Category: guilt

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #111

Sunday, September 13, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Doubtless, tithing is Scriptural—but is it dispensational? To wit, is it God’s Word to and about us? No! Even if we wanted to, it is impossible to give a biblical tithe today. There is no functioning Levitical priesthood, no Jerusalem Temple, no Mosaic Law, and no Israel in God’s current relations with man. Furthermore, no biblical tithe would ever fund manmade denominations!

Israel’s tithing was to prove God’s faithfulness to bless in response to obedience (or, His faithfulness to curse in reaction to disobedience!). However, giving under Grace (God’s present dealings with us) is to prove our gratitude to God for Him blessing us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Tithing is driven by fear and guilt, but giving under Grace originates from love and thankfulness. Mark it well: God’s grace is not against giving; it is against tithing!

The Bible is clear that local churches should financially support their pastors and teachers as much as they are able, for those leaders do the work of the ministry (1 Corinthians 9:1-18; 2 Corinthians 11:9; Galatians 6:6,10; Philippians 4:10-18; 1 Timothy 5:17,18). Alas, there is so much abuse, as staggering sums of money have been taken—and are still being taken—under fraudulent pretenses. For centuries upon centuries, denominational people have been giving out of guilt and fear (Law, not Grace), thinking they will receive material riches from God in return (“prosperity theology”). Such extortion has proliferated substantially since the advent of telecommunications (radio, television, and internet). The Scriptures foretold in 1 Timothy 6:3-19 about multimillionaire preachers and multimillionaire teachers—and those who lacked enough spiritual sense to avoid being scammed have no one to blame but themselves.

After a brother came to understand the Bible dispensationally, learning how we are not obligated to tithe but are free to give under Grace, he told me, “All these denominational churches are about is money!” Sure! It took him only 60 years to figure that out. Unfortunately, before he graduated to Heaven, he wound up back at a church of his former denomination! (His case is not isolated.)

Let us see if we can drive out even more Bible ignorance….

The Spiritual Dexterity of Our Physical Posterity #110

Saturday, September 12, 2026

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9 KJV).

If our physical posterity could augment its spiritual dexterity, exactly what would that entail?

Re-read that classic proof-text denominations relentlessly use as they beg for “tithes:” “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? 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, that there may be meat in mine house, 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:8-11).

Context matters! The “cursed nation” of Malachi 3:9 is Israel (Malachi 1:1), suffering the curses of Leviticus 26:1-46 and Deuteronomy 27:1–28:68. By withholding tithes and offerings, they have violated the Law of Moses (an agreement they made with God, originally promising to give Him those tithes!). The LORD through the Prophet Malachi challenges Israel to “prove” (test) Him: He will remove the curse and bless them if they obey (give Him tithes and offerings). As per the Law motivation principle of “guilt and fear,” they are expected to tithe and thereby avoid punishment. However, giving under Grace results from gratitude for how God has already blessed us in Christ through Calvary’s finished crosswork: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3; cf. Romans 8:32). Giving under Grace does not prove God’s love for us (Calvary does that!—Romans 5:8), but it does prove our love for Him! “I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love” (2 Corinthians 8:8).

Israel gave tithes and offerings so God could bless them. We give under Grace because God has already blessed us in Christ. Tithing with the Law and giving under Grace are totally incompatible….

Zealously Affected #8

Thursday, February 26, 2026

“They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them. But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you” (Galatians 4:17,18 KJV).

Let us see if we can identify and comprehend the dangers of relying on emotions….

Unfortunately, our culture runs on emotions. Mass communication has aggravated the situation. Social media, “news” networks, and other platforms prominently feature people who are “angry” about this and “outraged” about that. They march, hold signs, scream, loot buildings, attack and injure and kill others, utter filth and nonsense, and burn down whole city blocks. These struggle to articulate intelligent reasons for what they do and say. Frankly, they are but pawns in a political system that is designed to instill and promote fear, guilt, discord, hysteria, and, above all, anarchy. Young people, who are emotionally immature, are particularly victims here. In fact, we will find among them—and even leading them—a great many “senior citizens” who never grew up either!

It is a real shame that the professing church cannot survive the above society or point its confused individuals in the right direction. These alleged “believers” have nothing meaningful to offer the world either, often joining in with it. What they are are prisoners to and defenders of denominational systems, futile manmade attempts to explain the Bible. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The “eye” is empiricism, as in, “I must be able to see it with my physical eye and test it in a scientific lab before I believe it!” Such a man will never learn anything from God or about God’s will. The “ear” is church tradition, such as, “I have to hear it from my church leaders before I believe it!” Again, such a man will never learn a thing from God or about God’s will. The “heart” is intuition, as in, “I must be able to feel it with my emotions, or find it confirmed in my inner being, before I believe it!” Such a man will never learn anything from God or about God’s will, either….

Outlandish Women! #2

Saturday, February 16, 2019

“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin” (Nehemiah 13:26 KJV).

Just who are these “outlandish women?”

In the Mosaic Law, JEHOVAH God had sternly prohibited Israel’s intermarriage with idolaters, unbelievers. Exodus chapter 34: “[12] Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: [13] But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: [14] For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: [15] Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; [16] And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. [17] Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.”

Moses, 40 years later, repeated this in Deuteronomy 7:1-11: “[2] And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them: [3] Neither [!] shalt [!] thou [!] make [!] marriages [!] with [!] them [!]; thy [!] daughter [!] thou [!] shalt [!] not [!] give [!] unto [!] his [!] son [!], nor [!] his [!] daughter [!] shalt [!] thou [!] take [!] unto [!] thy [!] son [!]. [4] For [!] they [!] will [!] turn [!] away [!] thy [!] son [!] from [!] following [!] me [!], that [!] they [!] may [!] serve [!] other [!] gods [!]: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly. [5] But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. [6] For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.”

Though wise, King Solomon was still a sinner….

Outlandish Women! #1

Friday, February 15, 2019

“Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin” (Nehemiah 13:26 KJV).

Just who are these “outlandish women?”

Normally, we take the word “outlandish” to mean “ridiculous, nonsensical”—outlandish behavior, outlandish tales, et cetera. However, this is not the Bible’s usage of the word in Nehemiah. The key is to recall what Scripture said of King Solomon some 500 years earlier earlier.

First Kings chapter 11: “[1] But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; [2] Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. [3] And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

“[4] For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. [5] For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. [6] And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. [7] Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. [8] And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.”

Solomon married Gentiles—women from outside of Israel’s land. These foreigners, strangers, or aliens were not heirs of God’s covenants with Israel (cf. Ephesians 2:11,12). They worshipped heathen idols, and encouraged Solomon to do likewise. JEHOVAH God had prohibited Israel’s intermarriage with idolaters or unbelievers. Solomon not only disobeyed the LORD, he emboldened Israel to sin as well….

Ye Would Not!

Friday, June 24, 2016

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37 KJV).

As in Christ’s earthly ministry, so today—God never takes free will away!

Recently, a brother in Christ shared his heavy burden with me. One of his relatives is in dire health, suffering 99 percent brain damage. His doctors say, even if he survives, he will be in a vegetative state. The brother explained to me that he shared the Gospel with this man years ago, but had not heard from him since. He is still worried the now-dying man never did anything with the Gospel—especially sad now that he is holding to life by a thread and maybe drawing closer to hell.

This brother had to understand it is beyond his control. He has shared the Gospel most faithfully, and there is nothing he can do for his relative but pray for him now. His brain is not functioning properly anymore, but he still may be aware in his soul. We cannot be sure just how alert such people are spiritually. If they so desire, God can always bring His Word to memory in those who have heard it years before.

Beloved, we should never beat ourselves up wondering if we shared the Gospel enough with someone who is dying or who has since died. If they only heard us share the Gospel with them once, that one time was all that we were able to do. While we care for them deeply, we cannot force people to trust Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. The God of the Bible is all about freedom. If people do not want Him, He will not force them to accept Him. After three years of ministry, with a heavy heart, Jesus looked at Jerusalem and wept. They had no interest in Him or anything He had to say to them (today’s Scripture).

God has done everything to keep people out of hell by sending Jesus Christ to die for their sins. If they want to ignore that, that is their choice. Let it not be ours!

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Can you explain Jude 9?”

Send It to the Cross of Christ!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

“And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14 KJV).

Are you bothered by past failures and sins? Plagued by shame and guilt? Sin destroys. It rips apart friendships and marriages and it causes heartache and bloodshed. Furthermore, it robs us of peace and joy. Oftentimes, those we love most are the people we hurt the most. Those who love us the most usually hurt us the most. How do we deal with these sins? Send them to the cross of Christ!

Our Apostle Paul was once a wicked, hell-bound sinner. Saul of Tarsus tortured, imprisoned, and even killed Christ’s followers (Acts 22:19,20; Acts 26:9-11; Galatians 1:13). Until his dying day, Paul never forgot his past. He had caused believers to suffer tremendously. How did he survive that guilt and shame during his 30-plus years of ministry? He sent it all to the cross of Christ!

In 1 Timothy 1:13, Paul discusses his persecuting those saints. Today’s Scripture says, “the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” No matter what Paul had done in the past, the Lord forgave him according to His exceeding abundant grace, faith, and love.

Verse 15 says: “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” Christ came to save sinners. Paul recognized that he was a wretched sinner, but a sinner was the only person the Lord Jesus Christ could save!

Today, by faith, we follow Paul, the first sinner to become a member of the Body of Christ. We too have been saved and forgiven according to God’s exceeding abundant grace, faith, and love. If someone wrongs us, or we wrong someone, send it to the cross of Christ, where God dealt with all sin, for all men, for all time. Christ died to “put away [our] sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26).

Beloved, send it to the cross of Christ where it belongs!