What’s the role of the law in the New Covenant?

by Phil Drisdale

Many people wonder what I think about the law. As I continue to relentlessly preach grace they seem to jump to the conclusion that I hate the law and that I believe the law is no longer relevant.

Let me address this concern by saying this – I think the same thing the apostles thought about the law.

Here are just a few verses that describe what they thought of the law, as recorded throughout the New Testament. I encourage you to take time and go through them, check them in context, I have, and I am very confident of what the New Testament writers had to say about the law. I know it’s a relatively long list but it’s well worth it.

As a disclaimer, if this list makes you angry, please hear me out to the end. I actually love the law and so did the writers of the NT – so long as it remains in its rightful place!

What the NT authors had to say

Acts

The law is an unbearable yoke. (Acts 15:10)

Romans

The law reveals sin but cannot fix it. (Romans 3:20)

If the law worked then faith would be irrelevant. (Romans 4:14)

The law brings wrath upon those who follow it. (Romans 4:15)

The purpose of the law was to increase sin. (Romans 5:20)

Christians are not under the law. (Romans 6:14)

Christians have been delivered from the law. (Romans 7:1-6)

The law is good, perfect and holy but cannot help you be good, perfect or holy. (Romans 7:7-12)

The law which promises life only brings death through sin. (Romans 7:10)

The law makes you sinful beyond measure. (Romans 7:13)

The law is weak. (Romans 8:2-3)

1 Corinthians

The strength of sin is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56)

2 Corinthians

The law is a ministry of death. (2 Corinthians 3:7)

The law is a ministry of condemnation. (2 Corinthians 3:9)

The law has no glory at all in comparison with the New Covenant. (2 Corinthians 3:10)

The law is fading away. (2 Corinthians 3:11)

Anywhere the law is preached it produces a mind-hardening and a heart-hardening veil. (2 Corinthians 3:14-15)

Galatians

The law justifies nobody. (Galatians 2:16)

Christians are dead to the law. (Galatians 2:19)

The law frustrates grace. (Galatians 2:21)

To go back to the law after embracing faith is “stupid”. (Galatians 3:1)

The law curses all who practice it and fail to do it perfectly. (Galatians 3:10)

The law has nothing to do with faith. (Galatians 3:11-12)

The law was a curse that Christ redeemed us from. (Galatians 3:13)

The law functioned in God’s purpose as a temporary covenant from Moses till John the Baptist announced Christ. (Galatians 3:16 & 19, also see… Matthew 11:12-13, Luke 16:16)

If the law worked God would have used it to save us. (Galatians 3:21)

The law was our prison. (Galatians 3:23)

The law makes you a slave like Hagar. (Galatians 4:24)

Ephesians

Christ has abolished the law which was a wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:15)

Philippians

Paul considered everything the law gained him as “skybalon” which is Greek for “poop”. (Philippians 3:4-8)

1 Timothy

The law is only good if used in the right context. (1 Timothy 1:8) (see next verse for the context)

It was made for the unrighteous but not for the righteous. (1 Timothy 1:9-10)

Hebrews

The law is weak, useless and makes nothing perfect. (Hebrews 7:18-19)

(As a side – that’s some fighting talk – no wonder the author of Hebrews remains anonymous to this day!)

God has found fault with it and created a better covenant, enacted on better promises. (Hebrews 8:7-8)

It is obsolete, growing old and ready to vanish. (Hebrews 8:13)

It is only a shadow of good things to come and will never make someone perfect. (Hebrews 10:1)

 

But… but… the Old Testament

Let’s not kid ourselves, even in the Old Testament the Mosaic Covenant was one that had five times more curses than blessings. There are 13 verses of blessing described (Deuteronomy 28:1-13) and 65 verses of curses (Deuteronomy 27:15-26, 28:16-68).

People lived constantly under the awareness of both the severity of the law and their inability to fulfill it! The law was always more of a curse than a blessing to those who were under it! That was its very purpose – to show just how much trouble they were in!

They knew they were to celebrate the law because it was God-given, but they never ultimately had a revelation of why it was given.

It was given to a people who wanted to do things their own way, as a way to show them they couldn’t! It showed them the standard of God’s holiness was far beyond anything they could ever hope to achieve themselves. This law was required and yet at the same time wholly impossible to obey. It was meant to drive them to grace and mercy and that grace and mercy could only come through the One who did the impossible by fulfilling the law.

 

The law made things worse

I know personally when I have a sin in my life I have a tendency to want to deal with it using law. When I see a sin, I think “what law can fix the problem here?” Or “what structure can I implement in my life to stop me from sinning?”

The problem is, that this is an Old Covenant way of thinking. The law is not applied to control sin, actually in both Romans 5:20 and 1 Corinthians 15:56 Paul explains to us how the law actually makes sin worse! Wherever there is law, sin starts to run rampant! It throws gasoline on the flames! That’s what the much misunderstood passage Romans 7 is all about, many think it’s about a sinful nature, actually it’s about the law stirring up sin! For more details on this see my article “Romans 7: Did Paul Struggle With a Sinful Nature?”

 

But Jesus came to fulfill the law, not do away with it!

I hear this argument a LOT when I talk about this stuff, let me ask you a hypothetical question:

Let’s say you have a mortgage for $500,000 owed to the bank. Now imagine that a rich man comes along and pays that mortgage off in full. He gets his receipt of the payment and you receive written notice of the mortgage being paid in full.

Now suppose the first of the month comes round and you get your monthly bill, from the bank, demanding your $2000 monthly repayment.

What are you going to do?

You are going to go straight to the bank with your piece of paper saying that the contract you had with the bank has been paid in full! You would be crazy to keep paying according to the old, fulfilled contract.

Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:17-20 that it is imperative that the standard of the law remains. Because if that standard is not left for those who do not believe in Him people will not realise their inability to do it! To put it in another way, the law must be there otherwise nobody will realise they need grace!

Jesus paid your debt in full. He fulfilled the law. In fact Paul says that the law was nailed to the cross with Him! (Col 2:14)

 

OK, but just the ceremonial law right?

This is where it gets complex and I want to make it as simple as possible for us all.

You see, a lot of people try to break up the law, into either two, ceremonial and moral, or three parts, ceremonial, civil and moral. I often hear people explain that it was the ceremonial law that was nailed to the cross.

This is a nice idea we use to try keep a hold of as much of the law as we possibly can, while doing away with some. The problem is the Bible doesn’t break up the law as nice and neat as that, in fact it doesn’t break up the law at all.

However, I’m not going to argue about whether or not the law is broken up into sections, let’s just go straight for the jugular.

Paul explains that the “law” which is no longer relevant in the believer’s life is the law which is “written and engraved on stones” in 2 Corinthians 3:7.

Which law does that sound like? The ceremonial law? The civil law? Obviously this is the Ten Commandments Paul is talking about, they were the only laws to be engraved in stone.

Paul isn’t being vague here and wants everyone to know that when he says that the law is no longer applicable in the Christian’s life he means the whole package it came in!

If you feel a need to divide the law up, that’s fine, just so long as you know the whole thing was fulfilled in Christ and the whole thing is for the unbeliever not the believer (1 Timothy 1:9).

 

So you are saying I should go sin as much as I like?

This is the most common question I get asked, for that reason I won’t be addressing it in this blog.

For those of you who believe that Christians have a sinful nature or perhaps you don’t but are still finding yourself assuming that this is what I’m saying, please read the following articles (there are many more on the website that will help you understand your righteousness in Christ as well.)

Romans 7: Did Paul struggle with a sinful nature
So you are saying it’s impossible to sin
Extreme grace: A license to sin

In short, sinners sin, saints don’t. If you think God made you righteous so you could keep on sinning then you’ve completely missed the point that He made you righteous. Righteous people find it hard to sin. If you think I’m saying you cannot sin as a Christian I again refer you to the above articles!

 

So what are you saying?

Firstly let me say this, I’m not saying we tear out the first half of our Bible and never read it again. It is still the Bible and God still uses it to teach us and direct us. The Spirit of God helps us divide the scriptures so we understand how to read them in light of the New Covenant. God’s grace is just as present in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament. However this article is not about the Bible, it’s about the law.

So, secondly, I’m not saying you should never read the law or that the law should no longer exist either. We can find in the law loads of things that speak of who God is and teach us the grace and mercy of God. Not only that, but without understanding the law, our sin and the consequences of them, we will never fully be able to celebrate the freedom that God’s grace has brought us into!

We must however be able to divide correctly who the law is for. It is for unbelievers not believers. It is imperative that we understand this, those who put themselves back under the law put themselves right back under a curse. In fact it says if you do so, you are “severed from Christ”, pretty scary language if you ask me! (Galatians 5:4)

It is so important to understand that the law is good, it is perfect, it is holy (Romans 7:7-12), but most importantly it’s essential that we remember that it has a purpose. That purpose is to lead people to the end of themselves, it is there to push people, until they give up on the law and choose to rely on God’s gift of grace!

The law will never save anyone, nor will it make them a better person, whether they are a believer or unbeliever. It is simply there to show us how lost we are without grace.

The law is a mirror, but nobody ever uses the mirror to clean themselves. The purpose of a mirror is to show you your dirty face – not to clean it – you need Jesus to clean that dirty face.

 

Another reformation

The church is in desperate need for another reformation. For too long we have straddled the fence of the New and Old Covenant. A bit of grace here, a bit of law there. But the truth is that a little leaven ruins the whole bread. We don’t mix grace and law. Grace + Law = Law. The only way to drink grace is undiluted.

Let’s make it a priority to keep the law in its rightful context, as a tool to lead people to the end of themselves.

We must stop teaching the law as if it were a list of rules for us to follow, they are not a list of helpful moral guidelines which we are supposed to focus on trying to keep. It absolutely devastates me that the first thing children learn when they go to church is the ten commandments! Did we not read 2 Corinthians 3:14-15?

“But their minds were hardened. For to this day when they read the Old Covenant that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts”

What are we doing to our children? To ourselves?

The truth is we have been set free from the law, and our lives in grace will look better than those of any person trying to keep the law. Because we are not cleaned from the outside, we are cleaned from the inside. We have become a new creation.

Have you ever thought about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? If Adam and Eve didn’t have knowledge of good and evil then how did they please God?

The truth is that God has never wanted the human race to do life constantly trying to figure out if things are good and evil. He’s made us righteous so that everything we would do is good.

You see the biggest hinderance to us doing good is our knowledge of good and evil! If we were willing to put aside our desire to do good and avoid evil, and instead just follow God’s voice, we would see the most incredible changes in our lives.

What might happen if we trusted that Christ in us is good at His job and that the Holy Spirit, actually produces the fruit of the Spirit and not us?

The only thing a believer needs, to live a holy life, is to remain conscious of the fact that God has fully accepted them as His son or daughter, making them a new creation and one with Him, filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

Follow the money 4

 

 

 

 

How Does It Work?

Living in God’s generosity leads to a life of generosity with our money, our time and our spiritual life. Since God takes such incredible care of us we no longer have to live self-focused lives. Thus it will be easier for us to see ways God wants us to help others.

Remember the Macedonians who gave so much even though they were in need? Did that happen because they were committed to tithing? No. As Paul wrote, “They did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.” (2 Cor. 8:5)

Simply, they heard God and did what he asked them. It was greater than Paul could conceive. Those who are convinced that giving to God is nothing more than paying ten percent as an obligation, will never understand giving like this.

Sometimes people told me that God has led them to support us. My answer was always the same. After thanking them for their thoughtfulness, I steer them away from any regular commitment. “If God puts it on your heart to send us something this month, please do so.

If God puts it on your heart to send us something the next month, then do that. If in the following months God leads you to do something else with your gifts, then by all means do that.” Some have never given to us and some of those people has given a month or two. Hopefully they are learning a better way to give.

 

A Life of Giving

Each day God wants you to taste of his generous love, and then show you how he wants to channel his generosity through you to touch others. As I see it, Scripturally you are not obligated to give that to any specific location. He will show you where to give when you are led by him and not swayed by the appeals and demands of those who always claim to be in crisis.

Those who gather in more relational settings and have no need to spend significant funds on facilities, salaries or programs, often find creative ways to see God use their generosity. They give to those in need, to extend the light of God’s kingdom in the world, even to support ministry projects they feel called to aid.

They may do that together, or separately. A group was collecting offerings into a combined account to distribute it on behalf of the group. After spending six weeks disagreeing over how to distribute it, they decided to give everyone their money back and let them give as they felt led. They choose to spend their time encouraging each other’s faith instead of spending each others offerings.

Others put a specific amount of money in their wallet each month and see where God might want them to give it at throughout that month.

Notice I am not saying it is sinful to give ten percent to the group you regularly gather with if God so asks you. In fact, I think people whom God has blessed who are not willing to share the financial load of that which they benefit from might well reconsider whether or not God has called them to be part of it.

But God’s way of giving makes tithing a mere shadow by comparison. Those who discover God as the generous Father will give beyond ten percent, just by doing what God asks of them.

What’s more, because it’s not a bill they pay, but an extension of his generosity, they will give with a passion that not only transfers funds, but builds relationship as well.

Why embrace the shadow, when you can enjoy the reality behind it? That holds true for so much in this kingdom, doesn’t it?

 

Volg het geld 4

 

 

Hoe werkt dat dan?

Leven in Gods vrijgevendheid leid tot een leven in vrijgevendheid met ons geld, onze tijd en ons geestelijk leven. Omdat God zo goed voor ons zorgt hoeven we niet meer een eigen agenda gericht leven te leiden. Daardoor wordt het makkelijker om te zien hoe God ons leid anderen tot zegen te zijn.

Weet je nog van de Macedoniërs die zo veel gaven terwijl ze het zelf ook niet breed hadden. Kwam dat omdat ze toegewijd waren om hun “tienden” te geven? Nee. Paulus schrijft: “door Gods wil gaven ze zichzelf in de eerste plaats aan de Heer, en vervolgens ook aan ons.” (2Cor 8:5)

Heel simpel, zij hoorden God en deden wat hij hen vroeg. Het was meer dat Paulus kon bedenken. Zij die “tien procent” aan God geven zien als een verplichting, zullen deze manier van geven nooit begrijpen.

Soms kwamen mensen naar mij toe en vertelden dat God hen leidde om ons financieel te ondersteunen. Mijn antwoord daarop was altijd hetzelfde. Na ze bedankt te hebben, liet ik ze in de vrijheid. “Als God het deze maand in uw hart legt om iets te geven, moet u dat doen. Als God het in uw hart legt om het volgende maand te doen, moet u dat doen. Als God het in uw hart geeft om uw geld ergens anders aan te geven, moet u dat doen. Sommigen hebben nooit iets gegeven, anderen een paar maanden. Hopelijk leren ze om op een andere manier te geven dan uit gewoonte.

Een leven van geven

Iedere dag wil God mij zijn overvloedige liefde laten ervaren, en dan wil hij laten zien hoe hij zijn vrijgevigheid door mij heen wil laten stromen en anderen aanraken. Ik zie het zo, Bijbels gezien ben je niet verplicht om dit op een specifieke plaats te doen. Hij wil je laten zien waar te geven en niet beïnvloed te zijn door de vragen van hen die altijd een nood hebben.

Diegene die op een meer relationele basis bij elkaar komen hebben geen verplichting om veel geld te besteden aan gebouwen, salarissen of programma’s en zien daardoor de creative manier waarop God hen inzet met vrijgevigheid. Zij geven, waar de nood is, om het licht van God te verspreiden in de wereld, en soms een project waarvan zij geleid worden te ondersteunen.

Dit kan als groep gedaan worden maar het kan ook individueel. Er was een groep die een rekening had waarop geld kon worden overgemaakt en waaruit dan als groep gegeven zou worden. Na een periode van onderling overleg waarbij men het niet eens kon worden over waar het aan te geven, besloten ze om iedereen zijn geld terug te geven en het ieder persoonlijk te laten beslissen waar het aan te geven. Ze kozen ervoor dat het beter was om tijd te besteden om elkaar te bemoedigen dan om tijd te besteden over hoe elkaars geld uit te geven.

Anderen doe iedere maand een bepaald bedrag in een apart vak in hun portemonnee en zien uit naar hoe God hen leid om dat dan gedurende die maand weg te geven.

Merk op dat ik dus niet zeg dat het verkeert is om tien procent te geven aan een groep waar je regelmatig deel van bent als God dat in uw hart legt. Eigenlijk denk dat mensen die door God gezegend zijn en die niet financieel willen ondersteunen datgene waardoor ze zo gezegend zijn zich zouden moeten afvragen of het wel Gods wil is dat ze in die groep zijn.

Gods manier van geven is zoveel mooier als het geven van “tienden”. Zij die God hebben ontdekt als een vrijgevende Vader zullen waarschijnlijk meer als tien procent geven, gewoon door te doen waartoe God hen leid.

Wat nog mooier is, omdat het niet een rekening is die ze betalen, maar als een uiting van Zijn vrijgevigheid, geven ze met liefde die niet alleen geld overmaakt maar die ook relaties bouwt.

Waarom een afschaduwing naleven terwijl er een leven in de realiteit met God achter ligt? Dat is een waarheid voor zo veel in dit koninkrijk, of niet?

Follow the money 3

 

 

Giving Generously

In fact Paul was shocked at how the Macedonians, who were in the midst of poverty themselves, responded to the need. “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” (2 Cor. 8:2-4)

Does that sound like tithing? Would tithing have resulted in such overwhelming action? I don’t think so! Here were believers who were so blessed by God’s generosity toward them that even out of their own need they could respond with generosity to others.

The New Testament puts the focus where it belongs. We don’t give money to God so God will act generously toward us. He begins the cycle. Having overwhelmed us with His generosity, we will respond in the same way to others.

But what if I don’t feel God is being generous with me, do I still give to others?

Paul said that giving and receiving in the body does go in cycles. Those who have plenty today, might well be those who are in need tomorrow. The goal is to share so that no one has too much or too little.

But how much is too much and how little is too little. I think it’s obvious that almost every one of us who live in first-world countries are incredibly wealthy financially by world standards, so few people really know God’s generosity.

 

Generosity God-Style

Why do so few people really understand God’s generosity? Because they measure it by what they perceive to be their wants and needs. Comparing our homes, cars and toys to others in the culture leads to envy and greed. In the face of our demands God will rarely seem generous.

Paul understood God’s generosity at a far deeper level than material comfort. Because he was focused on God’s agenda for his life and not his own, he saw God’s hand of generosity in every area of his life. Look at how he described it: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8)

As we let God dismantle our agenda for our own life, that we are able to see a glimpse of what Paul is talking about here.

Because we are busy trying to get God on our page, we can’t see the incredible things he is doing in our life every day.

When we start everyday without our own preferences for how we want things to turn out, we find ourselves constantly amazed at what God is doing in our life and are genuinely thankful at every turn. If he doesn’t give me something, it’s because I really don’t need it.

This is why our expectations are disappointed so often. It’s not because God doesn’t care about us, but because he is committed to freeing us from the tyranny of self. Only then can we enjoy God’s resources and discover just how generous he is.

Volg het geld 3

Ruimhartig geven

Eigenlijk was Paulus overdonderd over hoe de Macedoniërs, die het zelf helemaal niet breed hadden, reageerden op de nood.

“ ze zijn door ellende zwaar op de proef gesteld, maar vervuld van een overstelpende vreugde en ondanks hun grote armoede zeer vrijgevig. Ik verzeker u dat ze naar vermogen hebben gegeven, ja, zelfs boven hun vermogen. Uit eigen beweging hebben ze ons dringend verzocht mee te mogen doen aan de collecte, waarmee de heiligen in Jeruzalem zullen worden ondersteund. En ze gaven aanzienlijk meer dan we hadden verwacht” (2Cor 8:2-5)

Dat klinkt niet als het geven van “tienden”. Zou het “tienden idee” ertoe hebben geleid dat er zo overweldigend werd gegeven? Ik denk van niet! Hier zien we gelovigen die zo gezegend waren door Gods vrijgevendheid aan hun betoont, dat ze zelfs in hun eigen nood met vrijgevendheid naar anderen konden reageren.

Het Nieuwe Testament legt de focus waar het hoort. We geven geen geld aan God zodat God vrijgevig naar ons wordt. Hij begint het proces. Nadat Hij ons overdondert heeft met zijn vrijgevendheid, reageren wij op de zelfde manier naar anderen.

Maar wat als ik niet het gevoel heb dat God zo vrijgevend naar mij is, geef ik dan toch aan anderen?
Paulus zegt dat geven en ontvangen in het “Lichaam” gebeurt in afwisselende periodes. Zij die vandaag veel hebben, hebben morgen misschien weinig. Het doel is om te delen zodat niemand te veel heeft of te weinig.

Maar hoeveel is te veel en hoe weinig is te weinig. Ik denk dat het duidelijk is dat bijna iedereen die in de “westerse” wereld leeft er financieel enorm goed bij zit in vergelijking met de algemene wereld standaard, waardoor maar weinigen echt de ervaring hebben van Gods vrijgevigheid.
Vrijgevigheid op Gods manier

Waarom begrijpen zo weinigen wat Gods vrijgevigheid echt is? Dat komt omdat wij bepalen wat de standaard is voor wat we willen en nodig hebben. Het vergelijken van elkaars huis, auto enz. in onze omgeving leid tot afgunst en hebberigheid. Als ons uitgangspunt onze eisen zijn is God waarschijnlijk weinig vrijgevend.

Paulus ervoer Gods vrijgevendheid op een veel diepere manier als materieel comfortabel leven. Omdat hij gericht was op Gods agenda voor zijn leven en niet zijn eigen agenda, zag hij Gods vrijgevigheid in ieder facet van zijn leven. Kijk maar hoe hij dat beschrijft: “ God heeft de macht u te overstelpen met al zijn gaven, zodat u altijd en in alle opzichten voldoende voor uzelf hebt en ook nog ruimschoots kunt bijdragen aan allerlei goed werk.” (2Cor 9:8)

Als we onze agenda ondergeschikt laten zijn aan Gods agenda, kunnen we misschien gaan zien wat Paulus hier bedoelt.

Omdat we zo druk zijn om God volgens onze agenda te laten werken, zien we niet welke prachtige dingen hij dagelijks in ons leven doet.

Als we onze dag beginnen zonder onze eigen verlangens op de eerste plaats, zullen we verbaast staan over wat God in ons leven doet en daarvoor ook echt dankbaar zijn. Als ik iets niet krijg, komt dat omdat ik het misschien ook niet echt nodig heb.

Daarom worden we zo vaak in onze verwachtingen teleurgesteld. Dat komt niet omdat God niet om ons geeft en voor ons wil zorgen maar omdat Hij toegewijd is om ons te bevrijden van de tirannie  van ons zelf. Alleen dan kunnen we genieten van Gods voorziening en gaan ontdekken hoe vrijgevend Hij is.

Follow the money 2

 

 

Storehouse Tithing

This used to be easy. Growing up we are taught that ten percent of everything we received belonged to God. We owed him that ten percent. That is tithing.

How we paid that tithe was to donate it to whatever local congregation we attended. Those in charge were free to use it for the needs of the fellowship– a facility, pay salaries, fund its programs and also to help people in need. We are not free to give it where God might lead. If we wanted to give anywhere else, it would have to be above my tithe. That is storehouse tithing.

To be honest, I was never fully drawing the Biblical lines to that conclusion.

Abraham tithed as an act of gratefulness to God even before the law was given.

The New Testament is silent about tithing as a practice of the early church. Nowhere is it encouraged and yet they demonstrated great generosity in their giving.

For many years we missed that, blinded by the need to fund the facilities, salaries and programs of the institutions we served. Without committed tithers we simply could not have funded the things we thought were so important to us. It was easy to take the Old Testament tithe as an easy proof-text for our needs.

A Different Way of Giving

My conclusion is quite different. No, I don’t believe tithing is wrong,

I simply view it now like everything else in the Old Testament.

It is only a shadow of something far more real that God wanted to show us in Jesus. And, like every other old covenant shadow, when you discover the real substance of giving you will see that tithing is a cheap substitute by comparison.

“You mean we don’t have to tithe?” That is a good question, because it opens the motives of tithing. It is like a bill–an obligation we owe God. Once it is paid, we can run off with the remaining 90% and spend it however we like. Not to give it, in Malachi’s words, is to rob God of that which we owe.

The New Testament paints a different picture.

Jesus never mentioned tithing as a practice for his followers. And though giving is a constant theme of Acts and the Epistles, tithing is again not mentioned. Instead we see something else at work.

Believers gave not because they had to, but because they chose to.

Those who lived in relationship with the Living God, were so shaped and blessed by His generosity, that they responded to others around them with that same generosity.

When Peter addressed Ananias for lying about the money he was giving, he made it clear that the church had no claim on it. “Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?” (Acts 5:5)

When Paul took up a collection for the believers in Jerusalem, he made it clear that it was not his command, but an opportunity. ” Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” ( 2 Cor. 9:7)

Giving because we have to is not really giving at all. It is just another obligation to meet and far from what God really had in mind.

Volg het geld 2

 

 

Tienden naar de voorraadschuur

Dit was voorheen gemakkelijk. Opgroeiend is ons geleerd dat 10% van alles dat we krijgen aan God toebehoort. We zij Hem dat schuldig, dat heet “tienden” geven.

Deze “tienden” geven we aan de lokale kerkgroep die we bezoeken. De verantwoordelijken waren vrij om het geld te gebruiken voor de behoeften in de kerkgroep, een gebouw, salaris programma’s en om mensen in nood te helpen. We hebben geen vrijheid om het te geven waar wij denken dat God ons leid. Als we ergens anders aan willen geven is dat bovenop de “tienden”. Dat is “tienden naar de voorraadschuur”.

Om eerlijk te zijn heb ik niet ten volle de bijbelse lijnen aangehouden om te deze conclusie te komen. Abraham gaf een “tiende” als een gebaar van dankbaarheid aan God, toen er nog geen wet was gegeven.

In het nieuwe testament over de “tienden” die gegeven werden in de eerste gemeenten. Het wordt nergens aangemoedigd en toch waren ze zeer vrijgevend.

Vele jaren hebben we dit gemist, verblind door de behoefte voor het betalen van de gebouwen, salarissen en programma’s van de instituten die we dienden. Zonder toegewijde tiendengevers konden we eenvoudigweg niet die dingen financieren waarvan wij dachten dat ze belangrijk waren. Het is heel gemakkelijk om oudtestamentische teksten op te zoeken ter onderbouwing van onze gedachten.
Een andere manier van geven

Mijn conclusie is iets anders. Nee. Ik geloof niet dat “tienden” geven verkeert is, ik kijk er nu naar zoals ik alles van het oude testament bekijk.

Het is slechts een afschaduwing van iets dat veel mooier is en wat God wil laten zien in Jezus. En, zoals het is bij iedere oudtestamentische afschaduwing, als je de echte manier van geven ontdekt, zie je ook dat “tienden” geven een goedkope plaatsvervanger is.

“Je bedoelt dat we geen “tienden” hoeven te geven?” Dat is een goede vraag, want het opent de motivatie voor het geven van “tienden” Is het als een rekening, een verplichting die we aan God verschuldigd zijn. Als we betaald hebben kunnen we doen wat we willen met de overige 90%. Het niet geven, om de woorden van Maleachi te gebruiken, is stelen van God wat hem toebehoort.
Het nieuwe testament laat een ander plaatje zien.

Jezus heeft zijn volgelingen nooit geleerd dat ze tienden moeten geven. Alhoewel geven een constant thema is in handelingen en de brieven, wordt het geven van “tienden” nooit genoemd. In plaats daarvan zien we iets heel anders. Gelovigen geven niet omdat ze “moeten” maar omdat ze zelf “willen”.
Als je leeft in relatie met de Levende God, wordt je zo gevormd en gezegend door Zijn vrijgevendheid, dat je reageert op anderen met dezelfde vrijgevigheid.

Toe Petrus Ananias aansprak over dat hij gelogen had over het geld dat hij gegeven had, maakte hij het duidelijk dat de kerk op geen enkele manier aanspraak maakt op het geld.

“Je had het immers niet hoeven te verkopen, en nu je het wel verkocht hebt, had je met de opbrengst toch kunnen doen wat je wilde?” (Hand 5:4)

Toen Paulus geld ophaalde voor de gelovigen in Jeruzalem, maakte hij duidelijk dat het geen gebod was, maar een mogelijkheid.

“Laat ieder zo veel geven als hij zelf besloten heeft, zonder tegenzin of dwang, want God heeft lief wie blijmoedig geeft.” (2Cor 9:7)

Geven omdat het moet is eigenlijk helemaal geen geven. Het is slechts voldoen aan een verplichting en verre van wat God in gedachten heeft.

Follow the money 1

Giving and Generosity

Living in the church 9

“Follow the money!” I found an interesting scripture.

Ecclesiastes 10:19, “Money is the answer for everything.”

 

 

 

When we ask why all TV preachers sound the same. Is Ecclesiastes the answer?

When we ask why organized religion works the way it does. Is Ecclesiastes the answer?

When we ask ourselves how do I know what my heart really wants. Is Ecclesiastes the answer?

In human terms, money is the answer for everything. How you view it and how you use it will show you what you understand about Father’s work in your life.

Important questions we have about relational church life are, “What do you think about tithing?” and “What do we do with children?” Admittedly I handle financial matters with great care since nothing has been more abused among God’s people in our day.

Usually those who speak about it do so only to get their hands on more of it for themselves.

Let me say this at the beginning: There is no financial crisis here, and please don’t send me any contributions because you think this is a veiled appeal to do so. It is not, and if that is hard for you to believe, please feel free not to read any further.

So much of what has been said in this area either burdens people with guilt or bribes them with false promises of God giving them more money in return.

I’ll risk being misunderstood because I want you to discover the joy and freedom of seeing Father’s hand in your giving just as much as any other area of your life.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers or to be complete on this subject, but I do like to share with you where the journey has led me in this area.

Jesus and Money

Jesus spoke about money as much as he spoke about anything except relating to his Father.

He said nothing reveals our affections more, than that which we compile as treasure, or that which we freely share at God’s bidding.

Reading the Gospels reveals that he talked about it more than he talked about church, worship or even prayer. He warned us not to judge God’s fairness or generosity by it, and made it clear that the abundant life had nothing to do with the amount of money or possessions we have, but the simplicity of living in the freedom of his righteousness, the rest of his peace and the fullness of his joy.

The pursuit of money and the worries it creates has the capacity to choke out the life of the kingdom in any of his followers. It is better to give it away to the poor than let it own your heart.

He also said that wise hearts would use money as a tool for God’s purpose in the world. It can open doors and minister to the needs of many, when it doesn’t own you. Use it responsively to Him and it can be a blessing to you and others. Hoard it and its promise quickly turns into a cage for a darkened heart.

With capacity for such good or such evil, how does he want us to handle our money?

TBC……

Volg het geld 1

Geven en vrijgevigheid
Leven in de kerk 9

Ik heb een prachtige bijbeltekst gevonden.      “Volg het geld!”

Prediker 10:19, “en het geld verantwoordt alles” (statenvertaling)

Als we ons afvragen waarom bijna alle TV predikers hetzelfde klinken, Is prediker het antwoord?
Als we ons afvragen waarom georganiseerde religie werkt zoals we zien, Is prediker het antwoord?
Als we ons afvragen wat wil ik nou echt in mijn hart, Is prediker het antwoord?

Op het menselijke vlak is geld het antwoordt voor alles. Hoe je erover denkt en wat je ermee doet laat zien wat je begrijpt van het werk van de Vader in jou leven.

Belangrijke vragen die we hebben binnen de relationele kerk zijn, “Hoe denk je over tienden geven” en “Wat doen we met de kinderen”. Ik moet toegeven dat ik financiële zaken met de grootste voorzichtigheid benader, omdat het zo misbruikt is.

Meestal gaat het bij degene die over dit onderwerp spreken, om meer te krijgen voor hun eigen doelen. Laat ik eerst dit zeggen, ik heb geen financiële problemen en stuur dus geen geld omdat je denkt dat dit een verborgen vraag is om dat te doen. Dat is het niet, en als dat voor jou moeilijk is om te geloven, voel je dan vrij om niet verder te lezen.

Zo veel van wat op dit gebied word gezegd, belast de mensen met schuldgevoel of koopt ze om met valse beloftes dat God ze zal zegenen en ze meer zullen terugkrijgen. Ik neem het risico om verkeert begrepen te worden omdat het mijn verlangen is dat je de vreugde en vrijheid gaat ontdekken van het ervaren van Vaders leiding in het geven zoals je dat ook in andere gebieden van je leven ervaart.
Ik pretendeer ook niet dat ik alle antwoorden heb of compleet te zijn over dit onderwerp, maar ik wil graag delen waartoe mijn levensreis mij op dit gebied geleid heeft.

 

Jezus en geld

Jezus sprak meer over geldzaken als dat hij over andere onderwerpen sprak, met uitzondering over de relatie met de Vader.

Hij zei “ waar je schat is, daar is ook je hart” ofwel waar wil je God in toelaten.

Als we de  evangeliën lezen ontdekken we dat Hij er meer over sprak als over kerk, aanbidding of zelfs gebed. Hij waarschuwde ons God goedheid en vrijgevigheid er niet mee te beoordelen, en maakte duidelijk dat overvloedig leven niets te maken heeft met hoeveel geld of goederen je hebt, maar met het eenvoudig leven in de vrijheid van Zijn rechtvaardigheid, de rust van zijn vrede, en de volheid van zijn vreugde.

Het streven om geld te hebben en de zorgen die dat met zich meebrengt hebben de kracht om het koninklijke leven uit zijn volgelingen weg te halen. Het is beter om het aan de armen te geven dan dat je hart erdoor in bezit wordt genomen.

Hij zei ook dat een verstandig hart geld zal gebruiken als gereedschap voor Gods doelen in de wereld. Het kan deuren openen en velen tot zegen zijn, als je hart er niet door in beslag wordt genomen. Gebruik het in reactie op zijn leiding en het zal een zegen zijn voor jou en anderen. Vergaar het en zijn beloften veranderen in een gevangenis voor je verduisterde hart.

Hoe wil God dat we ermee omgaan als je er zoveel goeds of zoveel verkeerts mee kunt doen.

Wordt vervolgt

Books

 

Hi, Not an article this time but some books I was reading recently (again) and feel to recommend to you, I’ve been blessed by it.

You can order them at:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/

Free world wide delivery.

 

 

He Loves Me!

Learning to Live in the Father’s Affection

By Wayne Jacobsen

 

Do you find yourself picking through circumstances like children plucking daisy petals attempting to figure out whether or not God loves you? If you find yourself least certain of his love in those critical moments when you most need to trust him, there is hope for you. Where? At the one event in human history that forever secured your place in the Father s hear–the cross where Jesus allowed sin and shame to be consumed in his own body so that you could freely embrace a relationship with his Father. There you will discover that what he always wanted was not the fearful subservience of slaves, but the loving affection of sons and daughters. If your spiritual life feels more like performance than freedom, like an empty ritual rather than a joyful journey, let Wayne help you discover a Father who loves you more than anyone on this planet ever has or ever will and how you can rest in the confidence of his affection for you through whatever circumstances you face.

About the Author

Wayne Jacobsen wanders the world helping people sort out how to live deeply in the life of Jesus. Formerly a Contributing Editor to Leadership Journal, he has written numerous books on spiritual intimacy and relational church life, including So You Don t Want to Go to Church Anymore, under the penname Jake Colsen. You can find his other books, blog, and articles at lifestream.org, and his weekly podcast at thegodjourney.com. He resides in Moopark, CA with his wife Sara.

Price US$10.79

The Misunderstood God

The Lies Religion Tells About God

by Darin Hufford

THE MISUNDERSTOOD GOD tells the truth about who the Creator is. This book analyzes what religion says about God’s heart and personality and measures it up to what God calls Himself: Love. It simplifies a generation’s tangled perceptions of God by taking a journey through the sixteen aspects of love described in one of the most well-known Bible passages in the world: 1 Corinthians 13, also known as “the love chapter.” So many Christians have been bombarded with confusing teachings and doctrines that their understanding of God resembles a tightly tangled ball of Christmas tree lights. This book takes that twisted mess and replaces it with one soft, warm light of truth that anyone can embrace: God is love. (2009)

About the Author

Darin Hufford is the host of the Into the Wild podcast and the founder and president of the Free Believers Network. He travels and speaks throughout the world on knowing the heart of God. Currently, Darin lives in Phoenix,Arizona, with his wife, Angie, and their five children. (2009)

Price  US $11.76

 

God without Religion

Can It Really Be This Simple?

by Andrew Farley

From the Back Cover

God without religion?

Through tales of robbery and extortion, laps around the Indy 500 track, tapped phone calls to a psychic, and a grandma’s late arrival at her own funeral, bestselling author Andrea Farley invites you on a story-filled adventure to discover the beauty of God’s grace.

“Andrew Farley is one of the best young writers yet most mature thinkers in the church today. Read God without Religion to hear the voice of a 21st century Bonhoeffer who shows how to ring in the good times when Jesus (not religion) is the cantus firmus, the enduring melody, of our lives.”–Leonard Sweet, bestselling author and professor at Drew University and George Fox University

“Never have I encountered a book that so clearly and biblically explains New Covenant Christianity. If you want to dump the religious burden and live in the true freedom and joy of Christ, God without Religion is for you.”–David Gregory, bestselling author of Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and The Rest of the Gospel

“God without Religion is brave, genius, and full of the best kind of hope. Andrew Farley offers us a clear, more joy-filled, and peaceful route to God, without religion! And we need that now more than ever.”–Matthew Paul Turner, bestselling author of Churched and Hear No Evil

“This is a book that every Christian simply must read before going one more step in their walk with Christ. Don’t waste another day living under religious bondage. Stop everything you’re doing and read this book now.”–Darin Hufford, bestselling author of The Misunderstood God

Price US $16.88

The Naked Gospel

Jesus Plus Nothing.

100% Natural. No Additives.

by Andrew Farley

From the Back Cover

I found myself lying on the floor of my apartment, sobbing for hours on end: “God, I’m doing everything I’m supposed to do, and I still don’t feel closer to you. In fact, I feel worse than ever! How could this have gone wrong? I can’t see any way out. Help me.”

As a university student, Andrew Farley found himself physically and emotionally addicted to street evangelism and Bible study. Yet despite his fervid behavior, he knew something was missing. That something was an understanding of the gospel that is stripped of the compromises and clichés of the modern church.

The Naked Gospel finds friends among those who are burned out on experience-chasing, ceremonialism, or legalism. It attacks churchy jargon and powerless ideas and puts forth a message that is simple but life-changing. With a fresh take on Scripture and unapologetic style, The Naked Gospel will challenge you and stir you to re-examine everything you thought you already knew.

About the Author

Dr. Andrew Farley is senior pastor of Ecclesia, an evangelical Bible church that has resided on the high plains of west Texas for more than fifty years. Andrew is a bestselling author of several Christian books and a frequent speaker at churches and Christian campus events. Andrew is also a tenured professor of linguistics at Texas Tech University and lives in Lubbock, Texas with his wife, Katharine, and their son Gavin. For more information, please visit AndrewFarley.org.

Price US $12.94