it. We have been
separated
from the authority of the Old Covenant in the most radical of ways. The
believer
has died
to the Law (Romans 7:4) is discharged from the Law (Romans 7:6) and is set free
from the
Law - (Romans 8:1-6). The Law and its demands have been nailed to the cross and
taken out
of the way. (Colossians 2:13-15)
(Rom 7:6
NRSV) But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive,
so that we
are slaves not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.
The Law
does not make us righteous but serves to convict us of sin. It is, at best a
tutor to
lead us to
Christ. Once it has done its job of convicting us of sin and leading us to
Christ it is
finished
with.
(Rom 3:20
NKJV) Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His
sight, for by
the law is
the knowledge of sin.
(Rom 7:7
NRSV) What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had
not
been for
the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet
if
the law
had not said, "You shall not covet."
(Gal 3:19
NRSV) Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the
offspring
would come
to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a
mediator.
(Gal
3:24-26 NRSV) Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so
that we
might be
justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a
disciplinarian,
for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.
Observance
of the Law cannot perfect the Spirit-filled believer in holiness. It is never
faith +
law but
from faith to faith.
(Heb 7:19
NRSV) (for the law made nothing perfect); there is, on the other hand, the
introduction
of a better hope, through which we approach God.
(Gal 3:1-5
NKJV) O foolish Galatians!... This only I want to learn from you: Did you
receive the
Spirit by
the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having
begun in
the
Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?..Therefore He who supplies
the Spirit
to you and
works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of
faith?;
(Gal 2:16
NRSV) yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but
through
faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we
might
be
justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no
one will be
justified
by the works of the law.
(Gal 5:4-6
NRSV) You who want to be justified by the law have cut yourselves off from
Christ;
you have
fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for
the hope
of
righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision
counts for
anything;
the only thing that counts is faith working through love.
We are
sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus and as sons and heirs we enjoy a
freedom
that is
based on direct relationship with our heavenly Father and not on religious fear
and
punctilious
observance of detailed religious regulations.
We are not
given a spirit of fear and slavery but of freedom - (Romans 8:14-21) and are
not
to live in
fear and dread of spirits, taboos and legal observances but rather to live in
joyous
relationship
with our "Abba Father". This freedom is an essential part of the
gospel and is not
to be
compromised as Paul says it is for freedom that Christ has set us free, we are
not to be
subject
again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1-11)
This
freedom is the responsible freedom of sons. We sons of God through faith in
Christ
(Galatians
3:26) and we are also sons of Abraham through faith. (Galatians 3:6-9)as sons
we
are
disciplined for righteousness (Hebrews 12:5-13). We do not live under a yoke of
fear as
slaves do
but in a disciplined but essentially loving Father-Son relationship of great
freedom.
The Law as
a system of religious observances required for righteousness has been torn down
by Christ
and if we rebuild it we are labeled transgressors. (Galatians 2:15-21) Some of
the
things
(both Jewish and Gentile) that are no longer required or effective for
righteousness
include:
The entire
burden of the law of Moses including circumcision, diet and all the
miscellaneous
Laws.
(Acts 15: 5-29, 1 Corinthians 7:17-19, Galatians 5:1-11). Observance of days,
months,
seasons
and years (Gal 4:9-11). New moons, festivals, or Sabbaths. (Gal 2:16, Heb
4:1-11).
Matters of
food or drink (Galatians 2:16, Rom 14:1-6, Mk 7:18-23). Paying religious taxes
(Matthew
17:24-28). The offering of animal sacrifices (Hebrews 10:12-18). The Aaronic
priesthood
/ human mediators (Hebrews 4:14-10:18). Ritual washings and cleansings.
(Matthew
15:1-20). Categories of clean and unclean foods and clean and unclean persons.
(Acts
chapters 10,11 and 15) Taboos such as don't handle, don't taste, don't touch!
(Col
2:20-23)
Severe treatment of the body (Colossians 2:20-23) Worship of angels, mysticism,
visions
(Colossians 2:18) Self-abasement, self-imposed piety, an exaggerated humility
(Col
2:18-20)
Imposed celibacy - forbidding marriage (1 Timothy 4:3) Compulsory abstaining
from
foods (1
Timothy 4:3)
We will
spend most of this book looking at the outworking of these practical details in
the
Christian
life.
Those who
seek to reinstate the Law or even some of its more major observances as means
of
attaining
righteousness are in big trouble they are:
Transgressors
(Galatians 2:15-21)
Under a
curse. (Galatians 3:10)
In danger
of losing their salvation (Galatians 4:9-11)
Cut off
from Christ and have fallen from grace. (Gal 5:1-11)
Preaching
another gospel and anathema (Gal 1:6-9)
Some of
the most severe language in the New testament is used here and the chapter on
holiness
will explore why Paul was so concerned about a little bit of circumcision and a
few
feast
days.
We are
under a new agreement with a holy God who places His laws in our hearts and we
are
to be holy
as He is holy. Our obedience is not to of the letter but of the Spirit. We are
not
in
obedience to laws on stone tablets but to the Holy Spirit who writes the law on
our hearts.
We are to
use grace as a means of attaining perfection and holiness, not as a license to
sin.
We fulfill
the law by obeying the royal law of love in the power of the Holy Spirit.
(2 Cor 3:6
NRSV) who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of
letter
but of
spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The new
covenant is more glorious than the old - (2 Cor 3:16-18)and brings life and
liberty (2
Corinthians
3:16-18). It operates through personal knowledge of Jesus Christ in the power
of
the Spirit
and transforms the believer from glory to glory - (2 Corinthians 3:17,18).
The new
covenant is written on our hearts - (Hebrews 8:10-12)and in contrast to the
performance
based Old Covenant it is a covenant of forgiveness of sins.(Hebrews 8:12).
However
this does not allow us to be slack. The new covenant is holier in that is made
in the
blood of
Jesus Christ - not the blood of bulls and goats and therefore it must be
treated much
more
carefully - (Hebrews 10:29) Grace is given to lead us to righteousness not to
allow us to
sin -
(Romans 6:1-23, 8:1-14)
The Holy
Spirit is our teacher under the new covenant - (1 John 2:20,27, 1 Corinthians
2:10-16,
John 14:26, Matthew 23:8) and if we love one another in the power of the Holy
Spirit
we will
fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law. (Romans 13:8-10, Matt 22:37-40)
The new
covenant is superior to the old conferring upon Spirit-filled believers far
greater
privileges,
status and responsibilities. (Matthew 11:11-13, Eph 2:4-10, Heb 12:18-29)
The Law is
holy, righteous and good and useful for instruction in righteousness provided
we
use a
Christo-centric hermeneutic. It is useful for unbelievers to convict them.
We can't
just throw the Old Testament away. It is still useful for teaching and for
instruction
in
righteousness (1 Timothy 1:8-11, Matthew 5:17, Romans 7:12, 2 Timothy 3:16).
However it
is
primarily a tool for evangelism to convict unbelievers of God's standards and
how far they
fall
short. It is a tutor to lead us to Christ. It is useful for "murderers and
slave-traders" as
Paul tells
Timothy. It is also "the Bible Jesus read" and Paul uses it
constantly in his epistles
however he
interprets it according to the gospel revealed in Jesus Christ. Therefore we
must
pass the
OT through the cross and not impose its observances on Spirit-filled believers
but
learn its
principles.
However
this chapter probably raises as many "but what about" questions as it
has just
answered
and the rest of the book will seek to answer them. First of all we have to look
at
how the
Old Covenant operated using blessings for obedience and curses for
disobedience. To
bring it
to a point of understanding I will use tithing as the practical example as we
often hear
it
preached as a source of blessing. Please read on..
Tithes, Curses and Blessings.
This
chapter addresses the questions - "Do blessings and curses from God
operate in the lives
of
Spirit-filled believers today? And are Christians blessed if they do tithe and
cursed if they do
not
tithe?"
The simple
answer is "No". Curses finished at the cross and we have all the
blessings we want
"In
Christ" - not through tithing. Now for the explanation.
Firstly -
what is a curse or a blessing? Blessings are a lot more than "nice
words" and curses
are a lot
more than mere angry outbursts. Blessings and curses affect the very fabric of
life
itself.
They can and do last for centuries. A "curse" is a lot more than a
natural consequence.
When
Canaan was cursed as a result of Ham's sin it was not just an insult he
received - it
meant a
destiny of national annihilation and the Canaanites were later totally wiped
out.
Curses and
blessings result from the fact that the material realm has as its substrate the
spiritual
realm and a small change in the spiritual has massive consequences in the
material. If
you look
at Genesis 1-3 you see the beginnings of blessings and curses
Blessings
Blessings
are God tilting the order of Creation in our favor. This is illustrated in the
very first
blessing
in the Bible when God blesses the fish and the birds on the fifth day of
Creation:
(Genesis
1:22 NKJV) And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and
fill the waters
in the
seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."
Be
fruitful means that your efforts produce good desired outcomes. It is the
opposite of
barrenness
and sterility. Fruitfulness is being able to produce, being able to perform as
you
desire and
to bring forth that which is within you in a pleasing and satisfying way.
And
multiply means that the outcomes are exponential not additive- It is like
reproduction
where 2
give birth to 4 which then create 8 then 16 then 32 then 64 then 128 etc. Each
stage
multiplying
the next by a factor of two. It is constant exponential growth.
Later on the Lord blessed Mankind:
(Genesis
1:28 NKJV) Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and
multiply; fill
the earth
and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the
air, and
over every
living thing that moves on the earth."
To mankind
God adds the blessing of dominion over "every living thing that moves on
the
earth"
on top of the basic blessing of "be fruitful and multiply". This is
to be supernaturally
placed at
the head of others like Adam was over the animals. Adam wasn't stronger than
the
lions or
the dinosaurs but he was made their Head. When Israel obeyed God it would be
"the
head and
not the tail" and when it disobeyed it would be "the tail and not the
head". ( Deut
28).
Daniel 4&5 show that God gives dominion to whoever he chooses.
(Daniel
4:17, 25 NKJV) 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the
sentence by
the word
of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in
the
kingdom of
men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.'�.They
shall
drive you
from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall
make
you eat grass
like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall
pass
over you,
till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to
whomever
He chooses.
Dominion
is the highest of the blessings and the blessing "you shall possess the
gates of your
enemies"
was only given to Abraham after the sacrifice of Isaac. (Gen 22) The opposite
of
dominion
is humiliation and oppression which was particularly the fate of nations that
oppressed
or betrayed Israel e.g the Amalekites, Babylon and Moab.
So we see that "blessing" in
its basic form contains three elements:
Be
Fruitful: not barren, be able to produce good and perfect things, the ability
to be a blessing
to others.
To bear fruit that is good .. Joy, Hope.
Multiply: grow
exponentially, don't be static or grow by mere addition, explode into the
world.
Have
Dominion Over: have authority, be in control and command, rule over, be at the
top.
Let�s see
how this is reflected in God's blessings to Abraham in Genesis 17 &22:
(Genesis
17:3-8 NKJV) Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: {4}
"As
for Me,
behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. {5}
"No
longer
shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have
made you
a father
of many nations. {6} "I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will
make nations of
you, and
kings shall come from you. {7} "And I will establish My covenant between
Me and
you and
your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant,
to be
God to you
and your descendants after you. {8} "Also I give to you and your
descendants
after you
the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting
possession;
and I will be their God."
Here
Abraham is told of great fruitfulness. "I will make you exceedingly
fruitful". Abraham would
produce
great things. He would be a "father of many nations", nations and
kings would come
from him.
He would also be given a land - which by implication would be a source of
fruitfulness.
Then in
Chapter 22
(Genesis
22:15-18 NKJV) Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out
of
heaven,
{16} and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have
done this
thing, and
have not withheld your son, your only son; {17} "blessing I will bless
you, and
multiplying
I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand
which
is on the
seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. {18}
"In
your seed
all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My
voice."
Abraham is
told that his descendants will be multiplied as the stars of the heaven they
shall
possess
the gates of their enemies - they would havedominion. So we see the three
elements
of great
blessing are fruitfulness, multiplication and dominion.
Curses
Curses
involve almost the exact reverse of blessings. Curses involve barrenness,
futility and
difficulty
in conception instead of fruitfulness, limits and frustration instead of
multiplication
and
humiliation and insignificance instead of dominion. , Let's look at Genesis and
study the first
curses
uttered by God.
(Genesis
3:14-19 NKJV) So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done
this,
You are
cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your
belly you
shall go,
And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. {15} And I will put enmity
between
you and
the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And
you
shall
bruise His heel." {16} To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply
your sorrow and your
conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband,
And
he shall
rule over you." {17} Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded
the voice of
your wife,
and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not
eat
of it':
"Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the
days of your life.
{18} Both
thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of
the
field.
{19} In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the
ground, For out
of it you
were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."
Satan is
humiliated, the woman is afflicted with difficulty in conception and Adam is
subjected
to limits
and frustration.
Curses are
judgments of God that affect the future of the person (or animal - such as the
serpent)
in an ongoing way until they are revoked or lifted . They dramatically affect
conditions
and lower productivity dooming the person cursed to toil, pain, defeat,
humiliation
and
frustration.
Thus we
see that blessings lead to "be fruitful and multiply" while cursing
leads to situations of
toil, pain
and a meaningless existence. Cain is cursed by being made a wanderer on the
earth
while
Jacob is blessed with the fat of the land.
Because
God is Spirit and His Word upholds Creation then what He says in the spiritual
realm
affects
the whole fabric of the material realm which depends on the spiritual for its
very
existence.
The utter dependence of Creation on God is beautifully illustrated in Psalm 104
-
here are
just a few verses:
(Psalms
104:28-30 NKJV) What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are
filled
with good. {29} You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their
breath, they
die and
return to their dust. {30} You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And
You renew
the face
of the earth.
The Blessings and Curses Of The Law
The Jews
"signed off" on the Old Covenant at Mt. Sinai - they undertook an
agreement with
God which
stipulated great blessings for obedience and terrible curses for disobedience.
These
blessings
and curses are listed in Deuteronomy chapters 26-28. The blessings and curses
were
material
and included things such as wealth and health and possession of the land of
Israel.
The
prophet Haggai shows us how this affected human affairs when the Jews became
slack
and
self-centered in their faith and chose to build their own houses rather than
rebuild the
temple and
how obedience moved them from a situation of cursing to s situation of blessing
(Haggai
1:3-12 NKJV) Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying, {4}
"Is
it time
for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in
ruins?" {5}
Now
therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways! {6} "You
have sown much,
and bring
in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled
with
drink; You
clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to
put into a
bag with holes." {7} Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your
ways! {8} "Go up
to the
mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may take pleasure in it
and be
glorified,"
says the LORD. {9} "You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and
when you
brought it
home, I blew it away. Why?" says the LORD of hosts. "Because of My
house that is
in ruins,
while every one of you runs to his own house. {10} "Therefore the heavens
above
you
withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit. {11} "For I called
for a drought on the
land and
the mountains, on the grain and the new wine and the oil, on whatever the
ground
brings
forth, on men and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands."
The people
listened to Haggai and began to obey and when the foundation of the Temple was
laid then
the curse was lifted.
(Haggai
2:15-19 NKJV) 'And now, carefully consider from this day forward: from before stone
was laid
upon stone in the temple of the LORD; {16} 'since those days, when one came to
a
heap of
twenty ephahs, there were but ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw out
fifty
baths from
the press, there were but twenty. {17} 'I struck you with blight and mildew and
hail in
all the labors of your hands; yet you did not turn to Me,' says the LORD. {18}
'Consider
now from
this day forward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day
that
the
foundation of the Lord's temple was laid; consider it: {19} 'Is the seed still
in the barn? As
yet the
vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree have not yielded fruit.
But from
this day I
will bless you.'"
So we see
that throughout the Old Testament the system was that God would bless us - that
is tilt
Creation in our favor so that life became easy and fruitful - if we obeyed and
curse us -
so that
life became miserable and woeful and plagued and meaningless - if we disobeyed.
It
was like
He was training a child with a very direct series of rewards and punishments.
The
"training" culminated not in an age of blessing but with famine and
sword and expulsion to
Babylon.
The experiment failed. Human nature was found to be so deeply sinful that the
best
laws, good
kings, powerful prophets and a direct system of curses and blessings failed to
keep
it in
line.
Tithing, Curses and Blessings
Part of
this failed Old Covenant was tithing and the blessings and curses associated
with it are
explained
in Malachi - a prophet who came along after Haggai to address the same problem
of
spiritual
lethargy.
(Malachi
3:8-13 NKJV) "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In
what
way have
we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. {9} You are cursed with a curse, For
you
have
robbed Me, Even this whole nation. {10} 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. {11} "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will
not
destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you
in the field,"
Says the
LORD of hosts; {12} "And all nations will call you blessed, For you will
be a delightful
land,"
Says the LORD of hosts.
Thus there
was a curse for "robbing God" breaking the covenant stipulations
which they had
signed off
on. This curse involved lower agricultural production (verse 11) and the blessing
was
unfailing
fruitfulness. The end result was that the physical land of Israel would be a
"delightful
land".
However does this contract, this arrangement of blessings and curses for
tithing, still
apply to
Christians?
The New Contract
There has
been a change of covenant or agreement with God. The Old Covenant was physical,
material
and performance based. The New Covenant is spiritual and based on grace
received
through
faith. There are no curses stipulated in the New Covenant. It is a covenant for
the
"forgiveness
of sins" - not their direct punishment. It is a covenant where all the
curses due to
us have
been borne by Jesus Christ on the cross.
(Galatians
3:10-15 NKJV) For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse;
for
it is
written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are
written in the
book of
the law, to do them." {11} But that no one is justified by the law in the
sight of God is
evident,
for "the just shall live by faith." {12} Yet the law is not of faith,
but "the man who
does them
shall live by them." {13}Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law,
having
become a
curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree"), {14} that
the
blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might
receive
the
promise of the Spirit through faith.
We are
redeemed from the curse of the Law. The curses that came for not following what
the
Law says
(verse10 above). We are redeemed from all theses curses including the curses
for
not
tithing. If we are redeemed from it then Jesus Christ has paid the price, there
is absolutely
NO ground
for any curse to alight. We are free. There are no curses on Christians if they
do
not tithe.
What about
blessings for tithing? Why did Christ become a curse for us "that the
blessings of
Abraham
might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise
of
the Spirit
through faith". Blessings in the New Covenant are not received through
law-keeping
but
through faith. As we saw earlier, because of our sinful nature law-keeping does
not work,
we only
end up under the curse for law-breaking "for as many as are the works of
the law are
under a
curse". Works of law only end up in condemnation not justification. A new
way to be
blessed
had to be found - the way of Abraham - the way of faith.
Ephesians
1:3 is an astonishing and mind-boggling verse:
(Ephesians
1:3 NKJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed
us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
It's past
tense- we already have received "every spiritual blessing"! It's
total "EVERY spiritual
blessing".
Its exalted" in the heavenly places". It's Christ-centered" in
Christ". We have the
blessings
of Abraham through faith and all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms
through
being in Christ Jesus.
Tithing
simply cannot add to those blessings. Law-keeping such as tithing cannot reach
half-way.
Performance and sacrifices are out as means of blessing. Tithing, sacrificing,
law-keeping
and spiritual performances in the Temple are Old Covenant and no longer apply
for
attaining
righteousness which is the source of all true blessing. Let me explain that
last phrase
a bit
more.
Blessing
is God's favor resting on your life. To have God's favor you have to be in
right
standing
with God. You have to be righteous. The Jews valued righteousness because it
brought
blessing from a holy God. "According to my righteousness you have rewarded
me" is a
common
theme in Psalms for instance. (Psalms 18:20 NKJV) The LORD rewarded me
according
to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed
me.
Under the
Old Covenant blessings would come to the righteous and punishment and cursing
to
the
wicked. A God who blessed the wicked or who failed to reward the righteous was
unthinkable.
Tithing was a righteous act which brought favor and blessing. This is still
taught
in Judaism
today.
In Christ
however we receive our righteousness - in fact we receive the righteousness of
Jesus
Christ Himself - through faith, and not through the performing of righteous
acts such as
tithing.
Because we have the very righteousness of Christ we also receive the blessings
appropriate
to that level of righteousness - "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
realms".
We have
Christ's righteousness and Christ's blessings through faith and therefore we do
not
need to
tithe in order to be blessed.
The
Christian life is "from faith to faith" we are blessed because of our
faith and we
appropriate
those blessings by faith - no by performing works of merit such as tithing. The
Galatians
tried to add works of merit (in this case circumcision) to faith and this is
the
response
they got from the apostle Paul.
(Galatians
3:1-5 NKJV) O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey
the truth,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
{2}
This only
I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law,
or by
the hearing
of faith? {3} Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being
made
perfect by the flesh? {4} Have you suffered so many things in vain; if indeed
it was in
vain? {5}
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does
He
do it by
the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?;
Paul's
challenge to the Galatians "Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being
made perfect
by the
flesh?" is very appropriate to tithing. We don't go up a notch as a
Christian by tithing.
We are not
perfected by the flesh - by works of merit, by works of the law. Miracles do
not
occur by
works of the law - but by "hearing with faith". Hebrews says' for the
law made
nothing
perfect". (Hebrews 7:19) So if the entire law made nothing perfect, one
segment of it,
- tithing
certainly will not perfect you!
Righteousness
is from God , in Christ, through faith. Therefore blessing, which in a just
world
must be
based on righteousness, is from God, in Christ, through faith.
Magical Tithing
Tithing is
practiced by groups such as the Mormons, followers of Maitreya, and most New
Age
cults.
Just do a search under "tithing" on the Google search engine and you
will find DOZENS of
cults
sites listing tithing as a way of manipulating spiritual forces to give the
person wealth
and
happiness. Tithing is taught as a mechanism that "releases blessings"
to the giver. The
money is
sometimes called "seed money" and as this is "sown"
financial prosperity grows and
funds are
eventually "harvested". Mostly tithing is seen as a "law"
that operates like karma.
You do
good and good will come back to you. You give to the cult and you will be made
wealthy by
the Universe, God, or Life Force.
Such false
teachers use a principle sometimes called "ex opere operato". This
means that the
mechanism
works by itself. The operation is efficacious whether or not the person doing
it has
any
righteousness whatsoever. By this principle tithing is a "law" and
will work for everyone
independent
of their character. Tithe and the windows of heaven will be opened
automatically
and the
finances you give away will be a seed of great prosperity to follow. This
causes people
to say
things like "I believe in tithing.." with great passion. They are
believing in a mechanism,
a law. Give
some away and more will come back. However they are not necessarily believing
in
a personal
God. While they are "believing in tithing" they are not necessarily
believing in Jesus.
They are
believing in a law or a principle not in a Person who loves them and is
providing for
them. This
is not Christ, it is karma. It is not God, it is Mammon.
Manipulating
spiritual forces to give you financial blessing without accompanying personal
righteousness,
or the imputed righteousness that comes from Christ, is evil and magical. It is
rewarding
the wicked and blessing the unrepentant. Godless people can become blessed and
wealthy
simply through tithing, no repentance required, no Christ-likeness needed -
just
money. It
is a systematic denial of God's pathway to blessing through faith in Jesus
Christ.
Blessing
that is attained apart from righteousness is attained through magic not through
God.
God is
resolutely opposed to magic in all forms. In the end such "blessing"
will bring a judgment
on the
person that will far outweigh any temporary financial gains.
What About The Terrific Testimonies?
Tithing
websites often feature amazing testimonies of how Joe Smith started tithing and
then
became
rich and famous. These testimonies simply say that "for them" tithing
appeared to
"work".
Here are six reasons why you need to take such testimonies with a "grain
of salt".
�� 1.The testimonies of the people who DIDN'T
see any prosperity despite faithful tithing over
���� many years are never published.
�� 2.Testimonies are not the same as
"clinical trials" or a properly run research experiment.
���� They are indications at best.
�� 3.It may be an exception. To establish a
principle you have to look at many cases and
���� average them out. Look around your local
church at the faithful tithing Christians. How
���� many of them are experiencing way above
average prosperity for their level of gifts and
���� intelligence? Most Christians that tithe
seem to be living average normal lives. On
���� average the blessing from tithing seems to
be about the same as that for not tithing. It�s
���� a plain fact that tithing Christians are
not living in exceptional prosperity compared to
���� non-tithing Christians of the same ability
level.
�� 4.Testimonies may be false or exaggerated or
solicited in a way that indicates that giving
���� to "ministry X" is the sure road
to blessing. Be cautious of any testimony that does not
���� indicate that the person can be contacted
for comment.
�� 5.What else did Joe Smith do that may more
rationally account for his becoming rich and
���� famous?
�� 6.Testimonies may be the result of personal
self-delusion. This is very common with people
���� starting a new business who see prosperity
everywhere when in fact their debts and
���� taxes are piling up. They are also common
in the "I believe I am healed" testimony when
���� in fact the person is still unwell. People
are so unprepared to believe they have been
���� ripped off that they will believe they are
more prosperous than ever when in fact they
���� are pretty average in prosperity.
Reminder
There is
no blessing for tithing and no cursing for not tithing. Blessings are obtained
by having
faith in
Christ Jesus. Curses were taken by Christ on the cross. Tithing is not magical
and does
not lead
to prosperity in an ex opere operato fashion. Neither does it justify us before
God.
The
terrific testimonies about tithing need to be taken with a grain of salt.
Curses and Blessings and OT Practices
What
applies to tithing applies to the other OT practices. There are no curses for
eating pork
for
instance and no blessing for being circumcised - which was a big issue in the
early church.
Let�s hear
what Paul said about people who tried to add OT practices onto faith in order
to be
blessed.
It�s in chapter 3 of Galatians:
(Galatians
3:1-5 NKJV) O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey
the truth,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
{2}
This only
I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law,
or by
the
hearing of faith?{3} Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you
now being
made
perfect by the flesh?{4} Have you suffered so many things in vain; if indeed it
was in
vain? {5}
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does
He
do it by
the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?;
(Galatians
3:10-14 NKJV) For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse;
for
it is
written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are
written in the
book of
the law, to do them." {11} But that no one is justified by the law in the
sight of God is
evident,
for "the just shall live by faith." {12} Yet the law is not of faith,
but "the man who
does them
shall live by them." {13} Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the
law, having
become a
curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree"), {14} that
the
blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might
receive
the
promise of the Spirit through faith.
Thus Paul
is saying that OT practices CANNOT add anything to faith. Having begun in the
Spirit we
cannot be perfected by the flesh - that is by rituals such as Sabbath keeping,
circumcision
or tithing. Not only that but the law places under the curses of Deuteronomy 28
and makes
us live a "performance-based' spiritual life in which we are sure to fail.
In fact
striving
to be blessed by the law places us under a curse! Paul gets even more vehement
a
few
chapters later:
(Galatians
5:1-4 NKJV) Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us
free,
and do not
be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. {2} Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if
you become
circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. {3} And I testify again to every
man
who
becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. {4} You have
become
estranged
from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from
grace.
In this
very blunt warning to the Galatian Christians Paul spells out the danger of
trying to get
right with
God by performing OT practices. You can't just take one practice in isolation
Paul
says - if
you get circumcised you have to keep the whole law - and you can't do that -
you
will fall
under its curses! Not only that but Christ will profit you nothing, you will be
estranged
from
Christ and you will have fallen from grace. Paul calls such compulsory OT
practices a
"yoke
of bondage".
The Paradox
So here is
the paradox - if we seek to gain blessing by external actions such as Sabbath
keeping,
circumcision, keeping feast days, or tithing we are estranged from Christ and
under a
curse!
The Stoichea (Measured Out Things)
The key
concept in this chapter is the "stoichea" often translated as the
"elemental things" in
modern
translations but probably better translated 'the measured out things".
This latter usage
is
retained in Chemistry where "stoichometry" is the ratio between
elements in compounds -
the art of
balancing equations. The stoichea are the measured out "abc" building
blocks of the
spiritual
realm.
The BIG
difference between OT and NT is the end of the "stoichea". The end of
having to have
a faith
that is measured out, regulated and precise. In the OT everything was precisely
allocated.
Judah lived in this bit of land, Simeon over there, only people from Levi could
be
priests,
this bit of temple furniture went here, the other over there, behind the
curtain was
certain death,
this food was clean, that was unclean etc.
The cross
ended that "measured -out-ness" and we can now move the church
furniture and
eat pork
and lobster. To us that seems very ordinary but it was a revolution back then.
In fact
it was one
of the hardest lessons the early church had to learn. There were no more
add-ons,
no
circumcision, no taboos, no lists, no 613 laws.
The
"stoichea" - the taboo things, the measured out things, were
spiritually enforced and a
certain
dread and awe accompanied them. People had fear and trembling about them and
would say
"You CAN'T do that." The stoichea were enforced by angelic beings in
Judaism and
demonic
beings in Gentile religions (more on that soon). For instance if you intruded
on the
temple of
Diana of the Ephesians and broke her taboos you were in great danger. For a
fascinating
read try the Idylls of Theocritus which is filled with the dread of breaking
minor
taboos e.g
a shepherd would never play his pan-pipes at noon as Pan rested then and to
wake
him would
arouse the god's wrath and cause great harm.
Taboos
ruled the life of Jews and Gentiles alike. Quite a few times in the NT we hear
the
phrase
about "the law that came through angels" e.g.
(Acts 7:53
NRSV) You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you
have not
kept it."
(Galatians
3:19 NRSV) Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the
offspring
would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through
angels
by a
mediator. The role of angels in enforcing the taboos is shown in:
(Exodus
23:20-21 NKJV) "Behold, I send an angel before you to keep you in the way
and to
bring you
into the place which I have prepared. {21} "Beware of him and obey his
voice; do
not
provoke him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in him.
This even
applied to where they should go to the toilet!
(Deuteronomy
23:12-15 NKJV) "Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you
may
go out;
{13} "and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you
sit down
outside,
you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse. {14} "For the LORD
your God
walks in
the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you;
therefore
your camp
shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from
you.
These
verses imply that God would turn away from them if they did not cover up their
excreta!
Full
relationship was very conditional. It was a world of regulations, taboos, and
limitations.
The main religious
systems are "angelic" in origin. Both angels and demons operate in
similar
ways
because, before the Fall, they were the same category of creature. The pagan
religions
had
temples, and priests and tithes and taboos, and festivals and laws and ceremonies
etc -
and so did
the Jewish religion. They had very similar modus operandi because they were
both
under the
angelic (good or fallen) realm and its dominion. Everyone was a slave of the
system
from the
High Priest to a commoner and the system was run by spiritual beings who
inspired
dread and
awe. In the New Testament the authority of the angelic and demonic realm over
human
beings is broken. A key concept here is the "heavenly realms" and our
new place in
them so I
will take a paragraph or two to explain that.
Heaven is
a plural word in fact it should be "heavens" because there are at
least three levels
to Heaven.
Paul in 2 Cor 12 ascends to the "third heaven" and heard mysteries
from God. The
angels in
Revelation fly in mid-heaven or the Second Heaven which is also where the great
battle
with Satan takes place. The first heaven is where the "birds of the
heaven" fly . Satan
started
out in the Third Heaven as a guardian cherub then was "cast down" to
the second
heaven
(Isaiah 28). During the ministry of the disciples Jesus saw another fall
"Satan fell from
heaven
like lightning" this was further enforced by the cross and resurrection
and by the time
Ephesians
was written Satan was now "prince of the power of the air" down
another notch.
Satan
tries to move up back from the first to the second heavens and a great battle
against
Michael
and the angels takes place in Revelation 12 . Satan loses his place in the
first heaven
and is
"cast down to earth" where he incarnates as the Anti-Christ in
Revelation 13. After
Christ
returns he is taken down a notch further and cast into the Pit. After 1000
years Satan
again
tries to claw his way back into the heavenly realms and comes to earth to
deceive the
nations
and Armageddon takes place then Satan has his final downfall into the lake of
fire. So
we see
that there are multiple levels to the spiritual realms and spiritual beings can
move up
and down
between them but God is ultimately in charge of who goes where.
After His
resurrection Christ ascended "through the heavenly realms" and we
ascended with
Him and
are placed in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus(Ephesians 2:6) and there we
receive
every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms (Ephesians1:3) and can wrestle
against the very
same
powers and principalities that once dominated life (Ephesians 6:10-18).
Captivity
(domination
by spirits and their taboos) is taken captive and spiritual gifts are lavishly
distributed
(Ephesians 4:10-12). A clear sign of the change in status is the common casting
out of
demons by Christians. This did not happen in the OT because we were under the
angelic
realms. We
can do it easily in the NT because we are over the angelic and demonic realm.
One
day we
shall judge angels ( 1 Cor. 6:3) and they are our servants now (Heb1:14). Their
power
over us
has been broken.
Along
comes Jesus and breaks the power of the spiritual beings on the cross
(Colossians
2:13-15).
He introduces a new way of being where no-one is a slave of the system any
more.
Taboos are
gone and so is fear and dread. Our position in the spiritual realms is so high
and
the power
of taboos so completely broken that we are "dead" to any requirements
to live by
superstition
and taboo.
(Colossians
2:20-23 NKJV) {20} Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles
of
the world
(the stoichea), why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves
to
regulations;
{21} "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," {22} which all
concern things
which
perish with the using; according to the commandments and doctrines of men? {23}
These
things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false
humility, and
neglect of
the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Attempts
to reintroduce the stoichea aroused such great concern in Paul that it caused
him to
accuse
people of apostasy over things that at first may seem to us to be minor such as
observing
a religious calendar. He saw such things as placing us back under the authority
of
minor
spiritual beings such as angels and demons.
(Galatians
4:8-11 NKJV) But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those
which by
nature are not gods. {9} But now after you have known God, or rather are known
by
God, how
is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements (the stoichea), to
which
you desire
again to be in bondage? {10} You observe days and months and seasons and
years.
{11} I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.
We can see
that Paul saw "observing days and months and years" as so grievous
that it
involved
enslavement to "those who are not gods" and "bondage" and
he was "afraid for them"
lest they
had become apostate. Letting traditions and ceremonies and Sabbaths and diets
govern
life was a huge backward step.
It was
stepping out from the heavenly realms where we were placed in Christ and back
under
angelic or
demonic dominion. It was spiritual disaster. In Colossians when Paul writes of
Christ's
triumph
over the demonic powers he notes that it had, as its first and foremost
outcome,
release
from having to observe dietary regulations and feast days!
(Colossians
2:15-17 NKJV) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public
spectacle
of them, triumphing over them in it. {16} So let no-one judge you in food or in
drink,
or regarding
a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, {17} which are a shadow of things to
come, but
the substance is of Christ.
We are not
to live in the "shadows" - of ritual observances but in the reality
which is Christ.
To the
Greeks this was a striking analogy to Plato's cave illustration where a person
chained
(for life)
to a cave wall and looking away from the entrance saw all reality as shadows
cast
upon the
wall by the fire. Pagan or Jewish religion is just these shadows - the
substance is
Christ.
Thus Paul pits stoichea-enslaved religion against Spirit-empowered
Christianity.
This even
applies to the "good bits" of the Old Covenant. As we saw in the last
chapter to
observe
ANY of the practices of the Old Covenant was to place one's self under a curse and
cut
oneself off from Christ. (Galatians 3:10-14, 5:1-4) The old religious system of
stoichea
operated
via "curses" for disobedience and "blessings" for
obedience. When the Jews agreed to
the Law at
Sinai they also agreed to the curses and blessings that were listed in Deut
26-28.
However
Christ put an end to curses for disobedience (Galatians 3:10-14) and gave us
every
spiritual
blessings in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3, Romans
8:31-32).
Therefore
under the new Way in Christ there are no taboos, no curses and no striving for
blessings.
The old religious system is killed stone dead.
The New
Way is not the way of effort and earning but the way of faith and trusting. It
is no
longer
"if I am good and keep the rules God will bless me" but it becomes
"as long as I abide in
His love I
am abundantly blessed".
To
summarize :Religion is bondage to the stoichea and systems. It's being a
servant of a
system
ruled by a spirit. Christianity is sonship, freedom and Spirit-led and joyous.
There is NO
system.
There is only faith worked out in love. Praise the Lord!
To wind up
this chapter let�s look at a few observations and questions for further
discussion.
������� 1.When we create taboos in church we
are re-instituting the yoke of bondage of the
��������� stoichea. According to Galatians that
seriously imperils the salvation of people. It
��������� is in fact "anathema".
������� 2.When we teach that ANY part of the
old Jewish law is binding on believers we
��������� imperil them - and that includes
Sabbath keeping, tithing and religious festivals.
������� 3.Christmas, Easter and Sunday worship
are not required of believers in fact their
��������� current form is a carry-over from the
stoichea. All feasts days, religious calendars,
��������� days, months, seasons and years -not
just those on the dates of ancient pagan
��������� festivals - are "stoichea".
������� 4.Church formalism with spiritual
overtones is "stoichea". This includes robes,
��������� furnishings etc where such
formalities are given clear spiritual overtones. If you
��������� like robes - wear them, there is
nothing wrong with that per se. However if you
��������� have to have a robe on before you can
minister - then that is "stoichea" -
��������� subjecting yourself to elemental things.
That would be going back to the days of
��������� Aaron, high priestly garments and
immovable furnishings. It is nothing like Jesus
��������� ministering to a hill full of people
or Phillip sharing the gospel in a moving chariot in
��������� the desert.
������� 5.There is no blessing for tithing or
cursing for not tithing. We give freely as God
��������� leads. If you have a release of
conscience when the coin drops into the bag or
��������� plate you have put yourself under the
stoichea and enslaved yourself to a ritual. It
��������� is the blood of Christ that cleanses
your conscience not a gold coin. God's
��������� pleasure cannot be bought, it is
given freely in Christ. The fear and dread that
��������� some people experience regarding
their giving is thus sub-Christian.
������� 6.Alcohol and tobacco may be foolish,
unwise and addictive but they are not
��������� spiritually unclean or taboo. This
calls for wisdom. Paul told the Corinthians to be
��������� cautious around idols temples not
because they were in danger spiritually but
��������� because it could mislead people into
idolatry. Even the temple of Aphrodite in
��������� Corinth was not taboo and off limits
spiritually - it was just the wrong place to be
��������� seen! It could hurt someone's faith.
I live in a house with a recovering alcoholic
��������� therefore I do not drink. Not because
it is "unclean" , taboo or unspiritual or
��������� because I will incur the wrath of
some minor deity but because it would harm my
��������� house-mate and not be an act of
Christian love.
������� 7.Don't import superstitious
"second heaven" principles into the Christian life which is
��������� lived above that. Some Christians
read books about pagan religions and spells etc
��������� and become enamored of things like
holy water and things to repel demons and
��������� sometimes make statements like
"drums attract evil spirits". This may or may not
��������� be true. However it is living in fear
when we have all the power we need to deal
��������� with those things in the name of
Jesus Christ. We have left those pagan concepts
��������� behind. "God has not given us a
spirit of fear". Canberra, the capital city of
��������� Australia was planned and laid out by
Masons - yet I visit there and enjoy my
��������� visits. We don't need to run around
fearing a pagan symbol on every corner. We
��������� can be grieved by it as Paul was in
Athens but we do not need to be fearful of it.
������� 8.There are no "six keys to
blessing in the Christian life" - practices we have to do in
��������� order to be victorious. There is only
one - faith in Jesus Christ outworked in love.
��������� We have the blessings in Him already.
We have EVERY spiritual blessing in the
��������� heavenly realms (and by implication
the earthly blessings that are subsumed under
��������� that) simply because we are "in
Christ", "in the beloved" and with Him God freely
��������� gives us all things. In Christ we
have them, by faith we appropriate them, in love
��������� we live them out. There are no
"keys", no technique we must follow, no teacher
��������� that we must slavishly imitate, no
denomination or particular church we must join,
��������� in order to be blessed. We are
blessed, already, and completely, in Christ. Mind
��������� you it will take all eternity to
plumb the depths of those wonderful blessings!
The Ascension of Jesus Christ
Part of
the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is the new exalted
status of
the Christian saint. God has quite literally taken us "from the guttermost
to the
uttermost"
as an act of amazing grace. We will see that many OT practices are actually
inappropriate
for our new status. This status came about in three stages:
������� 1.After God forgave our sins through
Christ's death on the cross. Then we died
��������� "in Him" to sin and the
Law.
������� 2.Three days later Christ rose from the
dead and "in Him" we rose also to a
��������� new life available through the
resurrection.
������� 3.Forty days later Jesus ascended into
the heavenly realms and we "in Him"
��������� took our places as citizens of Heaven
with a new divine status granted to us
��������� by grace alone (Ephesians 2:6,7).
The
consequences of the ascension of Jesus Christ are so amazing that they changed
the
whole way
that people prayed and worshipped God and participated in Him. Jesus took apart
the
heavenly realm when He ascended and removed the power of the evil
principalities and
powers to
dominate the life of those who believed in Him (Ephesians 4:8-13, Col 2:13-13).
Furthermore
He took us with Him on His journey into the heavenly realms so that the
believer
in Jesus
Christ is now a citizen of heaven (Phillipians 3:20), a resident of the
heavenly
Jerusalem
(Hebrews 12: 22-24) and is seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians
2:6) with
a graciously given heavenly status that was previously impossible for any human
to
achieve under
the Law (Matthew 11:11-13, Ephesians 2:4-10). Jesus ascension also resulted
in the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit (John 7:39, 16:7, Acts 2:33) and the giving of
spiritual gifts
to the
church (Ephesians 4:8-13).
Perhaps
the best starting point is the purpose statement given in Ephesians by Paul.
This is
the
"why" of the Ascension and of Pentecost.
(Eph
4:8-13 NKJV) Therefore He says: "When He ascended on high, He led
captivity captive,
And gave
gifts to men." {9} (Now this, "He ascended"; what does it mean
but that He also
first
descended into the lower parts of the earth? {10} He who descended is also the
One who
ascended
far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) {11} And He Himself
gave
some to be
apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, {12}
for the
equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body
of Christ,
{13} till
we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to a
perfect
man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Now Paul's
purpose statement lists a number of reasons behind the ascension-outpouring.
The
ultimate
reason for the ascension is that "He might fill all things"(Eph
4:10). What does he want
to fill
all things with? Himself! What then is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit about
- filling ALL
believers
with Jesus! Being filled with the Spirit of Jesus is the purpose of Pentecost
and the
ascension.
This
connects with the other great purpose expressed in this passage. That believers
may
come to a
unity of faith and become "a perfect man" in the stature and
fullness' of Christ. That
is the
objective we see most clearly now. To build up Christians God sovereignly gives
the
ability to
edify His body to certain people as a gift.
On the way
to do this Jesus takes "captivity captive" spoiling the demonic world
of its spiritual
powers.
Like the conqueror He is He then distributes spiritual gifts to men. They
include the
five-fold
ministries and the gift of tongues on the day of Pentecost and the various
spiritual
manifestations
necessary for the building up of the body of Christ. So we see that the
purposes
behind the ascension and Pentecost are :
��������� That Christ might fill all things
��������� That captivity would be captured.
��������� That spiritual gifts might be given
to the church.
��������� Which would then become like Christ.
The
purpose of Pentecost is Spirit-filled and empowered images of Jesus Christ.
Taking
Captivity Captive
The
following is a schematic diagram of how things were in Old Testament times. It
shows how
much both
Jews and Gentiles were captives. The Jews were captives under the Law and the
Gentiles
captives under their demonic religions. Quite obviously not everything can be
fitted
onto a
single diagram and it is not to scale or meant to be theologically normative
but it will, I
hope, help
us to grasp what the state of things was.
Let's look
at what it is trying to tell us. There are four levels - God, the angelic realm
(inhabited
by both good and evil angels), mankind and creation in general. Mankind rules
creation,
the angelic realm is more powerful than mankind and God rules over all. It is
the
middle
portion of the diagram that is the most interesting. We can see from Acts 7:53
and
Galatians
3:19 that the Law was given through angels. 1 Corinthians 10:20 also tells us
that
the
Gentile religions were the work of demons and that the worshippers worshipped
demons
and not
God.
So we see
that before Christ both Jewish and Gentile religion was under the direct
control of
the
angelic realm. The good angels mediated the Jewish religion and the demons
mediated the
innumerable
Gentile religions. Both systems were somewhat similar(though the Law was vastly
superior)
and listed in the middle of the diagram are some of the similarities. Both
Jewish and
Gentile
religions had temples and priests and sacrifices and tithes and offerings and
dietary
restrictions
and special days and festivals and various taboos and categories of clean and
unclean
things. Though the Jewish religion was much holier and more moral it operated
with
much the
same basic external structure as the Gentile religions. They had the same
externals -
though the
internals were very different. Judaism however did not resort to witchcraft,
divination,
sorcery or magic which are exclusively in the domain of Satan.
In both
Colossians and Galatians Paul calls these external things - the taboos,
festivals etc the
"elementary
principles of this world" or the "stoichea". Thus mankind in the
Old Testament was
ruled by
religions based on the exact performance of rituals and the keeping of numerous
laws
and
taboos. Relationship to God was through a priestly caste and involved
sacrifices. Except
for a very
few individuals there was no ongoing relationship with God. Sin led to death
which,
at that
stage, was under the power of the Devil (Hebrews 2;14,15). The general
experience of
both
Jewish and Gentile believers was one of fear and bondage (Hebrews 2:14,15). All
this was
to change
with the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
After Jesus' Work On The Cross,
Resurrection and Ascension
Again we
have a diagram - the main change being the creation of the Church and its high
status in
the heavenly realms.
Let�s look
at some of the changes and seek to explain them. Death moves out of Satan's
control
(Hebrews 2:14,15) into that of Jesus Christ who now has the keys of Death and
Hades
(Revelation
1:18). The accusing power of the law over us is broken (Colossians 2:13-15)
because it
is nailed to the cross. Jesus has been raised up above every power and
principality
in the
heavenly realms and we - who are "in Him" - are of course seated
where He is.
(Eph
1:20-23 NKJV) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and
seated
Him at His
right hand in the heavenly places, {21} far above all principality and power
and
might and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that
which
is to
come. {22} And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over
all things
to the
church, {23} which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
The Church
contains you and I so the exaltation of the Church is the exaltation of the
believer.
Thus the fact that the Church has been made to be the "fullness of Him who
fills all in
all"
has amazing consequences for the believer. Paul continues to show how we have
been
raised
"from the guttermost to the uttermost" ...
(Eph 2:6-7
NIV) {6} And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the
heavenly
realms in
Christ Jesus, {7} in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable
riches of
his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
Thus we
see that we have(past tense) been raised up with Christ and seated with Him in
the
heavenly
realms in Christ Jesus (verse 6 above). This was done not because we were good
but
because of
God's great grace which Paul calls "the incomparable riches of His
grace..". Thus
we have been taken from being sinners (Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:1-4) and made
into people
who are "seated in the heavenly realms". We are now given a status
and authority far beyond
anything
we deserve so that God may show just how gracious He can be.
The new
spiritual status of members of the Kingdom of God is described by Jesus as he
contrasts
the two eras - that of John the Baptist, the Law and the prophets and that of
the
Kingdom.
(Matthew
11:11-14 NASB) "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has
not
arisen
anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of
heaven is
greater
than he. {12} "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom
of heaven
suffers
violence, and violent men take it by force. {13} "For all the prophets and
the Law
prophesied
until John. {14} "And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who
was to
come.
The Law
and the Prophets prophesied up until John the Baptist who was the greatest of
"those
born of
women". Yet he who is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John
the
Baptist!
(not better than, greater than - an act of amazing grace has GIVEN us this
authority )
and thus
greater than all the OT saints, the Law and the prophets. This makes sense if,
in the
OT they
were "below the angelic realm" as in the diagram above and now, in
Christ the Church
is above
the angelic realm. Consider this - in the OT no-one cast out demons. In the NT
every
born-again
believer has that power and it is commonly reported in the gospels and Acts.
Something
has changed in the believer's relationship with the spirit world since Christ.
This new
spiritual status of the believer, this citizenship of heaven, is absolutely
central to
Paul's
teaching. So much so that Paul is quite astonished when Christians do not grasp
that
we are to
rule the world and judge the angelic realm.
(1 Cor
6:2-3 NKJV) Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the
world will
be judged
by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? {3} Do you not know
that
we shall
judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
To Paul it
is just a gospel basic that Christ has triumphed and that we share His triumph
and
rulership
as inheritors of the Kingdom. Christ has ascended above the angelic realm and
we
have also
done this "in Him" therefore we have been invested with an authority
greater than
that of
the angels and will one day judge them. (Note: Authority is different from
strength,
Napoleon
was probably not the physically strongest member of his army but he had
authority.
So
Christians do not have the power of angels yet but we do have position and
authority and
the right
to be in command.) Thus Christians can exorcise demons because we are now at a
higher
level of authority than that of the fallen angels.
Since we
are above the angels we are above their systems or the "stoichea" of
the last
chapter.
Thus Christians are not to observe taboos, festivals, days, months, years,
Sabbaths,
make
sacrifices, or worry about tithes, offerings or priests.
In
Colossians 2 the radical nature of our freedom from these "basic
principles of the world" is
described
as a "death". Just how many responsibilities does a dead person have?
None! So the
Christian
no longer has any obligatory responsibilities to cultural taboos, festivals,
Sabbaths or
dietary
regulations. Paul continues..
Colossians
2:20-23 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the
world,
why, as
though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations; {21}
"Do not
touch, do
not taste, do not handle," {22} which all concern things which perish with
the
using;
according to the commandments and doctrines of men? {23} These things indeed
have
an
appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of
the body, but
are of no
value against the indulgence of the flesh.
To put it
simply all "religiosity" has been put behind us when we enter into
the death,
resurrection
and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Freedom
We have
freedom, we do not have to live in fear as if we serve a God who will be angry
over
the
smallest error. It's a bit like sending someone to mow the lawn and they come
back
nervously
asking "Which blade of grass do I mow first?" and you say "Start
anywhere as long
as it gets
done". God has given us tremendous freedom and we don't have to live in a
spirit of
slavery
worried about getting everything "just right" - about which blade of
grass to mow first.
Such is
the spirit of religious fear. It is akin to the pagan dread of the spirits - if
the ceremony
is not
done "just so" then curses would come forth. The "spirit of
fear" produces people who
cringe
before God over every tiny detail.
However
with the death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ that is
done
away with.
The situation now is one of love and sonship.
(Rom
8:15-17 NKJV) For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but
you
received
the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." {16} The
Spirit Himself
bears
witness with our spirit that we are children of God, {17} and if children, then
heirs; heirs
of God and
joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be
glorified
together.
We are
beloved sons of God living in freedom. As sons of God, above the angels, we are
going
to inherit
a kingdom prepared for us since the foundation of the world. We are heirs. In
that
Kingdom we
will be seated on thrones with Jesus (Revelation 3:21), we will rule over the
nations
(Revelation 2:26,27), we will judge the world and even angels (1 Corinthians
6:2,3),
we will
become beings with immortal and imperishable bodies (1 Corinthians 15:45-55)
and
dwell
safely in amazing wealth, peace and freedom (Revelation 21 & 22). When this
occurs
what it
means to be a "son of God" will be revealed.
At the
moment it is, at best, vaguely understood. When this occurs the meaning of our
being
seated in
heavenly realms with Christ Jesus will become absolutely clear. Christ will
take up His
authority
over all creation through us and amazing changes will occur. The whole world
will be
set free!
Paul continues on in Romans 8 to say...
(Rom
8:18-22 NKJV) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to
be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. {19} For the earnest
expectation of
the
creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. {20} For the
creation was
subjected
to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; {21}
because
the
creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
glorious liberty
of the
children of God. {22} For we know that the whole creation groans and labors
with birth
pangs
together until now.
Thus the
death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ was the critical
turning
point that
has ensured the total freedom of all creation! Creation, now in bondage, will
move
into
"the glorious liberty of the sons of God". God is in the business of
setting all things free.
He desires
liberty - not cringing enslavement, for all!
However it
is a two-step movement firstly there is freedom from the old religious system,
our
coming out
from domination by the elementary principles of this world and from sin and
death.
Then step
two is not anarchy - but having God's moral code written on our hearts through
the
Holy
Spirit. (Hebrews 8:10) We are freed to become who we were always meant to be -
righteous,
holy, spirit-filled beings of love.(Galatians 5:16-24) This is the work of the
Holy
Spirit and
why the ascension of Jesus Christ is also strongly associated with the sending
of the
Holy
Spirit.
The Holy Spirit and the Ascension of
Jesus Christ
(John
14:12 NKJV) "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the
works that I do
he will do
also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
(John 16:7
NRSV) Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go
away, for
if I do
not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to
you.
(Acts
1:4-5 NKJV) And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to
depart
from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which,"
He said, "you have
heard from
Me; {5}"for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with
the Holy
Spirit not
many days from now."
(Acts
2:31-33 NRSV) Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,
saying,
'He was
not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.' {32} This
Jesus God
raised up,
and of that all of us are witnesses. {33} Being therefore exalted at the right hand
of God,
and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has
poured out
this that
you both see and hear.
(Acts
11:15-16 NKJV) "And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them,
as upon us at
the
beginning. {16} "Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said,
'John indeed
baptized
with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'
During the
Last Supper Jesus clearly indicates that when He "went to the Father"
something
would
happen to the disciples would enable them to do great works of power equivalent
to His
own (John
14:12). Later on in the upper room discourse He reveals this to be the sending
of
the
Helper, the Holy Spirit which could only be sent after His departure.(John
16:7) In his last
conversation
with His disciples He termed this empowerment the baptism in the Holy Spirit
(Acts
1:4,5) and promised them they would receive it soon and that it would make them
powerful
international witnesses to Him (Acts 1:8). On the day of Pentecost it was
poured out
in a
manner that was both visible and audible (Acts 2:32-33) and likewise during the
Gentile
Pentecost
at Cornelius' place where it is also referred to as "the baptism in the
Holy Spirit".
(Acts
11:15,16)�
The
heavenly realms are now occupied by Jesus and since we are in Him, we have been
seated
with Him in these realms (Eph 2:6). Therefore we can have confident access to
God
and
unhindered participation in the things of the Spirit with Whom we have been
baptized (1
Cor
12:13). This does not mean that we all have all gifts or that all will have one
particular
gift. God
is sovereign in how He distributes the gifts of the Spirit. (1 Cor 12:7-11)
Within His
sovereignty
there is evidently some room for us to ask for particular manifestations of the
Spirit. (Luke
11:13, 1 Cor 12:31, 14:1)
To sum
up.... The purpose of Pentecost is Spirit-filled and empowered images of Jesus
Christ.
The
Pentecost event is known as the baptism in the Holy Spirit which was received
by the
Jews (Acts
2:32,33), the Gentiles (Acts 11:15,16) and the Christians at Ephesus (Acts
19:1-6)and
Corinth (1 Cor 12:13). It is for all the Church. The outcome of the Pentecost
event is
power for ministry (Acts 1:8) through the Holy Spirit "coming upon"
people (Acts
2:32,33)
and sovereignly giving spiritual gifts for the edification of the body of
Christ (1 Cor
12:1-7).The
Holy Spirit is not a mere "experience". He is Christ coming to fill
all things.(Eph
4:10,5:18)
He wants to fill you with Jesus and transform you into His image.(Eph 4:8-13,
Rom
8:29-31)
He also wants to empower you to be a witness for God. (Acts 1:8) You may ask
for
Him and
God will gladly give the Holy Spirit to you (Luke 11:13) (in new ways..it�s a
puzzle, we
have Him
but we can still receive His power) though you should ask for "the greater
gifts" to
be used in
love for the edification of the church. ( 1Cor 12:31, 14:1)
Conclusion
The
ascension of Jesus Christ to "fill all things" was the end of
religion as it is generally
conceived
and the beginning of a Spirit-filled and joyous relationship with God. The main
thing
that Jesus
wants to fill is you! To that end He has sent His Holy Spirit into this world
to dwell
in the
hearts of believers sanctifying them to be like Him and empowering them to do
good
works.� He has also created a new thing - the Church,
which is distinct from the world and
angels and
which will rule over both. He has placed believers in the heavenly realms with
Him
and freed
them from the innumerable fear-filled obligations of the old religious systems.
He has
brought us
into sonship and membership of the household of God.
This
church is to consist of "images of Jesus Christ" indwelt by His
Spirit and living in direct
personal
relationship with God. Therefore there is no longer any need to observe new
moons,
Sabbaths,
tithing, religious festivals, to have a church building, a priest, or to
abstain from
alcohol,
red meat, pork or certain types of seafood. There is no need to be celibate, be
involved
in rituals of self-abasement or penance or to punish oneself. That is all gone.
What
has
replaced it is a life that flows from being indwelt by God, a life that is
characterized not by
solemnity
and punctilious observation of fearful rituals but by freedom and love and joy
and
peace.
(Gal
5:22-23 NKJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness, {23} gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Sacrifices and Offerings
This
chapter addresses the question "But aren't we supposed to give regular
financial sacrifices
and
offerings to God?". The short answer to that is "No" because:
���� Jesus was sacrificed on our behalf as the
"once for all time" sacrifice.
���� (Hebrews 10:12-14 NKJV) But this Man,
after He had offered one sacrifice for sins
���� forever, sat down at the right hand of
God, {13} from that time waiting till His enemies
���� are made His footstool. {14} For by one
offering He has perfected forever those who are
���� being sanctified.
���� The New Testament clearly indicates that
the Old Testament system of sacrifices and
���� offerings was temporary, ineffective and
unsatisfactory.
���� (Hebrews 9:9-10 NKJV) It (the OT system)
was symbolic for the present time in which
���� both gifts and sacrifices are offered
which cannot make him who performed the service
���� perfecting regard to the conscience; {10}
concerned only with foods and drinks, various
���� washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed
until the time of reformation.(until the cross).
(Hebrews
10:1-4 NKJV) For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not
the
very image
of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer
continually
year by
year, make those who approach perfect. {2} For then would they not have ceased
to
be
offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more
consciousness of sins.
{3} But in
those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. {4}For it is not
possible that
the blood
of bulls and goats could take away sins.
No system
of sacrifices is ever imposed on believers in the NT. The five references to
sacrifices
by Christian in the NT are nothing like the OT sacrificial system at all . The
NT
sacrifices
did not involve the shedding of blood or high financial costs. The references
tend to
center
around commitment of self to God. The things offered were:
Praise,
thanksgiving, good works and sharing. (Hebrews 13:15-16 NKJV) Therefore by Him
let
us
continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our
lips, giving thanks to
His name.
{16} But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is
well
pleased.
Personal
Holiness(Romans 12:1 NKJV) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that
you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is
your
reasonable
service.
Dedication
To Ministry(Philippians 2:17 NKJV) Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink
offering
on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
A One-Off
Gift To Paul(Philippians 4:18 NKJV) Indeed I have all and abound. I am full,
having
received
from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an
acceptable
sacrifice,
well pleasing to God.
Spiritual
Sacrifices/Worship(1 Peter 2:5 NKJV) you also, as living stones, are being
built up a
spiritual
house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through
Jesus
Christ.
We have
misunderstood the term sacrifice. In English it has two meanings (a) a holy
offering
to God, an
act of worship (b) a costly act of renunciation. This second meaning now
predominates
in our language but the first meaning is far closer to what the Bible teaches.
A
sacrifice
was primarily an act of worship just as "bringing a plate" is an act
of fellowship at a
pot luck
supper. It�s the involvement that counts more than the cost. It need not cost a
great
deal but
it must be clean, pure and offered correctly. In the OT the Law was such that
sacrifices
were kept within the means of the worshipper. The poor were allowed to
sacrifice
just a
couple of pigeons. Many of the sacrifices were quite trivial such as a cup of
wine poured
out for a
libation or some grain. (See any good Bible Dictionary for further detail).
It's not
the cost that matters to God but the quality and the purity and the obedience
that is
involved.
The sacrifice of Christ was effective because He was sinless and because of His
quality as
God's Son. Certainly it was costly and precious but it would have been totally
ineffective
if Jesus had sinned even once. The purity was the priority. The Lamb must be
without
spot or blemish. The cost was appreciated but was secondary (in a sense). There
have been
thousands upon thousands of heart-wrenching human sacrifices in the history of
the
religions of the world and equally as many victims of crucifixion but only One
pleased God -
the one
that was pure and innocent. This concern with offering it rightly and with a
pure heart
is behind
Jesus' insistence on reconciliation with an offended brother preceding the offering
of
a
sacrifice.
The
prophets never complain about "not enough" being offered in the way
of sacrifices. The
quantity
of worship is hardly a concern - but the quality is. Similarly it's no use
giving a million
dollars to
the church if you are inwardly at war with everyone there!
(Micah
6:7-8 NKJV) Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand
rivers of
oil? Shall
I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of
my soul?
{8} He has
shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to
do justly,
To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
As we see
from the above verses there are much higher spiritual priorities than
sacrifice. The
first
words of Jesus on the subject are stern indeed and He constantly puts ritual in
its place
as
ineffective in earning God's favor.
(Matthew
9:13 NKJV) "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not
sacrifice.' For
I did not
come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
(Mark
12:32-35 NKJV) So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have
spoken the
truth, for
there is one God, and there is no other but He. {33} "And to love Him with
all the
heart,
with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and
to love one's
neighbor
as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and
sacrifices."{34} Now when
Jesus saw
that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom
of God."
But after
that no one dared question Him.
An
overemphasis on sacrifice often produces bitter and disillusioned Christians. As
a bible
college
lecturer and missionary I have seen this often. At the start of the year there
is
testimony
time and someone inevitably says something like "I sold my precious
Harley-Davidson
motorbike to come to college.." with a spiritually smug smile. Then after
the first couple of clashes
with a lecturer it becomes " I SOLD my" and the smile is gone,
eventually, six months later you
can feel the bitterness in it. I had a personal experience with this when a
Christian
worker
decided to personally buy carpet for the office he was working in because the
organization
could not afford it. His means were modest but his zeal was high and despite my
advice he
went ahead with it. A few months later the "cost of the carpet" was
among the
factors
that led to his resignation. I call this "sacrificing" beyond your
emotional means so you
feel good
before God "putting dynamite on the altar" because when the fire gets
lit it always
blows up!
Sacrifices, Tithes, Offerings and
Christian Giving
The
concept of sacrifice is often used to encourage Christians to give generously.
Preachers
say things
like "you have to give until it hurts or it's not a sacrifice", or
"tithing is just your
duty to God,
if you want blessing you have to give freewill offerings on top of
that".(which is
often
inconsistent with last week's sermon where tithing did bring blessing). Some of
this is
misunderstanding
and poor theology but a lot is just plain manipulation. The Old Testament
sacrificial
system is turned around and made to be monetary gifts to the local church and
re-imposed
on New Testament believers. This is rebuilding what Christ has torn down and is
transgression.
(Galatians 2:18) We have "died to the Law" (Galatians 2:19, Romans
7:6) with
all its
commandments and observances including the requirement for Christians to offer
sacrifices,
tithes or offerings in order to atone for sin or to receive blessing from God.
The OT
sacrificial system was quite complex and involved whole burnt offerings, grain
offerings,
peace offerings, sin offerings and guilt offerings. They were offered for a
host of
reasons
such as national sin, giving thanks at harvest time, reconciliation and various
acts of
personal
cleansing and forgiveness. They were nothing like the weekly collection to fund
the
ongoing
ministry of a local church. To turn this national system of offerings into what
we have
today in
most churches is simply a devious exercise in exegetical gymnastics. It cannot
and
should not
be done.
At this
point we strike a difficult verse where Paul calls a financial gift from the
Philippians "an
acceptable
sacrifice".
(Philippians
4:18-19 NKJV) Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from
Epaphroditus
the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well
pleasing
to God. {19} And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in
glory by
Christ
Jesus.
Paul is
using the term to say that the Christians in Philippi were giving not just to
Paul but to
God and
that it was a holy and acceptable offering. Paul was using the spiritual
language of his
day to
recognize the generosity of these Christians. He was definitely not imposing
the
sacrificial
system of the Mosaic Law back on Christians in a slightly altered form.
If we are
to use the terms "sacrifice" or "offering" in connection
with financial giving we must
be very
careful how we do this in order not to create compulsion and spiritual
confusion. Some
guidelines,
that I think are wise, are that such a sermon:
�� 1.Should not create the impression that
giving was required to please God or atone for sin
���� or to receive blessing.
�� 2.Should not make out of the "sacrifice
or offering" a ritual with spiritual overtones and
���� with some of the connotations of the OT
sacrificial system.
�� 3.Should avoid directly connecting financial
giving with the sacrifices the Mosaic Law for
���� instance by preaching from a passage on
the "whole burnt offering" or "broken-necked
�� ��things". This gives the impression to
Christians that we still obey "some bits" of the Law
���� and can cause very real confusion when
they try to interpret Scripture for themselves.
�� 4.Should make clear the two meanings of
sacrifice that are found in English and the
���� meaning as it is found in the Bible that
it is a holy offering (not a severe act of
���� renunciation).
Be Ye Holy As I Am Holy
This
chapter deals with issues of practical holiness now that we are free from the
Law and
under the direction
of the Spirit. It deals with the question:"If I don't have these external
things
such as giving, church attendance, circumcision, feast days and dietary taboos
to tell
me how to
be holy how do I be holy?"
There are
two answers here that seem to be a paradox. Firstly you are already holy
because
you have
been made holy by the blood of Jesus Christ. Secondly you become holy by
obeying
the
teachings and commandments of Jesus Christ by faith and in the power of the
Holy Spirit.
Now for
the explanation. I'll take the second aspect first.
The
commandments of Jesus are impossible for the "natural man" to follow
you need to be
"born
again" to obey them. They are not like a ritual or a gift that anyone can
bring, they
require us
to be a DIFFERENT KIND OF PERSON. However we can be that kind of person by
believing
that we can and asking God for the strength to be it. For instance Jesus
commands
us to
"Love your enemies.."
(Matthew
5:44-45 NKJV) "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse
you, do
good to
those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute
you,
{45}
"that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise
on the evil
and on the
good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
This is
impossible for the natural man but Christians can do it by acting out of their
new
nature.
When the situation arises where we need to love our enemies we just screw our
courage to
the sticking point, ask God for help, and "just do it" and behold we
do! We do
manage to
love our enemy and afterwards we have a wonderful warm glow of rejoicing that
we
have
obeyed the Lord. So here is the "method" we use, often without
knowing it!
���� We read the command of Jesus and agree
that we will obey it should the circumstance
���� arise.
���� When the moment comes we choose, by faith,
to be holy often wondering how on earth
���� we are going to manage to obey Jesus.
���� God supplies the strength through the
indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. On the day we
���� do what we were supposed to do as
Christians.
���� We go away rejoicing.
That's it.
We obey the commands of Jesus, day by day, one at a time, by faith, through the
power of
the Holy Spirit. As this happens our new nature is strengthened and we become
holy
as He is
holy. We make the choices that separate us from sin and which dedicate us to
God.
The other
bit I promised to discuss is that we already made holy by the blood of Jesus
Christ.
This sort
of holiness allows us to be present in the courts of heaven and to boldly
approach
the throne
of grace. Unholy people cannot be citizens of heaven or have access to God or
be
called
sons and daughters of the living God. We are holy from the moment of our
conversion.
We are
acceptable in the heavenly realms. We are new creatures, with a new and holy
status
and a new
nature. Let�s look at this a bit further -
All Born-Again Christians Are Saints!
Christians
are never called "sinners" but they are often called saints (though
it is obvious from
the NT
that Christians sin). Paul even called the Corinthians "saints" even
though they were a
very mixed
up church! This is his way of acknowledging their new nature in Christ.
"Saint"
means
"holy one". When we come to Jesus we are made a "holy one"
and a participant in the
heavenly
realms where we are seated with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). Here are a couple
of
uses of
the word "saints" in 1 Corinthians.
(1
Corinthians 1:2-3 NKJV) To the church of God which is at Corinth,to those who
are
sanctified
in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the
name of
Jesus
Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: {3} Grace to you and peace from God our
Father
and the
Lord Jesus Christ.
(1
Corinthians 6:1-3 NKJV) Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to
law before
the
unrighteous, and not before the saints? {2} Do you not know that the saints
will judge the
world? And
if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest
matters?
{3} Do you
not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this
life?
We Receive A New Nature That Is Christ
In Us And Is Therefore Sinless
There are
two of you and two of me. There is the John who I see in the mirror when I
shave -
this John
is not sinless. Then there is the John in the heavenly realms, the true John
who will
be
revealed when Christ returns, the John who is hidden in Christ with God. This
John is the
Real Me
and is sinless. Let's take three verses in the NT that make no sense at all
unless this is
true.
(Romans
7:17 NKJV) But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
(Romans
7:20 NKJV) Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but
sin that
dwells in
me.
(1 John
3:9 NKJV) Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in
him;
and he
cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
Now Paul
makes this amazing comment "it is no longer I who do it but sin that
dwells in me�" if
I was
caught speeding and I said to the policemen "it wasn't me it was sin that
dwells in me"
the
policeman would still write me a ticket! He (or she) would think I was just
trying a "cop
out"
(no pun intended). But Paul writes this as Scripture. That's because there are
two people
called
"I". One person is "born of woman" and does sin. The other
person is "born of God" and
cannot sin
because he has been born of God. When I die or Christ returns the "born of
woman"
John will
pass away and be no more. I will be left with my true eternal self and I will
have
absolutely
no desire to sin and I will not sin and neither will you if you are also born
of God.
One way to
get hold of this truth that helps me is to ask the question "Is there a
part of me
that
absolutely hates sin and sees it as an unwelcome intruder and wishes it was
never there".
There
certainly is if you are born of God and you will hate sin and regret sinning.
Its "not you".
That is
the new nature which is born of God. Then there is another part of you that
seems
sold into
sin. That's the old "born of woman" natural man sometimes called
"the flesh".
(Romans
7:18-19 NKJV) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;
for to
will is
present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. {19} For the
good that
I will to
do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
Paul then
goes on to show how a perfect nature incarnated in sinful flesh faces a
dreadful and
ongoing
struggle. The inward man delights in the law of God. The flesh ensnares and
corrupts
that good
intent.
(Romans
7:20-25 NKJV) Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin
that
dwells in me. {21} I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who
wills to do
good. {22}
For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. {23} But I see
another
law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity
to the law
of sin which is in my members. {24} O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver
me
from this
body of death? {25} I thank God; through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with
the
mind I
myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
So we see
that we are saints, holy ones, with new Christ-like and sinless natures seated
in
the
heavenly realms but battling against sinful flesh which so often thwarts our
best
intentions.
The
Expression of Our New Nature In Holy Living Is Not Through Works Of The Law But
Through
Walking In The Spirit.
Though the
OT Law was holy and righteous and good it was flogging a dead horse. Our old
corrupt
fleshly nature was "dead in trespasses and sins". It was unresponsive
to righteousness
and
actually managed to twist the Law into an opportunity to sin.
(Romans
7:7-13 NKJV) What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the
contrary,
I would
not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known
covetousness
unless the
law had said, "You shall not covet." {8} But sin, taking opportunity
by the
commandment,
produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.
{9} I was
alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I
died. {10}
And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. {11} For
sin,
taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. {12} Therefore
the law is
holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. {13} Has then what is good
become
death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing
death in
me through
what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly
sinful.
To take a
modern example: Before I went to school I was blissfully unaware of the law
"thou
shalt do
thy homework". I was alive apart from the law. Not doing homework was not
a worry
for my
conscience. But when the commandment came - the commandment meant for my good
produced
all sorts of desires NOT to do my homework. I rebelled and came into judgment
and
the wrath
of my teachers and parents descended on me. Now that's a trivial example of how
the
commandment brings forth rebellion in the "old nature". A more
frightening fact is that
children
whose parents are in teetotal denominations are three times more likely to be
alcoholics.
The commandment they hear so often produces rebellion and in their rebellion
they
drink to
excess. As a student counselor I can tell you the worst wreckage of life, the
most
dissipated
students often come from strict Christian or Catholic backgrounds. The
commandment
produces rebellion in the old nature. So the old nature cannot be improved by
the law , it
is only corrupted by it. Paul says that this is a clear demonstration of how
utterly
sinful sin
is and our desperate need for a new nature. (Romans 7:13 above).
The law is
holy and righteous and good but it is dreadfully weak because of our natures.
(Romans
8:3-4 NKJV) For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the
flesh, God
did by
sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He
condemned sin
in the
flesh, {4} that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us
who do not
walk
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
(Galatians
3:21-22 NKJV) Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For
if
there had
been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have
been
by the
law. {22} But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by
faith in
Jesus
Christ might be given to those who believe.
(Hebrews
7:18-19 NKJV) For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former
commandment
because of
its weakness and unprofitableness, {19} for the law made nothing perfect; on
the
other
hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to
God.
The
"former commandment" all the things in the OT Law have been annulled
because they
were weak
and unprofitable and unable to bring about righteousness in the old nature. If
they
were able
to bring about righteousness in the old nature then Christ would not have had
to
come and
we could have established our own righteousness rather than receiving the
righteousness
that is by faith.
The Law is
gone, we have died to it, we are no longer bound to it or any of its
requirements.
Righteousness comes through the Spirit and not by obeying a written
code.
(Romans
7:4-6 NKJV) Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law
through
the body
of Christ, that you may be married to another; to Him who was raised from the
dead,
that we
should bear fruit to God. {5} For when we were in the flesh, the sinful
passions which
were
aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. {6} But
now we
have been
delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should
serve in
the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Our new
inner nature, which is holy, does not need an external written code in order to
be
holy. It
just IS holy. Your new inner self, is by its very nature holy and pure and
sinless and is
perfectly
happy never to sin, indeed it cannot sin nor does it desire to sin because it
is born of
God. It
does not need a written law code to know what is right any more than a dog
needs a
book on
how to bark or a baby needs a book on how to smile at its mother. The new
nature is
instinctively
and naturally righteous. Paul says it is "enslaved to God". (Romans
6:19-23).
Because
the new nature is like this it does not need rituals to make it holy - it
already is holy.
Neither
does it need tithing or circumcision to make it holy - as it is holy by nature.
Neither
does it
need Sabbath-keeping, church attendance, religious festivals or bible-reading
to make
it holy -
it is holy. It doesn't even need prayer to make it holy (though the new man
prays!) it
already is
holy. We don't extract holiness from outside us and become holy by sort of
"sucking
it
in" from holy people and holy books. We are sanctified by the blood of
Jesus Christ at
conversion,
made holy and good new creations and we live out what Christ has created within
us.
The new
nature is expressed in a holy life of good works as we work out our salvation
with
fear and
trembling. Yet we are confident that God is working in us, not through our
conforming
to new
laws but through living in union with His Spirit.
The new
creation is holy and good and born of God and therefore wants to do good works.
Paul
describes it thus:
(Ephesians
2:8-10 NASB) For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves,
it is the gift of God; {9} not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
{10}
For we are
His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand,
that we should walk in them.
We are
saved by grace through faith without any works on our part but the result of
our
grace-filled
salvation is a new person, a new creature, born of God. This new person is
"His
workmanship
created in Christ Jesus" it is formed of God with a unique nature and
destiny. This
destiny is
that the new person is made "for good works, which God prepared beforehand
that
we should
walk in them". Good works do not get us saved but they are what we are
saved to
do. They
are the job description for the new humanity.
Christians
are to be characterized by a holy life of good works done in the power of the
Holy
Spirit.
Christians are not characterized by a host of dead religious observances done
slavishly
to please
God, by the flesh. To turn it around another way the purpose of the Abrahamic
blessing
is that "all the nations will be blessed.." (Galatians 3:14)
Christians, as sons of
Abraham
are to bring blessing to others through the good works they do. If we are
focused on
earning
merit points from God then the focus is on self. Religion in this sense is
self-centered
and does
not bless the nations. A Spirit-filled existence gives from the still center
that is the
new creation
in Christ Jesus. Blessing flows from the inner man like "rivers of living
water". The
new
humanity is a Spirit-filled humanity that flows in good works and holy deeds
and lives in
purity and
truth.
The
calling to purity and truth and holiness is not a calling to ever stricter laws
and more and
more
restrictions. Rather it is a calling to a higher way of being rather than a
more restrictive
way of
doing. It is a calling to be a new person who is in very nature like Jesus
Christ. We
work out
our salvation in fear and trembling not because we have so many laws to obey
but
because of
the height from which we can fall. We can easily lose the sense of our new
humanity
and bury it under legalism, doubt it to death with human philosophies or choke
it with
worldliness
and anxiety just like the thorn-choked growth in the parable of the sower.
There is
a very
real need to "put to death" the deeds of the flesh and to be severe
on sin. Not out of
legalism
but because we cherish that which God has put within us.
The fear
and trembling comes because we have such a precious and holy deposit placed
within
us through
the Holy Spirit. We are guarding a spiritual treasure. We have been made new
people and
placed in a Kingdom where only holiness is appropriate. We have what the
apostles
call
" a holy calling".
(2 Timothy
1:8-9 NASB) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me
His
prisoner; but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power
of God, {9}
who has
saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but
according
to His own
purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
We thus
live up to a call rather than under a law. The difference is like that between
someone
who does
their homework because they want to become a doctor and someone who does it
because
they will get in trouble if they don't. In fact the difference is far greater
than even
that. We
are new creatures with a new vision for life and that vision is high and holy and
compels us
to higher and higher living in our desire to be like Jesus.
This high
calling can make us nervous and we need the confidence and assurance that
Scripture
provides and the assurance of a "throne of Grace" in time of need
(Hebrews
4:14-16).
God provides much grace, kindness, forgiveness and love as we respond to His
call
to live a
holy life. God does not leave us to pursue holiness alone. It is actually His
work within
us. A
works he has predestined us to (Romans 8:28-31). He will ensure it is completed
on the
day of
Christ Jesus.
(Philippians
1:6 NASB) For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work
in
you will
perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Thus our
holiness does not come from conformity with human rules and regulations, tithes
and
offerings,
diets, new moons and Sabbaths or even church attendance but from God and is
expressed
in good works done to bless others and performed in the power of the Holy
Spirit.
How then
can we be holy without tithing and Sabbaths and religious festivals and
circumcision
and
dietary laws and various taboos?.
���� We live up to a high calling not under a
law.
���� Holiness does not consist of obeying more
and more laws but being a better and
���� different kind of person, a new creation
in Christ Jesus.
���� The Law cannot effect the making of a new
person. All the law does is make the old
���� nature more sinful. Only faith in Christ
Jesus can make us a new person who is by very
���� nature holy.
���� We do good works because God has made us
new creatures and the new humanity
���� naturally wants to do good works.
���� God has a personal program of good works
that He has prepared before-hand for us to
���� do.
���� The good works are not works of merit that
earn salvation or self-centered rituals and
���� religious observances of personal piety
that Scripture calls "dead works". Rather they
���� express God's desire to bless the nations
in many different ways through us the sons of
���� Abraham.
���� We take on board the commandments of Jesus
by faith and we "just do them" knowing
���� He will supply the strength on a day by
day moment by moment basis.
���� We are holy, from the moment of our
conversion, and all our holy deeds are just a
���� natural outworking of this. We do not
"get holiness" from external observances or rules
���� rather we express it out of our new
humanity.
The Temple, The Church and The
Believer
Most of
the practices we have been looking at are associated with a "temple"
structure. Tithes
were to be
brought into the temple storehouse, sacrifices and offerings took place there,
children
were circumcised by the priests there as Jesus was, and the various festivals,
new
moons and
Sabbaths were associated with a temple and a system of priests. If a temple
structure
is still valid today and has passed on to the church then many of the practices
or
their
"Christianized" replacements will pass on as well. This has huge
implications for organized
religion
so it will help us no end if we have a look at the temple and the church in the
New
Testament
and its relevance to the modern-day believer.
In the New
Testament the term "temple" has a number of meanings:
���� The physical temple building in Jerusalem.
(Matthew
4:5 NASB) Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on
the
pinnacle
of the temple,
���� Idols temples in Ephesus, Corinth and
other pagan cities
(Acts
19:35 NASB) And after quieting the multitude, the town clerk said^, "Men
of Ephesus,
what man
is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian
of
the temple
of the great Artemis, and of the image which fell down from heaven?
���� The physical body of Jesus Christ.
(John
2:20-21 NASB) The Jews therefore said, "It took forty-six years to build
this temple, and
will You
raise it up in three days?" {21} But He was speaking of the temple of His
body.
���� The local church as an
organisation/organism not as a building.
(1
Corinthians 3:16-17 NASB) Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and
that the
Spirit of
God dwells in you? {17} If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy
him,
for the
temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
(Ephesians
2:21 NASB) in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a
holy
temple in
the Lord;
���� The physical body of the Christian which
is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
(1
Corinthians 6:19 NASB) Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the
Holy Spirit
who is in
you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
(2
Corinthians 6:16 NASB) Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For
we are
the temple
of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG
THEM; AND
I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
���� The tabernacle and temple that is in
Heaven.
(Revelation
15:5-8 NASB) After these things I looked, and the temple of the tabernacle of
testimony
in heaven was opened, {6} and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came
out of the
temple, clothed in linen, clean and bright, and girded around their breasts
with
golden
girdles. {7} And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels
seven golden
bowls full
of the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. {8} And the temple was filled
with
smoke from
the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the temple
until the
seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
The Earthly Temple And The Heavenly
Tabernacle
Of these
the basic "pattern" stems from the last one - the temple in Heaven.
The earthly
temple was
a copy and a shadow of this.
(Hebrews
8:5 NASB) who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was
warned by
God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says,
"THAT YOU
MAKE all
things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE
MOUNTAIN."
(Hebrews
9:23-24 NASB) Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the
heavens to
be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better
sacrifices
than
these. {24} For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy
of the
true one,
but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Christ has
entered into the true temple on our behalf so the old temple is obsolete and
was
demolished
by Titus in 70AD. It has not yet been rebuilt though according to some it will
be
rebuilt as
part of the end times.
Therefore
we are residents of the heavenly realms, citizens of Heaven who can come before
the throne
of grace. Our High Priest has passed through the heavenlies and now ministers
in a
temple
made without hands that is situated in the heavenly realms.
(Hebrews
9:11-14 NASB) But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to
come, He
entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,
that is to
say, not of this creation; {12} and not through the blood of goats and calves,
but
through
His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal
redemption.
{13} For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling
those
who have
been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, {14} how much more will
the
blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God,
cleanse
your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
So we have
moved from the copy and the shadow to the real thing. We do not need to go
back to
the shadows.
What Is A Temple?
From the
verses at the start of this chapter a pattern begins to emerge as we look at a
working definition
of what a temple is and what that means for us now.
�� 1.A temple is a sacred site run by a priest.
�� 2.A temple is often associated with an image
or representation of the deity.
�� 3.A temple is indwelt by the spiritual
presence of the deity.
�� 4.A temple is where people go to meet the
deity and to partake in rituals and other
���� spiritual transactions.
The Temple
Today
There is
no suggestion in the NT that you had to go to a certain building to meet God or
get
the
anointing. The early church did not have buildings. It certainly did not have a
central
building
you had to go to in order to meet God.
So where
do people go to meet God in the New Testament? They go to an apostle or to an
evangelist
or a Christian believer. You met God in the face of Jesus Christ. You got the
anointing
through the laying on of hands. The apostles proclaimed the gospel in markets,
synagogues,
and in chariots on desert roads. The gospel went out to the people. The people
did not go
in to a temple. The church was in mission mode and the temple was where the
images of
God were - that's us. Everywhere there was a Christian - there was a temple - a
dwelling
place of the Holy Spirit, an image of Jesus Christ.
The
earthly temple in Jerusalem has been replaced theologically and demolished
physically.
When Jesus
died the curtain dividing the Holy of Holies off from view was torn in two from
top
to bottom.
This indicated that God was now accessible to His people. It also indicated the
tearing of
Christ's flesh and the making of a new way to God. (Hebrews 10:20) The old
temple
system
with its High Priest was now superceded by the temple in Heaven with Jesus
Christ as
High
Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek" (see Hebrews chapters
5-10)
People no
longer meet God in a special physical location. People meet God through the
ministries
of the Church and through each individual Spirit-filled believer.
Priests In
The New Testament
Temples
are run by priests (that's part of the difference between a temple and a shrine).
So
who runs
the temples in the New Testament church? We have seen that each believer is a
temple,
now we will discover that each believer is also a priest!
(Revelation
1:5-6 NASB) and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the
dead,
and the
ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our
sins by
His blood,
{6} and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him
be
the glory
and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Lets dig
into this a bit more adding in some things we have learned in the earlier
chapters.. We
are
vessels indwelt by the Holy Spirit and we are both temple and priest. We offer
up
sacrifices
of praise, thanksgiving, doing good and sharing and our bodies are the living
sacrifice.
Thus our
bodies are sacred to God and are "sacred sites"! A temple is a sacred
site and that is
what you
are. That body you see in the mirror is a temple, it is indwelt by God and
sacred to
Him. He
does not want it used in sexual immorality or joined in marriage to
unbelievers.
As priests
we are to care for the temple and make sure that it is not defiled or unclean
in any
way -
especially any defilement by sin! As priests we also represent the deity to a
world that
comes to
us in its weakness needing mercy and help. We show Jesus to the world. There is
a
poem that
goes "He has no hands but ours..:". We bind the wounds of the world
in the name
of Jesus
Christ with our sacrifice of "doing good and sharing". We also
minister to God in praise
and worship
with our "sacrifice of praise".
Priests and Prophets
If we are
all priests then who leads? The style of Christian leadership changes
dramatically
between
the Testaments. From central to dispersed, from ceremonial and physical to
charismatic
and spiritual, from institutional leadership to network maintenance and from
top-down
leadership to servant leadership. Let�s look at some of these changes.
Servant Leadership
Priests in
the Temple were organized into various castes and did various duties in a very
organized
and hierarchical fashion. The High Priest was an important political and
religious
figure.
The scribes wore tasseled robes and loved respectful greetings in the
market-places. It
was
top-down leadership. But Jesus said:
(Matthew
20:25-28 NASB) But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, "You know that
the
rulers of
the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over
them. {26}
"It
is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your
servant,
{27} and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; {28} just as
the
Son of Man
did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for
many."
After
Pentecost the apostles were not power bureaucrats with desks piled high with
papers
and a huge
staff and efficient secretaries guarding them from intrusions, The reality was
quite
different
and the startling fulfillment of what Jesus said above.
(1
Corinthians 4:9-13 NASB) For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of
all, as men
condemned
to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and
to men.
{10} We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are
weak, but
you are
strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. {11} To this present
hour we
are both
hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are
homeless;
{12} and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless;
when
we are
persecuted, we endure; {13} when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we
have
become as
the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.
From Physical To Spiritual
The
Aaronic (descended from Aaron) priesthood had purely physical qualifications as
Barclay
points out
in his commentary on Hebrews.
"Every
single regulation that governed the old priesthood had to do with the priests
physical
body, To
be a priest he must be a pure descendant of Aaron. Even then there were one
hundred
and forty-two physical blemishes that might disqualify him. (Leviticus
21:16-23). The
ordination
ceremony is outlined in Leviticus 8. He was (I) bathed in water (ii) he was
clothed in
four
priestly garments (iii) he was anointed with oil (iv) he was touched on the tip
of the right
ear, his
right thumb and his right toe with the blood�.Every single item in the ceremony
affects
the priests body---- From beginning to end the Jewish priesthood was dependent
on
physical
things. Character, ability and personality had nothing to do with it."
The OT priests
could be thieves or liars and still be priests. Being a criminal a philanderer
or a
drunkard
was not a disqualification but a missing finger was. We might say that "oh
we are not
like that
today" however famous sportspersons who are newly converted are often
given
ministry
positions while more spiritually qualified people are left on the shelf.
Worship leading in
some
churches goes to the good looking and most presentable. Tall pastors are often
more
respected.
The dominance of physical qualifications is still with us in some areas of
church life.
Also
worldly qualifications - wealth, many degrees and secular status influence
perhaps a
majority
of churches.
However in
the New Covenant physical and worldly qualifications are totally absent from
the
required
qualities of a leader. New Testament leadership was on the basis of a real
encounter
with
Jesus, a good character and demonstration of the Spirit and of wisdom. They
should be of
good
character, able to teach, full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit, and so forth in
the various
lists in
Acts, Timothy and Titus. Leadership was not a popularity contest but rather
given to
those who
had the character to happily be a servant of all.
From Central To Dispersed
The top
leadership of the church - the apostles, the prophets and the evangelists were
highly
itinerant
in their ministry. An early church document, one of those that almost made it
into the
Bible,
called the Didache, says that a sign of a false apostle was that he stayed more
than
three days
in the one place! We should take such extra-biblical documents as the Didache
simply as
historical sources, but it does tell us that the church expectation and
experience of
apostles
was that they were itinerant leaders. Unlike the top priests they did not have
offices
in the
Temple and could not be reliably found in the one place. They traversed Europe,
the
Middle
East and the apostle Thomas may have gone to India.
Spirit-filled
New Testament leadership looked nothing like a corporate executive yet it did
an
amazing
job of changing the world. Clothed in rags, going hungry, imprisoned, beaten
and poor
they
wandered the world as the scum of the earth and the off-scouring of the world
with
nothing
but Christ in their hearts and the power of the Holy Spirit backing their
message (see 1
Cor 4:9-13
above). Whether you were in Corinth, Ephesus or Rome one day Paul would
appear,
half-sick, perhaps a bit the worse for wear with his unimpressive appearance
and
speech
that was contemptible (2 Cor 10:10) and talk until you fell out the window
(Acts
20:9). But
he would change your life and the life of your church. He would heal the sick,
raise
the dead
and explain the gospel. (Romans 15:18,19, 2 Corinthians 12:12)
Denominational
leaders in gray suits with large cars and air-conditioned offices are a far cry
from this.
We admire those who move at the impulse of the Holy Spirit yet in time we seem
to
always go
back the Temple precincts and establish ourselves. The Franciscans were at
first
itinerant
poor and joyous now they have a massive bureaucratic headquarters in Assisi
that I
have heard
described as looking like the Empire State building lying on its side. We
celebrate
these
brave itinerant leaders and decorate their tombs but promptly build offices for
ourselves.
This is not
Christianity, it is temple religion, worldliness and pompous egotistical
nonsense. We
need to
get back on the trail. Denominational leaders should be on the move and out
there
with the
people and the churches.
From Institutional Leadership To
Network Maintenance
Peter and
Paul and Timothy and Titus and James did not sit in various offices in Rome or
Corinth
and issue order to subordinates who came in with Gantt charts of the latest
Kingdom
building
project. They didn't run the show or exert much hands on day to day detailed
control
at all.
They preached Christ and they build believers into effective and connected
networks. I
have done
some very interesting study on how Paul used his greetings at the end of his
epistles
and how they are far from random at all. That is for another book though. They
were
concerned
with the spiritual condition of a fairly loosely woven network of believers not
the
operational
details of a massive organization. This may at first seem a subtle distinction
but it
has huge ramifications
which I will explain further.
A network
leader operates on the "nodes" in this case the networks of churches.
The "church
that was
in Corinth" was probably itself a local network of house churches. So we
have the
house
church (Romans 16:5, 1 Cor 16:19) which belonged to a local area network of
churches
"the
church in X" (1 Corinthians 1:2) which belonged to a regional network such
as "the
churches
in Asia" ( 1 Corinthians 16:19) and finally to the body of Christ as a
whole.
(1
Corinthians 16:19 NASB) The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet
you
heartily
in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.
The basic
unit seems to have been the house church. Apart from the above verse we have
the
following references
(Acts 8:3 NASB)
But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and
dragging
off men and women, he would put them in prison.
(Romans
16:5 NASB) also greet the church that is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my
beloved,
who is the first convert to Christ from Asia.
(Colossians
4:15 NASB) Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the
church
that is in her house.
(Philemon
1:2 NASB) and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to
the
church in
your house:
(Acts 20:20
NASB) how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable,
and
teaching
you publicly [when he was at the school of Tyrannus] and from house to house,
and so
forth. Churches as major buildings did not appear for a century or so afterward
and did
not become
common until after the Edict of Milan in 313AD. The house churches were not
isolated
however from the mainstream. Today some house churches can be small groups of
grumpy and
disaffected believers who have abandoned the mainstream church and decided to
lick their
wounds together. They can get quite eccentric. That was not the case in the NT.
Now and
then an apostle, prophet or evangelist would drop by and give some teaching,
correct
the errors, pass on greetings and even take up a collection for some starving
Jewish
believers
in Jerusalem. There was real life and common teaching in the network. The
little I
have seen
of YWAM bases and their connected communities makes me think that it is not too
dissimilar
to the NT model .
In a network
of communities and house churches leadership is personal and charismatic and
dependent
on the ministry being real and potent. Stagecraft and crowd manipulation are
less
effective
in the intimacy of a living room. You are there in real relationship and part
of the
community,
you are seen close up.
Apostles
kept these communities to a common doctrine and a common lifestyle and
encouraged
real relationships between believers building unity between factions in the one
city, and
even internationally. There were no manuals, it was incredibly personal. They
tended
too
operate face to face and few left any writings that have survived.
(3 John
1:13-14 NASB) I had many things to write to you, but I am not willing to write
them to
you with
pen and ink; {14} but I hope to see you shortly, and we shall speak face to
face.
Peace be
to you. The friends greet you. Greet the friends by name.
What I am
trying to say is that the apostles were not bureaucrats and that bureaucracy is
not
Christian
and that ecclesiastical structures and bureaucracy is sub-Christian. Never do
we see
apostles
worrying over church finances or launching funding drives or micro-managing
church
affairs or
designing logos for the pew bulletins. Leadership was not about that - it was
about
people and
churches and networks and the truth of the gospel and the power of the Holy
Spirit and
LOVE.
What It Looks Like
Instead of
a big shiny building, full of priests that quite literally "put God in a
box". [The Ark of
the
Covenant was a large wooden box covered in gold] we have a dispersed collection
of
called out
ones meeting from house to house, breaking bread and listening to the teaching
of
the
apostles.
What does
this new reality look like? If there is no building. If it�s always in mission
mode. If its
sharing
Jesus on the streets, binding up the wounds of lepers, praising God in the
bathroom
and
interceding for the lost. What does it look like? And who's in charge? And how
can I know
whether I
am up or down, important or unimportant? Now don't get me wrong there is
nothing
intrinsically
wrong with church buildings - we do have to meet somewhere out of the rain!
Though as
you can guess I am very sympathetic to home churches and renting school halls.
But how do
we escape becoming an institution? After all no-one wants to live in an
institution!
Let�s
start with a central tenet - it DOES NOT look like the temple in Jerusalem. It's
not run by
a human
high priest with a host of priests and acolytes and altars and incense and
animal
sacrifices
and rituals and robes (see Hebrews chapters 5-10). Neither does it look like
the
temples of
idols. It is it not a mad pagan frenzy. A Bacchanalian orgy of rolling around
drunk
and
unrestrained. Nor is it run by young girls in white singing in ecstatic
possession. No, God is
a God of
order! (1 Cor 10-14). The new temple is neither Jewish nor Greek -it is
Christian and
heavenly.
The new
temple looks like the ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the pattern of what a
temple of
the Holy
Spirit looks like and acts like. We don't find Him setting up an institution or
expecting
everyone
to come to Him (though they did). We find a huge variety in His pattern of
ministry.
Sometimes
solitary, often in home fellowships, now and then in large gatherings. A
mixture of
teaching
and healing, training and prayer. A mixture of apologetics against the
Sadducees and
miracles
with madmen. There is an enormous sense of freedom and healing and life in the
gospels
and that is part of the operation of the temple of the Holy Spirit - "for where
the Spirit
of the
Lord is there is liberty". The temple of the Holy Spirit should be a place
of liberty and
personal
transformation.
(2
Corinthians 3:17-18 NASB) Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of
the Lord is,
there is
liberty.{18} But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory
of the
Lord, are
being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the
Lord, the
Spirit.
Where you
go, as a temple of the Holy Spirit, there should be liberty, healing and
personal
transformation.
There should be a sense of freedom and joy not legalism and oppression. A
temple of
the Holy Spirit does not look anything like a Pharisee. Similarly where you as
a
church
impact your community there should be increased liberty, healing and personal
transformation
not just a railing against "those worldly sinners" - who Jesus
befriended! (Luke
7:34)
When we
are so transformed that out of our innermost beings flow rivers of living water
- then
we will be
like Ezekiel's temple out of which the river of life flowed. We will look and
act like the
ministry
of Jesus. We will minister on hillsides and in the wilderness and everywhere
the Lord
sends us.
When Jesus was a temple He was a very mobile temple - more like tabernacle!
Perhaps we
should be like that too!
The new
temple is also a BODY. The temple is now the body of Christ and the body of the
Christian.
As a body it is a picture of co-ordination, of unity and diversity , of life
and action.
(1
Corinthians 12:1-11) It is primarily a living thing. It feels, it rejoices, it
is filled with the very
life of
God. It is filled with prophets and even the servants prophesy and speak in
tongues
(Acts
2:17,18, 1 Cor 14:31,32). Dead works and cold formality and inappropriate. New
wineskins are
needed to contain the new wine of the Holy Spirit.
(Luke
5:37-38 NASB) "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the
new wine
will burst
the skins, and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. {38}
"But new wine
must be
put into fresh wineskins.
In a
living organism there are no spectator parts. All parts of the body contribute
to the
whole. The
liver is not a spectator to the ministry of the brain! So in the church there
should
be no
spectators unlike in the old temples where there were priests and laity,
performers and
spectators.
This distinction is gone in a body. Everyone has a function. Indeed everyone
must
function
in their role whether it be great or small. Current large church, building
centered
structures
simply cannot do this. There is only so much room "on stage". Only
one or two
people can
preach each week. A few give items. The rest must watch on. This is not the new
temple. It
is the old temple. And it is thoroughly unbiblical. NT worship was
participatory (1
Corinthians
14) and al brought a psalm or a prophecy, a tongue or a teaching. It was not
left
to a few
experts.
So the new
temple is a Spirit-filled, sacred body that reflects the ministry of Jesus
Christ and
brings
liberty, love and personal transformation to the world as it befriends sinners
and moves
out into
wherever the Lord sends it to minister the living waters of God. That doesn't
sound
like
bricks and mortar to me!
The Anti-Christ and the Temple
The
Anti-Christ seems to be at home with "temple structures" and indeed
he eventually makes
his home
there.
(2
Thessalonians 2:3-4 NASB) Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not
come unless
the
apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of
destruction, {4}
who
opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so
that he
takes his
seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Let�s be
clear here, I am not saying that temple-structure churches are the Anti-Christ
or that
any
structure is the Anti-Christ. God is more interested in people and hearts than
structures.
What I am
saying is that Temple structures suit the Devil. That is where he wants to be.
His
ego loves
the pomp, the ceremony, the exaltation. Mustard seed groups of meek believers
are
not his
style at all.
Temple
structures are pyramidal with a single individual at the peak of them and such
structures
promote envy and selfish ambition as people jockey to be as close to the top as
possible.
(James
3:15-16 NASB) This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is
earthly,
natural,
demonic. {16} For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder
and
every evil
thing.
According
to James jealousy and selfish ambition are demonic wisdom from below. They result
in
disorder and every evil thing. If Satan can get jealousy and selfish ambition
going in a
church
through their competitive structure then he can generate " disorder and
every evil
thing".
This is why humility and unity are such potent spiritual weapons. Pyramidal,
hierarchical
temple
structures naturally tend to generate politics in the church and thus serve
Satan's
purposes
well indeed. He sometimes comes into such structures and "takes his
seat" at the top
of a
"priest eat priest" pecking order. The history of the medieval papacy
is a striking example
of this.
Now, let
me very quickly say that providing that there is unity and humility ANY
structure can
potentially
be used by God - even very hierarchical ones. Small groups and
"brotherhoods" can
go seriously
off the rails. Even they are not perfect. There is no perfect structure that
ensures
that
everyone will be absolutely holy. However I feel that some structures create
more trouble
than
others. Temple structures were demolished by Jesus for a good reason and will
be
inhabited
by Satan in the end times - also for a good reason. Temple structures are not
the
Anti-Christ
but he is often happy to dwell in them.
What are the consequences for today?
�� 1.New Testament temples are bodies not
buildings. They are not bricks and mortar
���� structures.
�� 2.Therefore there are no temple storehouses
to bring tithes into.
�� 3.We don't have to go into a building to
meet God or get an anointing.
�� 4.There are no special people called priests
who run the physical sacred sites.
�� 5.We are all priests and we all run our own
temples - our body.
�� 6.We are all part of a larger temple called
the body of Christ.
�� 7.The paraphernalia of the Temple - altars,
incense, robes and sacrifices and offerings and
�� ��all
the rest - goes the way of the Temple. We have no mandate at all to reconstruct
the
���� old temple worship, Jewish or pagan, in an
effort to bring structure to what we do.
�� 8.The NT temples are dwelling places of the
Holy Spirit and where the Holy Spirit is there is
���� liberty therefore they should be
characterized by freedom and grace.
�� 9.The perfect dwelling place of the Holy
Spirit is Jesus and the perfect temple (church or
���� individual) should reflect His earthly
ministry.
� 10.The temple is a body, a Spirit-filled,
well coordinated by Christ, participatory community
���� of various spiritual gifts that brings
glory to God..
Matters of Food and Drink
There were
HUGE debates in the NT church over food and drink and chapter after chapter
alludes to
them or is directly concerned with them. (Acts 10,11,15, Romans 14, 1
Corinthians
8,10,
Colossians 2 etc). The Jews still really believed in the kosher diet. The
Gentiles ate pork.
Some
Gentiles were such zealous converts from idolatry that they would not touch
food in the
meat
market that had been offered to idols. Others, a bit stronger in the faith said
"idols have
been
defeated, don't worry about it". Others came back and said "that is
participation with
demons".
Others said "you can eat food sacrificed to idols - but not actually in
the idol's
temple".
These debates still continue in many places today with common and not so common
questions
being:
���� Does drinking alcohol defile me
spiritually?
���� Should I follow the Jewish dietary
regulations and eat kosher food?
���� Are vegetarians more spiritual?
���� The Bible forbids eating food "with
the blood" but I enjoy black pudding - can I still eat
���� it?
���� I am a Chinese Christian but my parents
are Buddhist and offer food to a Buddhist shrine
���� in the kitchen - should I eat it?
���� Can I eat the vegetarian food in a Hare
Krishna temple?
���� I go to James Cook University in Australia
that is trying to attract Muslim students from
���� overseas. JCU has instructed the Refectory
to ensure that all meat is "hallal" - that is
���� killed in accordance with Muslim law -
facing the shrine in Mecca. Should I eat such
���� meat?
���� Are certain diets better for spiritual
warriors?
���� What is the value of fasting?
���� Is there any point in "saying
grace"? (Yes there is).
���� I am a missionary and I am very uncertain
about the spiritual rites that food placed
���� before me has been through, what should I
do?
Matters of
food and drink are "where the rubber hits the road" for millions of
Christians around
the world.
Those from cultures where there are a mixture of traditions face the problem
daily
and it is
increasingly relevant in the Western world with the pressure toward vegetarianism
as
being
"more spiritual". A lot of the case studies can be solved through
about twenty or so
passages
in Scripture that give us clear guidelines (there are at least 271 verses
referring to
food and
drink and allied concepts in the NT.)..
Foundational Scriptures
John the Baptist - the Old Covenant
Nazirite
The Old
Covenant has the ascetic Nazirite vow that John the Baptist was under. This
represents
the very best that the "old nature" can do. Jesus calls John the
Baptist "the
greatest
of those born of women" and the last of the OT saints (see Matthew
11:11-13) but in
the same
passage says he is less than the least of those in the Kingdom of God (because
they
are
"born of God"). John's asceticism resulted in a strict prophetic diet
and included no
creature
comforts.
(Matthew
3:4 NASB) Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair, and a leather belt
about
his waist;
and his food was locusts and wild honey.
(Luke
1:15-16 NASB) "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will
drink no wine or
liquor;
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother's womb.
{16} "And he
will turn
back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.
Jesus and New Covenant Freedom
Jesus was
an at times shocking contrast to this. He didn't dwell in the wilderness,
seemed to
enjoy a
party and ate the normal Jewish food of His day - apparently with some relish!
(Luke
7:33-35 NASB) "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking
no wine;
and you
say, 'He has a demon!' {34} "The Son of Man has come eating and drinking;
and you
say,
'Behold, a gluttonous man, and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and
sinners!' {35}
"Yet
wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
He also
pronounced the end of the ritual categories of clean and unclean saying that
defilement
was inward - not from outside the person in terms of what they ate or drank but
came from
the thoughts and intentions of their heart.
(Mark
7:18-23 NASB) And He said^ to them, "Are you so lacking in understanding
also? Do you
not
understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him; {19}
because
it does
not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?" (Thus He
declared all
foods
clean.) {20} And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that
is what
defiles
the man. {21} "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil
thoughts,
fornications,
thefts, murders, adulteries, {22} deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as
deceit,
sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. {23} "All these evil
things proceed
from
within and defile the man."
Hid death
on the cross broke the power of the accusations against us and
"disarmed" the
"rulers
and authorities" taking away their ability to enforce their taboos. Taboos
that the
ancient
world was in dread of. Because of what Jesus did on the cross they no longer
have
the
weaponry with which to punish the Christian who breaks their food regulations.
They are
toothless
tigers Therefore no-one can act as our judge compelling us to observe
regulations
regarding
food and drink and new moons and Sabbaths.
(Colossians
2:15-23 NASB) {15} When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a
public
display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. {16} Therefore let no
one act
as your
judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a
Sabbath
day-- {17}
things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to
Christ.
�{20} If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world,
why, as if
you were
living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, {21} "Do
not handle,
do not
taste, do not touch!" {22} (which all refer to things destined to perish
with the
using)--
in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? {23} These are
matters
which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and
self-abasement
and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly
indulgence.
The Missionary's Diet
The
missionary is thus free from having to worry about the taboos in the culture
that he or
she
enters. The injunction "eat what is set before you" is not an
invitation to spiritual disaster
. We are
free in Christ. However one condition does apply - eating meat that your hosts
says
has been
sacrificed to idols. Not that it will spiritually defile the missionary but
because it may
cause the
host to see idols as acceptable and stumble them in their transition to
accepting
Christ.
More on that later�
(Luke
10:7-9 NASB) "And stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give
you; for the
laborer is
worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. {8} "And
whatever
city you
enter, and they receive you, eat what is set before you; {9} and heal those in
it who
are sick,
and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.
1
Corinthians 10:25-31 (NASB) {25} Eat anything that is sold in the meat market,
without
asking
questions for conscience' sake; {26} FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND ALL IT
CONTAINS.
{27} If one of the unbelievers invites you, and you wish to go, eat anything
that
is set
before you, without asking questions for conscience' sake. {28} But if anyone
should
say to
you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake
of the one who
informed
you, and for conscience' sake; {29} I mean not your own conscience, but the
other
man's; for
why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? {30} If I partake with
thankfulness,
why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? {31} Whether,
then, you
eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Giving Thanks
Giving
thanks is a very important spiritual act. It sanctifies the food (1 Tim 4:5)
and
demonstrates
gratitude to God. ( 1 Tim 4:4) A glance in a concordance under
"thanks" finds
Jesus
"saying grace" nine times in the NT. Those who receive good things
from God should
praise Him
for them. Paul sees everything created by God as good and nothing is to be
rejected
if received with gratitude. Creation is to be celebrated with gratitude (1 Tim
4:4).
Those who
"advocate abstaining from foods" are seen as teaching the 'doctrines
of demons". (
1 Timothy
4:1-3)
(Mark
6:41-42 NASB) And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up
toward
heaven, He
blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples
to
set before
them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. {42} And they all ate and
were
satisfied.
(1 Timothy
4:1-5 NASB) But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall
away
from the
faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, {2} by
means of
the
hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, {3}
men who
forbid
marriage and advocate abstaining from foods, which God has created to be
gratefully
shared in
by those who believe and know the truth. {4} For everything created by God is
good, and
nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; {5} for it is
sanctified by
means of
the word of God and prayer.
Coping With Freedom
Freedom
creates confusion for many people and here is a what the problem may have
sounded
like in NT
times. "OK, the earth is the Lord and all it contains. I can eat anything
in Creation
providing
I do so with gratitude. Food is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. Jesus
drank
wine and
ate heartily. He pronounced all foods clean. His death on the cross removed the
power the
spiritual realm had to enforce their dietary regulations. There are no more
taboo
foods.
Theologically speaking I have complete freedom and I understand this - but some
of my
fellow
Christians are absolutely horrified at this. What should I do?" Let's take
a look at how
confused
people got and some of the solutions proposed to build unity.
The first
totally confused person was Peter the apostle! After a lifetime of observing
ritual
purity he
just could not break the habit even at God's command.
(Acts
10:13-16 NASB) And a voice came to him, "Arise, Peter, kill and eat!"
{14} But Peter
said,
"By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and
unclean." {15} And
again a
voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer
consider unholy."
{16} And
this happened three times; and immediately the object was taken up into the
sky.
A bit
later we find the whole early church in confusion on the issue. A conference
was called in
Jerusalem
and like a lot of negotiations in that city a compromise was reached (and it
seems it
was also
soon ignored!)
(Acts
21:25 NASB) "But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote,
having decided
that they
should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is
strangled
and from fornication."
The meat
sacrificed to idols issue was going to explode and still be around 50 or so years
later
when
Revelation was written. "Blood" goes back to Noah and Creation and to
the Levitical
teaching
that "the life was in the blood" which was literally "the soul
is in the blood".
(Genesis
9:4 NASB) "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
(Leviticus
17:14 NASB) "For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified
with its life.
Therefore
I said to the sons of Israel, 'You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for
the life of
all flesh
is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.'
As a
direct command of God for all humanity since Noah it was seen as binding on the
Gentiles
and the
principle of the soul being in the blood seemed to be bigger than mere taboos
about
clean and
unclean. For a similar reason "things strangled" were not to be eaten
as the life
breath was
trapped within them and this was abhorrent to the Jews and would have divisive
consequences.
Fornication is added as a basic moral requirement that may have had special
reference
to certain pagan religious practices. I personally find the arguments about not
eating
blood
quite convincing and would rather not eat blood pudding. However I leave the
conclusions
up to you.
The
divisions about how to interpret these conclusions went on for quite some time.
One of
the
central issues became the issue of faith lived out in community. Not so much
"what do
others
think" but "Am I building others up or am I causing them to stumble
and fall?". Paul
takes the
whole of Romans 14 to address this issue and here are some excerpts.
(Romans
14:1-4 NASB) Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose
of
passing
judgment on his opinions. {2} One man has faith that he may eat all things, but
he
who is
weak eats vegetables only. {3} Let not him who eats regard with contempt him
who
does not
eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted
him. {4}
Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or
falls;
and stand
he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Paul sees
the believer as being judged by God alone - not by other believers. He or she
will
account to
God for "disputable matters" and God is able to make that person
stand. Our
brothers
and sisters in Christ are "servants of another" and we are not to
judge them harshly
on
disputable matters like food. We are not to think of "are they right or
wrong?" but rather
"how
can I help them to grow?"
(Romans
14:13-23 NASB) Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather
determine
this-- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way. {14} I
know
and am
convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who
thinks
anything
to be unclean, to him it is unclean. {15} For if because of food your brother
is hurt,
you are no
longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom
Christ
died.
The
primary question for us is "Am I a blessing to my brother? Am I walking in
love? Paul goes
on to
rearrange our priorities about food, personal 'rights and freedoms' and he
Kingdom.
{16}
Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; {17}
for the
kingdom of
God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy
Spirit.
{18} For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by
men.
{19} So
then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one
another.
{20} Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed
are
clean, but
they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense. {21} It is good not to
eat
meat or to
drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. {22} The faith
which
you have,
have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn
himself in
what he approves. {23} But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his
eating is
not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Ultimately
if we "eat meat or drink wine" we must be able to do so with a clear
conscience
knowing
that we will not cause someone to stumble. Neither should we act from personal
doubt . If
it is doubtful for you - then don't. It's simply not worth injuring your
conscience.
Meat Sacrificed To Idols
The above
principles of acting from faith and for the edification of other believers are
later
applied to
the ongoing problem of food sacrificed to idols. Paul's fundamental perspective
statement
is that idols don't matter and don't contaminate the food in any way. It's not
a
problem of
you being defiled but your neighbor being stumbled.
1
Corinthians 8:4-7 NASB) Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to
idols, we
know that
there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but
one. {5}
For even
if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are
many
gods and
many lords, {6} yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all
things,
and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and
we exist
through
Him. {7} However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to
the idol
until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience
being weak
is
defiled.
He then
goes on to address the problem in stages, from the most serious violations of
conscience
to the least. First of all the problem of actually going into the idols temple
and
having a
meal like many people do at Hare Krishna temples today
(1
Corinthians 8:7-13 NASB) However not all men have this knowledge; but some,
being
accustomed
to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their
conscience
being weak is defiled. {8} But food will not commend us to God; we are neither
the
worse if
we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. {9} But take care lest this liberty
of yours
somehow
become a stumbling block to the weak. {10} For if someone sees you, who have
knowledge,
dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be
strengthened to
eat things
sacrificed to idols? {11} For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined,
the
brother
for whose sake Christ died. {12} And thus, by sinning against the brethren and
wounding
their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. {13} Therefore, if
food
causes my
brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, that I might not cause my
brother
to
stumble.
Later Paul
goes on to lambaste them for being so ignorant of the spiritual alliance they
are
demonstrating
by eating in an idols temple. He contrasts eating food in a temple to eating
the
Lord's
Supper at church. Going into an idols temple and eating their equivalent of the
Love
Feast is
to participate with demons.
(1
Corinthians 10:16-33 NASB) Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing
in the blood
of Christ?
Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? {17} Since
there is
one bread,
we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. {18} Look at
the nation
Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? {19} What do
I
mean then?
That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? {20}
No,
but I say
that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not
to
God; and I
do not want you to become sharers in demons. {21} You cannot drink the cup of
the Lord
and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the
table of
demons.
{22} Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are
we?
{23} All
things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful,
but not all
things
edify. {24} Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
Immediately
after these verses Paul treats the more everyday questions of food in the meat
market and
having dinner in the home of an unbeliever and he almost seems to contradict
himself -
or rather he applies the same principles in a new context.
{25} Eat
anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for
conscience'
sake; {26}
FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS. {27} If one of the
unbelievers
invites you, and you wish to go, eat anything that is set before you, without
asking
questions for conscience' sake.
It�s quite
clear that Paul does not consider the food to be actually spiritually
contaminated by
being sacrificed
to idols. For Paul the idol was "nothing" . The food was not affected
in any
way and in
contexts where no-one was being offended or harmed and where you were not in a
temple
participating with demons - go ahead and eat whatever is set before you.
However if
there is a
chance of someone being offended - then don't. Not for your sake, but for
theirs.
({28} But
if anyone should say to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do
not eat it, for the
sake of
the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; {29} I mean not your own
conscience,
but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? {30}
If I
partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give
thanks?
Finally
Paul sums up the meat sacrificed to idols issue as one of being interested
primarily in
the glory
of God and the welfare of others.
{31}
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
{32} Give
no offense
either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; {33} just as I also please
all
men in all
things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be
saved.
Lets apply
this to some of the situations listed at the start of this chapter. The
University
student
eating at the refectory whether the food is "hallal" are not dining
in an idols temple
and there
is little chance they causing anyone to stumble. She should give thanks and
eat. It
is a
"meat-market" situation.
The
Chinese student with Buddhist parents should weigh up whether it will
spiritually affect his
family. If
the family are devout in their Buddhism and look upon his eating the food that
is
sacrificed
to idols as his participating with them in adoration of household gods then he
should
not eat
the food . Rather he should tactfully ask for it to be put aside. If it is just
a family
habit with
no real religious overtones then he perhaps may eat of it. If in doubt don't is
the
motto
here.
Lastly
having lunch in a Hare Krishna temple is quite clearly wrong and is a participation
with
demons.
There is no room for doubt here. Christians must not eat in idol's temples.
Drinking Wine
Christians
are not to be drunk and church leaders must not be "addicted to much
wine" as in
alcoholism.
(Ephesians 5:18-19 , 1 Timothy 3:3, 1 Peter 4:3) NASB) However it is clear that
Jesus
drank and was even accused of being a drunkard (Luke 7:33-35) He supplied the
wine at
the
wedding at Cana which was adjudged to be "good wine" by the
head-waiter and thus must
have
contained alcohol.
(John
2:9-10 NASB) And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine,
and
did not
know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the
headwaiter
called the bridegroom, {10} and said to him, "Every man serves the good
wine
first, and
when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good
wine until
now."
Finally
Timothy is TOLD to drink wine in moderation. If alcohol was spiritually
defiling by nature
Paul would
not have given Timothy this instruction.
(1 Timothy
5:23 NASB) No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the
sake of
your
stomach and your frequent ailments.
Thus there
are no taboo or defiling foods or drinks. What matters is the use we put them
to,
how they
affect our life and the consequences for others who may observe our conduct.
Let�s now
go on to another controversial topic - that of tithing.
Tithing
This
chapter traces the tithe from its patriarchal origins through the Mosaic Law to
the New
Testament
and early church history and explains why the tithe disappeared and the
consequences
of its revival under Charlemagne in 585AD. The chapter then goes on to look at
New
Testament principles for giving. It concludes with exhortations on handling
differences in
belief
about finances and a brief paragraph on the biblical perspective on wisdom with
money.
The
Practice Of The Patriarchs Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek and Jacob
promised God
a tenth.
It was a personal practice of honoring God and there is tantalizingly little to
go on.
(Genesis
14:20, 28:22) It is an example not a commandment. As a practice it was "a
tenth of
everything
". It is clear from the NT that the festivals, sacrifices and practices of
the Mosaic
Law are
not binding on Spirit-filled believers. (Romans 7:4-6). However tithing was
practiced
before the
law by Abraham. This raises the question of whether practices prior to the Law
are
binding on
Spirit-filled believers today. Patriarchal and Noahic practices such as keeping
the
Sabbath,
building altars, animal sacrifices, clean and unclean animals (Genesis 2:2,
4:1-4 and
8:20) have
been replaced in the New Covenant (Colossians 2:16-23) and the most significant
Abrahamic
practice - circumcision is clearly not required of believers now (Galatians
5:1-11) so
it can I
think be rightly inferred that the other Abrahamic practice - tithing has
passed away
also.
Tithing - In The Mosaic Law And The
Old Covenant
The
formalized tithe was a part of the Jewish system of festivals and differs
markedly from
patriarchal
practice. The best explanation I have heard says the tithe operated on a 7 year
cycle with
year 3 being the year when it was given to the poor. As a practice it often
lapsed,
and was
reinstated in the reforms of Hezekiah (2 Chr 31:1-7), Nehemiah (Neh 10:35-39)
and
Malachi
(Malachi 3:8-12). In the inter-testamental period the tithe became a major
practice of
Pharisaism.
Working on what we can clearly understand in this complex area it seems that:
1. The
tithe was to be eaten in Jerusalem with rejoicing. ((Dt 12:17f.)
2. The
tithe involved food and was to be eaten. Money was only involved when the tithe
had
to be
transported a great distance and would perish. The tithe was first converted to
cash
then
converted back into food. Only food could be presented as a tithe. (Deut
14:22-29)
3. The
tithe could be spent on wine or strong drink. (Deut 14:24-26)
4. The
tithe was holy to God and to help support the Levites as they had no land to
inherit.
(Num
18:20-32) They were about 1/10 of the population. They also seem to have worked
as
artisans
and traders.
5. The
food was consumed partly during the festival and also later stored in
storehouses or
granaries
for the use of the poor, the Levites, the widows and the orphans. It thus acted
as
basic
social security for those without land or family protection. (Deut 26:12,13
Malachi
3:8-12)
6. A tithe
of the tithe went directly to the High Priest (Num 18:26,27)
7. The
tithe was levied on the produce of the land which was seen as God's direct
gift.
One-tenth
of cattle, grain, olive oil, wine etc.(Leviticus 27:32, 2 Chr 31:1-7) Notably
absent
from the
levy are silver, gold, money and the profits of merchants and artisans. An
artisan
does not
seem to be required to tithe a tenth of their tables if they were a carpenter
etc. It
seems to
have been a tax solely on primary producers - which were the bulk and backbone
of
the
economy. This was even so in Nehemiah's day when a money economy was very much
in
force.
(Nehemiah 10:35-39) Jesus mentions it being applied to herbs. (Matt 23:23)
�The Tithe In The New Testament
The
following 4 sets of verses are the only NT mentions of tithing. The first three
are in a
negative
context two are where Jesus tells the Pharisees that they are overemphasizing
tithing
and undercapitalizing justice. The third is of a Pharisee trying to justify
himself before
God by
tithing. Tithing is still a proper duty not to be neglected by those trying to
fulfill the
Mosaic Law
as the Pharisees were (and as Jesus did before the cross when He abolished the
Law). The
last reference is to Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek. The point is that
the
Levitical
priesthood descended from Abraham honored the priesthood according to
Melchizedek
- a type
of Christ and thus Christ's priesthood is superior to Aaron's. Neither passage
implies
that the
tithe is binding on NT believers.
(Mat 23:23
& Luke 11:42) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
tithe mint,
dill, and
cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy
and
faith. It
is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others.
(Luke
18:12-14 NRSV)... I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' But
the tax
collector,
standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast
and
saying,
'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his home
justified
rather
than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who
humble
themselves
will be exalted."
(Heb 7:2-9
NRSV) (Heb 7:2 NRSV) and to him Abraham apportioned "one-tenth of
everything."
His name,
in the first place, means "king of righteousness"; next he is also
king of Salem, that
is,
"king of peace."...And those descendants of Levi who receive the
priestly office have a
commandment
in the law to collect tithes from the people, that is, from their kindred,
though
these also
are descended from Abraham. But this man, who does not belong to their
ancestry,
collected
tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had received the promises. In the one
case,
tithes are received by those who are mortal; in the other, by one of whom it is
testified
that he
lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes
through
Abraham,
Religious Taxes
Jesus saw
religious taxes as no longer appropriate for believers (Matthew 17:24-27) and
the
principle
of the sons of the Kingdom not being levied on seems to apply to compulsory
tithing
also.
Timing of NT Giving
Giving
seems not to have been regulated to a particular percentage or a particular
annual
event.
Giving seems just to have part of the natural life of the Church so that when
needs
arose such
as widows in their midst or a famine in Judea then the apostles undertook the
task
of
collecting what was needed to meet that need within the body of Christ. There
is only one
NT
reference requiring weekly giving when Paul recommended to the Corinthians that
they
save up
week by week for their giving to the poor in Jerusalem - much as a Sunday
School
saves up
to give to the missionary.
(1 Cor
16:2,3 NRSV) On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and
save
whatever
extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. And when I
arrive, I
will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem.
Why The Tithe Disappeared
The actual
practice of the tithe disappears from the Bible after the gospels and is not
reinstated
as a practice binding on Gentile believers in any of the epistles or by the
Jerusalem
Council in
Acts 15. Reasons for the disappearance of the tithe may include:
1. The
tithe was a highly organized nation-wide event requiring a stable theocratic
nation and
considerable
infra-structure. This was obviously not the case for the early church which was
an often
persecuted minority group. When the Middle Ages came and Europe was a generally
stable
theocratic society the tithe would reappear again in 585 under the Emperor
Charlemagne
and unfortunately lead to the financial corruption of the Church which came to
control
one-tenth of the GDP of Europe and over a third of the lands.
2. It
seems to have been replaced by Spirit-led community based giving in the revival
in the
Jerusalem
church and this model of continual giving led by God seems to have predominated
in
the NT
church with giving being based on pneumatic events such as Agabus' prophecy.
3. Many
Gentile believers were slaves and most slaves were without possessions or land
or
produce
from which to tithe at least in the manner of the OT practice. (Plus it would
have
been cruel
to ask it of those who could not give.)
4. It was
a Jewish festival and went the way of the other Jewish festivals as far as
observance
among the Gentiles goes.
5. The
lack of buildings in the early church would have included a lack of storehouses
and
granaries.
6. Crime
and persecution would have made it unwise to store large amounts of wealth in a
local
church.
7. Most NT
fellowships seem to have been house churches with bi-vocational pastors and it
was only
later on in the NT that the right for these to have proper financial support
was
vigorously
addressed.
Giving
Does Not Achieve Righteousness in God Or Justify Us Before Him - That is 100%
Christ�s Work. Neither Does It Add To Our Spiritual Blessings Rather It Is A
Response To Them.
(Luke
18:12 NRSV) I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' (The
Pharisee who
Jesus said
was not justified).
(Rom 3:20
NRSV) For "no human being will be justified in his sight" by deeds
prescribed by the
law, for
through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
(Eph 1:3
NRSV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in
Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
(Eph 2:8
NRSV) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own
doing; it
is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we
are
what he
has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works,(including generous
giving)which
God
prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Giving in
The New Testament Has Three Main Groups of People in Mind - The Poor in The
Body of Christ, Teaching Elders, and Itinerant Ministers Of The Gospel e.g.
Apostles.
(Acts
4:34,35 NRSV) There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned
lands
or houses
sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the
apostles'
feet, and
it was distributed to each as any had need.
(Gal 2:10
NRSV) They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually
what I was
eager to do.
(James 1:27
NRSV) Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to
care
for
orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the
world.
(2 Cor
8:13-15 NRSV) I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure
on
you, but
it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their
need, so
that their
abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As
it is
written,
"The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little
did not
have too
little."
(1 Tim
5:17,18 NRSV) Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double
honor,
especially
those who labor in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, "You
shall not
muzzle an
ox while it is treading out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves to
be paid."
(1 Cor
9:13,14 NRSV) Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service
get
their food
from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is sacrificed
on the
altar? In
the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get
their
living by the gospel.
The Only
Restriction Placed On Giving Is That It Should Not Replace Taking Care of Aged
Parents Or
Immediate Family.
(Mat
15:4-6 NRSV) For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever
speaks
evil of
father or mother must surely die.' But you say that whoever tells father or
mother,
'Whatever
support you might have had from me is given to God,' then that person need not
honor the
father. So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God.
(1 Tim 5:8
NRSV) And whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family
members,
has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.(In the context of widows
in
the
church).
Our Giving
Is To Be Focused on God=s Kingdom And His Righteousness and Then He Will
Provide So
That Our Needs Are Met.
(Mat 6:33
NRSV) But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all
these
things
will be given to you as well.
(2 Cor
9:7-10 NRSV) Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not
reluctantly or
under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with
every
blessing
in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share
abundantly
in every good work. As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the
poor; his
righteousness
endures forever." 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.
Some Christians Have The Special Grace
Gift Of A Giving.
(Rom
12:6-8NRSV) We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us:
prophecy, in
proportion
to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in
exhortation;
the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in
cheerfulness.
We Should Not Try To Bribe God By
Giving - He Is Above Our Manipulation And All
Things Are His Anyway.
(Rom
11:33-36 NRSV) O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable
are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the
mind of
the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him, to
receive a gift in
return?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory
forever.
Amen.
Giving Is A Loving Expression Of Our
Relationship To God And Others Flowing From
Our Awareness of God's Gift To Us In Christ.
(2 Cor 8:9
NRSV) For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he
was
rich, yet
for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.
(2 Cor
9:11-15 NRSV) You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity,
which will
produce
thanksgiving to God through us; for the rendering of this ministry not only
supplies the
needs of
the saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God �..Thanks be to
God
for his
indescribable gift.
Giving Is To Come From Relationship
And Not Be Under Compulsion - Like All NT
Ministries It Is A Ministry of The Spirit, Not Of The Letter.
(2 Cor 9:5
NRSV) So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you, and
arrange in
advance for this bountiful gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready
as a
voluntary
gift and not as an extortion.
(2 Cor 9:7
NRSV) Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or
under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Cor
8:12 NRSV) For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to
what one
has--not
according to what one does not have.
(2 Cor 3:6
NRSV) who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of
letter
but of
spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
There Are
Many Areas of Christian Practice in Which Christians Differ Markedly e.g.
Sabbath-keeping
and Matters of Food and Drink in Such Areas We Are Not to Judge Each
Other -
Giving May Be One Such Area.
(Rom
14:1-6 NRSV) Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of
quarreling
over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only
vegetables.
Those who
eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass
judgment
on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on
servants
of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will
be upheld,
for the
Lord is able to make them stand. Some judge one day to be better than another,
while
others
judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.
Those who
observe
the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of
the Lord,
since they
give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and
give
thanks to
God.
General Wisdom On Finances
Proverbs
gives much sound advice on finances and it is characteristics such as thrift,
prudence
and wise investing that are admired as well as giving to the poor and lending
freely
without
charging interest. Practices that are condemned include giving to those already
rich,
the love
of "little luxuries" and hard-hearted stinginess. It gives us a
picture of steady, faithful,
wise
planned giving that joyfully sees needs and meets them and which has nothing to
do with
selfishness
on one hand or folly on the other. (Prov 11:24-26, 12:24-27, 215-:6, 22:16,
25:21-22
28:27)
Summary And Conclusion
"Let
each be convinced in their own mind.. It is to their own Master that they stand
or fall."
There are
those that find 10% a useful percentage in planning their giving and they do so
unto
God. There
are those who give differently - also unto the Lord. No-one should feel that
they
are under
a law or being judged by others.. Rather we should see giving as an exciting
ministry
that
proceeds under the direction of the Holy Spirit and the miracle-working
providing power of
God.
Giving can greatly honor God, support Kingdom work and provided much needed
relief to
the poor.
Giving should be planned, faithful and reliable so that the recipients can
depend on
it. Above
all giving should proceed from a grateful and thankful heart that cries out
"Thanks be
to God for
His indescribable gift.".
The Sabbath
Sabbath-keeping
is an Old Testament practice that has whole denominations (Seventh-Day
Adventists,
Seventh Day Baptists etc) lined up behind it. Its perhaps one of the most
pervasive
of the OT practices that born-again Christians feel compelled to follow.
However it is
something
that Jesus spoke quite strongly about and which was never placed on believers
in
the NT.
There are
four main (and somewhat separate) errors concerning the Sabbath, in order
of gravity
they are:
1. That
you must observe the Sabbath to be saved.
2. That
observance of the Sabbath is compulsory (but perhaps not essential for salvation).
3. That
the Jewish Saturday Sabbath is still the Sabbath for Christians.
4. That
the Sabbath is now on Sunday and Christians must observe Sunday as a day of
rest.
Proponents of the Sabbath
(Sabbatarians) argue that:
� A. Sabbath was ordained at Creation (Genesis
2:2)
�� B. The Sabbath was part of the Ten
Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11)
� C. Observing the Sabbath in a consecrated way
brings blessing. (Isaiah 58:13,14)
� D. Not one jot or tittle will pass away from
the Law until all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17)
�� E. There remains a Sabbath rest for the
people of God. (Hebrews 4:9)
�� F. John the apostle was "in the Spirit
on the Lord�s day" (Revelation 1:10)
At first
glance this seems quite convincing so let's look at those arguments a bit more
deeply.
Arguments
B,C and D depend on the Law still being in force in some way and their being
blessing
for obedience and cursing for disobedience. I hope that by now you will be able
to see
that is no
longer the case. The Law has been fulfilled in the life and death and
resurrection of
Jesus
Christ.
Argument A
rests on God hallowing that day at Creation. While God did make the Sabbath
holy
He did not
make it compulsory. Besides we have no idea on what day that was, if we are to
believe
Archbishop Usher (the biblical chronologist who said that Creation was on a
Wednesday
at 9:00am
in the morning in 4004BC) it was a Wednesday!
Hebrews
4:9 "there remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God" is
in the midst of a
section
that shows that the true Sabbath is not the Sabbath instituted under Joshua
that the
Jews
observed but rather was the Sabbath rest from dead works that we find in Christ
and
which
reaches its fulfillment when we find our rest in Heaven.
(Hebrews
4:8-11 NASB) For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of
another
day after that. {9} There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of
God.
{10} For
the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God
did
from His.
{11} Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through
following
the same
example of disobedience.
The last
reference to being "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day" is very
enigmatic. It may have
referred
to Sunday by then. It certainly does not suggest it was compulsory. Believers
seemed
to meet
"on the first day of the week" and that may have been all there was
to it. (1
Corinthians
16:2, Acts 20:7) There is no direct NT pronouncement saying "Sunday is now
the
Sabbath
and you must keep it holy.". Most Christians were slaves and had no power
to take a
day off
anyway!
Direct Teaching On The Sabbath.
Jesus And The Sabbath
Part of
the reason for the intense hostility towards Jesus was His attitude towards the
Sabbath.
The Sabbath had become one of the chief spiritual control tools of the
Pharisees.
Hundreds
of rabbinical regulations added to the Law made the Sabbath a very complex and
burdensome
issue for the average Jew. It had turned from being a joyous day of rest and
celebration
into yet another device for proving how spiritual one was.
Jesus was
not tactful. In fact he just charged through the mass of rabbinical red tape
like a
cavalier
with a sword. Culturally He would have come across as very undiplomatic, a sort
of
spiritual
"bull in a china shop". We will see why in the next few verses where
Jesus moves to
combat the
narrow cruel Sabbatarian legalism of the Pharisees. In an astonishing display
of
heartlessness
they would not let the hungry disciples pick a few heads of grain to eat or
approve a
man being healed on the Sabbath. Their vicious cruelty reached its natural
conclusion
as they plot to destroy Jesus. The questions of the Sabbatarians are in blue
and
the main
points Jesus makes are in red..
(Matthew
12:1-14 NASB) At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grain fields,
and
His
disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. {2} But
when the
Pharisees
saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to
do on a
Sabbath."
{3} But He
said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he became hungry, he
and
his
companions; {4} how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated
bread,
which was
not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests alone?
{5} "Or
have you
not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the
Sabbath,
and are innocent? {6} "But I say to you, that something greater than the
temple is
here.
{7}
"But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A
SACRIFICE,'
you would not have condemned the innocent. {8} "For the Son of Man is Lord
of
the
Sabbath."
{9} And
departing from there, He went into their synagogue. {10} And behold, there was
a
man with a
withered hand. And they questioned Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on
the
Sabbath?"--
in order that they might accuse Him. {11} And He said to them, "What man
shall
there be
among you, who shall have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath,
will he
not take
hold of it, and lift it out?{12} "Of how much more value then is a man
than a sheep!
So then, it
is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." {13} Then He said to the man,
"Stretch out
your
hand!" And he stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the
other. {14} But
the
Pharisees went out, and counseled together against Him, as to how they might
destroy
Him.
(Mark
2:27-28 NASB) And He was saying to them, "The Sabbath was made for man,
and not
man for
the Sabbath. {28} "Consequently, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
Jesus points are:
������� 1.Human needs over-ride religious
protocol. (David and the bread)
������� 2.That the priests in the Temple break
the Sabbath with impunity.
������� 3.That He was greater than the Temple
or its priests and therefore can break the
��������� Sabbath.
������� 4.That God desires mercy (in this case
for hungry disciples) not sacrifice. Kindness
��������� has a higher priority than
sacrifices, religion and Sabbath-keeping.
������� 5.That Sabbatarian legalism just ends
up condemning the innocent.
������� 6.That the Son of Man is Lord even of
the Sabbath.
������� 7.That natural common sense, even for
animals would tell people to show
��������� compassion on the Sabbath.
������� 8.That it is permissible to do good on
the Sabbath.
������� 9.The Sabbath was made for man, not man
for the Sabbath. It is there to serve our
��������� need for rest and relaxation not to
be an onerous religious burden.
Jesus was
not abolishing the Sabbath (that would happen on the cross) rather He was
fulfilling
its
purpose as a day for freeing people, healing them and restoring them and as a
day for
showing
kindness and compassion. The Sabbath was not just a day for being religious. It
was
a day for
being loving. It was not just a day for going to church. It was a day for
feeding the
hungry and
healing the sick. God's Sabbath was not just a day for demonstrating your
holiness
and your
zeal but for showing your concern for your neighbor and even your animals. It
was
who you
were on the Sabbath not what you did on the Sabbath that was Jesus' chief
concern.
If you were as hard-hearted, cruel and vindictive as these Pharisees who ended
up
plotting
murder on the Sabbath - then no matter what you "do" in terms of
religious acts you
are NOT
keeping the Sabbath as God intended. (see Isaiah 58 which applies the same
principles
to fasting).
Don't Be Judgmental About The Sabbath
Paul lists
Sabbath-keeping among the disputable things in Romans 14. Thus Sabbath-keeping
was not an
issue of first importance and certainly not essential for salvation. Good
Christians
could be
on both sides of the issue. Many people who believe in keeping one day aside
for God
do so out
of very real reverence for Him and not out of legalism or bondage to elemental
spirits.
They do so "unto the Lord" and they are not to be judged by those who
see "all days
alike"
- and of course vice-versa. It is not an issue we are to judge one another on.
(Romans
14:1-6 NASB) Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose
of
passing
judgment on his opinions. {2} �{5} One man regards one day above another,
another
regards
every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. {6} He who
observes
the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he
gives
thanks to
God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to
God.
We are not
to let people "act as our judge" on the issue. However if we do keep
a Sabbath it
should be
as Jesus wanted it kept - as a day of compassion not of legalism. Personally I
keep
Sunday as
a day of rest and of visiting friends and I try to make it a "computer
free day" so I
live in
the real world in real relationships - not virtual ones. I see Sunday as a
"day of personal
restoration
and reflection" and do not feel under any obligation to go to two services
but I will
normally
go to one. I make sure there is plenty of space on Sunday for "being
human". I run
around a
lot during the week and it's great to crash out and snooze on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday should
be a day you look forward to with joy in anticipation of refreshment - not a
day
of even
more busyness. I think that is catching the true Creation intent of a Sabbath.
Sabbaths Are Shadows
(Colossians
2:16-17 NASB) Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink
or
in respect
to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day-- {17} things which are a mere
shadow of
what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ
(Galatians
4:9-11 NASB) 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? {10} You observe days and months and seasons and
years.
{11} I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.
The
Sabbath is a mere shadow. The substance - the real rest we have, is in Christ. It's
simply
not worth
making a big deal over a shadow! Paul goes on to call these things "weak
and
worthless
elemental things". In other words the Sabbath is a shadowy, weak,
worthless,
elemental
thing. It is therefore NOT to be the major issue for believers that it often
is. It is
certainly
not something we should feel enslaved to. (Gal 4:9) It is the "things to
come" and
the
"substance" that is important - not Sabbaths, new moons, festivals
etc. Christ is far above
all this
and it is Him we should seek.
Therefore
answering the four main errors listed at the top of this chapter.
������� 1.There are no binding Sabbaths on
Christians therefore you do not have to obey
��������� the Sabbath to be saved.
������� 2.There are no binding Sabbaths on
Christians therefore the Sabbath is not
��������� compulsory.
������� 1.The Jewish Sabbath is still Saturday
but the Christian Sabbath is in Christ - not on
��������� Saturday or Sunday.
������� 2.Sunday is the traditional day of
worship for Christians but it is not a binding
��������� Sabbath that we must observe on that
particular day. Days are shadows - the
��������� substance is Christ.
The Ten Commandments
Once you
say the Sabbath is not binding on Christians you run into the problem of the
Ten
Commandments.
The Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments so if we can break that
commandment
- what about the rest? Surely we still have to "obey the Ten
Commandments"?
The
chapter entitled "Be Ye Holy�" deals with this at considerable length
and I will not repeat
those
arguments here. We are no longer "under a law code" of any sort. But
we should be
righteous
and holy and live lives of good deeds done in the power of the Holy Spirit. We
live as
people
"led by the Spirit" who have new natures. The law is now written on
our hearts not on
tablets of
stone as the Ten Commandments were. We fulfill the Law by living a life of love
in
the
Spirit.
Love Is The Fulfillment Of The Law
Jesus
Jesus sees
the whole law and all the prophets summed up in the commands to love God and
neighbor.
They are the "meta-commandments" under which all the other commandments
are
subsumed.
If these two things are done then everything else is included.
(Matthew
22:36-40 NASB) "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
{37} And
He said to
him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' {38} "This is the great
and
foremost commandment. {39} "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR
NEIGHBOR
AS YOURSELF.' {40} "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the
Prophets."
Paul
Paul
directly deals with the Ten Commandments problem in Romans 13. He has just
spent
chapters
3-8 explaining that we are no longer under the Law and chapters 9-11 explaining
the
place of
Israel and the Jews now that Christ, not the Law, is the only means of salvation.
Now
Paul fires
some very big guns and speaks directly about the moral law of the OT saying it
is all
subsumed
under the command to love one's neighbor.
(Romans
13:8-10 NASB) Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who
loves
his
neighbor has fulfilled the law. {9} For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT
ADULTERY, YOU
SHALL NOT
MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is
any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE
YOUR
NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." {10} Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love
therefore is the
fulfillment of the law.
Notice how
Paul explicitly mentions four of the Ten Commandments (relating to adultery,
murder,
stealing and coveting) and then adds "and if there is any other
commandment" to
cover the
rest and to be all inclusive. Paul is not just attacking the "ceremonial
law" here. He
is going
right to the core of the OT Law and the moral law as expressed in the Ten
Commandments.
It is all summed up under the command to love our neighbor as ourselves
which is
the distinctly Christian commandment. Paul is NOT saying we can all run out and
commit
adultery. What he is saying is that we are not living up to a law code in a
book any
more but
rather living a life of love in the Spirit and if we do live a life of love in
the Spirit then
we
definitely won't commit adultery.
James
(James 2:8
NASB) If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the
Scripture, "YOU
SHALL LOVE
YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF," you are doing well
Even the
very Jewish James, who Luther said wrote a "right strawy epistle" ,
does not
advocate a
return to the Ten Commandments. For him the Royal Law is to love your neighbor
as
yourself and if you do this alone "you are doing well".
Love Does Not Give Us A License To Sin
Or To Be Carnal
Paul was
under no illusions about how the flesh could try to take advantage of the
tremendous
freedom we
have in Christ. Like many people who hear about grace he trembled a bit when
faced with
human nature under grace. It could go so wrong. Surely we need a few more
rules.
However
Paul does not add "a few more rules". Rather to keep the flesh from
rising up in
carnality
and division the Galatians were to do two simple things - love one another and
walk
in the
Spirit. Life under the Holy Spirit cannot be carnal and a life of love simply
cannot be
divisive
and hateful. These two provisions would keep them safe as they pursued true
Christian
liberty
without the Ten Commandments.
(Galatians
5:13-16 NASB) For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your
freedom
into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. {14} For
the
whole Law
is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR
AS
YOURSELF."
{15} But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by
one
another. {16} But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the
desire of the
flesh.
The Goal of Christian Instruction Is
Love From A Pure Heart (in Contrast To
Law-Keeping)
Paul was
instructing his disciple Timothy on what to aim for as a pastor and leader. He
did not
say
"be sure to keep them in line" or "Be strict and make sure they
keep the Ten
Commandments"
or "accountability, it's all a matter of accountability". Paul's goal
was loving
people who
were Christlike in understanding, nature and actions (See Ephesians 4:11 and
following).
Paul summed up the aim of all Christian ministry as "the goal of our
instruction is
love".
That is beautiful!
(1 Timothy
1:5 NASB) But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good
conscience
and a sincere faith.
The Ten Commandments Are For Sinners
To Convict Them Of Sin
Shall we
just rip the Old Testament out of our Bibles and throw it in the rubbish bin?
By no
means! It
is full of inspiration and truth and revelation. Our faith is unthinkable
without it. After
Paul talks
to Timothy about the goal of Christian ministry he goes on to discuss the
proper use
of the law
- to convict sinners of sin and reveal the righteousness of God.
(1 Timothy
1:5-11 NASB) But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a
good
conscience
and a sincere faith. {6} For some men, straying from these things, have turned
aside to
fruitless discussion, {7} 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.
{8} But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, {9} realizing
the
fact that
law is not made for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and
rebellious, for
the
ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their
fathers or
mothers,
for murderers {10} and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and
perjurers,
and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, {11} according to the glorious
gospel of
the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.
The Law
does not help righteous people become loving and thus fulfill the goal of the
Christian
life. The
law is thus not for the righteous. The Law ill however help sinners to realize
they are
sinning
and that they need to repent. In his book "Hell's Best Kept Secret"
the New Zealand
evangelist
Ray Comfort shows how the Ten Commandments can be effectively used to convict
unbelievers
of the fact that they actually are "sinners in need of a Savior".
There is an urgent
need for
this today when so many think they are "OK" and a very limited sense
of sin pervades
our
culture.
(Romans
3:20 NASB) because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His
sight; for
through
the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
People
need to know about their sin and the Ten Commandments will help them do that
especially
when explained with Jesus interpretations of adultery of the heart and anger
being
murder.
Soon anyone stands convicted. Paul calls the Law a wonderful tutor that leads
us to
Christ but
which we no longer need once we have found Christ.
(Galatians
3:22-26 NASB) But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise
by
faith in
Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. {23} But before faith came,
we were
kept in
custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be
revealed. {24}
Therefore
the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by
faith.
{25} But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. {26} For you
are all
sons of
God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Conclusion
Christians
live by the two commandments not the Ten Commandments. The Sabbath is no
longer
binding and the other commandments are subsumed under the commands to love God
and
neighbor. We live a life of loving one another while walking in the ethical
control of the
Holy
Spirit. The Ten Commandments are still very useful in evangelism for convicting
sinners of
their
sinfulness and their need for a Savior. However they cannot produce love in the
heart
which is
the goal of the Christian life.
Israel And The Church
The
miraculous rebuilding of the state of Israel after almost 2000 years of
dispersion and its
preservation
in the face of great hostility has led to many people searching the Bible for
answers to
what God is doing. Common questions are "Are the end times near?"
"Are Jews
saved
simply by virtue of being Jews and worshipping "the same God as we
do"? "Does God
still have a purpose for the Jewish nation ?".
With the
emergence of Messianic Jews as a segment within the Christian church again some
theological
issues that have lain dormant for 1900 years are re-emerging such as: Are the
Jews are
spiritually superior as a race? Should Gentile Christians be in awe of them?
Should we
adopt
their culture and sing their songs? Should all Christians observe Rosh
Hashanah, eat
kosher
food, be circumcised or use the Hebrew names for God?
This
chapter will attempt to answer these and similar questions in four sections -
"the Times of
the
Gentiles", "the Salvation of the Jews", "the Holy
City" and "Israel and the Church".
The Times of The Gentiles
(Luke
21:24 NKJV) "And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away
captive into
all
nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the
Gentiles are
fulfilled.
(Romans
11:25-27 NKJV) For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of
this
mystery,
lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has
happened to
Israel
until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. {26} And so all Israel will be
saved, as it is
written:
"The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness
from Jacob;
{27} For this
is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."
There is a
time for the Gentiles believers described in both of the above passages. This
time is
characterized
by two things 1) Jerusalem will be occupied by Gentiles with the Jews dispersed
through
all the nations 2) The Jews will be hard in heart towards the gospel. Both
these things
have begun
to change in recent years. In 1948 Israel became a nation and Jews began to
return to
the Promised Land. In 1967 Jerusalem was taken back from the Arabs. The Temple
Mount (at
the time of writing) is still under Arab control and this is the last and most
important
bit of
Jerusalem to be "trodden underfoot by the Gentiles". When that is
finally in Jewish
control
then the times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled.
Since 1967
increasing number of Jews have begun to turn to Christ and there has been an
explosion
of evangelical ministry to Jews and to Israel. This indicates that the times of
the
Gentiles
are coming to an end.
Many of
today's "unreached" people groups are in fact "once
-reached" people groups. This
especially
applies to the Arab nations and Russia which were among the first to hear the
Good
News
however they have since turned away. Except for tribal groups in a few nations
and in
remote
areas of India and China there are few "never reached" Gentiles left.
Our God is working
out His
program for the salvation of the world which started with the Jews and which
will end
with the
Jews. The completion of the Great Commission will be followed by the renewal of
Israel.
This is indicated in the Romans passage above which states that after the times
of the
Gentiles
are fulfilled that all Israel will be saved. This transformation of Israel will
probably be
part of
"the end" which quickly follows the completion of the task of world
evangelization
(Matthew
24:14 NKJV) "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the
world as a
witness to
all the nations, and then the end will come.
Paul sees
the spiritual revival of Israel as being even more glorious than the salvation
of the
world! Or
rather it adds great glory to it.
(Romans
11:15 NKJV) For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what
will
their
acceptance be but life from the dead?
The
revival in Israel will be "life from the dead" for the world and
while I can only guess at the
meaning of
this phrase it seems to mean that either the resurrection will take place
shortly
afterward
or that some great spiritual life will flow across the earth and the glory of
the Lord
will be
evident 'as the waters cover the sea'. I look forward to it whatever it is!
How should
we then pray? We should pray recognizing the times we are in and we should pray
for the
salvation of the Jews and the completion of God's purposes for Israel at the
same time
as we pray
for the completion of the task of world evangelization. Pray that God may use
you
to bring
"life from the dead".
The Salvation of Israel
(Romans
11:12-32 NKJV) Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure
riches for the
Gentiles,
how much more their fullness! {15} For if their being cast away is the
reconciling
of the
world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?... Because of
unbelief
they were
broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear... {23} And
they
also, if
they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft
them in
again�
{25} For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this
mystery,
lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has
happened to
Israel
until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. {26} And so all Israel will be
saved, as it is
written:
"The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness
from Jacob;
{27} For
this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins." {30} For as
you
were once
disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,
{31}
even so
these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they
also
may obtain
mercy. {32} For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have
mercy on
all.
The above
verses (highly edited because of space) clearly show that Paul expected all
Israel
to be
saved and to be "grafted in" to the place from which they had been
"broken off".
In the
first part I looked at "the time of the Gentiles" and showed it was
characterized by the
Jews in
dispersion, their hardness of heart toward the gospel, and the occupation of
Jerusalem
by
Gentiles. This was certainly the condition of the Jewish people until 1967.
Since then the
"times
of the Gentiles" have been coming to an end and the time for the salvation
of the Jews
has begun.
I believe we are on the verge of the next great move of God and that it will be
His
work
amongst the Jews.
Satan is raising up strong opposition
to this in the following ways:
�� a. Through the Jewish religious leaders who
are strongly opposed to any attempts to
���� evangelize the Jews.
�� b. Through strongly anti-Christian Islamic
forces surrounding Israel.
� �c. By
portraying Christians as hostile to the Jewish people.
�� d. By inducing the Church to neglect God's
agenda for the Jews. For instance if people are
���� taught that God has abandoned the Jews for
crucifying Christ and that the Church has
���� replaced Israel in God's purposes. Nowhere
is this taught in Scripture.
Paul
teaches a "hardening" but not an abandonment. God will eventually
cause all Israel to be
gloriously
saved. There are not two structures for redemption. God is not working through
the
Church and
through Israel. He is only working through the Church. However eventually the
Church
will be based in Jerusalem and all Israel will be a part of the Church. There
is only "one
new
man".
(Ephesians
2:11-17 NKJV) Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh; who are
called
Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands;
{12} that
at that
time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and
strangers
from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
{13}
But now in
Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of
Christ.
{14} For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down
the
middle
wall of separation, {15} having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the
law of
commandments
contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two,
thus
making peace, {16} and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body
through
the cross,
thereby putting to death the enmity. {17} And He came and preached peace to
you who
were afar off and to those who were near.
Through
Christ both Jew and Gentile have been merged together into "one new
man" which is
the
church, and in the church both Jew and Gentile stand by faith alone. See the
immediately
preceding
verses which are Eph 2:8-10.
The Jews
will not all be saved simply because they are Jews - they will all be saved
because
they will
all at last believe. Jews are not saved by virtue of being Jews.. Paul's cry
for the
salvation
of his countrymen is totally void if they were already saved by virtue of
"worshipping
the same
God as we do". They worshipped the right God, the wrong way, and "not
according
to
knowledge". The Jewish religion does not provide the righteousness that is
from God. To
receive
the righteousness from God they must believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
(Romans
10:1-4 NASB) Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for
their
salvation.
{2} For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in
accordance
with
knowledge. {3} For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to
establish their
own, they
did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. {4} For Christ is the end
of
the law
for righteousness to everyone who believes.
However
Paul does go on to say that they will be saved because they will give up their
unbelief
and be made part of God's "olive tree" once again.
(Romans
11:23 NKJV) And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted
in, for
God is
able to graft them in again.
This
revival of the Jewish nation is partly described by the prophet Zechariah. The
prophecy
was not
totally fulfilled at Christ's first coming and, in its context in Zechariah,
seems to be
just
before events associated with the return of the Lord (remainder of chapter 13).
(Zechariah
12:10-13:2 NKJV) "And I will pour on the house of David and on the
inhabitants of
Jerusalem
the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they
pierced.
Yes, they
will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one
grieves
for a
firstborn... "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of
David and for the
inhabitants
of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. {2} "It shall be in that
day," says the
LORD of
hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they
shall no
longer be
remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart
from the
land.
Israel
will repent as a whole nation and be cleansed from sin. This will be a major
step forward
in God's
purposes for Israel being a "holy nation". Israel will finally become
a part of His church
and He
will again be truly worshipped in Jerusalem. Satan will try to stop this by
bringing many
nations
against Jerusalem but he shall be defeated.
(Zechariah
14:16 NKJV) And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the
nations
which came
against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD
of
hosts, and
to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
The
salvation of all Israel is a fascinating study in how God will accomplish
"the impossible" in
taking a
dispersed and unbelieving people and making them into a secure and holy nation.
Praise be
to God whose plans can never be thwarted and whose gifts and callings are
irrevocable.
(Romans
11:28-29 NKJV) Concerning the gospel they (the Jews) are (presently) enemies
for
your sake,
but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. {29}
For
the gifts
and the calling of God are irrevocable.
The Holy
City After all Israel has been saved Jerusalem will be a holy city to which all
nations
will come.
(Micah
4:1-3 NKJV) Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of
the
Lord's
house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted
above the
hills; And
peoples shall flow to it. {2} Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and
let us go
up to the
mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His
ways,
And we
shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the
word of the
LORD from
Jerusalem. {3} He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations
afar off;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning
hooks;
Nation
shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.
This seems
to be different from the "New Jerusalem" of Revelation in that it is
clearly on earth
and
nations still need to be rebuked. War is given up by the nations but
agriculture is still
common and
ordinary life seems to be going on. It is not yet the eternal state but a vast
improvement
on our present condition. The full renewal has not yet come when this is
fulfilled.
It seems
to be an intermediate stage between what we see at present and the new heavens
and the
new earth This may well be the time when Satan is bound for a while.
(Revelation
20:1-3 NKJV) Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to
the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. {2} He laid hold of the dragon,
that serpent
of old,
who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; {3} and he cast
him
into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should
deceive the
nations no
more till the thousand years were finished.
Other
prophecies that point out a renewed role for Jerusalem in world affairs
include:
(Jeremiah
3:16-17 NKJV) "Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and
increased in
the land
in those days," says the LORD, "that they will say no more, 'The ark
of the covenant
of the
LORD.' It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they
visit it, nor
shall it
be made anymore. {17} "At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne
of the
LORD, and
all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem.
No
more shall
they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.
This
central role of Jerusalem will be as the worship center of the world. The
people of the
world or
at least of Jerusalem shall no longer follow the dictates of their evil hearts.
This
implies
they are all partakers in the salvation that is in Jesus Christ. The law is
powerless to
effect
such a moral change (Romans 7) only the Spirit can give this sort of strength
(Galatians
5:16-18).
Some sort of spiritual revival has come to large portions of the world.
It is not
the law or the old Jewish temple system that will attract the nations though
some
vestiges
of it, such as the Feast of Tabernacles will remain. The ark of the covenant,
which
was
central to the old worship system, will be remembered no more.(Jeremiah
3:16,17) The
worship
will be centered on Christ.
Israel
will be a nation of believers in Jesus Christ and Jerusalem will be a glorious
city with the
presence
of God manifest in it so that all nations will stream to it.
(Isaiah
60:1,2,10,11,12 NKJV) Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of
the LORD
is risen
upon you. {2} For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness
the
people;
But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you...
"The sons of
foreigners
shall build up your walls, And their kings shall minister to you; For in My
wrath I
struck
you, But in My favor I have had mercy on you. {11} Therefore your gates shall
be open
continually;
They shall not be shut day or night, That men may bring to you the wealth of
the
Gentiles,
And their kings in procession. {12} For the nation and kingdom which will not
serve
you shall
perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined..
Yet it is
not a perfect world for there will be those that resist going up to Jerusalem
perhaps
out of
jealousy or resentment. The hostile nations that refuse to worship will not
receive any
rain that
year.
(Zechariah
14:16-17 NKJV) And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the
nations
which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King,
the
LORD of
hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. {17} And it shall be that
whichever of
the
families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD
of hosts,
on them
there will be no rain.
Satan
constantly attacks our ability to perceive and to receive the goodness and
power of
God. He
will be so defeated by a revival of the Jews that the goodness, power and glory
of
God will
be clearly manifest at last including God's protection of His people.
(Zechariah
2:4-5 NKJV) who said to him, "Run, speak to this young man, saying: 'Jerusalem
shall be
inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock
in it.
{5} 'For
I,' says the LORD, 'will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the
glory in her
midst.'"
Israel and The Church
How then
can we mesh God's purposes for the Jews and for Jerusalem with His purposes for
the
Church? Both Israel and the Gentiles are made one through the blood of Jesus
Christ
(Ephesians
2:11-17). Both enter into salvation through faith or are denied salvation
through
unbelief.
Christ has only one body, not two. Believing Jews are now part of the Church
which
is God's
redemptive structure. Thus there is a complex relationship between the Jewish
nation
and the
Christian church. "Salvation is from the Jews" said Jesus (John 4:22)
and our Savior
and our
Scriptures are Jewish. The root of Christianity is Jewish and we Gentiles have
been
grafted
in. (Romans 11:16-24)
Does this
mean that the Jews are racially superior and that we should adopt their culture
and
sing their
songs? Should all Christians eat kosher food, be circumcised or use the Hebrew
names for
God? That question was firmly settled by the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) - Jews
are
entitled
to their culture and so are Gentiles. Jewish Christians may do all of the above
things
but they
are not obligatory for Gentiles. Christianity transcends culture. There is no
one "right
culture"
to be adopted by all who name Christ Jesus.
"(Galatians
3:26-29 NKJV) For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. {27}
For as
many of
you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. {28} There is neither Jew
nor
Greek,
there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are
all one in
Christ
Jesus. {29} And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to
the
promise."
Messianic
Jews (Jews who believe in Jesus) are not a superior form of Christianity. They
are
not closer
to God because they are Jewish. We are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.
Then are
Jewish believers "just like other Christians" and has God forgotten
His plans for
national
Israel or transferred them to the Church? Certainly God has made the Church,
not a
particular
nation, the vehicle for salvation. But God does have plans for Israel and very
glorious
ones if Isaiah
60-66 is to be believed.
God will
achieve all the objectives of the Abrahamic covenant. The nations will be
blessed, the
descendants
of Abraham will be as numerous as the stars of the sky and land of Israel shall
belong to
God's people.
(Genesis
17:4-8 , 22: 17,18) e.g. "And I will establish My covenant between Me and
you and
your
descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be
God to you
and your
descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the
land in
which you
are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I
will be
their
God."
In the end
Israel will be God's land and the Jews will all be saved (Romans 11) Jews and
Gentiles
will together make up the body of Christ as one "new man in Christ
Jesus". Satan will
not be
able to steal one square inch of Israel from God or stop Him from making
Jerusalem a
praise in
the earth. Neither can Israel's own stubbornness prevent God's purposes being
fulfilled
for our unfaithfulness does not invalidate God's faithfulness to His promises.
(2 Timothy
2:13 NKJV) If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
And
(Romans 11:2 NKJV) God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. We have
not
seen all
these things happen yet, but they will happen - because we have a mighty God.
(Jeremiah
33:23-26 NKJV) Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, {24}
"Have
you not considered what these people have spoken, saying, 'The two families
which the
LORD has chosen,
He has also cast them off'? Thus they have despised My people, as if they
should no
more be a nation before them. {25} "Thus says the LORD: 'If My covenant is
not
with day
and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth, {26}
'then I
will cast away the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, so that I will
not take
any of his
descendants to be rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For
I
will cause
their captives to return, and will have mercy on them.'"
Application To Understanding the OT
Today
The two
essential truths I want you to grasp are a) the Church is God's only redemptive
structure
in the heavenly realms and b) God has plans for Israel on earth as a nation.
We can
only be saved through believing the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jews are
not
spiritually
superior or special in fact they have experienced a partial hardening. Their
culture is
not to be
adopted as a superior culture by God's people. We are to treasure the Jews
because
Jesus was
a Jew and they had the promises and the Scriptures and they still have a place
in
God's
heart. Christianity must never be anti-Semitic.
Righteousness
only comes through faith in Jesus Christ not through a particular nation no
matter how
involved it has been in God's purposes. Jewishness is good for Jews but heaven
is
of
"all tribes and nations" and we can be sure that God loves Gentile
cultures as well.
Many of
the OT prophecies about Israel seem to be on their way to fulfillment today. .
Israel is
the clue
to God's prophetic calendar. Which leads us on to our next chapter - OT
prophecy
and NT
prophecy and the difference in practice and expectations in the life of the
Church
today.
Prophecy, Prophets and the Holy Spirit
Lifestyle
One of the
great changes that came about in the new Christian community on the day of
Pentecost
was the emergence of prophecy as a common Christian experience. After 400 years
of
prophetic silence (until John the Baptist) a new phenomenon emerged after
Pentecost. Now
that all
believers had access to God through the one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18) we can
receive
inspiration
and revelation from God. We have received the "spirit of wisdom and
revelation in
the
knowledge of Him". (Eph 1:17, 1 Cor 2:9-16). The sheer largesse and abundance
of this is
almost too
much to comprehend. It all starts with Peter's bold interpretation of a
prophecy of
Joel.
(Acts
2:16-18 NASB) but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: {17}
'AND IT
SHALL BE
IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT
UPON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM
DREAMS; {18} EVEN UPON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL IN
THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT And they shall prophesy.
Prophecy
would now be abundant. Their sons and daughters (verse 17) and their
men-servants
and maidservants (verse 18) would prophesy. Prophecy did indeed become
common so
that when Paul was writing to the church in Corinth ( and we need to remember
these were
house churches) he wrote:
(1
Corinthians 14:29-33 NASB) And let two or three prophets speak, and let the
others pass
judgment.
{30} But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, let the first keep
silent.
{31} For
you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted;
{32}
and the
spirits of prophets are subject to prophets; {33} for God is not a God of
confusion but
of peace,
as in all the churches of the saints.
Here Paul
was saying that only two or three prophets should speak at one time, and that
one
at a time
and everyone can wait their turn to prophesy. Wait a minute - two or three
prophets,
at least, in every house church! This is astonishing! This is a massive
outbreak of
prophecy.
Paul even tells the Corinthian believers to seek the spiritual gift of prophecy
as if it
was fairly
commonly available, in the process he contrasts it with the gift of tongues.
(1
Corinthians 14:1-5 NASB) Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but
especially
that you
may prophesy. {2} For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to
God; for
no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. {3} But one who
prophesies
speaks to
men for edification and exhortation and consolation. {4} One who speaks in a
tongue
edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church. {5}Now I wish that
you all
spoke in
tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who
prophesies
than one
who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive
edifying.
Abundant Prophecy And Abundant
Problems
This
outbreak of prophecy soon had its problems and discernment was needed so that
Paul
would
write phrases like "let the others weigh what is said", 'don't
despise prophetic
utterances'
and "hold to what is good, reject what is evil" in regard to NT
prophecy. ( 1
Corinthians
14:29, 1 Thessalonians 5:20,21). Prophecy is not without its problems today
especially
if we try to use an OT model as the standard for NT prophecy. We soon end up
with
questions
like:
���� Are NT and OT prophets the same or
different?
���� Are NT prophets adding to Scripture?
���� Can NT prophets say "Thus said the
Lord"?
���� If everyone can prophesy are we all
prophets like Isaiah was?
���� Do NT prophets predict long-range futures
such as the return of the Lord or national
���� destinies?
���� What is the role of the prophet in a local
congregation and how is it different from the
���� forceful prophetic leadership of national
Israel?
Many of
the abuses of prophecy today flow from importing an OT idea of prophecy into
the NT
idea of
the prophetic. They are indeed similar but there are some HUGE differences. In
the NT
all things
are made new - including the prophetic.
OT and NT Prophecy
We saw
earlier that the Law and the prophets prophesied until John the Baptist
(Matthew
11:11-13).
Whatever OT prophets were - they ceased then. There are no more OT style
prophets
today. Who then prophesies in the NT? If "the prophets" ceased with
John the
Baptist -
who was Agabus and what shall we make of Revelation? I will have to take you
into a
very
little bit of Greek and Hebrew and semantics so hold tight.
John the
Baptist was the last of the Scripture writing prophets, the OT
"nabi". The OT prophet
was a very
different figure to the NT prophet and perhaps we should not even be using the
same
English word for them. No-one can go around doing a "thus said the
Lord" today or
coming up
with a new book of the Bible. No NT prophet wrote Scripture. Let's see why.
The NT
prophet uses the Greek word "prophetess" a prophetess was an
"inspired person" much
as we
might see a poet or an inventor as being inspired. Inspiration with a small
"i" not the big
"I"
of the inspiration of Scripture. For instance Pythagorus the mathematician was
called a
"prophet"
and Paul calls the Cretan poet Epiminedes a prophet when he quotes him in the
first
chapter of
Titus. (Titus 1:12) . The word is a very general use of the term prophet.
One
sub-set of the prophetess was the nabi - the OT prophet who spoke infallible
words from
God. If
you think of the term prophetess as a very big circle with a wide range of
meanings
then right
in the center is a very small circle containing the inspired, authoritative and
inerrant
""nabi"
of the OT. The term prophetess covers the "nabi" and a lot more
besides. All nabi are
prophetess
but not all prophetess are nabi.
None of
the NT prophets wrote Scripture. Not one word of it.(Agabus is reported in
Scripture
but he
didn't write it) All writing of Scripture was done by the apostles. The
prophets
encouraged
and exhorted the local congregations, predicted famines and tried to keep Paul
in
line
unsuccessfully.
National vs. Congregational Prophets
In the OT
the national prophet was part of the system of prophet, priest and king and had
a
recognized
role in anointing and appointing national leadership. The prophet prophesied
the rise
and fall
of national groups (Jer 1:10) and was a political figure. When Samuel turned up
there
was fear
and trembling. The prophets were given awe and respect and were not evaluated
first.
When they spoke you simply did what you were told.
In stark
contrast the NT prophet is generally an apolitical person. She ministers in the
local
congregation
and is judged by her peers. The NT prophet is not concerned with appointing
national
leadership, anointing Emperors or tackling the political reforms of the day.
The nature
of the
Kingdom has changed. It is no longer a political Kingdom we belong to but a
spiritual one
and the
prophet's role has changed accordingly. The NT prophet is concerned with God's
people,
generally in a local congregation of which they are part and in which they
operate
under
submission and review (see the latter part of 1 Cor 14). Two mysterious
prophets will
rise up at
the end time (Rev 11:3-6) with national and international significance but they
are a
rarity.
The NT prophets of Acts, Corinthians and most renewal congregations today are
not
national
or international prophets but congregational prophets and it is deeply risky
for them to
borrow the
mantle of Elijah.
The NT Congregational Prophet
The
effects of prophecy on the unbeliever are perhaps a good place to start.
(1 Corinthians
14:24-25 NASB) But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an ungifted man
enters, he
is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; {25} the secrets of his
heart are
disclosed;
and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is
certainly among
you.
The
prophet, inspired by God, uncovers the secrets of the unbelievers heart so that
he falls on
his face
in repentance and worships God. Here we see NT prophecy operating in a ministry
of
conviction.
Earlier in
that chapter Paul speaks of the general role of prophecy in the congregation.
The
role of
the prophet is to edify the church with words of exhortation and consolation.
(1
Corinthians 14:3-4 NASB) But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification
and
exhortation
and consolation. {4} One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who
prophesies
edifies the church.
In
contrast to tongues prophecy ministers to people generally. It is
other-centered. It builds
up the
body of Christ which is why Paul valued it so highly.
(Acts
15:32-33 NASB) And Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged
and
strengthened
the brethren with a lengthy message. {33} And after they had spent time there,
they were
sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out.
NT Prophecy And Predicting The Future
Prophecy
can also be used to predict the future. Agabus is the best known example for
his
two
prophecies in Acts. Such prophecies of the future seem to be mainly a) personal
destinies
or b)
short-term futures only. There is no example of them prophesying the future
hundreds of
years in
advance as Isaiah or Daniel did.
(Acts
11:27-28 NASB) Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to
Antioch.
{28} And
one of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that
there
would
certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the
reign of
Claudius.
(Acts
21:10-11 NASB) And as we were staying there for some days, a certain prophet
named
Agabus
came down from Judea. {11} And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his
own
feet and
hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: 'In this way the Jews
at Jerusalem
will bind
the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the
Gentiles.'"
These
predictions of the future are delivered in situations where they are
immediately relevant.
They are
not stored up for many years hence. The future predictions of a famine was so
the
church
could prepare in the present and Agabus' prediction of Paul's fate was an
attempt to
get Paul
to see reason at that point in time. Both future prophecies were relevant to
the
congregation
or individual at the moment in time when they were delivered.
We have no
examples of NT prophets predicting national destinies or giving new light on
the
return of
the Lord - that is always done by the major apostles. Congregational prophets
do not
establish
new doctrine concerning Christ and when they do predict the future it is
relevant to
the life
of the church at that point in time.
Imparting Spiritual Gifts/Ordination
Just as
the prophets were involved with sending out Paul and Barnabas they were
involved
with
imparting a spiritual gift to Timothy. Notice also the plurality of prophets in
the Acts
reference
which is also implied in 1 Timothy.
(Acts
13:1-4 NASB) Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets
and
teachers:
Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who
had been
brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. {2} And while they were
ministering
to the
Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and
Saul for the work
to which I
have called them." {3} Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid
their hands
on them,
they sent them away. {4} So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down
to
Seleucia
and from there they sailed to Cyprus
(1 Timothy
4:14 NASB) Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed
upon
you
through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.
Bearers of Inspiration From God
In the
light of the above, the NT prophets can perhaps best be described as
"bearers of
inspiration
from God for the need of the moment". They bring inspiration from God into
the
center of
the congregation of believers which then works out as a prophetic utterance
that
convicts,
exhorts, and consoles . The NT prophet also sees personal destinies and
short-term
futures
and imparts spiritual gifts to those set aside for the work of the gospel.
The
clearest examples of this "bearing of inspiration from God for the need of
the moment" can
be found
in the "Pentecosts" in Acts, the Jewish one in Jerusalem and the
Gentile one at
Cornelius'
house and the mysterious one with John's disciples in Ephesus.
(Acts
2:3-11 NASB) And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing
themselves,
and they
rested on each one of them. {4} And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and
began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance... we hear them
in
our own
tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God."
(Acts
10:44-48 NASB) While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell
upon all
those who
were listening to the message. {45} And all the circumcised believers who had
come with
Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon
the
Gentiles also. {46} For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and
exalting God.
Then Peter
answered, {47} "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be
baptized who
have
received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?" {48} And he ordered them
to be
baptized
in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
(Acts 19:6
NASB) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them,
and they
began speaking with tongues and prophesying.
When the
new Christian community is created it is created as a Spirit-filled community
that
receives
inspiration from God that results in the new believers bursting out in praise
and
glorifying
God. This is seen as a prophetic act in that Peter stands up as says of this
activity
"This
is what was spoken by the prophet Joel you sons and daughters shall
prophesy.." while
the
speaking in tongues and praising God was going on all around him. By the time
we get to
Acts 19
Luke is directly describing it as prophesy. It fits the Jewish tradition of
prophesy in
that it is
similar to quite a few prophetic incidents in the OT such as:
(Numbers
11:25 NASB) Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took
of the
Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And it came
about
that when
the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.
(1 Samuel
10:5-7 NASB) "Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the
Philistine
garrison
is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will
meet a
group of
prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a
lyre
before
them, and they will be prophesying. {6} "Then the Spirit of the LORD will
come upon
you
mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. {7}
"And it
shall be
when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires; for
God is
with you.
This
informal definition of prophesying seems much closer to what happened in the NT
church.
Thus
congregational prophets are bearers of inspiration from God and form part of
the spiritual
heart of
the new community called the Church. They glorify God in the Spirit and bring
conviction,
exhortation and consolation. They are the Holy Spirit speaking through
Christians
to the
present needs of the moment.
Prophetic Abuse
If someone
says "I prophesied, therefore I am a prophet, therefore I am infallible
and I can tell
you what
to do with your life with a "thus said the Lord" then that person is
in serious error.
Prophetic
abuse is common today as the revival of prophecy combined with the homogenizing
of OT and
NT that is common in so many pulpits leads to disaster. I'll get to the point
here and
perhaps be
a bit blunt.
���� You cannot say "thus saith the
Lord", the closest the NT comes is "thus saith the Holy
���� Spirit" (Acts 21:11) and that was
from a tried and tested prophet.
���� Not all who prophesy are prophets. Many
Christians prophesied but the office of prophet
���� was next to that of apostle and was an
itinerant and probably full-time ministry. Paul
���� says bluntly "not all are
prophets" ( 1 Cor 12:28-31) yet seems to imply that the gift of
���� prophecy can be sought by most Christians.
(1 Cor 14:1-5) Phillip the evangelist had
���� four virgin daughters who prophesied but
they are not called prophets. (Acts 21:9)
���� Women prophesied in Corinthians but were
explicitly not to be given authority in the
���� Corinthian church. ( 1 Corinthians 11:3-5,
14:34,35) Thus for some reason these women
���� who prophesied in that church were not
given the office of prophet in that church. The
���� gift and the office are different.
���� NT prophecy was not infallible but had to
be judged by others (1 Cor 14:29) was
���� sometimes a mixture of good and bad (1
Thess 5:21) and was such that it could even be
���� despised - presumably because of its
eccentricity (1 Thess 5:20).
���� Prophecy is for the building up of the
church not for the personal domination of individual
���� believers by the "prophet". You
have freedom to disregard even the best prophets as
���� Paul disregarded Agabus and went on to
Jerusalem. (Acts 21:10-14)
���� NT prophecy seems mainly to have been
bringing God's inspiration, through the Holy
���� Spirit to people at a particular place and
point in time. It was very much grounded in
���� edifying God's people for the immediate
task at hand and imparting wisdom and spiritual
���� gifts so it was achieved. Perhaps a bit
like Haggai prophesying about the rebuilding of
���� the Temple. Day by day prophecy to get the
job done. Prophecies which purport to give
���� the fate of America or the nature of the
end times are, in my view, highly suspect - that
���� is unless the person or group receiving
the prophecy is somehow directly connected with
���� these things and needs that word. We have
enough in Scripture to give us a good idea
���� of such things, let us turn to that
instead. We cannot take the OT national prophet
���� model and impose it on the NT
congregational prophet.
Conclusion
In the NT
God has created His church to be a Spirit-indwelt community that directly
receives
revelation
from Him (1 Cor 2:9-16, 1 John 2:10,27). The receiving of such revelation and
passing it
on to the community is the role of those who prophesy. Such revelation needs to
be
properly
discerned and tested. Prophecy is now generalized and no longer the province of
national
prophets of immense status who spoke the infallible words of God. NT prophecy
has
more to do
with God's will in the present moment and glorifying Him in worship. There are
very
significant
differences between OT prophecy and NT prophecy and we cannot use the OT
model as
normative for the NT phenomena.
Moving Ahead
Sometimes
I can some fairly extreme reactions to this teaching from "We've been lied
to all
these
years" to "I'm leaving my church it's all wrong" or "This
is the biggest load of rubbish I've
ever heard
I don't want to listen to any more of your teaching". These reactions are
NOT what
this book
is aiming at. With the exceptions of Catholics and Seventh-Day Adventists I
don't
want you
to leave your church. If you are a Catholic or an SDA please find another
church
graciously.
I do regard the teaching of those two denominations as seriously off-center
regarding
the gospel.
For the
rest of you - every church has its faults. I don't know of any denomination
that
perfectly
conforms to the NT pattern or has got the "new wineskins" worked out.
While I do
want to
point out a better way, I do not want, in the process, to plunge Christians
into deep
and bitter
disillusionment with their churches. This book is a deeply radical look at what
it
means to
be a NT Christian. Radical but I hope loving. I do not want you to march off in
an
angry
storm of protest because you have discovered an error or three in your church
and its
theology
and practice. Neither you or the church will grow if that happens.
This book
does say that when Jesus talked about the need for new wineskins He wasn't just
tacking
patches on the old ones. He was very serious when He used the organic metaphors
of
leaven in
the loaf and mustard seeds. It�s a big change, a living revolution. How will we
cope?
Slowly as
usual I suspect!
Were you lied
to? Probably not. While I think many of the televangelists are con-artists,
most
pastors
are real and genuine people who love you and the Lord and the Word of God.
However
they, like
many others, have fallen for mixing in the old with the new. It�s a continual
process
of
reformation and it is not easy for anyone. Reaching these conclusions has taken
me twenty
years!
Many of
you will be uneasy with some of the theological stances taken in this book.
Pentecostals
will probably think I am being too much of a conservative evangelical and
conservative
evangelicals will think that I am way too charismatic. Like any good
conservative
evangelical
(and that is my roots as a Baptist) I start with the inerrancy of the
Scriptures and
a concern
for sound exegesis, logic and system. Contradictions must be explained. I do
not
believe
there is any virtue in an inconsistent and incoherent theology. God is
ultimately very
rational
and orderly and truth-full. On the other hand I am passionate about receiving
the
fullness of
Christian experience and not setting limits on God and I believe that Jesus
sent the
Holy
Spirit into our midst to bring us life and to lead us into real and tangible
intimacy with
Himself.
If you haven't experienced that yet -please seek it.
Should you
go and give your beloved pastor a copy of this with a smug "read this you
guardian
of the
Temple" type comment. No, please don't. We are called to love one another,
so please
love your
pastor. Pastors do their best. If you think that your pastor may be receptive,
if
there is
an interest there in new ways of doing church - then by all means pass the book
on.
Just don't
do it out of hostility or in a "I'm going to change you" kind of way.
One of my
big concerns is that we get back to the Sermon On The Mount and start living
out
our
Christian faith with integrity, love and lots of good works done in real and
sincere
fellowship.
I can only see this happening in home fellowships whether those fellowships are
house
churches or are cell groups of a larger local church. The NT lifestyle
advocated in these
pages is
not the sort you can live as a mere spectator or as a board member of an
institution.
I have
been on so many committees that I now seriously question them. We need a better
way.
We need a
Christian life that tenaciously grabs hold of all that we are "in
Christ". In His death,
in His
life, in His ascended glory and in His Church. Sometimes we tack "Jesus
died for your
sins"
onto the old Temple structures and call that Christianity. This is terribly inadequate
as we
have seen.
It leaves so much out and leaves the believer in the grip of much that is
legalistic
or
defective. If often leads to guilty, obsessive Christians. If we stop at the
cross the
resurrection
life and ascension authority gets left out of the equation. If you get anything
at
all from
what I have just written get the determination to live in ALL that Jesus has
done for
you. In
His life, death, resurrection, ascension and impending return. Don't live in
old patterns,
live in
new life.
�
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