What is the deal with Tithing?

A popular pastor in my country recently took a significant step away from his previous religious teachings. He announced that paying tithes is not a requirement for making it to heaven, a sharp contrast to his earlier sermons where he had preached that those who do not give tithes will not enter heaven.

Now, I’m not against tithing. My home church is in faraway Singapore, and tithes and offerings make it possible for millions of people, including myself, to hear the truth about Jesus through its TV broadcasts. Think about it—it’s your house, so why wouldn’t you want to contribute to its upkeep? That is, unless we no longer view the church as our home, but rather as a place to conduct “trade-by-barter” transactions with God, which is sadly how many people, both those who give tithes and those who don’t, view it.

Like Saul after something like scales fell from his eyes and he both literally and metaphorically saw God’s Grace(Ananias means God’s Grace), I believe that this pastor is beginning to see the Grace of God, which defies human logic. Soon, he may surprise those in religious circles who are still engaging in a bartering mindset with God, seeking to earn His freely-given blessings in Christ through their works. He might go so far as to admit that much of what he previously preached doesn’t align with the true message of Christ, and he will begin to proclaim the Truth that truly sets people free.

Here’s the truth: Christ has fulfilled the entire law on our behalf, including that of the tithe, and in Him, God no longer holds any sin against us. In Christ, we are called His children, blessed with every spiritual blessing, despite our flaws and the fact that we’ve done nothing to earn it. Christ accomplished it all—no sin is counted against us anymore. His job description is to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21)—

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

“Saviour from sins” is Christ’s job description. This includes not only the sins we struggle with daily—like an empty tithe card—but even the sins mentioned in Revelation 21:8, which some “men of God” use to scare the flock with threats of hell—

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

—because He so loved you and I, God sent His only begotten Son to save us from even the vilest sins and the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; to cause us to "not perish but have everlasting life."

If you believe you can save yourself from sin or avert calamity through your own good behavior or by paying tithes, then there’s no room for Christ in such thinking. He is not a partial Saviour—He saves to the uttermost. Just as the body cannot move without a skeleton, we cannot save ourselves without Him. Even in Him, If we could, we wouldn’t need Him to rescue us. He came for those who are completely helpless—

"For when the time was right, the Anointed One came and died to demonstrate his love for sinners who were entirely helpless, weak, and powerless to save themselves." Romans 5:6

In reality, this truth applies to all of humanity. But like Peter before his denial of Jesus exposed his utter weakness, we sometimes believe that we possess enough good within us to keep even the smallest part of the law—or to give the tithe—simply because, well, we’re already doing it. We’re disciplined and obedient unlike “others” who just don’t care and commit sins with reckless abandon. But the fact is, just as Peter wasn’t wallowing in sins when he boldly claimed he would never deny Jesus, many are unaware of humanity’s deeply sinful nature in its default state, apart from Christ. What they fail to see is that the only reason why people aren’t overtaken by heinous crimes, poverty, or disease right now is because God has not allowed Satan to sift them like wheat for the “good” they believe they have when Christ clearly says —

“There is none good but God.”

Let us take our cue from David who wrote in Psalm 16:2–

“I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”

Christ’s blood is the only difference between “the righteous” and “the wicked.” God’s word in Proverbs 27:19 tells us—

“Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another.”

The same way you see your face reflected in a mirror, well, open your heart or humanity to a mirror and it is no different from that of any world-renowned pastor or the vilest offender in the world. Identical. According to our Maker—

“There is none good but God.”

We are all exactly the same in terms of our humanity or ability to be good (be like God) which is non-existent. It is only by God’s mercy that one is not consumed by sins and calamity. The one who thinks he is standing or giving all by himself is like self-trusting Peter before his denials— trusting in human effort aka the arm of flesh that will fail. The earlier we understand this and stop thinking that we are good because “at least, I am paying tithe and don’t do xyz sin”, the better for us.

The hallmark of being born again is admitting that you are helpless to live a godly life (even though your walk is relatively upright) or save yourself from your sins (in agreement with God’s word), and looking to Christ lifted up (like the bronze serpent) as your Saviour from sin and death, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness...” — stop trying to make yourself whole by treating fiery serpents bite symptoms (acts of sin that lead to death) with your human effort aka the arm of flesh. Also, no one can choose their fiery serpents venom infection symptoms (acts of sin that lead to death), so to wonder why some people are oozing particular sins and demand that they stop because the Ten Commandments say so, that is akin to telling an infected Israelite demanding that another stop producing snakebite symptoms. Only by forsaking our silly efforts to save ourselves looking utterly to Christ lifted up like the bronze serpent are we saved from sin and death.

Your sins are not the issue. Look to Christ alone and He will save you from them all, just as any Israelite who looked to the bronze serpent were made whole from the serpents sting (a typology for sin nature) and its deathly effects (acts of sin that lead to death.) Jesus is the reality of the typology that is the bronze serpent.

In fact, beloved of God, understand this today—there are only two factors that lead people to commit acts of sin, and there’s absolutely nothing anyone can do to overcome them by willpower or the arm of flesh when those factors are at play. It is no coincidence that both factors are recorded as happening during Christ’s passion.

The first:

Many are like Peter, who thought God’s word— “the arm of flesh (human effort) will fail”—was a joke. In the matter of his denials, he exalted his own knowledge against the Knowledge of his Maker — the definition of “every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God”. Peter was certain that he could never do such a thing. Yet, Peter ended up denying Jesus three times, something he swore he could never do.

Many churchgoers still hold onto that same self-trust which Peter had, exalting their own knowledge…. thinking they are walking uprightly by their own strength. But can flesh move without a skeleton? That skeleton, for such self-trusting churchgoers, is God’s mercy by which they are not consumed by sins like Peter’s denials or calamity like Job’s self-righteousness. It is by His mercy that we are not consumed, child of God. That trust in the arm of flesh or human effort to do right or be good (be like God) is what opens the door for Satan to sift a person like wheat for the good he claims to possess when Christ says— “There is none good but God.” So, let the one who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

The second factor which causes people to find themselves enmeshed in sins: they are like Judas whom "Satan entered." —

“Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.” Luke‬ 22:3-6‬

When the scales fall off the eyes of such, they are ridden with guilt and remorse, like Judas. The worst thing that anyone in this position can do is continue to rely on his human strength at obedience to make things right or to get back into God's good Graces as many church leaders are pushing the flock to do today. The result is getting cut off from Christ and falling from Grace (Christ Himself) who saves from sins—

““For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.” Galatians 5:4.

— falling from God’s Grace and into Judas' depression and suicide mode (symptoms of death) because the arm of flesh will fail. Many churchgoers are dealing with the same issue as Judas did today, burdened with guilt which Christ died to take away and thanks to the teachings of “men of God” who continue to whack them with demands of obedience and 70-day fasts to be redeemed or to get God to bless. Only death lies ahead on that road

Like Peter before his denials exposed his frailty, many believe that their good works and giving are what keep them blessed. But just as Peter fell flat three times when tested, and like self-righteous Job who recounted his good deeds as why calamity should not befall him, even accusing God of wrongdoing, well, let anyone who thinks they stand take heed lest they fall.

A Christian who is uncertain about whether he will be caught up with Christ when the trumpet sounds is a contradiction in terms. Jesus is clear in John 5:24 that believers “possess now” eternal life and that no one—not even ourselves—can snatch us from His hand. Eternal life is a gift, not something earned.

If you accept the truth that Christ has already completed the work of making you righteous, perfect, and utterly blessed by God, independent of your own obedience or tithe payment, and stop trying to appease God with your 10% or efforts at self-righteousness, then—like the Israelites who looked to the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up in the wilderness—should the trumpet sound right now, you’ll be caught up with Him. Even before that, your life will be transformed, becoming both blessed and godly—not by your own strength, but by Christ living in you. This is God’s wisdom and it is foolishness to human logic—

"For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18.

This is our reality in Christ- in Him, God sees us as righteous, even though we are guilty of breaking many laws including having an empty tithe card—

“And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.”Romans 5:16

To human reasoning, God’s written word—this Grace (undeserved, unearned, and unmerited favor)— seems like a license to sin or a way for “others” to avoid giving tithes and offerings. Notice how, with religious folk who think they can obey the law or that they are being good by themselves, it is always “others” who will use Grace as license to sin and not they themselves. In reality, all of humanity is the same flesh — none good. Christ’s blood is the only difference between “the righteous” and “the wicked.” God’s word in Proverbs 27:19 tells us—

“Just as water reflects the face, so one human heart reflects another.”

Just as you see your face reflected in a mirror, open your heart to the humanity of another. It is no different from that of a world-renowned pastor or the vilest offender. Of ourselves, we are all identical— the same flesh in which dwells no good thing, like empty bottles on an assembly line, ready to be filled with the vagaries of Time and Chance, and Satan’s sifting—but for God’s mercy. Even the “accident” of birth, which no man can control, plays a significant role in determining the course of one’s life. As our Maker says—

“There is none good but God.”

He gave His life that we might be good as a gift of His Grace— unmerited favour. So let’s not be like Peter who told Christ that he would not fail even if the rest of the disciples did.

The “foolishness [absurd and illogical]” nature of God’s Grace to human reasoning is why the Pharisees, who were fixated on obeying and tithing, rejected Jesus who is Grace-personified. Yet, in His wisdom, God reveals that receiving His abundant Grace is the very means by which we live in triumph over sin and death, as well as death’s “death row” symptoms such as poverty and demonic oppression—

“And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:16-17.

In God’s Way, you will naturally find yourself loving others, giving more than the tithe requires, and living in a state of blessing—yet it won’t be by your effort, but Christ working in you. The Holy Spirit will transform you from within, like a greatly beloved child maturing to grow a beard just like his heavily bearded dad. But we have preachers demanding that children of God grow a beard by their willpower—- Unless the Lord builds the house..

The challenge with many church pastors is that they are following Satan’s teaching of striving to be godly (to be like God) through human effort—the “arm of flesh”—which is bound to fail, and leading their congregation down the same way which “…seems good unto a man but at its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12. They try to keep the law which condemns the best of those who try to do what it commands to death (the letter kills) and is the substance of the typology that is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Though it appears good, this has been Satan’s religious deception since Eden. Following that path—attempting to achieve godliness by human effort after Christ has already made us righteous like God—is what led to the calamities that befell Job and is the reason many in the church today experience similar struggles. This is why people often ask, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” In reality—

“There is none good but God.”

Take Christ’s words to heart. Don’t be deceived—there is absolutely nothing you can do in your own strength to justifyyourself before God or to avoid paying the wages of sin; and all have sinned. The word “justify” comes from the Greek word dikaioō, which means to be acquitted or declared righteous by a judge. Hold on to this legal term justify aka dikaioō

All have sinned, and the wages of sin is death. Giving the tithe to be considered good (to be like God, who alone is good) or to gain financial blessings is evidence of being under the law—essentially, being under law entails having a mindset of “Give to get from God.” With such, the finished work of Jesus Christ who is Grace-personified has been replaced with human effort or arm of flesh-driven works. Let’s not fool ourselves—if you expect returns on your tithing or obedience and believe that’s why God blesses you, you have set Jesus aside— you’re living under the law and not under Grace. And “by the deeds of the law shall no man be justified in His sight.” Romans 3.

And what about the other laws you have not kept, you who believe that giving the tithe is what gives you financial prosperity or prevents the law from executing its judgment of death, and not solely Jesus Christ and Him crucified? Have you not read James 2:10—

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it”?

Not fair? Until we see the only reason why you and I are not wallowing in heinous sins as it is written for us in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13–

12 "So beware if you think it could never happen to you, lest your pride becomes your downfall. 13 We all experience times of testing, which is normal for every human being. But God will be faithful to you. He will screen and filter the severity, nature, and timing of every test or trial you face so that you can bear it. And each test is an opportunity to trust Him more, for along with every trial God has provided for you a way of escape that will bring you out of it victoriously." 1 Corinthians 10 (TPT)

If God was not screening and filtering… well, just consider Peter with his denials which he knew that he could never do.. until he did. The potential to commit heinous crimes is in everybody. God sees this potential and how, as it was with pre-denials Peter, favourable circumstances and God’s protection from sifting by Satan make some churchgoers get all hoity-toity about some sins, label others as “great sinner" because of the gravity of their sins or think that some sins are beneath them, hence God's word to us in James 2:10.

If you are relying on your tithing or any other form of your own obedience to shield you from judgment, consider the entire law. The law you’re depending on demands utter perfection, and falling short in one area means you’ve fallen short of the entire law. Only in Christ the beloved are we accepted and declared “Not guilty”

In essence, paying tithe to escape the ”death row” situation of poverty and the prison of death is like a convicted criminal doing good deeds to escape poverty on death row and wipe off his death sentence. He will still suffer and die. Churchgoers who swear by the tithe as why they are prosperous have no idea that they are like defendants whom the Righteous Judge in His mercy let out on bail, or like Job before his trial began. Lawyers would grasp this concept well—our warfare is a legal battle:

To approach the bench in an attempt to present God the Righteous Judge with your tithe, obedience, or 79-day fast in exchange for escaping the “death row” of poverty or the law’s death sentence, you have to turn your back on your God-given Advocate/Lawyer, Jesus Christ, who was condemned and died in our place. it is only through His blood that we are declared righteous in God’s sight and so get to escape wrath/judgment— Romans 5:9 (NKJV)—

“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

Another version reads—

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God." Romans 5:9

Only in Christ are we delivered from judgment. Notice the judicial terms? If you rise from where you are seated with Christ your God-given Advocate in the court of your conscience to present your fasts or tithes to God in order to guarantee an acquittal from the prison of poverty or other earthly ills (which are just signs of death begun), you are, in effect, saying you don’t want Jesus as your Lawyer. Instead, you want God to justify or acquit you based on your own human effort at tithing or your own obedience, not Christ’s obedience. You have become your own advocate. But the arm of flesh will fail. The sentence is death, for without Christ as their Advocate and Bearer of Sins, no one can escape the wrath of God the Righteous Judge—

“for by the deeds of the law shall no man be justified in His sight.” Romans 3.

But in Christ, we have our blood-bought acquittal. See Romans 5:9 (TPT)—

“And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

That mindset of approaching the bench to present God the Righteous Judge with 10% and 70-day fasts to break curses which Christ already hung on the cross to redeem us from (Galatians 3:13), it is what many pastors are preaching.

Some want to re-do the work of Jesus; replacing God’s freely-given gifts in Christ with their own works such as tithing in exchange for financial prosperity and protection from Satan the Devourer when 2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us—

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

Also Romans 8:32— “He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

Do we know what it means to attempt to replace Christ’s finished work with what man has to do to be blessed by God? Did you know that the word “antichrist” is translated from the original Greek text “anti” (meaning “in place of” or “in stead of”) and Christos (meaning Anointed aka Christ)? “Antichrist” is simply one who tries to replace what Christ has done to grant us good success and eternal life with what man must do using his useless human effort aka the arm of flesh.

The problem with mankind since Eden has always been pride in self for the attainment of godliness— to be like God. But God’s Word shows us that of ourselves, we cannot: “There is none good but God.” There is no good in man of himself who is mere flesh. Yet man, much like Peter before his denials, disagrees with God and continues striving to achieve godliness through the law, which is the knowledge of good and evil like the tree in Eden. Can two walk together unless they agree? If you think you’re standing by your own effort, remember Peter before he denied Jesus—you are standing only because God has not allowed Satan to test you or put you on trial, as he did with Peter, and Judas who, after seeing his error, still plodded on in his human might to make things right— the outcome of doing so still the same for many churchgoers who have been plunged into Judas’ depression and suicide-mode for the guilt for sins which they carry in their heart— the same sins which that Christ died to take away forever. If a trial comes, the arm of flesh will fail.

Man of himself is flesh. For those who think they are doing good by themselves, God’s mercy is like the skeleton that holds literal flesh upright, just as it did with Job before his suffering and Peter before his fall. So, let anyone who thinks they are standing by their own strength take heed before what happened to self-righteous Job happens to them.

In any court of law, the condemned must face judgment. Only the blood of Jesus suffices to escape condemnation in this court of the law which many are trying to obey in order to escape a guilty verdict in their conscience or their heart from which “proceeds the issues of life” according to the Book of Proverbs

Did you know that “adversary” in that popular verse “your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion” is translated from the Greek “antidikos” meaning “opponent in a lawsuit”?

Spiritual warfare which many think entails fighting witches and demons in a coven is a legal battle and the battleground is the heart from which proceeds the issues of life. Only in Christ our Advocate and Mediator are we justified/acquitted/dikaoo — the one who depends on his tithes for justification and escape from the prison of poverty and not Christ alone, that one is already defeated, like pre-calamities Job. Satan the Accuser has won the case if your justification or acquittal from the prison of poverty is your 10% or 70 days of fasting. Such are already condemned or under the death sentence without knowing it. See this on Christ’s word in John 3:16–18:

16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

The Message version brings out the flavours of the original Greek text—

16-18 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to Him.”

Notice the legalese in bold above? All of the legal or judicial terms in the Bible — God the Righteous Judge, Jesus as our Advocate, The Holy Spirit bears witness, no condemnation in Christ Jesus, Law, justification, how God will “abundantly pardon” etc — they are not just there to fill up space. Lawyers will understand this concept better—

• God is the RIGHTEOUS Judge. He can’t sweep sins under the carpet just because you are His child.
• Jesus Christ our Advocate in whom there is no condemnation for all who believe.
• The Holy Spirit witnesses or testifies to the truth that in Christ, God does not remember our sins (Hebrews 10.)
• Satan is the ACCUSER who brings “charges against our brethren day and night” according to Revelation 12.

In Israel today, prosecutors at law are literally called HaSatan (The Satan.) So don’t let any pastor scare you with that name. HaSatan is simply Hebrew for “Prosecutor at Law.”

Notice the judicial terms? Giving tithe in order to escape the prison of poverty or to guarantee financial prosperity which Christ became poor for us to freely have, it is the testament to jettisoning our God-given Advocate and representing oneself in the court of one’s conscience or heart, and the definition of “Guilty”. And out of the heart proceeds the issues of life, says the Book of Proverbs. A heart with a guilty conscience will experience symptoms of the curse.

Beloved, we are saved from sin and death plus its symptoms of earthly ills such as poverty and demonic oppression “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.” And not because we tried to treat the snakebite symptom called lack of tithing by ourselves. Be still and trust in Christ. What needless pain many bear because they try to get rid of their fiery serpents bite symptoms (shortcomings or acts of sin that lead to death) by themselves instead of depending wholly on Christ who saves from sin and death.

So believers, be still in Christ your Advocate and stop “approaching the bench” in the futile attempt to present God the Righteous Judge with abominable works such as your own obedience, 10% or 89 days of fasting in exchange for His acquittal which the blood of Jesus has already purchased for us. Such works are based on the knowledge of good and evil aka the law which many are trying to obey in order to be deemed godly— be like God. Just like the tree, the letter kills.

Be steadfast in Christ your Advocate; believe what God’s word says when trials happen and Satan’s pastors try to get you to approach the bench or present the Righteous Judge with your own works. Believe that you are “seated with Christ in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power…” — remain seated with your Lawyer/Advocate/Mediator Jesus Christ during your trial, and let the sky fall if it must should some pastor tell you to try to merit God’s unmerited favour with useless human effort or arm of flesh-driven works— Jesus never disappoints those who trust Him and not their 70 days of fasting or 10% given in a bid to escape poverty.

There might be some evidence that your “tithing is working” just as Job had “evidences” that his obedience and good works were what made him prosperous before calamity befell him. Then, Job realised that he was prosperous by God’s mercy alone, and he wished for a Mediator. That prosperity is simply God’s mercy in action— Him pitying His children as He watches them scurry about trying to earn or pay for what He has already freely given to them in Christ Jesus with useless human effort-driven works. Isaiah 64:6 tells us how God the Righteous Judge sees such works which many religious folk depend on in place of Christ and His finished work, and try to present same works to Him as why He should bless, save and deliver—

“We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight." Isaiah 64:6.

So remain seated or at rest in Christ, not jumping about looking for salvation from lack or the curse through fasts and tithes when you are already seated with Salvation (Yeshua-Jesus) Himself, even when any Christ-replacing aka antichrist pastor says you should come and fast for 80 days to break the generational or other curse which your Saviour Jesus has already redeemed you from.

Any lawyer will tell you that in court, jumping about doing stuff to appease the judge directly or approaching the bench to try to present God the Righteous Judge with your 10%, fasts or whatever to escape the prison of earthly ills such as lack and demonic oppression, it is the definition of turning your back on your Advocate, Jesus.

Trust your Advocate Jesus Christ. Stay seated with Him, for with Him, you are far above all principalities and power…

Everything concerning your trial must be in, through and of Him. And with Him, God gives us all things FREELY and not because we fasted or paid tithe in our own might which only testify to rejecting Christ as our Lawyer and Bearer of Sin—

“He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:33.

Understand that “all things” above include grace to live a godly life, be loving, be generous as well as His gift of “no condemnation” by which we “go and sin no more.”

Let’s take our blessed brains to church, the gift of no condemnation is for the one who has sins. Apart from Christ, all will be condemned.

Never trust yourself. Trust Christ. You will be amazed at what your life will become when you have the true knowledge of Christ and not what Pharisee-types are preaching. No one upheld the law or gave tithes like the Pharisees when it comes to trying to be godly and that is why they rejected the Grace of God: Jesus Christ is the Grace of God. They wanted to merit God’s favour but no one can. Only through Christ do we have it and it is paid in His blood.

On the tithe, God loves a cheerful giver so He makes cheerful givers of His children who trust Christ as the only basis for their acceptance by Him. You will have excess to give and you will give tithe in abundance, yet not you but Christ in you. You will never be able to boast that you sowed your car in 1963 and got a jet in return. Christ gets all the glory because He did all the work. We no longer live. He lives in us. In Him, we don’t have to live right, we get to live right, because this is what He came to do—as it is written of Him in Titus 2:14-

"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds." Titus 2:14.

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God is not poor. Living in poverty is “not like God” aka not godly aka ungodly. Tithing your income in order to get God to give you ROI, or to escape poverty and Satan’s attacks is simply evidence of trying to “be like God” who has no financial issues. The one who does so is under law which is essentially—

dependence on human effort (the arm of flesh) for the attainment of godliness (be like God) by doing the commands of the law (the letter) which kills and is the knowledge of good and evil like the tree of the same name in Eden.

See the forbidden fruit as a typology for the law which many churchgoers are feeding on in order to be godly (be like God) in Romans 7:8-12 (MSG)—

8-12 "Don’t you remember how it was? I do, perfectly well. The law code started out as an excellent piece of work. What happened, though, was that sin found a way to pervert the command into a temptation, making a piece of “forbidden fruit” out of it. The law code, instead of being used to guide me, was used to seduce me."

Trying to get man to improve himself towards being more like God (godly) has been Satan’s religious deceit since Eden; it’s why the very religious Pharisees could not stand Jesus and why, today, many church folk shun the Grace of God, and without even realizing it. Satan’s strategy has not changed since Eden. Adam and Eve were created in God’s likeness. See this in Genesis 1:27–

"So God created human beings, making them to be like Himself. He created them male and female,"

Adam and Eve were already like God, but Satan sold to Eve the deceit that she had to strive to be what God already made she and Adam to be (godly, like God) by human effort and through dependence on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil— a type of the law. The same religious deceit is still going on in many places of worship today— give tithe, don’t sin, be obedient, keep the Ten Commandments, do that you can be deemed godly or be like God who has no sin, lack, poverty, etc. Hence Satan’s campaign on getting churchgoers to trust in what they can do get financial prosperity— to be like God who is rich in every good thing.

But this is reality: in Christ, we are a new creation — created to “be like God,” but with better covenant promises than Adam and Eve: we are joint heirs with Christ. Christ suffered and died to make us godly like God. See the result of His suffering which He accomplished for us in Isaiah 53:11–

"After He has suffered, He will see the light of life. And He will be satisfied. My godly servant will make many people godly because of what He will accomplish. He will be punished for their sins."

Beloved, we who are a new creation in Christ, made godly/righteous like God by Christ’s obedience, let us not fall for the same seemingly moral but deathly deceit which Satan is still marketing through his pulpit-manning mouthpieces today. So watch what you are hearing in your local church.

The one who is relying on his own human strength or tithe payment to make him godly or to get God to bless or save, that one has replaced Christ’s finished work written for us in 2 Corinthians 8:9—

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

—-with his arm of flesh/human effort-driven righteous deeds as why God should be his Provider. All of the "good works" and obedience done to be right with God or get Him to save from any ill are useless in saving anyone. Isaiah 64:6 tells us how God sees such works which many religious folk depend on in place of Christ and His finished work, and bandy same works about as why God should bless, save and deliver—

“We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight." Isaiah 64:6.

Hold on to “replace” and “in place of.” Understand that the spirit of the antichrist is not necessarily or vocally anti-God. The word “antichrist” in the Bible is translated from two words from the original Greek text—

Anti — meaning “replace” or “in place of” and

Christos — meaning “Christ” = “Anointed”

“Antichrist” simply refers to anyone who tries to REPLACE what CHRIST has done to make us righteous, free us from the imputation, guilt, condemnation, and the penalty of sin (death plus its symptoms of earthly ills), to save us from our sins and to grant us eternal life in Himself, with what MAN must do by his useless human effort, aka the arm of flesh.

Anything that one can boast of producing in order to nudge God into doing anything or in a bid to be more acceptable to Him, it is an abomination to God. Like a menstrual rag in His sight according to Isaiah 64:6. If one can boast about the good that he did, including giving the tithe, and expects God to bless him based on his human striving at being obedient or good (be like God), he is merely expressing his rejection of the Lamb of God as the reason why he is accepted by God, and offering a disgusting and abominable sacrifice— a dead work. That one has essentially replaced Christ’s finished work with his own ability to pay tithe, which isn’t even guaranteed— just as Peter boasted that he would not deny Jesus but failed to do so during his trial, human effort (the arm of flesh) will fail. Only in Christ do we stand.