NON-TITHING IS STEALING

(Excerpts from an article written in 1979)

By Herbert W. Armstrong

   I find it impossible to believe that a minister of Jesus Christ could at the same time be a THIEF - STEALING FROM GOD! Nearly all ministers and..... brethren have been LOYAL. ...during recent years "liberals" have risen up in the Church, watering down the laws of God.

   .....it is reported to me that a minister has said to a congregation words to this effect, "If you don't want to tithe, you don't need to."

Back on God's track

   The living Christ who heads this Church, has been, for a full year now, SETTING GOD'S CHURCH BACK ON GOD'S TRACK.

   ...during the past 10 years much false teaching has gone out, subtlety, craftily, inducing many of God's people to ease off on keeping God's commandments, leading many into SIN, while being deceived into supposing they are on safe ground spiritually.

   God has shown me that my commission is not ONLY to proclaim the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, but also to raise up this Church....to lead this Church into becoming READY for Christ's soon return in GLORY...

   LISTEN! fellow ministers and wives - and all you brethren in the Church: Jesus "loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it... That he might present it to himself a GLORIOUS church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be HOLY and WITHOUT BLEMISH" (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Time is SHORT

   Again (Revelation 19), at the time of Christ's return in power and GLORY, the Church shall have MADE HERSELF READY" - and brethren, we have many spots to be cleaned out, and many wrinkles to be ironed out before we are READY! And TIME IS SHORT and GROWING SHORTER FAST!

   Actually, I think God already has held up the progression of world events, TO GIVE US more time to 1) give out the Gospel of the Kingdom in greater power to more, and 2) get ourselves - the Church - READY!

   ...Perhaps "the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to REPENT" (Acts 17:30) - and THAT MEANS YOU!

An ordained system

   God has ordained the tithing system. This whole earth BELONGS TO GOD - not to us! Everything we have, whether goods or value in money, comes out of the ground. Even we, ourselves, have come out of the ground - WHICH IS GOD'S EARTH - therefore even WE OURSELVES belong to God, whether we wish to admit it or not.

   The Church of God is built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets - Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. The prophets who form part of the very foundation are the OLD TESTAMENT prophets, for the apostles' teachings, and New Testament writings, are quite largely built on the Old Testament prophets.

   There were NO NEW TESTAMENT PROPHETS WHO CONTRIBUTED any doctrines or teachings to the Church. Malachi wrote after both the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah had gone into captivity and slavery, and was therefore written for us, rather than for recording Old Testament teaching. It is THE WORD OF GOD!

And this prophet on which the Church was built, says to YOU who have not been tithing: "Will a man rob GOD? Yet ye have robbed me... In tithes and offerings. YE ARE CURSED WITH A CURSE: FOR YE HAVE ROBBED ME, EVEN THIS WHOLE NATION. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse... and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:8-10).

A New Testament command

   You ought to know how tithing is COMMANDED in the NEW Testament also - even though some liberals try to twist the Scriptures of the Holy GOD so they can GET and never GIVE. (Tithing is not a matter of taking pity on poor God and GIVING Him alms and charity in the form of tithes and offerings - IF YOU FEEL LIKE IT. IT IS A MATTER OF PAYING to God WHAT YOU OWE AND ARE COMMANDED TO PAY.)

   Neglect or refusal to PAY is STEALING from GOD - cutting yourself off from the lavish BLESSINGS He promises to faithful tithers as quoted above.

   ...in Hebrews 7: "For the priesthood being CHANGED [not abolished, but a change in which priesthood receives your tithes, under the NEW TESTAMENT] there is made of necessity a change also of the law" (verse 12). What law is it talking about? .....a law in which the priesthood "have a COMMANDMENT to take tithes of the people, ACCORDING TO THE LAW" (Verse 5).

   The priesthood was changed at the founding of the New Testament Church back again to the Melchisedec priesthood under CHRIST. There is therefore a CHANGE in the TITHING LAW that COMMANDS YOU AND ME TO PAY TITHES TO THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST, since Christ is now our High Priest at the right hand of GOD! (All above quoted from Hebrews 7.)

Stealing from God

   Brethren, it is not easy for me to write to you whom I dearly LOVE, and tell you that some of YOU ARE THIEVES breaking God's holy commandments, and stealing from GOD - ...

   I want you to think this over. I don't know WHO you are - have just been informed that a shocking number of members and ministers ARE NOT PAYING TITHES and are giving either NO offerings or a comparatively small amount.

   I want you to look at it as GOD looks at you!

   Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these [tithing[ OUGHT YE TO HAVE DONE, and not to leave the other undone" (Luke 11:42).

   You who have neglected tithing have NEGLECTED SO GREAT SALVATION (see Hebrews 2:3).

The living JESUS CHRIST put TITHING in God's Church from the very beginning of this Philadelphia era.....it is A LAW! Neglect or refusal is MAJOR SIN!

   I am not pussyfooting! Commandment breakers won't get into the Kingdom of God, and I am commissioned to blot out the spots and iron out the wrinkles (Ephesians 5:27) to make God's Church READY when He comes (Revelation 19:7).

Called to be separate

   Brethren, we are not like other people.....We are CALLED OUT to be a separate and a holy people.

HOW WONDERFUL! HOW WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD AND REJOICE - that He has called us to be a separate and a peculiar people!

   ... during recent years a few LIBERALS at Pasadena...., manipulated authority.... in order to water down GOD'S LAW within the Church.

Pay tithes first

   Don't say you can't afford to tithe. You can't afford not to. If you owe other debts, PAY GOD'S TITHE FIRST, AND PRAY FOR HIS PROMISED BLESSING TO HELP YOU ON THE OTHER DEBTS. THERE CAN BE NO EXCUSES for not tithing!

   Failure to tithe is STEALING - COMMANDMENT BREAKING.

   This matter of STEALING FROM GOD is one matter that Christ is CLEANING UP IN GOD'S CHURCH NOW! No delay! And no excuses! (End of excerpts) 

You will find the complete article on our web page.

Arlen Berkey