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NASB | Malachi 3:9 "You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Malachi 3:9 "You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, this whole nation! [Lev 26:14-17] |
Bible Question: Are you really going to be cursed if you skip every now and then paying your tithe. |
Bible Answer: Greetings DovieJones, One should recognize that all of his income stems from God and that he, therefore, is merely a steward, and not the absolute owner, of his possessions. We cannot actually "give" anything to God. Everything we have is His, and He is able to take it away if we are not faithful in our stewardship. "Moreover it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:2). This is doubly true for the Christian. Not only do he and his property belong to God by creation, but also by right of redemption. "Ye are not your own ... ye are bought with a price: ..." (1 Cor. 6:19,20 KJV). He "hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son: In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:13,14). The true Christian consequently will recognize the tremendous value of "so great salvation" (Hebrews 2:3), and in love and gratitude to Christ seek to use all his possessions (time and talents, as well as money) in ways that will honor God and draw others to Him. "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). God has promised to "supply all our need" (Phil. 4:19), provided we give first priority to "the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). We can rightly regard our food, clothing, shelter, transportation and life's other necessities, and the means by which these are obtained (our health, education, talents, job, family, etc.) as God's faithful provision for His children. As a matter of fact, He normally supplies even more than we really need, in order that we might have the greater joy and blessing of sharing with others (and thus perhaps being the Lord's channel for supplying their needs!) and of enabling the work of preaching the gospel to progress more effectively. In Old Testament days, God actually required the Jewish people to return a "tithe" (i.e., a "tenth") of their income to the Levites for these purposes. In fact, there is some indication in Scripture that as many as three tithes were required for various purposes, as well as sundry other "offerings." God's material and spiritual blessings often had to be withheld from His people because of their failures in these stewardship responsibilities. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse," said the Lord, and "I will pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10). The Christian now has far more blessings and thus far greater responsibilities than did his Old Testament Jewish counterpart. It is extremely shallow theology that would excuse a Christian from these responsibilities because he is "not under law, but under grace." We are actually under a higher law, and because we more fully know the grace of God, we are under the greater compulsion to show and share that grace. "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound in every good work" (2 Cor. 9:6-8). Although tithing, as such, is not specifically required of the Christian in the New Testament, the greater blessings which are his would certainly imply that he would wish to go far beyond merely tithing in the use of his possessions and income for the Lord's service. He does this, not as a matter of legalistic compulsion, but as a "cheerful giver," and out of a heart of love and gratitude for what the Lord Jesus means to him. Each person must, of course, decide this for himself. "According as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give." His love for Christ is measured, not by how large a portion he gives, but how much he uses on himself. The Christian ought to devote all he can to the Lord and the needs of others; his own tastes and personal requirements should be relatively simple and inexpensive. Finally, in the discharge of his stewardship responsibilities, he must be prayerful and judicious even in his giving. Certainly he should not channel money into those institutions (charities, schools, foundations, even some churches) whose teachings or activities are subversive of the Word of God and the true gospel. In general, the most effective (because most Scriptural) agency for the receipt and utilization of the tithes and offerings of a Christian is a Bible-believing, missionary-minded local church. Blessings to you, Makarios |