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28
Nov
2022

Are Christians Required To Tithe?

Tithe

I’ve heard people ask, “Why do we tithe ten percent?” This question reveals that the person thinks tithing is a word synonymous with giving. The way many Christians conflate “tithing” and “giving” suggests that they don’t know what the word tithe means. 

Tithe is a word which means one tenth; ten percent. Tithing is the practice of giving ten percent of one’s income to the church. If I give nine percent (or less) of my income I am not tithing. If I give eleven percent (or more) of my income, that is not tithing either. To tithe is to give ten percent.

Some pastors and teachers tell us that giving ten percent is mandatory. On top of that, if we are willing and able we should give “offerings” that are above and beyond the tithe. Conventional Christian wisdom says this is the way it is and the way it has always been. Does the New Testament require Christians to tithe?

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Misconceptions, Money
21
Nov
2022

The Ten Commandments Are Not For Christians!

It is assumed by most people that Christians are obligated to obey the Ten Commandments. Is this true? The question shouldn’t really be about whether Christians must obey the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were part of the Mosaic covenant and therefore part of the law:

“And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone.” (Deut. 4:13 ESV)

Therefore, the question should be, “Are Christians required to obey the law of Moses?” This is a question that has resulted in confusion for centuries. There was confusion about it in the earliest days of the church and there has been confusion ever since.

We can see in the New Testament that Christians continued to observe certain Old Covenant commands. Yet, the authors of the New Testament are silent about other Mosaic laws. This leaves us wondering how we are to know which laws from the old covenant Christians are required to obey. 

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Covenants, Misconceptions
14
Nov
2022

Is It True That God Will Not Allow Sin In His Presence?, Part 2

In the previous post we observed that certain passages, which at first glance appear to suggest that God will not allow sin in His presence, have been misconstrued. The Bible is absolutely full of examples of God interacting with sinners. He was in their presence throughout all of biblical history. Let’s note just a few examples.

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Misconceptions, Theology
07
Nov
2022

Is It True That God Will Not Allow Sin In His Presence?, Part 1

God Will Not Allow Sin

Conventional Christian wisdom says that God will not allow sin in His presence. People repeat this so often it is accepted by Bible students as a biblical fact. The following quote is representative of this idea:

“Because GOD hates sin and GOD is righteous, just and holy, His nature disallows Himself from coexisting with sin in His presence. For this reason, GOD must keep Himself separated from sin.”1

Is this true? Does the Bible really say that God does not allow Himself to be in the presence of sin? As a matter of fact, the Bible does not say this. It is a demonstrably false teaching, but where does this notion come from?

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Misconceptions, Theology
31
Oct
2022

Can God Change His Mind?, Part 2

Change His Mind

There are a few Bible passages which, on the surface, seem to say that God doesn’t change His mind. There are other passages which clearly say that God not only can change His mind, but that He has changed it on several occasions. In the previous article we noted that the passages which appear to say that God does not change His mind are in fact referring to occasions when God committed to a certain course of action that He would not deviate from.

God’s immutable nature doesn’t prevent Him from changing His decisions. He is sovereign and is free to change His decisions anytime it pleases Him. Reversing a decision is not equal to Him changing His nature. What about God’s foreknowledge? Does God’s knowledge of the future mean that things can only turn out one way?

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Posted by Eddie Lawrence in Theology