NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

Tithing On Limited Income

by Leave a Comment

Tithing For Today: Why Tithing Is Good For Everyone In Every Era

Jesus Identified With Sinners
Some Of Whom
Were Quite Wealthy

With recent employment trends in the US going south, leaving a larger-than-usual number of people reliant on unemployment income to make ends meet, budgets are being radically adjusted.

Unemployment benefits are designed to supply only about half one’s normal income and in many cases it works out to be less. Obviously, under these circumstances some expense items have to go.

Since tithing’s status as a fixed expense is regularly debated in good times, it is no surprise that it is scrutinized even more closely during the bad. And most of the discussion focuses on one question:

“Should those living on unemployment benefits, hand-only-reaching-mouth-at-a-stretch, tithe?”

Not only are responses numerous they are often emotional.

We shouldn’t think that strange. It is inevitable that emotion would seep into any arguments about money. Contrary to what people like to think, we love the stuff. We love to keep it – meaning spend or hoard – or we love to brag about giving it away. The more we have to keep or give, the more attached we become to our pet ideas about managing it.

The arguments we put forth in support of our beliefs are no less emotional than the crazy perspectives we entertain about the filthy stuff.

Christianity Today, in their usual approach to dealing with searching questions about pressing needs, has offered three articles from three different perspectives addressing this very question. All of them are interesting. One, however, takes the emotional “cake.” [Read more…] about Tithing On Limited Income

Sincerity Is Not Salvation

by Leave a Comment

Cornelius was a very interesting person. The Bible actually says he was so convincingly devout that his family followed in his steps. He also gave generously (much) to charitable needs, he feared God and he prayed constantly. He was trusted and had influence with many people.

The least you could say about Cornelius is he was sincere. It was in response to his sincerity that God spoke to him in a vision and on the basis of that fact alone we conclude that sincerity is important.

  • The quality of every relationship is measured by the sincerity of those involved.
  • Sincere people are honest and trustworthy. The opposite is duplicity, i.e., operating with ulterior motives and hidden agendas.
  • Sincere people never say one thing while intentionally meaning another. When they disagree with others they are honest about it without being disagreeable.
  • Sincere people are forthright. They say exactly what they mean and mean exactly what they say.
  • Sincere people look for truth, they don’t try to reshape it.
  • A sincere person can never knowingly be compromised.
  • Insincere people are complacent about error and glib toward truth. They aren’t so easily led by God.
  • God responds to sincerity.

But being sincere does not automatically make you Christian and Cornelius’ experience proves it. You can read his story in Acts 10.

[do_widget id=media_image-4]

Cornelius is just one example among many of someone who was very sincere long before becoming Christian. Nicodemus, Lydia and Apollos are a few more. These are people whose sincerity wasn’t contaminated by self-serving opinions. A stubborn person who is sincerely wrong may never find the truth or accept it when found. These examples were neither self-serving nor stubborn. [Read more…] about Sincerity Is Not Salvation

Christian Condition VS Christian Living

by 1 Comment

Christians can be bad. Unbelievers can be good.

Being Christian-Like
Is Not The Same
As Being Christian

This post answers the question, “Why are Christians sometimes more sinful than non-Christians?”

And the answer is found in understanding the difference between Christian Condition (salvation) and Christian Living (character). Or to put it more simply, salvation VS character.

I say “VS” because these two ideas don’t blend. And this really is the crux of the issue.

The right “condition” – salvation – should, in theory, produce better “character” but that doesn’t always happen, at least not so we can tell it, and it never works in reverse. Good character never produces salvation. They are two entirely separate issues. Both can and do happen apart from the other.

Nicodemus developed good character as an adult long before and apart from his salvation. Fortunately, he did eventually get saved but his salvation was not an outcome of his character and, sadly, there are many “good” people who don’t get saved. Nicodemus had many associates who missed their opportunity.

Christians often justify marrying unbelievers because they are “very good.” It is the “good” part that makes them attractive in spite of being lost. In some cases these good people eventually become Christian and in some they don’t but being “good” had no bearing on the outcome either way. Good character makes them easy to marry and live with. It does nothing to change their “condition.”

The reverse is also true. It is possible to become a believer and never catch up entirely on the character scale. David with his polygamy and adultery is a good example.

This is an important discussion because you often find non-Christians – in some cases atheists – living on a higher moral plane than Christians. You also find varying degrees of integrity among believers. Some have great qualities and others need a lot of growth.

But, the truth is…

“Christian” is not synonymous with “good” any more than “unbeliever” is synonymous with “bad.”

And the Bible has many examples of people who were good before they became believers. [Read more…] about Christian Condition VS Christian Living

“Tongues” Is A Sign, Part 6

by Leave a Comment

Lesson 6: Comparing Different Gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14)

The New Testament teaches that every Christian is given spiritual gifts and these gifts determine the shape of our service to God.

1 Peter 4:10 says three things:

  • Every person has received a gift.
  • The gift is best used in ministering to the community – “one another.”
  • Doing so makes the best use of the grace God extends to us.

That is easy to understand. The problem is there are two types of gifts.

  • Some are “supernatural” and some are “natural.”
  • Some are sensationally demonstrated and some are expressed through practical skills.
  • Some display the power of God alone and some display God’s power working through the abilities of His people.
  • Some gifts are very exciting and appealing while others are more mundane.

But all of them are “spiritual.”

Paul mentions both kinds in 1 Corinthians 12. In fact, he makes a very clear statement of his subject, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant,” (v. 1).

Before we go further let’s define our terms more specifically. What is a spiritual gift? What qualifies to be called a spiritual gift? There are several facts to consider. [Read more…] about “Tongues” Is A Sign, Part 6

“Tongues” Are A Sign, Part 5

by Leave a Comment

Lesson 5: Comparing The Principle To The Experience – Acts 18:24-19:7

It is very possible for a person to know they are wrong but not understand why or what to do about it. The Bible implies this psychological dilemma when it refers to non-Christians as “lost.”

Like getting sand in your eye – Jesus talked about a beam – you only have a vague sense of where you are and where you’re going.

The same thing is true when it comes to religious truth. A person can know that one thing is wrong without knowing what is right. This can be particularly frustrating if the tradition you follow has been historically true to God.

This was the case with the Jews in Jesus day. They knew that God had led them in the past but they also knew that God had done very little with them for several hundred years (approximately 400). They had been used to a regular diet of prophets, priests and miracles. Silence for so many years was a threatening state of affairs. They looked for and needed a fresh manifestation of God which Jesus was but unfortunately, when He came they were looking in the wrong direction.

There’s no excuse for that. The Scriptures are full of references giving details of his coming and even suggesting the timing but all of this information only got in the way of their religious agenda. Jesus was more of an inconvenience than an answer.

Israel had become obsessed with following a set of rules as if the rules were God. They were really just doing their own thing, changing and adding laws as they pleased. Once one set of rules became “easy” they stiffened things up by expanding the regulations. That was their way of feeling a sense of commitment.

That, of course, describes the nature of all religion. “Rules” make us feel “in.” The more aligned with the rules one is the more “in” they think they are.

This was why John Baptist’s message had such an impact. The Jewish leadership had become oppressive and the Jewish masses knew something was wrong but no one knew how to address the problem or had the courage to speak up.

To the greater populace John was fresh. To the religious establishment he was a challenge to the status quo. [Read more…] about “Tongues” Are A Sign, Part 5