The Great Tithing Debate
Condemned If You Do, Condemned If You Don't
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In this book, among many other freedom producing facts, you’re going to learn that scripturally, tithing does not, cannot, and never will, “open the windows” of heaven for any New Testament Believer. I know many teach this erroneous “works based” access to God, but verses (ordinances) from a cancelled (old) covenant, cannot appropriately be applied as a source of provisional redemption on this side of the cross. And these same OT verses, written 500 years before Christ’s “finished work,” were without a doubt, NEVER written to, or intended for, today’s New Testament church.
But the good news is; Jesus, without your help, has already completely opened heaven for those who are “in Christ,” according to John 1:51 and II Cor. 1:20. Even though tithing is usually taught in ignorance, it is actually an insult to the blood of Jesus when anyone teaches that an Old Testament (OT) ordinance (Mal. 3:7) does that which Jesus suffered, bled, and died to accomplish.
You’ll also learn that this same ordinance was actually nailed to Jesus’ cross along with all the other OT ordinances, according to Col. 2:14. Paul said that this was done because these ordinances “were against us,” and in Hebrews 7:18, he even said that they were “unprofitable!” Yes, the church has been convinced that tithing was not one of these ordinances, but the New and Old Testaments are exceedingly clear that it was, and still is, an ordinance (law).
If you’ll think for a moment, it is very obvious that tithing was one of the ordinances “against us” because the very verses commonly used to endorse tithing, Malachi 3: 8 - 11, in context, were actually being used by Malachi to rebuke the Jews for not keeping the entire Levitical Law of Moses, which included tithing. Hence, they were cursed for practicing the Law partially, as all tithers are doing today. Many hope that tithing will bring a blessing, but keeping only one law, while ignoring all the others, will only bring a curse, as Paul warned several times in his writings to the NT church.
This is exactly why all the ordinances were, and are, against anyone who tries to do any of them, from tithing and keeping the Sabbath, to circumcision and avoiding pork. And according to Jesus, Peter, and Paul; no one has ever kept the whole Law, which is exactly why we need grace through faith. This is confirmed in Acts 15:10, John 7:19 & Romans 4:15.
Failure is the only possible end result of trying to serve God through the Law (tithing), yet millions are repeatedly taught every Sunday that tithing is God’s first step to success, a requirement for God’s favor, and many other such claims. Such teaching is precisely why Paul warned in Galatians, chapter 1, that adding the Law (any part of it) to the Gospel would cause it to become “Another Gospel.”
You see, for many years I was a defender of tithing myself, but then one evening the Holy Spirit visited me in my hotel room in Hannibal, MO. That night He led me to connect the ordinances in Mal. 3:7 (tithing) with those in Col. 2:14 (the ones nailed to the cross). So, yes, according to God Himself, tithing IS an ordinance (law), even though we’ve been continuously told that it is not. This amazing revelation changed my whole life, for the better.
Also, you must understand that tithing is NOT the same as giving. Giving is strictly free will, while tithing is not. The New Testament ONLY teaches free will giving for any form of church support or charitable giving. Tithing is NEVER taught in the NT (after Jesus is raised from the dead, the actual beginning of the NT) for many good reasons. The main one being, tithing is totally the opposite of the scriptural definition of “grace.” We’ll have more on this later.
Unfortunately, even though tithing was nailed to Jesus’ cross, some don’t mind teaching tithing as God’s law for today. And many of today’s ministers, those who don’t want to call it a “law,” still make it a “church ordinance” by calling it a “standard,” “a starting place,” “a requirement for obedience,” “an Old Testament example for us,” or some such thing. This is how tithing is often kept alive, but none of this thinking is backed by the NT. They say it is not a “law,” but then subtly suggest that you’re out of God’s favor if you don’t do it. This is the very “leaven” Paul warned of.
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About the Book
Finally, there’s a book that uses sound, rightly divided doctrine and wisdom to answer all your tithing questions. No longer will you have to rely on opinions, clichés, wishful thinking, passed down deceptions, legalism, or plain ole foolishness just to know what is required of you and where you stand with God. The Bible is very clear for those who want to know.
All of your questions are thoroughly answered in THE GREAT TITHING DEBATE. The huge list of tithing questions, compiled over years of waiting for tithing to finally work, hinges on an exhaustive knowledge, or lack thereof, concerning exactly what Jesus fully accomplished at the cross. When the reality of redemption is properly understood, most questions disappear and the once shaky believer finds that, not only is he now standing on solid rock, but has actually become part of that rock.
When redemption is fully understood, one realizes that the act of tithing to “open heaven” or provide anything that Jesus freely gave at the cross is actually an insult to the suffering He endured at the cross. Yes, tithing worked in the Old Covenant as a part of the total Law, but has absolutely no place in the New Covenant that provides everything (Romans
We may call it an “act of faith,” “obedience,” “doing the Word,” “good stewardship,” or what ever we want, but at the end of the day it is nothing more than an obsolete, Old Testament ordinance that will only “frustrate the grace of God,” as Paul taught in Galatians. As circumcision became “nothing” under the NT, likewise, tithing is no longer obligatory.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to actually have your prayers easily answered because of Jesus’ finished work and the Name He gave us to use? Would you like to know that God is going to say “yes” to His promises without you having to wonder if all your church ducks are in a row? And finally, wouldn’t it be nice to have a royal ring put on your finger, a kingly robe put on your back, and a big hug of approval without having to sleep in the bunk house as a “servant” until it’s decided that you can be trusted?
So, this is a book about salvation; something that the church seems to know little about. Beyond forgiveness of sins, today’s church seems to be unaware and uninterested in understanding redemption. This vacuum has left us open to a myriad of opinions, questionable doctrines, and even deception.
This book endeavors to fill some of that vacuum. You should get a copy and explore the possibilities of the complete redemption that God intended for us to enjoy. Examine the free preview below and “taste and see that the Lord is good,” even much better than we’ve been taught.
Hopefully, pride, a rampant byproduct of legalism and performance, won’t keep you from hearing. Maybe you’re still teachable and open to God’s leading, even if you’re already pretty sure you have a good understanding of the duties required of a genuine Christian.
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Malachi was
About the Author
A. Bruce Wells was born in
Invitations to speak to a large variety of churches have taken Bruce to 48 states and a number of foreign countries including
Bruce and his wife Marsha love being around the water and they enjoy the perfect winter weather of southern