DAY 6 OF LDS THEOLOGY EXPOSITION: Tithes and Offering. 8 ¶Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 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. 11 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. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts (Malachi 3:8-12). The LDS church maintain and uphold tithing as a standing law and should be vigilantly kept by the members. Some say and have preached that the law of tithing has been done away with during the Saviors ministry and it should no longer be followed in our day. The the law of Moses was already fulfilled, inclusive of which is the law of tithing. However, we see in the scripture that anciently, Abraham and Jacob to pay a tithe of one-tenth of their increase--both predate the law of Moses because Moses wasnt born yet (see Hebrews 7:1–10; Genesis 14:19–20; 28:20–22). Moses simply included the law of tithing in his writings as a standing and eternal law which spans all era, not just his and is therefore not exclusive to the Law of Moses. In modern times the Prophet Joseph Smith prayed, “O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requirest of the properties of thy people for a tithing” (D&C 119, section introduction). The Lord answered: “This shall be the beginning of the tithing of my people. And after that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually; and this shall be a standing law unto them forever” (D&C 119:3–4). The First Presidency has explained that “one-tenth of all their interest annually” refers to our income (see First Presidency letter, Mar. 19, 1970). When we pay tithing we show our faithfulness to the Lord. We also teach our children the value of this law. They will want to follow our example and pay tithing on any money they receive. Most of the physical properties and assets the church own are the result of members faithful paying of full tithe. Tithing money also include supporting missionary work. Our church leaders, from the president--Thomas S. Monson--to our local ones do not receive anything from our tithing fund in any form, salary or allowance. Most full time missionaries pay for their own missionary expenses. Others are supported by members who can afford it, and the rest are supported by church missionary fund with a few contributions from members as part of their commitment to the church. It is important to give willingly. “When one pays his tithing without enjoyment he is robbed of a part of the blessing. He must learn to give cheerfully, willingly and joyfully, and his gift will be blessed” (Stephen L Richards, The Law of Tithing [pamphlet, 1983], 8). The Apostle Paul taught that how we give is as important as what we give. He said, “Let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). In Jesus name, amen.
Posted on: Sun, 26 Oct 2014 01:37:33 +0000
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