<OT> <TID> Re: Noteworthy News Item

[Michael Hipp]

On Monday 24 June 2002 11:38 am, Condon Thomas A KPWA wrote:

> But *so* open to interpretation.  When asked about taxes Jesus is quoted
> as saying, "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is
> God's." This tells me that money goes to the government and faith goes to
> God. Doesn't sound like tithing to me.  But of course, for the Jewish
> faith this bible passage doesn't count.

Actually not. There is nothing whatsoever in that quote to indicate that 
Jesus was repealing the command to tithe. The question was about the 
"lawfulness" of paying taxes to Caesar. He answered "yes" as do later NT 
passages about obeying government (bummer!).

"Render unto God, what is God's" would be inclusive of tithing (tho that 
certainly isn't the most important thing). And paying taxes and tithing are 
in no way mutually exclusive. The OT says that a tenth is God's.

Such is a common pitfall. The idea that the Bible is so open to 
interpretation that it renders it null and void. Many use that as an excuse 
to ignore it. A pass on everything. Utterly wrong. And deadly.

It isn't open to interpretation. We just hamper it with our limited 
understanding, lack of faith, injection of human agendas, and reliance on 
what others say it says rather than on what it really says. Just to name a 
few of the enemie's tricks.

Michael