Review ‘tithe’ idea

THIS is a response to a letter last Tuesday that raised issues on the government paying tithes to churches, specifically to draw divine favour and prosperity.
This issue might eventually transpire, first as a theological proposition, culminating into a politically blessed law that might see PNG looking up to the sky for the rain of wealth from heaven.
Firstly, the spiritual estate cannot be used by the temporal order to support its search for material gain as this will lead to corruption and abuse of the church in countless ways.
Jesus told Pontius Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world”.
Secondly, the tithing laws of the Mosaic covenant were confined to the theocratic government of the ancient Israeli nation, and were never enforced in the Gospel where the freed (from this ceremonial law) Christian believers uphold the supremacy of the resurrected Jesus Christ, and the Gospel only, which are paramount for salvation, shadowed by the Old Testament and complemented by Acts, the Epistles along with the final Apocalyptic Canon, the Revelation of John.
A Christian should not be compelled to tithe otherwise we undermine the work of Jesus Christ, who has set us free from this theocratic ceremonial law.
Even so Christians do not give offerings to draw favourable responses from God, but because of what God has already done through Jesus favourably for us according to His unconditional mercy and promise.
Jesus has paid every price, including our tithing, with his blood therefore the government (if it is Christian) can only assist, and never by compulsion, nor by coercion but as a cheerful helper.
Otherwise we might make God eventually become PNG’s business partner instead of being looked upon as the revered Creator who has already paid the price through His son for our land which is vastly resourced.
To do otherwise, tithing, might make the church become a political puppet, as what belongs to Caesar belongs to the Emperor as Christ emphasised on this subject of money.
Let us work hard as if God cannot help, and pray hard as if God is not listening.
In doing so we will reap instead of resorting to miraculous interventions from the divine because even Joseph struggled as a carpenter, as afar into Egypt, to feed and clothe the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ask the first world nations if they pay their tithes to be where they are now?
PNG might become another victim of the prosperity syndrome which is fast engulfing the Christian conscience on bringing about overnight wealth by people who think the Holy Spirit changed its mind lately into re-introducing this Mosaic Covenant to the developing nations – a concept we are now thinking will also bail this nation out of its troubles, hopefully.

Pastor Samson Supaka
St. Daniel Lutheran Church
Wewak