Response To The Gospel According To Leke Alder(Long & unnecessary epistle on tithing).
Response To The Gospel According To Leke Alder(Long & unnecessary epistle on tithing).
The much argument on tithing today stems from a general failure to comprehend the priesthood of all believers in Christ and the access into the holiest of all which we all have as kings and priests unto God.
Biblically there's no such thing or practice as Abrahamic/elective tithing observed by anyone that came after Abraham both in the old and new testament as following that which he did under what Leke Alder calls 'Abrahamic/Grace regime'.
A regime is a system/form of government, a dispensation/period of rule. There's no such thing as Abrahamic/grace regime in the old testament.
The two covenants both the old & new have their origin figuratively in Abraham's relationship with his two wives, Sarah(the free woman) & Hagar(the bond woman). However, none of these covenants began literally as a dispensation/regime in the days of Abraham.
Galatians 4
21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
* That which is of the flesh(natural) & genders to bondage began/preceded that which is spiritual/free. Thus under the old covenant the law came being delivered by Moses and that was a dispensation which scriptures call 'the law and the prophets' (Luke 16:16)
This dispensation ran it's course till Christ who is the end of the law came and fulfilled/completed & finished it(Romans 10:4).
The dispensation/regime of truth and grace began with Christ.
John 1:16-17 "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
Prior to Christ coming and going to the cross to put an end to the enmity contained in the law of commandments & ordinances, there was no such thing as a regime/dispensation of grace though certain pious men of old found grace in the sight of the God of grace, yet grace as a dispensation in it's fullness had not yet come. Please see Romans 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:14-18; 3:2.
From Galatians 4:21-31 we have seen that though the law/judaism was practically given at Sinai yet in principle it actually began with Abram entering Hagar(the bond woman) to bring forth Ishmael. This was clearly not of faith but of the flesh. He entered Hagar whilst he was Abram and not Abraham(the father of many nations). He also gave a tenth of all to Melchizedek whilst he was Abram and not Abraham(the father of many nations).
The basis of tithing right from the first time we see it mentioned in scriptures, is priesthood. In tithing, we can't separate the superiority of the priesthood to the people who pay tithe to it. In Abram, we see the superiority of the priesthood of Melchizedek to that of the levitical represented by or in Abraham.
Concerning tithing in the law, we see the superiority of the levitical priesthood to the children of Israel who received a commandment to pay tithes to them.
Whoever you pay tithe to today, you acknowledge in essence the superiority of his priesthood over you, however in the new covenant priesthood which all believers in Christ are called to, there's no such thing as any class of believers receiving a superior priesthood to that of others.
There's no single scripture that presents Abraham's tithing as a practise or doctrine in the new testament church.
Hebrews 7 where the story of that encounter was cited even shows us the link between Abraham's tithing to the levitical priesthood and order of tithing according to the law so how could anyone be trying to separate Abraham's tithing from the levitical priesthood & order of tithing when scriptures clearly say that Levi paid tithes in Abraham as he was in his loins when he met Melchizedek. If the levitical priesthood was fully represented in Abraham when he paid tithes to Melchizedek why should Leke be trying to separate the tithe Abraham paid from the levitical priesthood & order of tithing?
Why do we fail to see from the analysis in Hebrews 7 that the levitical priesthood fully represented in Abraham when he without a law/commandment paid tithe has been changed and that the law/commandment of tithing later given by Moses to regulate/maintain that priesthood has been disannuled? Hebrews 7:5, 12 & 18.
The priesthood we are called to in Christ is not a priesthood represented in the loins of Abraham, to pay tithe to a superior priesthood like he did to Melchizedek. The giving/offering in this priesthood is beyond any regulation or stipulation like giving a tenth.
To assert that the tithing paid by Abraham with the levitical priesthood fully represented in him, is not of the law and to claim that the church many centuries after now has such a doctrine to tithe like Abraham did, is to assume a false position for which there is no ground whatsoever in the scriptures of truth.
Scriptures clearly show that the mark of not being under the law is to be led of the Spirit... Galatians 6:18 "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." How do we pay tithe as a stipulated 10% on a monthly basis and yet claim that it's not of the law? Does a man need to be led by the Spirit to pay tithe like tax to a religious organisation? Is there any freedom or liberty of the Spirit in tithing when it is strictly to pay a one tenth & not as you're led. The restriction on it is such that if you go beyond 10% to start giving more than that, it's no longer tithe but a free will offering. The tithe is strictly the tenth, nothing more, nothing less.
We can't give under a regulated, stipulated system of giving & yet claim to be led by the Spirit in doing so. We can't be led by the Spirit in such a practise alien to the new testament church any more than Ananias & Sapphira were led; evidently led by their carnal reasoning & resolve to give a certain percentage & keep back the rest for themselves, as much as today many of us are led by our convictions in a religious tradition which was never practised or taught in the early church, a tradition that believes in the tithe as a new testament doctrine & practise.
The apostles who were physical descendants of Abraham had no such doctrine(teaching) or practise of tithing howcome gentiles today who had no business with the law nor were represented in Abraham as being in his loins are now the ones trying to make a doctrine & practise of Abraham's tithing?
If we assume that the apostles and the early church practised tithing, who did they pay their tithes to as a priest representing them before God?
Howcome the HolyGhost who came to guide us into all truth, who also inspired the writing of the scriptures never moved the writers to make mention of even one example of tithing as a new testament practise or doctrine?
Even in the book of Acts which is a very detailed account of all that Jesus did, taught & commanded the apostles to do before ascending to heaven, there was no such mention of tithing rather what we see is how particular the HolyGhost was in mentioning a man called Joses who was a levite, practising the fellowship of ministering to the needs of saints by selling his land & bringing it's proceeds to the feet of the apostles. Joses who as a Levite was fully represented in the loins of Abraham when he paid tithes to Melchizedek, Joses who like his forefather Levi could be said to have paid tithes in Abraham, had no such practice of tithing in the new testament church but rather practised the Spirit led fellowship of ministering to the needs of saints who are all priests of God.
He was well known for this practice such that he was surnamed/called 'Barnabas' by the apostles, which means 'Son of Consolation'. Acts 4:32-37.
The much argument on tithing today stems from a general failure to comprehend the priesthood of all believers in Christ and the access into the holiest of all which we all have as kings and priests unto God.
Biblically there's no such thing or practice as Abrahamic/elective tithing observed by anyone that came after Abraham both in the old and new testament as following that which he did under what Leke Alder calls 'Abrahamic/Grace regime'.
A regime is a system/form of government, a dispensation/period of rule. There's no such thing as Abrahamic/grace regime in the old testament.
The two covenants both the old & new have their origin figuratively in Abraham's relationship with his two wives, Sarah(the free woman) & Hagar(the bond woman). However, none of these covenants began literally as a dispensation/regime in the days of Abraham.
Galatians 4
21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
* That which is of the flesh(natural) & genders to bondage began/preceded that which is spiritual/free. Thus under the old covenant the law came being delivered by Moses and that was a dispensation which scriptures call 'the law and the prophets' (Luke 16:16)
This dispensation ran it's course till Christ who is the end of the law came and fulfilled/completed & finished it(Romans 10:4).
The dispensation/regime of truth and grace began with Christ.
John 1:16-17 "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
Prior to Christ coming and going to the cross to put an end to the enmity contained in the law of commandments & ordinances, there was no such thing as a regime/dispensation of grace though certain pious men of old found grace in the sight of the God of grace, yet grace as a dispensation in it's fullness had not yet come. Please see Romans 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:14-18; 3:2.
From Galatians 4:21-31 we have seen that though the law/judaism was practically given at Sinai yet in principle it actually began with Abram entering Hagar(the bond woman) to bring forth Ishmael. This was clearly not of faith but of the flesh. He entered Hagar whilst he was Abram and not Abraham(the father of many nations). He also gave a tenth of all to Melchizedek whilst he was Abram and not Abraham(the father of many nations).
The basis of tithing right from the first time we see it mentioned in scriptures, is priesthood. In tithing, we can't separate the superiority of the priesthood to the people who pay tithe to it. In Abram, we see the superiority of the priesthood of Melchizedek to that of the levitical represented by or in Abraham.
Concerning tithing in the law, we see the superiority of the levitical priesthood to the children of Israel who received a commandment to pay tithes to them.
Whoever you pay tithe to today, you acknowledge in essence the superiority of his priesthood over you, however in the new covenant priesthood which all believers in Christ are called to, there's no such thing as any class of believers receiving a superior priesthood to that of others.
There's no single scripture that presents Abraham's tithing as a practise or doctrine in the new testament church.
Hebrews 7 where the story of that encounter was cited even shows us the link between Abraham's tithing to the levitical priesthood and order of tithing according to the law so how could anyone be trying to separate Abraham's tithing from the levitical priesthood & order of tithing when scriptures clearly say that Levi paid tithes in Abraham as he was in his loins when he met Melchizedek. If the levitical priesthood was fully represented in Abraham when he paid tithes to Melchizedek why should Leke be trying to separate the tithe Abraham paid from the levitical priesthood & order of tithing?
Why do we fail to see from the analysis in Hebrews 7 that the levitical priesthood fully represented in Abraham when he without a law/commandment paid tithe has been changed and that the law/commandment of tithing later given by Moses to regulate/maintain that priesthood has been disannuled? Hebrews 7:5, 12 & 18.
The priesthood we are called to in Christ is not a priesthood represented in the loins of Abraham, to pay tithe to a superior priesthood like he did to Melchizedek. The giving/offering in this priesthood is beyond any regulation or stipulation like giving a tenth.
To assert that the tithing paid by Abraham with the levitical priesthood fully represented in him, is not of the law and to claim that the church many centuries after now has such a doctrine to tithe like Abraham did, is to assume a false position for which there is no ground whatsoever in the scriptures of truth.
Scriptures clearly show that the mark of not being under the law is to be led of the Spirit... Galatians 6:18 "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." How do we pay tithe as a stipulated 10% on a monthly basis and yet claim that it's not of the law? Does a man need to be led by the Spirit to pay tithe like tax to a religious organisation? Is there any freedom or liberty of the Spirit in tithing when it is strictly to pay a one tenth & not as you're led. The restriction on it is such that if you go beyond 10% to start giving more than that, it's no longer tithe but a free will offering. The tithe is strictly the tenth, nothing more, nothing less.
We can't give under a regulated, stipulated system of giving & yet claim to be led by the Spirit in doing so. We can't be led by the Spirit in such a practise alien to the new testament church any more than Ananias & Sapphira were led; evidently led by their carnal reasoning & resolve to give a certain percentage & keep back the rest for themselves, as much as today many of us are led by our convictions in a religious tradition which was never practised or taught in the early church, a tradition that believes in the tithe as a new testament doctrine & practise.
The apostles who were physical descendants of Abraham had no such doctrine(teaching) or practise of tithing howcome gentiles today who had no business with the law nor were represented in Abraham as being in his loins are now the ones trying to make a doctrine & practise of Abraham's tithing?
If we assume that the apostles and the early church practised tithing, who did they pay their tithes to as a priest representing them before God?
Howcome the HolyGhost who came to guide us into all truth, who also inspired the writing of the scriptures never moved the writers to make mention of even one example of tithing as a new testament practise or doctrine?
Even in the book of Acts which is a very detailed account of all that Jesus did, taught & commanded the apostles to do before ascending to heaven, there was no such mention of tithing rather what we see is how particular the HolyGhost was in mentioning a man called Joses who was a levite, practising the fellowship of ministering to the needs of saints by selling his land & bringing it's proceeds to the feet of the apostles. Joses who as a Levite was fully represented in the loins of Abraham when he paid tithes to Melchizedek, Joses who like his forefather Levi could be said to have paid tithes in Abraham, had no such practice of tithing in the new testament church but rather practised the Spirit led fellowship of ministering to the needs of saints who are all priests of God.
He was well known for this practice such that he was surnamed/called 'Barnabas' by the apostles, which means 'Son of Consolation'. Acts 4:32-37.
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