So let it be written. So let it be done!

Some of my favorite lines from movies I enjoy are uttered in the 1956 film, The Ten Commandments, starring Charleton Heston and Yul Brynner. Brynner plays Ramses, the Egyptian Pharaoh that battled Moses, and God, for the control of the Israelites. During the film, whenever Pharaoh had given a command, he would finish it by saying, "So let it be written. So let it be done!" Yul Brynner's unique accent only added to the delivery of those words. Interesting enough, this phrase is taken to heart by many Christians. It seems that if something is written within the pages of scripture than it automatically becomes a doctrine we are to incorporate into our lives. It doesn't matter if what is said is not written to a believer, if it is New Covenant or Old Covenant or if is understood in the proper context. Nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to the events that took place in the early Church.

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2: 36-39

How many Christians use the above passage and others like it to defend adding water baptism to the Gospel? The Gospel is the belief in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nowhere within it is the mention of water baptism. But, there it is in the second chapter of Acts and promoted by none other than the Apostle Peter. However, there are two mistakes made when using this passage to support adding water baptism to the Gospel. One, it is assumed that Peter, and all the early Church, had total understanding of the Gospel right from the beginning. Secondly, the historical role baptism played in Judaism and its effect on the early Church, most of whom were Jews, is ignored. When the Apostles walked with Jesus, prior to His death, the Holy Spirit had not been sent yet because Christ had not been raised. At the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was first poured out on the Body, those who received it were newborn babes in Christ. If you think back to your own experience when you were first saved, you had very little, if any, knowledge about the totality of the Gospel. Therefore, you probably just filtered your new found faith through whatever existing habits you already had, whether proper or not. The Jewish background of disciples like Peter were, obviously, carried over into the early Christian Church. Water baptism did not begin with Christians. For the Jew, it had been a tradition used to ritually cleanse Gentile converts to Judaism. Therefore, much of the early Church believed that Gentiles needed to be "cleansed" prior to becoming Christians. Later, in Acts 10 and 11, you can read where Peter finally realized that water baptism was not a requirement for salvation or as an act of obedience after salvation.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." Matthew 23: 23-24

Tithing is probably taught in 99% of Christian churches today. I remember when I first became a Christian, I was so focused on tithing that I asked a leader of the fellowship I was attending if I was supposed to tithe off of my gross income or my net income. I even heard a pastor say that it is better to write out a check when tithing because of the "experience" of giving your money. Most often tithing is taught as either an obligation to support your local church or as a form of extortion to help you obtain blessings from God or avoid curses from Him. Regardless of the reasons one may tithe, the fact that it is not commanded by God to Christians is immaterial to most. I had the above passage from Matthew quoted to me as if it ends all arguments when it comes to tithing. When I rejected the use of this passage to support Christian tithing because it was written to Jews under the Old Covenant in order to make a greater point about love, I was rebuked. I was told that I need to be under the "authority" of a pastor as if another Christian telling me I needed to tithe changed what the Bible was saying. Now, I am not against tithing or giving a percentage of ones income to a local fellowship or to a ministry of your choosing. What I am against is being told that I have to tithe or that I am being disobedient for not doing so. Besides, giving is not a matter of percentages, but one of the heart. Nowhere from the book of Acts to Revelation is a Christian commanded to tithe. Instead Christians are encouraged to be cheerful givers who do not act out of compulsion. Furthermore, Christians have much more than money to give in support of the advancement of the Gospel. We have already been given everything we need for life and godliness. God doesn't want our money. He wants us. And what we end up giving is the fruit of the Spirit to all those we encounter. Yes, a part of that is supporting ministries and fellowships we feel are advancing the Gospel with our finances. However, as a member of the Body of Christ, what the world needs is a knowledge of the forgiveness, life, love, acceptance, meaning and purpose to life offered in a relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not about giving a percentage of your finances to God. It is about giving 100% of yourself to Christ to live His life in and through you.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." 1 John 1: 7-10

One of the most divisive subjects that separates Christians is the subject of forgiveness. Some, like myself, understand that I stand forgiven of all my sins because of the finished work of Christ. Most Christians, however, believe in the necessity of a Christian needing to seek continual forgiveness on a daily and weekly basis in order to stay within God's graces. 1 John 1:9 is the only scripture in the New Covenant that even hints at this need. However, no attention ever is given to the context of the passage. Not only is this section not addressing Christians, the false conclusion gained from it is rebutted continuously by the greater body of scripture. If you look at the surrounding scriptures, the statements "if we claim to be without sin" and "if we claim we have not sinned" book end verse 9. No Christian denies the fact of indwelling sin or that they sin. But, many unbelievers deny the existence of sin being a part of the human condition. This passage is directed to them and is a great salvation passage which promises the purification of all unrighteousness available in Christ. Furthermore, if a Christian is commanded to keep themselves forgiven it gives the impression that there are sins that Jesus didn't die for on the cross. And I don't believe any Christian would say that Jesus missed some sins and needs to die again. But, that is exactly what they are implying by asking God to forgive them for sins He has already forgiven them in Christ.

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3: 14-17

All that I have said is not an indictment against talking about or even teaching about water baptism, tithing or forgiveness. In the proper context, all these subjects can be used to edify the Body of Christ, glorify God and advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the greatest steps a Christian can make in their maturity is when they begin to understand the historical and doctrinal context of these subjects. They are not there to divide us because God is not the author of confusion. But, to understand them properly we all have to be willing to put aside our human pride, religious pride and biases so that we can be taught by the Holy Spirit and be led into all truth. When a Pharaoh like Ramses makes a decree, it is to be followed without question, or else drastic and life threatening consequences may result for disobedience. However, just because something is written down in scripture does not mean it is a doctrine, law or tenant that we must follow or face condemnation. Otherwise, we run the risk of getting into all sorts of confusion and hypocrisy trying to validate what it is we say we believe. Instead of doing something simply because it is written, perhaps we should modify what Ramses said and say, "So let it be written. So let it be understood."