P1 Christianity vs Mormonism: Doctrine of God

1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Introduction
Back in 1998 the North American Mission Board, a mission outreach agency of the Southern Baptist Convention dedicated to evangelism in North America, did a thorough study of comparison and contrast between Mormon beliefs and Historic, Biblical Christianity.  Their findings were produced in a document called: "The Interfaith Witness Belief Bulletin on Mormonism", which can be found on the Southern Baptist Website: www.sbc.net.  If you go on the SBC website, type  "mormonism" into the search browser to find the link to the article entitled: "Always Ready, Sharing the Gospel with you Mormon Friends" which contains material from the "Interfaith Witness Belief Bulletin on Mormonism" and is part of the online SBC magazine: "SBC Life", March 2012 issue. 

What has changed since 1998 - a greater need for doctrinal discernment
The reason I make mention of these resources is because for the next few days I will be relying heavily upon them in a series of blogs that will simply be entitled: "Christianity vs. Mormonism".  Obviously a lot has changed since 1998 when it comes to the growth of Mormonism and its level of public exposure and acceptance.  For one thing, the North American Mission Board (NAMB) of the SBC reported in 1998 that Mormons' had a worldwide membership of 9.8 million adherents.  Today, the Mormon website lds.org claims a worldwide membership of over 14 million people, with several million in the U.S. Also too, with the recent increase of Mormon candidates running for public office, as well as the increased attempts by Mormons to appear more Evangelical, the need for discernment is greater than ever. 

The game plan for this series of blogs
In having read through the material on the Mormon's official website, their literature, books and articles, I find the Southern Baptist resources that I mentioned above to be still very helpful and accurate.  Although I will include a few of my own thoughts and some newer information to facillitate understanding, yet the bulk of this blog series will derive from the above cited article so as to avoid reinventing the wheel.   As noted in yesterday's blog, in Christian History heresies have attacked at least four key areas of Bible Doctrine:

1. Doctrine of God
2. Doctrine of Christ
3. Doctrine of Salvation
4. Doctrine of Scripture

Therefore in comparing Christianity and Mormonism, we will evaluate Mormonism by means of those four main areas.  The aim will be simple: to discern whether or not Mormonism is another Christian denomination (as it so claims) or conclude that is a non-Christian belief system.  With those introductory matters stated, let us now compare Christianity vs Mormonism in the first key doctrinal area: The Doctrine of God.

Christianity vs Mormonism on the Doctrine of God
In the March 2012 issue of the SBC Today article : "Always Ready, Sharing the Gospel with you Mormon Friends", we read the following statement about the Historical and Biblical Christian Doctrine of God:

"The Doctrine of God - Historic Christianity
The one God is a Spirit who is the personal, eternal, infinite Creator of all that exists. He is the only God and necessary for all other things to exist. He exists eternally as a Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is God and not man. Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6-8; Hosea 11:9; Matthew 28:19; John 4:24; 17:3; 1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 1:25"

The above statement matches with what scripture teaches about God.  Furthermore, Article II of the current Baptist Faith & Message 2000 communicates the same truth about God.1  Asserting God as being One in Existence and Three in Identity (i.e The Trinity) lies at the heart of Christian Faith and Life. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37-39); 28:18-20)  Now let us compare what Mormonism claims to understand about the doctrine of God, again quoting from the SBC Life article "Always Ready, Sharing the Gospel with you Mormon Friends":

Mormonism's Doctrine of God
"Elohim (Heavenly Father) is an exalted man with a physical body of flesh and bone who sires spirit children destined for human life on earth. Having kept the requirements of Mormonism, he was exalted to godhood and inherited his own universe. LDS founder Joseph Smith said, "If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible . . . you would see him like a man in form" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345). The Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and "Heavenly Father" comprise three separate and distinct gods: the Father and the Son have bodies of flesh and bones "as tangible as man's," but the Holy Ghost "is a personage of Spirit" (Doctrine and Covenants [D&C], 130:22)."

When you compare Mormonism's teachings about God to that of Biblical Christianity, the differences are quite profound.  The reference to a Mormon book: "Doctrine and Covenants" shows that the statement is drawn from primary source materials within Mormonism itself.2  The god of Mormonism is not Singular and unique, but rather One among many, lesser deities.3  A well cited Mormon statement summarizes the Mormon doctrine of God: "As man now is God once was, as God now is, man may be."  

Conclusions for today
So in returning to our central question: "is Mormonism another Christian denomination or is it a non-Christian belief system", we would have to conclude that with regards to the doctrine of God, Mormonism is profoundly non-Christian and unbiblical in how it conceives of the Nature, Person and Character of God.4  I leave the reader with two suggestions for sharing the Gospel with Mormons from the March 2012  SBC Life article: "Always Ready, Sharing the Gospel with you Mormon Friends":

"Witnessing to Your Mormon Friends
1. Practice the basics of the Christian life—maintain a daily quiet time of Scripture and prayer, trust the Holy Spirit to use you, ask the Lord to give you a heart and passion for the lost.

2. Develop a basic understanding of Christian doctrine and the Gospel. Reading and reviewing The Baptist Faith and Message on a regular basis is a good place to start."

More tomorrow..... 
End Notes________________

1. The BFM 2000 Article II reads: "There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being."



2. Mormonism claims three additional books to the Bible as its supposed set of scriptures (called by Mormon's "The triple Combination).  The first is the "Book of Mormon", authored by Joseph Smith after a series of supposed visions in the 1820's.  The Book of Mormon is an alledged history of the Americas and Jesus' visitations and revelations to three groups of people, one of which supposedly descended from lost descendants of Abraham and who are ancestors to many of the American Indians.  The second book, "Doctrines and Covenants", is the more doctrinal of the three books, compiled mostly by Smith but also his sucessors.  The third, "Pearl of Great Price", is both doctrinal and devotional and was compiled almost entirely by Joseph's Smith's followers.  Joseph Smith also produced his own version of the Bible, the "Joseph Smith Translation" (JST), introducing some 600 changes to the Biblical text of ther KJV to match the writings he wrote. 
3. This particular observation was gleaned from the Mormon book "Pearl of Great Price, Book of Abraham, Chapter 3-4".  Of the three works ascribed to the Mormon's founder Joseph Smith, the "Pearl of Great Price" is the only one that was compiled after his death, and was not completed until a few years after the beginning of the twentieth century (some 50 years after his death).  The textual history of the Mormon writings is complex.   All the information concerning the Mormon writings can be found on the Mormon's official website: lds.org.

4. As we noted in yesterday's blog, if you get God wrong, you get Jesus wrong, since Jesus Christ is the Personal Revelation of God, being Himself God in Human flesh. Truly the doctrines of God, Jesus, the Bible and salvation rise or fall together. In tomorrow's blog we will consider what differences exist between Christianity and Mormonism on the Person of Jesus Christ. 

 


 

The Spirit of truth vs the spirit of error

1 John 4:1-3 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

Why discerning truth from error is necessary for the Christian
A Christian is called by God to exercise discernment in practical, doctrinal and spiritual matters.  The reason for this opening statement is because the entire Christian life rests upon three legs: practical, doctrinal and spiritual.  Practically we are called to love the Lord our God with everything we have and to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30-31)  This practical aspect of the Christian life is directly connected to the spiritual (supernatural) element of the new birth and indwelling Holy Spirit that we receive at salvation. (1 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16)  Both the practical and spiritual elements of the Christian life are communicated by way of the doctrines and words of scripture. (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16) Exercising discernment is at the heart of Christian spiritual maturity.  When a Christian exercises themselves in practical, spiritual and doctrinal matters of the Christian faith, they are able to discern good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14)

What the Apostle John was combating in his day and time
When John wrote what he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, various heresies and errors were emerging in his day.  In the first century of the church, heresies sprung up to redefine and rework the truth of God's word in four essential areas that are interrelated to one another:

1. The doctrine of God
2. The doctrine of Jesus Christ
3. The doctrine of scripture
4. The doctrine of salvation

John wrote what he wrote to combat heresies that were challenging those four main areas.  The main heresy John may had dealt with was promoted by a heretic who is known in Church history named Cerinthius1.  In our world today, especially in the past 200 years, dozens of new heresies have arisen that challenge the same aforementioned areas of Bible truth.  The Spirit's call to Christians in 1 John 4:1-6  to discern the Spirit of Truth from the spirit of error is more needful today than ever before.

Believing in the right Jesus and the right book
As you read John's statements in 1 John 4:1-6, you discover that He was asserting the difference between the Spirit of truth and spirit of error.  Only the Holy Spirit will lead you to believe in the right Jesus of the right Book.  As Christians today, we must be certain that we not only confess faith in Jesus, but that we confess faith in the correct Jesus.  Consequently, the Right Jesus can only be known from the right book.  Already by John's day there were groups claiming Jesus as their founder and Person of worship. The followers of Cerinthius and other men like him attempted to replace the Bible or alter its contents with other fallible, man-made works (compare endnotes below). 

Why getting the right Jesus and the right book is crucial
If you deny the Bible as being the only Book inspired of God, then you won't get Jesus right. Consequently if you get Jesus wrong, then you will end up with a false god of your own making.  Furthermore, if you have the wrong book, the wrong Jesus and the wrong God, you end up with no salvation.  John's call to spiritual discernment requires the Christian to draw necessary doctrinal, spiritual and practical boundaries between truth and error.  Truly what you and I believe about God, Jesus, the Bible and salvation will define whether or not we have the true Gospel or a non-saving imitation.  As we close today's blog, the words of the Apostles Paul and Peter echo the words of the Apostle John in 1 John 4:1-6 concerning our need to discern the Spirit of truth from the spirit of error.

First, The Holy Ghost through The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 4:1, 6  (1)"But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." (6) "In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following."

Then note God's words through the Apostle Peter notes in 2 Peter 1:19-21 "So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. ²⁰ But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, ²¹ for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

Endnotes_____________________

1. Cerinthius was widely published and widely known in the ancient world of the 1st century. According to the second century church father Iranaeus in his work "Against Heresies" and the early second century church father Hyppolytus of Rome, Cerinthius believed that Jesus was a man who received a spiritual power called "Christ" at His baptism. Throughout the course of Jesus' life, the spiritual power of Christ enabled Him to perform miracles. Once at the cross, the power of Christ left Jesus so that He could die on the cross. This heresy mirrored the belief system of a hostile anti-Christian Jewish sect called the Ebionites. Both Cerinthius and this group not only opposed the full Deity of Jesus Christ, but also his virgin birth. Cerinthius in particular held that only the Gospel of Matthew was inspired, hence dismissing the rest of the New Testament scriptures written up until that point. 

P2 Genesis 12 - God's Kingdom Purpose

Genesis 12:3b-7 ...."And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” ⁴ So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. ⁵ Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan. ⁶ Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.

Review
Yesterday we considered the significance of God's Covenant to Abraham (The Abrahamic Covenant) in the manner of its significance to Bible Prophecy.  We noted how the covenant first of all revealed God's saving purposes, stretching from Adam and Eve, through Abraham all the the way to Christ's first coming.  We ended yesterday with the following little diagram:
Fall (Adam & Eve)-Noah-Shem--Abraham-----------------------------t
                                                      "seed"---------------------------------->
                                                      "blessing"----------------------------->
                                                      "land"----------------------------------->

God's saving purpose must be remembered in order to appreciate His Kingdom purpose
God promised Abraham three blessings: land, seed and blessing.  In one respect those three promises were used by God to fulfill his saving purposes in Christ.  Before moving further, it must be remarked that Genesis 12:1-7 is not only concerned about God's saving purpose at large, but also in particular.  Abram was an idolater who was called out of darkness into the saving light of God's salvation. (Genesis 11:26-32; 12:4-6; Joshua 24:2-3)  Without the saving purposes of God ever before us, we can lose sight of God's personal involvement in bringing to pass His Kingdom purpose - which is the focus of today's blog.

With the saving purpose of God in mind, the arrows in the above diagram point to another purpose behind God's drafting of His covenant with Abraham - namely His Kingdom purpose. 

God's Kingdom Purpose in General - Genesis 12:3b-7

t--Spiritual Kingdom-----Physical Kingdom-------Eternal Kingdom
"seed"---------------------------------------------------------.
"blessing"----------------------------------------------------.
                                         "land"------------------------.

The purple writing of the diagram tells you that we are dealing with God's royal Kingdom purpose in and through Jesus Christ.  As you can see, the three main promises of God's covenant with Abraham find some measure of spiritual fulfillment in this present age, however they all three end at the end of the physical kingdom or "millennium" (Christ's 1,000 year reign) yet to come. With the simple diagram above, we will offer some commentary on how God's kingdom purpose is to be unfolded in the Bible as a result of His covenant with Abraham:

1. Jesus spiritually began to reign over His church in heaven at His ascension - The "seed" dispenses the "blessing of Abraham" to fellow spiritual "seeds", the church
The connection between God's covenant with Abraham and Jesus Christ points to God's kingdom purpose.  When Jesus came into this world, a major shift in God's plan for history was set into motion.  Jesus began preaching in Matthew 4:17 that the people needed to repent, for "the kingdom of Heaven was at hand".  What is the Kingdom of Heaven or what is elsewhere called "the kingdom of God"?  The kingdom of God (or heaven) refers to the rule and reign of God.  God is the ruler, all creation is His realm and His people are the subjects over which He rules.  Clearly not everyone either acknowledges the reality of the Kingdom nor realizes its reality.  However the Bible is clear that the Kingdom of God is to be manifest or made plain in stages: spiritually or redemptively (now), physcially (future millennium) and eternally.1  

The following diagram depicts what we have discussed thus far:

t--Spiritual Kingdom----Physical Kingdom-------Eternal Kingdom
"seed"---------------------------------------------------------.
"blessing"--------------------------------------------------
                                    "land"-----------------------------                                                                                                                                                              
The Kingdom of God was to be ever associated with Jesus Christ, who upon His ascension, would be inaugurated as its rightful King.  God the Father then sent the Holy Spirit in the name of His newly crowned Son to empower the church overwhich He now reigns. Though the church right now is the focal-point of God's kingdom plan, the idea of her replacing Israel has no final and ultimate support in scripture. Israel will become more central whenever Christ returns and the Kingdom becomes more visible. In the meantime, Christians are termed heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus, ruling and reigning with Him positionally in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 2:6-8)  In the language of Galatians 3:29 - "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise."

2. Jesus is already reigning, however He has yet to return to make visible the Kingdom of God here on earth.  When He returns, the land, seed and blessing promises of Abraham's covenant will be made complete.
The kingdom of God is not always going to remain invisible. As Jesus teaches his disciples His famous "Lord's Prayer": "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven".  Jesus is right now ruling and reigning as King over His church in a spiritual and invisible sense. (Acts 2:32-36)2 

In order for the land promise of Abraham's covenant to be completely fulfilled, there has to be a future time in which Israel occupies that land and fulfills her role as a light to the nations.  The reader must keep in mind the important distinction that exists between Israel and the Church.  As will be shown in the diagram below, the church does not have a "land" to speak of, since her inheritance is directly in Christ.  Israel however is heir to the promised land, and will receive such due to her future saving relationship to Christ by faith and repentance. (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25-26)  The time period will occur when Christ restores Israel and reigns in her land with His saints (the church) for 1,000 years. (1 Corinthians 15:23-28; Revelation 20:1-15)  Below we see another detail added to the little diagram we have been using:

t--Spiritual Kingdom----Physical Kingdom-------Eternal Kingdom
"seed"---------------------------------------------------------.
"blessing"----------------------------------------------------.
                                  "land"------------------------.
(present age, church)    (Millennium or 1,000 yrs)

Why Abraham's Covenant and God's kingdom purposes are important to Christian's today
If God fails to keep his promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-7, then that means He could break His promises to Christians.  Why? The Bible is clear: Christian salvation is forever linked to God's dealings with the man named Abraham and his chief heir, Jesus Christ. (Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:16) In order for us to be with God for eternity, there has to be a time wherein the present invisible, spiritual kingdom over which Christ reigns in his church becomes visible here on earth.  Let us consider our little diagram once more with one final detail added:

 
t--Spiritual Kingdom----Physical Kingdom-------Eternal Kingdom
Seed-----------------------------------------------------------.
Blessing------------------------------------------------------.
                                        Land--------------------------.
(present age, church) (Millennium or 1,000 yrs)  (Age to Come)
 Unless God fulfills his promise to Abraham and Israel, God's Kingdom purpose will not get to that final stage - namely the Eternal kingdom stage.3  This is why the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis 12:1-7 stands so prominently as a top Bible prophecy for the Christian.  May you and I study it and praise God for it, since it is the basis for Christian faith both in the present age and the ages to come.  

End Notes____________________

1.  Jesus said to his disciples that because of his first coming, the kingdom of God was already beginning to dawn inside their hearts. (Luke 17:21) In fact, Jesus Himself was the very embodiment and proof of the Kingdom's reality. The Kingdom of God as the primary spiritual reality can only be entered in by grace through faith or what Jesus calls the "New Birth". (John 3:3) So in assigning a name to this first aspect or stage of the Kingdom, we can term this the redemptive Kingdom of God. This redemptive kingdom is the current realm of God's kingdom activity, entered into by grace through faith in the Gospel and enjoyed in the foyer of the kingdom - the church.

2. However there is what Bible teachers call a "not-yet" aspect to the kingdom, namely the physical, visible aspect. God's kingdom purpose includes Christ coming a second time in a visible, Personal and Physical return. (Titus 2:13) Without getting bogged dow into too much detail, when Christ returns three main events will occur that relate to fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant:

a. He will rescue His saints from the earth before God's final outpouring of wrath. (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:13-18; 5:19)

b. Israel as a nation, the "seed" related to Christ (and thus Abraham) will be saved. (Romans 11:25-26)

c. Christ will begin to reign in Jerusalem, over the whole earth for 1,000 years (what is called "the millennium", meaning "1,000 years) (Revelation 20:1-20)

3. Passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:23-28 indicates that before Christ can hand over His redemptive Kingdom to the Father to go into the Eternal Kingdom, there has to be some type of a physical, earthly kingdom. What God indicates as His kingdom purpose in Genesis 12:7 must include the 1,000 year reign spelled out plainly and clearly in Revelation 20:1-20 and other passages. 


 

Top Bible Prophecy # 2 - P1 Genesis 12:1-7

Genesis 12:1-3a "Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; ² And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
³ And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse."

Introduction
Last week I had posted a blog featuring Genesis 3:15 that was themed around the idea of "Top Bible Prophecies".  My hope is over the course of time to bring out the top prophecies of scripture that shed much light on major prophetic themes. Today and tomorrow's posts is going to feature another Top Bible Prophetic passage: God's Covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-7.  In this particular passage we will discover how God's saving purpose and kingdom purpose is prophetically revealed, and why that it meaningful for your life today. 

Genesis 12:1-3a Promotes God's Saving Purpose

1. God's Saving Purpose was 1st revealed to Eve in Gen 3:15
Fall (Adam& Eve)------------Abraham------------------------------t

I thought to begin today's post with a simple diagram depicting the enormous amount of ground covered by Genesis 12:1-3a.  Genesis 12 is where we see God calling Abraham out of Ur of Chaldees to journey some 800 miles to the land of Canaan.  The covenant that God made with Abraham represents the most important historic covenant of scripture. From the Fall of man to Abraham would pass some 2,000 years of time, and from Abraham to Christ's work of redemption (the cross) would pass roughly another 2,000 years. Truly and significantly Genesis 12 stands at the center of unfolding God's saving purpose. 

In the above diagram, we see Abraham living between the fall and Christ's first coming.  In studying Genesis 3:15, we discover God made a Covenant of Grace with Eve: "And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” In that first proclamation of the Gospel, God mentions that her "seed" would have an ultimate conflict with Satan.  In studying scriptures such as Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14 and 1 John 3:8, we find out that the "seed" was to be none other than Jesus Christ.  

2. Linking God's saving purpose from Adam to Noah, then Shem to Abraham
Amazingly, God's saving purposes, first articulated to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, would be carried forth through ten generations stretching from Adam to Noah.  As God told Noah that He was sending a world-wide flood upon the earth due to mankind's incredible wickedness, God's saving purpose was still in view.  By means of Noah's lineage or "seed", the scarlet blood of redemption would continue.  Genesis 9:9 states this continuation of God's saving purpose through Noah -  “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you ."  If we were to add Noah's name to the above little diagram, we would have the following picture:

Fall (Adam & Eve)-------Noah----Abraham-----------------------------t

Following the flood, the bloodline of redemption would continue from Noah, through his son Shem, through ten more generations.  By the time we reach the end of Genesis 11, we find the one man who was to be the tenth generation from Shem - Abram.  As God's revelation of His saving purpose unfolds, we can offer yet another little diagram that shows further detail: 

Fall (Adam & Eve)--Noah-Shem---Abraham-----------------------------t
It is at Genesis 12 where we see God begin to speak to this particular man Abram.  Like a funnel, God's saving purpose began with Adam and Eve, the parents of all humanity.  From that widest point God chose a narrower portion of humanity, Noah's bloodline through Shem, that would narrow to a single individual, Abram (Abraham). 

3. God's saving purpose goes from a plan revealed to Adam & Eve and Noah to a promise revealed to Abraham
God's saving purpose, beginning as a revealed plan, would be more specified as a promise in Genesis 12.  In Genesis 12:1-3a we see the following particulars of this covenant with Abraham by God:

1. The promise of a land (12:1)
2. The promise of a seed or descendants (12:2)
3. The promise of blessing (12:3)

The Promise of a land for Abraham and his seed
The land promised to Abraham was to be the land of Canaan, which would be conquered by the Israelites (Abraham's physical descendants) in the book of Joshua.  As true as it was to be that Joshua and the Israelites would virtually possess the entire land (Joshua 23:15), the fulfillment of this portion of God's promise to Abraham was looking forward further into the future.  Throughout Old Testament history, the land of Israel was a physical reminder of God's promise to Abraham and his descendants.  From the River Euphrates to the Nile river represented the boundaries of the land.  Though Israel would seem to come close to possessing the entirety of the land (1 Kings 4:21), the presence of pockets or portions being contested by other peoples reminded the people of a future time wherein God would grant her the land fully and completely. 

The promise of a great nation coming from Abraham
The second part of the promise, a great nation, would of course refer to those descended from Abraham.  Isaac (Genesis 26:3) and Jacob (Genesis 28:13) would be given a repeated version of God's promise to Abraham, indicating that they were to be the forebears of what would become the nation of Israel.  Over 400 years later, Moses would re-echo the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, indicating that the nation of 2 million people that God had called him to lead out of Egypt was indeed the initial fulfillment of the "mighty nation" promised to Abraham. 

The promise of Great blessing
Then the third part of God's Abrahamic Covenant, namely "to be a blessing", pointed to how God was going to use Abraham and the nation coming from his bloodline to accomplish His saving purpose.  So what then would come of this three-fold promise of land, seed and blessing given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3a? Again looking at the simple little diagram, the cross at the end reveals the saving purpose of God that was intended:

Fall (Adam & Eve)-Noah-Shem--Abraham-----------------------------t
                                                     "seed"---------------------------------->
                                                     "blessing"----------------------------->
                                                     "land"----------------------------------->

4. God's Saving Purpose points to His Kingdom Purpose
You may have noticed in the last little diagram how all three blessings had arrows pointing past the cross.  Why? Because God's saving purpose had to be accomplished in order to bring about His Kingdom purpose.  In one respect, Abraham's covenant finds its saving purpose in Christ's first coming, however the aspect of God's kingdom purpose is in many ways yet to be fufilled.  How the three main promises of the Abrahamic Covenant have yet to be fulfilled reveals the relationship between God's saving and kingdom purposes.1 

Truly God's Covenant to Abraham stands out as a top Bible prophecy.  Tomorrow we will look further at this text in seeing how it prophetically speaks to God's Kingdom purpose.2

End Notes:___________________

1. We can see a little bit of this in how the three promises of Abraham's covenant will be ultimately accomplished. First, in the land of Israel the Messiah, Jesus Christ, would accomplishing the purchase of salvation. In as much as God would fulfill His saving purpose in the land, there is yet to come the full attainment of the land by Christ and Israel in the future. This full attainment of the land of Israel will take place when Christ returns, saves Israel and sets up his kingdom in Jerusalem to reign for 1,000 years.

Secondly, the purpose of Israel was to be a cradle from whenceforth the Messiah, Jesus Christ would spring. From the bloodline of Israel, and particularly one of its twelve tribes - Judah, would the Messiah be virgin born. The "seed" part of the Abrahamic Covenant in one respect was fulfilled by Christ. (Galatians 3:16) However all those who united to Christ by faith are termed the "seed of Abraham" spiritually. (Galatians 3:29; 4:28) Furthermore, the New Testament also reveals that when Christ returns, the nation of Israel will be saved. (Romans 11:25-26)

Then thirdly, the blessing of Abraham would be embodied in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:14) God's promise of Abraham and His seed being a blessing to many nations foresaw the eventual inclusion of the Gentiles into God's saving purposes. (Romans 4:16-17; Galatians 3:7-8)

2. God's saving purpose, realized through Abraham, would find its greatest expression in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. With the saving purpose of God complete in Christ, the wonderful message of God's covenant to Abraham would not be over with just yet. How do we know? The "land portion" of the covenant has yet to be completely and utterly fulfilled, which tells us that God has a second purpose to which His saving purpose points - namely His Kingdom purpose. 

P5 G.I.V.E to express worship

Deuteronomy 26:18-19 The Lord has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; ¹⁹ and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken.”

The above passage is said in the context of God's instructions for the people to give of their tithes and offerings unto Him.  For the past several days we have been focusing our attention on the reasons for giving to the Lord. As we have explored such reasons by the acrostic G.I.V.E, we have noted the following reasons thus far:
God is a Giving God
Invites the Presence of God
Validated in scripture

As we finish out this blog series today, we aim to look at the final reason for giving of tithes and offerings in Biblical stewardship, namely because it Expresses one's worship to God.

What is worship
Worship's purpose is to behold and express awe over the goodness and glory of God.  When we praise God, we are expressing excitement over what God has done.  When we worship God, we are expressing awe over Who God is.  In tithing and stewardship, I am peering at God's Goodness through lenses of provision.  Certainly in giving and tithing, I am recognizing what God has done - thus praising Him.  However praise leads to an even higher form of expression - worship.  Whenever we see God's goodness for the sheer enjoyment of His goodness - we are entering into the realm of worship. 

Whenever the Israelites were giving unto God, they were recognizing their purpose for existence as stated in Deuteronomy 26:19 - "created for fame, praise and honor".  The question is: "for whose praise, fame and honor"?  Is it for the exaltation of the Jewish people? No.  Rather the people were made for the praise, fame and honor of the Lord Himself.  Through Israel God would offer to the world His Son, the Ultimate tithe and firstfruit. (1 Corinthians 15:20,23) As the Israelites would tithe and bring their offerings, they were acting in shadowy form what God would do in the giving of His Son.

As New Testament Christians, our giving is not only for the purpose to please God, but for a greater purpose - to express to God how pleased we are to know Him, and to be known by Him.  All giving aims at seeing God's goodness, and letting others know how good God is.  So where does the logic for giving being an expression of worship derive?  Consider 2 Corinthians 9:12-15:
"For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. ¹³ Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, ¹⁴ while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

The completion of the giving and stewardship by the Corinthian church will lead to many people thanking God for His provision.  That's praise.  Now look at verse 13: "Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience...".  That's worship!  To glorify God is to be in awe of His Goodness as God - which is the biblical definition of worship.  Can tithing and stewardship, carried out consistently and joyfully, lead to worship of God? Absolutely!

In fact, in Article XIII of the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, we see these words about stewardship:
"They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth."

The link between giving, praise and worship is unmistakable.  Giving is the means to attaining the goal of praise and worship of God.  We are able to see His goodness and express worship to Him by way of tithing and stewardship. Consider for a moment, in reverse order, what the BFM 2000 is saying on this point: The term "proportionately" in the BFM 2000 statement speaks of the only proper and Divinely ordained "proportion" - namely 10%.  The term systematically speaks of not only tithing but beyond the tithe - namely offerings.  The term "regularly" speaks of the frequency of the giving, with the term "cheerfully" pointing to the God honoring attitude behind our worshipful giving.  

Conclusion
As we have explored reasons for giving as to the Lord, we have noted the four reasons for doing so:
God is a giving God
Invites God's Presence
Verified throughout scripture
Expresses worship to God

May you and I dear believer take God at His word and cheerfully, regularly, systematically and proportionately give to the Lord and His work.       

P4G.I.V.E 10% because it is valid throughout scripture

Deuteronomy 26:12, 17 (12)“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. (17) You have today declared the Lord to be your God, and that you would walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and listen to His voice."

Over the past few days we have been exploring the reasons for giving to the Lord in tithing and stewardship.  Thus far we have discovered in Deuteronomy 26 and other passages two reasons for giving:

1). God gave
2). Invites His presence (blessing)

In today's post we will explore what is perhaps the most often confused aspect of the discussion over tithing and stewardship - namely: should Christians tithe?

Meet the Bible's first tither
Genesis 14:20 is where we see the first mention of tithing in the Bible.  Abraham is our tither in the text.  God gave him a mighty victory over the confederation of the five kings of Chedorlaomer.  As Abraham returns from battle, he meets the mysterious figure Melchizedek, whom according to Psalm 110 and Hebrews 5-7 is none other than a pre-incarnate (before the flesh) appearance of Jesus Christ.  As Melchizedek blesses Abraham, we read in Genesis 14:18-20 "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. ¹⁹ He blessed him and said,

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; (20) And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all."  There we see Abram giving Melechizedek, Who is Christ in disguise, a tenth of the spoils of victory.  Now this is the first mention of tithing in the Bible. 

 

Following tithing throughout the Bible

As you read through scripture, the particular word "tithe" or "tithing" occurs more than forty times.  The last time we find it mentioned in the Old Testament is in Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows."  Now many well-meaning Christians assume that tithing was nothing more than an Old Testament regulation, given by God under the period of the Law.  Often I have heard Christians say that since we are no longer under law but under grace, that means we can now give whatever we want, since tithing went away once Christ had died on the cross.

Is that true? Did Jesus' death, burial and resurrection do away with the standard of tithing?  Whenever studying both the Old and New Testaments, unless God has either removed or replaced a given institution or command, we can assume that the command or institution carries forth from Old to New Testament. 

For example, the Levitical priesthood was done away with when Christ came, since His priesthood is of a different order. (Hebrews 7-10)  We also don't sacrifice animals due to the fact that Christ's subsitutionary death satisfied the wrath of God against the sins of those who receive His work by grace through faith. (1 Peter 3:18) 

Now whenever we come to the New Testament, we discover not one prohibition against tithing.  The standard of 10% was ordained by God some 400 or so years before the giving of the law.  Abraham in Genesis 14 and Jacob in Genesis 28 were tithing some 2,000 years before Christ.  The law of God served to reinforce the standard, however when Christ came, the standard was never removed nor replaced. (compare Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42; 18:12)

In studying the more than forty passages that speak on the subject of stewardship and tithing, here is what we discover:

1. A person is free to give whatever they want (offering) only after they have been already tithing. 

2. Tithing represents the most basic level of stewardship, the ground floor if you will.  Whenever we begin to tithe is whenever we begin to hear God in the realm of giving.

3. Wherever the believer is told to give freely as to whatever amount He feels necessary to give, it can be assumed that the believer has already been tithing. (2 Corinthians 9:6-10)

The Bible's final mention of tithing
Remember where we first met the word tithing? Recall Abraham in Genesis 14 as the first recorded tither?  In this blogger's mind, the main proof we have that tithing is still the basic standard undergirding the New Testament teaching of Biblical stewardship is found in Hebrews 7:5-10, the final mention of tithingin the Bible:
And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. ⁶ But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. ⁷ But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. ⁸ In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. ⁹ And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, ¹⁰ for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

Six times is the word "tithe" or "tithes" used in this New Testament text!  Furthermore, the final mention of tithing in the Bible connects to the first mention! Thirdly, we who have believed on Jesus Christ are considered children of Abraham by faith (Romans 4:16).  Fourthly, Christ, who lives today, received a tithe from Abraham. (Hebrews7:8) Fifthly, in a chapter like Hebrews 7, wherein the writer is showing how Christ is superior to all of the Old Testament Jewish institutions, he never once shows tithing to be abolished! 

Conclusion
With the validity of tithing established throughout scripture, what can we conclude? Should Christians tithe? Yes, and here is why: First, tithing was instituted pre-law, hence it is a standard that was not abolished despite the doing way of the ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law.  Second, the New Testament never one time shows tithing as being either prohibited, replaced or removed from the Christian's responsibility of stewardship.  Thirdly, tithing is the standard established by God as the starting point for stewardship.  Then finally, Hebrews 7 reveals that tithing is still mentioned in the New Testament, not abolished, and thus there is no reason to prohibit Christians from tithing. 

More tomorrow......

 

P3 G.I.V.E to invite God's Presence

Deuteronomy 26:15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’

In yesterday's post we considered the first and perhaps the most important reason to give tithes and offerings - because God gave.  In this current blog series we are using the acrostic g.i.v.e to guide our way through Deuteronomy 26.  We already saw that the motive to our giving to God is because He first gave.  In today's blog we desire to entertain a second reason that begins with "I", namely giving to God invites His presence into our lives.

G.i.v.e to God, for it invites His presence.  Deuteronomy 26:12-16
To have the blessing of God in your life means that His presence, power and Personal involvement are in place.  As Moses instructs these people and us, He says in Deuteronomy 26:15 - "Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given us, a land flowing with milk and honey, as You swore to our fathers.’  The moment you and I begin to tithe our resources, we are opening the door for God to come in and bless us with His presence.  Faith is a receiving grace granted by God, whereby I am able to freely receive with firm persuasion whatever He offers.  Whenever God is touching any area of life, that area will become more fruitful. 

Your attitude towards three books should change when you are born again by grace through faith: your attitude towards God's Book, your date book and the pocket book.  God's book becomes more dear to you, your datebook more and more revolves around God and your pocket book wants to give glory to God. 

You want more of God in every area - including your finances.  Consider Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."  Jesus notes in Luke 6:37 "Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”  Or how about 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed"  God's blessing equals His power, presence and Personal activity in every area of my life.  The material outgrowth is but the outcome.  We give because we want God to know that since He already owns everything, we desire His personal involvement in the caretaking of what He has given to us. 

More tomorrow.........