My post is long. So read it down in a few posts:
(1)
The Rich. Should christians pay thithe?
What is tithing? The tithe can legally be given only to the Levites or used by people for festival requirements at the Temple in Jerusalem.
Churches make a business forcing Christians to pay the thithe. Do they have a right to do that?
Churches say "the Book of Hebrews which speaks about a change of the law".
They say that Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek, priest of Salem.
Some modern ministers adopt the erroneous assumption that this change of the law involved the direction in which the tithe was to be paid. They want the text to mean that the tithe is not to go to the tribe of Levi any longer but to Christian ministers. But this is not what the Book of Hebrews was teaching!
If we will tead tge context of tge verse, we see that the change was not about tithing in the first place. It was a change in the priesthood itself. Paul said that the Levitical priesthood had been "set aside" and was no longer in force (Hebrews 7:18). The only priesthood that was now valid for Christians was the Melchizedek.
Who was Melchizedek? The name means in Hebrew "king of righteousness". Or Malki Tzedek. The Bible gives the translation of the name Melchizedek as "king of righteousness".
Melchizedek and Abraham first met after Abraham’s defeat of Chedorlaomer and his three allies. Melchizedek presented bread and wine to Abraham and his weary men, demonstrating friendship. He bestowed a blessing on Abraham in the name of El Elyon (“God Most High”) and praised God for giving Abraham a victory in battle:
"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was [is] the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, 'Blessed be Abram to the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand'. And he gave him tithe from all."
Melchizedek was called "king of Salem, meaning “king of peace”. Abraham presented Melchizedek with a tithe (a tenth) of all the items he had gathered. By this act Abraham indicated that he recognized Melchizedek as a priest who ranked higher spiritually than he.
Both Melchizedek and Christ are considered kings of righteousness and peace. By citing Melchizedek and his unique priesthood as a type, the Bible shows that Christ’s new priesthood is superior to the old levitical order and the priesthood of Aaron.
While it is true that the Melchizedek priesthood has authority to accept monies from those who worship God (and this was demonstrated back in the time of Abraham when he provided a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek), there is still, however, no law of tithing prescribed by God associated with that priesthood. That means Abraham simply gave a voluntary offering of a tenth to Melchizedek. There was no law recorded in the Bible demanding that Abraham pay Melchizedek that tithe on the spoils he got.
There is another point that needs to be understood. Christian ministers today (including every human on earth) cannot be reckoned as Melchizedek priests. The Bible states in no uncertain terms that the priesthood of Melchizedek is "an unchangeable priesthood". "A priesthood which passes not from one to another." The truth is, the Bible speaks of only one priest called Melchizedek. No human, no matter how holy and righteous or how authoritative he may feel himself to be, can ever be considered a Melchizedek priest. Indeed, only one person can possibly fill that role and he is identified in the Book of Hebrews as being "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Hebrews 7). He is also "without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually".
Melchizedek was "made like" a Son of God, though he was not a Son of God as was Christ. Christ only came in the order of Melchizedek (like Melchizedek on earth). To be in the order of Melchizedek shows Christ representing a priest, but the priesthood itself does not pass to another person.
Now, it would be perfectly proper to pay tithe to that Melchizedek priest if one voluntarily decided to do so. Some Christian ministers have construed that the Book of Hebrews now authorizes the payment of tithe to Melchizedek and they begin to say that they themselves are a part of that Melchizedek priesthood but troubles emerge. In no way is this true. This is because that priesthood "passes not from one to another". To be in that "order" of the Melchizedek priesthood demands that one be perfect as was Jesus Christ. Being in that "order" of priesthood requires each person to be "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners"? How many ministers and preachers are "without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God"?
"There is one God and one mediator [one priest] between God and men, the man Christ Jesus". And that one priest is Christ acting in the capacity like the Melchizedek priest.
So the apostle Paul made the statement that there has now been a change in the law. No longer do Christians have to give heed to the Levitical priests and the tithing laws that were associated with them.
Moreover, God canceled implementation of the Jewish laws and He forbids christians to make cincumcision. Because if you will implement any laws, like a dangerous cult of Messianic Jews, you will fall short of the grace and you will be like sinners in the eyes of God:
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us (christians) free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace."
To be "fallen away from grace" means to be sinners without God! This is a strict warning to the cult members of "messianic jews".
Christians are free from the Jewish Laws implementation but they have many more strict new commandments (or new laws of Christ) to implement which are even more strict that the Jewish Laws (divorce is forbidden and remarriage, marriage lasts until death, separation is permitted but remarriage is forbidden, hatred is forbidden, unforgiveness is forbidden, anger and wrath is forbidden, filthy language and porn is forbidden (even looking with a lust is forbidden), greed is forbidden, the sin of omission: "Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning."etc.
(1)
The Rich. Should christians pay thithe?
What is tithing? The tithe can legally be given only to the Levites or used by people for festival requirements at the Temple in Jerusalem.
Churches make a business forcing Christians to pay the thithe. Do they have a right to do that?
Churches say "the Book of Hebrews which speaks about a change of the law".
They say that Abraham paid a tithe to Melchizedek, priest of Salem.
Some modern ministers adopt the erroneous assumption that this change of the law involved the direction in which the tithe was to be paid. They want the text to mean that the tithe is not to go to the tribe of Levi any longer but to Christian ministers. But this is not what the Book of Hebrews was teaching!
If we will tead tge context of tge verse, we see that the change was not about tithing in the first place. It was a change in the priesthood itself. Paul said that the Levitical priesthood had been "set aside" and was no longer in force (Hebrews 7:18). The only priesthood that was now valid for Christians was the Melchizedek.
Who was Melchizedek? The name means in Hebrew "king of righteousness". Or Malki Tzedek. The Bible gives the translation of the name Melchizedek as "king of righteousness".
Melchizedek and Abraham first met after Abraham’s defeat of Chedorlaomer and his three allies. Melchizedek presented bread and wine to Abraham and his weary men, demonstrating friendship. He bestowed a blessing on Abraham in the name of El Elyon (“God Most High”) and praised God for giving Abraham a victory in battle:
"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine: and he was [is] the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, 'Blessed be Abram to the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand'. And he gave him tithe from all."
Melchizedek was called "king of Salem, meaning “king of peace”. Abraham presented Melchizedek with a tithe (a tenth) of all the items he had gathered. By this act Abraham indicated that he recognized Melchizedek as a priest who ranked higher spiritually than he.
Both Melchizedek and Christ are considered kings of righteousness and peace. By citing Melchizedek and his unique priesthood as a type, the Bible shows that Christ’s new priesthood is superior to the old levitical order and the priesthood of Aaron.
While it is true that the Melchizedek priesthood has authority to accept monies from those who worship God (and this was demonstrated back in the time of Abraham when he provided a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek), there is still, however, no law of tithing prescribed by God associated with that priesthood. That means Abraham simply gave a voluntary offering of a tenth to Melchizedek. There was no law recorded in the Bible demanding that Abraham pay Melchizedek that tithe on the spoils he got.
There is another point that needs to be understood. Christian ministers today (including every human on earth) cannot be reckoned as Melchizedek priests. The Bible states in no uncertain terms that the priesthood of Melchizedek is "an unchangeable priesthood". "A priesthood which passes not from one to another." The truth is, the Bible speaks of only one priest called Melchizedek. No human, no matter how holy and righteous or how authoritative he may feel himself to be, can ever be considered a Melchizedek priest. Indeed, only one person can possibly fill that role and he is identified in the Book of Hebrews as being "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Hebrews 7). He is also "without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually".
Melchizedek was "made like" a Son of God, though he was not a Son of God as was Christ. Christ only came in the order of Melchizedek (like Melchizedek on earth). To be in the order of Melchizedek shows Christ representing a priest, but the priesthood itself does not pass to another person.
Now, it would be perfectly proper to pay tithe to that Melchizedek priest if one voluntarily decided to do so. Some Christian ministers have construed that the Book of Hebrews now authorizes the payment of tithe to Melchizedek and they begin to say that they themselves are a part of that Melchizedek priesthood but troubles emerge. In no way is this true. This is because that priesthood "passes not from one to another". To be in that "order" of the Melchizedek priesthood demands that one be perfect as was Jesus Christ. Being in that "order" of priesthood requires each person to be "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners"? How many ministers and preachers are "without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God"?
"There is one God and one mediator [one priest] between God and men, the man Christ Jesus". And that one priest is Christ acting in the capacity like the Melchizedek priest.
So the apostle Paul made the statement that there has now been a change in the law. No longer do Christians have to give heed to the Levitical priests and the tithing laws that were associated with them.
Moreover, God canceled implementation of the Jewish laws and He forbids christians to make cincumcision. Because if you will implement any laws, like a dangerous cult of Messianic Jews, you will fall short of the grace and you will be like sinners in the eyes of God:
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us (christians) free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace."
To be "fallen away from grace" means to be sinners without God! This is a strict warning to the cult members of "messianic jews".
Christians are free from the Jewish Laws implementation but they have many more strict new commandments (or new laws of Christ) to implement which are even more strict that the Jewish Laws (divorce is forbidden and remarriage, marriage lasts until death, separation is permitted but remarriage is forbidden, hatred is forbidden, unforgiveness is forbidden, anger and wrath is forbidden, filthy language and porn is forbidden (even looking with a lust is forbidden), greed is forbidden, the sin of omission: "Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning."etc.