Questions 2

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 9:07 AM  From:Lucia Seete, Botswana
Comments: according to my understanding. Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins. After his death all things passed away. and our sins were forgiven. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW/UNDERSTAND WHY SOME OF THE THINGS WHICH WERE DONE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT LIKE TITHING, ARE STILL TO BE DONE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. PLEASE CLARIFY TO ME AND GIVE ME VERSES FROM NEW TESTAMENT ABOUT TITHING.
THANK YOU
 
 
Dear Lucia,   Thank you for writing to us. We are happy to hear of your question. Please read our response after your words.
"according to my understanding. Jesus died on the cross to take away our sins."
>this is correct. Jesus Christ is the approved and only able sacrifice that God the Father has for taking away any person's sin. More details can be found on:
http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/atonement_3.htm
 
"After his death all things passed away."
Not really. God makes all things new,
Revelation 21:5, Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
 
(We are not sure exactly what you mean by this, but maybe these Bible verses will help clarify.)
Jesus' Words will not pass away.
Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
Jesus' death atonement on the cross completely fulfilled all that was needed for a person's justification by faith.
John 19:30 When He had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed his head and gave up His spirit.
Death and sin no longer has authority over a person when they take Jesus' blood sacrifice of atonement for their own personal life.
Romans 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Jesus came to fulfill all that God needed for a person to be "right" in God's eyes; to make a person Righteous.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them."
Jesus made the bad things in our past pass away,
Hebrews 2: 14Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 17For this reason He had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because He himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.
Jesus made those of us who have taken Him for our own personal Savior and Lord New Creatures -
2Cor 5: 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
More details are on - http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/New_Creation.htm
 
Sin is removed from the person who consciously chooses Jesus for their Lord and Savior. We hope this is helpful.
 
"and our sins were forgiven."
Yes! For those who have consciously taken Jesus as their personal atonement for a right relationship with the Living Almighty God, YES!!
Mark 2: 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8Immediately Jesus knew in His spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
>>>10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
 
Regarding your other question :
"I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW/UNDERSTAND WHY SOME OF THE THINGS WHICH WERE DONE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT LIKE TITHING, ARE STILL TO BE DONE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
 
There are some things which will always be carried out in the NT as were in the OT. 
 
One is the obedience to the 10 commandments. However God almighty made it able for those of the New Covenant to obey these laws by two ways-
Jeremiah 31:33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Hebrews 8:10
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 16: 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
 
Also - Worshipping God John 4:23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
 
Also - Loving God Matthew 22:37/ Mark 12:30 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, Joshua 22:5 to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul."
 
Also Tithing. "PLEASE CLARIFY TO ME ABOUT TITHING."
Tithing was first shown by God with Abram. In Genesis 14:17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
God won the victory for Abram rescuing Lot from enemy hands in a war. Then Melchizedek came. Read verses 18-19 just above. Abram wanted to honor the Lord God Most High, of course! So Abram obeyed the Spirit and gave the King of Salem (King of Peace = Jesus' title too!) one tenth of everything, as in verse 20. the word Tithe means one-tenth, or ten per hundred, ten percent.
 
Ironically, the king of Sodom wanted to give to Abram, but Abram refused that unrighteous king. Genesis 14:21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself." 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share."
 
Later on God commanded His people to tithe.
Leviticus 27:30 " 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.
 
And later God implored His people to tithe, and gave reasons!!
Because it is due to God
Because God is the Owner
Because if you do not tithe, you rob God
Because you should see if God will open the floodgates of heaven in blessings to you
Because He will protect those who trust in Him more than their money
Because we should not be arrogant and proud, but understand Who is the Sovereign One
Because God wants you to be His treasured possession
Because you should want to obey the Righteous God
Because you love and appreciate God
Because you want to serve God
Because you want to see what God does with your first fruits!
 
Malachi 3:6 "I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says the LORD Almighty. "But you ask, 'How are we to return?'
>>>>>> 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.
13 "You have said harsh things against me," says the LORD. "Yet you ask, 'What have we said against you?' 14 "You have said, 'It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.' " 16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. 17 "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
We hope this is helpful.
 
PLEASE CLARIFY TO ME AND GIVE ME VERSES FROM NEW TESTAMENT ABOUT TITHING.
Jesus Himself says we are to tithe. "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices - mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former." Matthew 23:23, Luke11:42 Jesus Christ says not to neglect giving the Lord God Almighty His tithe, and to also practice justice and the love of God.
This page has more - http://www.billboardsforchrist.org/tithe.htm
Hebrews 7 shows us that Jesus is our high priest in the order of Melchizidek, so we are to tithe to Jesus our King.
Hebrews 7 1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” 3 without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.
4 Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. 5 And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; 6 but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. 8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. 9 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
 
11 Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? 12 For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. 13 For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.
14 For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood. 15 And it is yet far more evident if, in the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another priest 16 who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life. 17 For He testifies: “ You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
18 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.
Greatness of the New Priest 20 And inasmuch as He was not made priest without an oath 21 (for they have become priests without an oath, but He with an oath by Him who said to Him: “ The LORD has sworn And will not relent, ‘ You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek’”), 22 by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.
 
Our High Priest Jesus Christ is to Whom we are to tithe, the true King of kings and Lord of lords, for His purpose and glory alone, out of love, gratitude and obedience, eagerly awaiting the fruit He will bear as we give Him our first fruits!! Amen!!
 
THANK YOU
Thank you for writing to us! We hope this was a blessing to you! Watch what God does when you are faithful to the Author of Faithfulness!
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Have a blessed day!
In Christ's Service,
Billboards for Christ, Inc.
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