The Truth About Tithing

Leviticus 27:30-34
"'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD." If a man redeems any of his tithe, he must add a fifth of the value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. He must not pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If he does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.’”

These are the commands the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.

Numbers 18:20-26
The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.

“I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting. From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering.'"

Deuteronomy 14:24-26
“Now when the Lord your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of worship he chooses for his name to be honored might be too far for you to bring the tithe. If so, you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the Lord your God has chosen. When you arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want—cattle, sheep, goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your household.


First off, if you see where these scriptures come from, you'll notice they are from the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch), or "The Law". Secondly, the tithe mentioned is a tenth of the fruit, grain, or animals, even though money was already in use (see Genesis 31:15, Genesis 42:27, Exodus 22:7, Leviticus 6:4, Leviticus 25:37, Deuteronomy 14:25). Deuteronomy gives the people tithing the option to sell their tenth of stuff for money, if the journey to the place God chooses is too far to carry their "stuff", then use the money to buy any kind of food, to feast in the presence of God. So the tithe was never meant to be money, it was supposed to be a celebration of honor to God for His blessings.

In the next verse, you see Jesus telling the Pharisees that they are wrong for tithing on everything but not upholding the more important things. While Jesus walked the earth, He talked to the people under the Law because He had not yet gone to the cross and done away with it. So He used examples from their everyday life to demonstrate what God wants from His people.

Matthew 23:23
“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You pretenders! You give God a tenth of your spices, like mint, dill and cumin. But you have not practiced the more important things of the law, like fairness, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the last things without failing to do the first."


Keep All The Law

Romans 3:19
What the law says, it says to those who are ruled by the law. Its purpose is to shut every mouth and make the whole world accountable to God.

Romans 3:27
So who can brag? No one! Are people saved by obeying the law? Not at all! They are saved because of their faith.

Galatians 3:10
All who depend on obeying the law are under a curse. It is written, “May everyone who doesn’t continue to do everything that is written in the Book of the Law be under God’s curse.”

Galatians 3:13
Christ set us free from the curse of the law. He did it by becoming a curse for us. It is written, “Everyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.”

Galatians 5:2-4
Here is what I, Paul, say to you. Don’t let yourselves be circumcised. If you do, Christ won’t be of any value to you. I say it again. Every man who lets himself be circumcised must obey the whole law. Some of you are trying to be made right with God by obeying the law. You have been separated from Christ. You have fallen away from God’s grace.

Galatians 5:18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the authority of the law.

Hebrews 7:4-6
Think how great Melchizedek was. Even our father Abraham gave him a tenth of what he had captured. Now the law lays down a rule for the sons of Levi who become priests. They must collect a tenth from the people. They must collect it even from those who belong to the family line of Abraham. Melchizedek did not trace his family line from Levi. But he collected a tenth from Abraham. Melchizedek blessed the one who had received the promises.

James 2:10
Suppose you keep the whole law but trip over just one part of it. Then you are guilty of breaking all of it.

Galatians 3:10 tells us that all who depend on obeying the law are under a curse. In 5:2-4, we learn that people who are believers, who are wanting to get circumcised, will nullify what Christ did. If they keep one part of the law, they must obey all of the law. All the other verses show that Jesus set us free from the law, and if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the authority of the law. We are saved by faith, so why are we still trying to keep part of the law, tithing?


Giving is Not Tithing, There IS a Difference!

Matthew 5:42
“Give to the one who asks you for something. Don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow something from you.

Matthew 10:42
Suppose someone gives even a cup of cold water to a little one who follows me. What I’m about to tell you is true. That one will certainly be rewarded.”

Mark 4:24
“Think carefully about what you hear,” he said. “As you give, so you will receive. In fact, you will receive even more.

Luke 6:30
“Give to everyone who asks you. And if anyone takes what belongs to you, don’t ask to get it back.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good amount will be poured into your lap. It will be pressed down, shaken together, and running over. The same amount you give will be measured out to you.”

Luke 12:33
Sell what you own. Give to those who are poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out. Put away riches in heaven that will not be used up. There, no thief can come near it. There, no moth can destroy it.

Acts 2:42-47
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.


"...But I say"

Matthew 5:21-22
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."

Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."


When Jesus quoted the Law, He made it more strict. Jesus' way of giving, and not tithing, makes people more responsible for others. In order to be aware to give, you need to know what others need, and meet their needs if you're capable. Tithing is the Law, but we're no longer under the Law. Giving is the way Jesus meant for it to be. So if you are still tithing instead of giving, you are bound to the law and under a curse. And if the teaching you are hearing in a modern day church is tithing, run! Run far away. Remember, if there is something being taught that you don't agree with, you vote with your feet and with your wallet.

God Is Good

Jesus has all power and authority on heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18 "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'")
If Jesus has all power and authority, then the devil has none and we have none.

We are in Him and He is in us (Acts 17:28 "'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'" and 1 John 4:13 "We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.")

He is the firstborn of many brothers (Romans 8:29 "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.")

We are God's family, Jesus calls us His brothers (Hebrews 2:11 "Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.")

We are no longer servants (John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.)

We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19 "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;")

We are anointed because we have the Anointed One living in us (Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.)

The anointing doesn't come and go because the Spirit in us abides (1 John 2:27 "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him." and Matthew 28:20b "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”)

We are ambassadors of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20 "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.")

We do what He did (John 14:12 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.")

We go heal the sick (Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.")

We make disciples (Matthew 28:19 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,")

We teach others to do what He did (Matthew 28:20a "and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.")

Whew! God is good!!!

No judgment until the Judgment

No Judgment Until The Judgment

Genesis 8:22

“As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night

will never cease.”

God set the world in motion and He doesn't need to keep maintaining it.

Matthew 7:22

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’

Matthew 10:15

Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Matthew 11:22

But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

Matthew 11:24

But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Matthew 12:36

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.

Matthew 12:41

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.

Luke 10:12

I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Luke 10:14

But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

Luke 11:32

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

John 5:22-23

"The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him."

God judges no one but has given that responsibility to Jesus.

 
John 12:47-50

“As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

Jesus says that He does not judge the person who hears His words but does not keep them. He says that the person will be condemned by the very words He spoke on the last day.

John 8:14-16

Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.

Acts 24:25

As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”

Paul witnessed to Felix, and told him about the judgment to come. That means that the judgment is not here yet.

Romans 2:5

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

People who are stubborn and unrepentant are storing up wrath against themselves for the day of God's wrath when His judgment will be revealed. So no one is being judged by God right now. They will be judged on the day judgment will be revealed.

Romans 2:16

This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Romans 14:10

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister ? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

We are not currently standing before God's judgment seat. It says that we will stand meaning that is in the future some time.

1 Corinthians 1:7-9

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:13-15

his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5

So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:10

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-7

God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.

Hebrews 10:26-31

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Many people use the last verse to say that as God's children we are being judged by God and receive punishment. But we have a covenant with Jesus. That means that we have already received forgiveness when we asked God for it because Jesus paid for it.

James 2:12-13

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

2 Timothy 4:8

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

1 Peter 2:12

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

2 Peter 2:2-10

Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

2 Peter 3:9-12

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

A lot of Christians spend their time studying and discussing the end times. Why? Jesus never told us to focus on the end times. He told us to be busy doing God's work so that He'll find us faithful when He returns. This verse mentions that we can speed Jesus' return if we are "doing" the Word: Living holy and godly lives.

Phillipians 1:4-6

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Phillipians 2:14-16

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

2 Timothy 1:18

May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.

2 Timothy 4:8

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

1 John 4:17

This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

Jude 1:6

And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

As long as time endures day and night will never cease. God put the world in motion and it will cease when Jesus returns. At that time He will judge all creatures for what they have done. That being said, natural disasters cannot be the judgment of God. They are simply the laws of nature at work. That is why the Word says that all creation groans in eager expectation for the sons of God to be made manifest. We are supposed to calm the storms like Jesus did. Jesus said we would do the same things as He and even greater works.

Jesus says that we judge by human standards but He judges no one. Stubborn and unrepentant people are saving up wrath for themselves for the day of judgment. But if they repent they can avoid judgment. Even people's secrets will be judged when we all stand before God's judgment seat. Everyone's work will be shown for what it is on that day.

The Father has given all judgment to the Son, and Jesus says that He didn't come to judge but to save the lost. Jesus said that He does not judge anyone but that His Words will judge them on "that day." Jesus also says that the Father judges no one, but has given that responsibility to the Son.

You see in 1 Cor 5 that the destruction of the flesh is attributed to satan, not God. And in that instance it was for handing the immoral brother over to satan so that his spirit would be saved.

The day of judgment MUST come because God is just. He can't let everyone get away with sin forever. But He sent His Son so that He could treat us the way He has always wanted to treat His people.

“The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. That verse is constantly misused. People use it to say that we are being judged by God at the present time. But that is not what the Word says.

God is not being slack in bringing judgment but He is being patient so that more will be saved. We can speed the coming of the Lord by living holy and godly lives.

There is a crown of righteousness in store for all who look forward to the Lord's return. In order to have confidence in the day of the Lord, we are to be like Jesus while we are here on earth.

Who Are You?

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.
No one can brag that they are saved and on their way to heaven because we don't earn heaven, we are given the gift to go to heaven by God because Jesus paid for it.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
The Holy Spirit lives inside our bodies. We were bought by Jesus with His blood, and we are not our own. No one can say that they gave the devil permission to afflict them because our bodies don't even belong to us. It's like if I let someone borrow my car, they don't have authority to sell it or give it away, neither do we have the authority to give the devil permission to attack us. Some people think that they gave the devil permission to attack them because they sinned or brought something on themselves.  That is simply not true, that is impossible. Only Jesus has that authority.

2 Corinthians 2:17
Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.
Bottom line, we serve God.  In our daily dealings, we speak like men sent from God, because WE ARE men sent from God.

Galatians 3:26-27
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
We are no longer the sinful people we used to be. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus because we have clothed ourselves with Him.

Colossians 3:3
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Again, our life is HIDDEN in Jesus. Not even the devil sees us, He sees Jesus.

1 John 3:2
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
We are God's kids. Our spirit is made perfect the day we are saved but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind so that we look like Jesus on the outside.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Matthew 20:12
These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'
The men who worked all day and the men who worked one hour all earned the exact same amount, and that is a comparison to being saved. We all will get to heaven because of Jesus, even the people who accept Him in the last half hour of their life. We are all equal in Jesus, we all have an equal portion of His inheritance.

John 1:12-13
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Everyone who chooses to make Jesus their Savior become God's children. We are born of God, spiritually. He gives us His Spirit.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Amazing. These are the things God says about us. WE are the chosen ones, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, we belong to God. He called us out of darkness, and now we are in His wonderful light, we are NO LONGER in darkness.

John 15:15-16
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
Jesus says that we are NOT servants. The Old Testament Israelites were servants. They had to cry out to God and beg for Him to help them. If they didn't keep up their end of the Covenant, God would allow thier enemies to overtake them. We live by faith, and unlike the Israelites, we have grace. It doesn't depend on our actions, just on belief in Christ. Jesus says we are His friends because He taught us everything He learned from the Father.  We are appointed to bear fruit, which means we go and DO the Word (do what we read we are supposed to do).

John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jesus says that He is the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
First, Jesus says that He is the light of the world. Then He says that WE are the light of the world. We are to let our light shine before men so they glorify our Father in heaven. And what is this "light?" It is our good deeds. And not just our good deeds, but the confirmation that the Holy Spirit brings when we step out in faith (...and these signs will follow all who believe... Mark 16:17-18).

Romans 8:13-17
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Since we have God's Spirit in us, we put to death the desire to sin, and we let the Spirit lead us. By that, it means we read the Bible and do it. If we focus on doing God's will, we will not be thinking about sinning, and we re-program our minds to live for God instead of for the devil. We are not slaves to fear, but we are sons of God, which He guarantees by the Spirit He gave us. We are God's children and co-heirs with Jesus, which means we share everything He has. His power and authority are not divided up, we all have the same portion that He has and we have permission to use it.

Romans 8:29
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Why would it say that Jesus is the FIRSTBORN among many brothers? And what is the correlation that God calls us His sons and daughters? It is self-explanatory, Jesus was raised from the dead and went to heaven. He sent back the Holy Spirit, Who happens to be the One Who lives inside of us. Now WE are the "many brothers" this verse is talking about. We do what Jesus did because we are His hands, feet, and mouth while we are here.

1 Corinthians 14:25
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
Jesus is reigning in heaven until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
This is how Jesus is going to put His enemies under His feet. He is going to use His body to do it. We are His feet.

1 John 3:1
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
God lavished love on us and calls us His children. The world thinks we are nuts, but we REALLY ARE God's children. The Bible says it over and over, it is very true.

1 John 3:10
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
God's children do what is right, and the devil's children don't.

Acts 5:32
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."
God has given us His Spirit so we obey Him.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

We are God's temple and His Spirit lives in us. We are sacred, we should never say we are less than what God says we are.

Romans 9:20-21
But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
Who are we to tell God that we are not what He says we are. If He calls us holy, and calls us His children, and says that we are no longer in darkness, and co-heirs with Jesus, and we have His Spirit, and we are hidden in Christ, and we are clothed in Jesus' righteousness, who are we to say that we are still sinners or unworthy or nothing?  To do that, we are saying that we can override what God has said, and that everything He says about us doesn't matter, that we are somehow greater than God and have the power to override what He says.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
God anointed us with His Spirit. We ARE anointed. We don't have to wait for an anointing, we have it. And He says that the Spirit never leaves us. So once we are filled with the Spirit, there is no other filling or anointing or leading that we need. We just go and do God's Word.

2 Corinthians 6:18
"I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
Once again, God emphasizes that we are His children.

Revelation 21:7
He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
We will inherit the kingdom of God and He will be our Father if we stand firm in His Word.

Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
We will not go to hell now that we are saved, if we walk after the Spirit. We are above the law of sin and death, we now live by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ.

Romans 6:14
For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
Sin does not have a hold on us because we are saved by grace, by Jesus.

Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Your words have power in them. The power to bring life or death. Watch what you say because it is true.

1 Corinthians 14:4
Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
When you speak in tongues, you edify yourself, in other words, you build up your spirit and get spiritually stronger (which also builds up your immune system).

James 1:22-26
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.
In other words, if you hear God's Word and choose not to do it, it is like looking into a mirror and forgetting what you look like. The reason being, the Bible is your mirror. You look like what it says you are. God has called us all these amazing things, and when we read the Bible, we are reading about who we really are now. The minute we are saved, we look like Jesus because He lives in us and we live in Him. We are now responsible to live like Jesus did when He was on the earth. Not simply in doing good deeds, but in doing the miraculous. He said we would do the same things and even greater works because He went back to the Father and sent us His Spirit, who lives in our hearts.

James 3:9-12
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Again, watch what you say. We should only praise God and bless others with our mouth, and not use it for cursing.

1 Peter 3:8-12
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,

“Whoever would love life
    and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
    and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good;
    they must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
    and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
To live for Christ means to hold your tongue, even if you think you have the right to get even.

Galatians 3:13-25
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Brothers, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not represent just one party; but God is one. Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
God made a promise to Abraham almost 1400 years before Jesus come to earth. The law only led to death but Jesus freed us from the law by dying for our sins. The law has no hold on us because if we break the law, it is already paid for by Jesus' sacrifice. The law was put in place to show man the boundaries and help him stay away from sin. We are justified, or "made right," with God through faith in Jesus, all our debts are paid by Jesus and we no longer have to pay for the sin we committed.

Romans 7:4
So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.  (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Gal. 5:22-23)
We count ourselves dead to sin because we were bought by Jesus and we belong to Him. Jesus paid one price, it is kind of like you and a group of 5 friends to go to the drive-in theater. If you all take separate cars, you each pay to get in, but if all of you get into one car, you pay once to get in. Jesus paid once, we all get in. And He since we are in Him, we are dead to sin since He is the One living through us now. We are now bearing fruit because it is He works in us to will and to act according to His good pleasure.

Galatians 4:1-7
What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
When we first get saved, we usually don't know much about the Bible or what God says about us or what we are supposed to be doing. We are like children who inherited an estate. We rely on pastors, mentors, other Christians, and the fivefold ministry to help us grow and learn, then we become who God wants us to be. The truth is that we own the whole estate! We have an equal portion with Jesus, we just need to learn how to live like Jesus while we are here on earth.

John 4:34
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. (The Greek word for food is "brōma" which means "food of any kind" and it is also the same word used in 1 Corin 3:2 "I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.) (Hebrews 5:13-14 & 6:1 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.)
The Bible is milk. It teaches us who we are what we are supposed to be doing. It doesn't become "meat" until the rubber meets the road and we start stepping out and doing God's will. We must take what we learn in the Bible, believe it, and step out in what it says. We are expected to grow and mature and go do God's will, not become dependent on constantly learning, and sit around doing nothing.

2 Peter 1:1
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
Peter is addressing the people who got saved after hearing the Good News. They had not walked with Jesus when He physically was on earth. But Peter says that they obtained a faith of EQUAL standing with his. That pertains to us, because we got saved but never walked with Jesus when He was on earth. And since Peter and the other Apostles healed people and did miracles, we do the same because we are equal.

Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah prophesied over 700 years before Jesus walked on the earth, and back then there was no such thing as "crucifixion" or death on a wooden cross. He says that by Jesus' stripes we are healed. So that is an ongoing thing. Our healing was paid for before He even went to the cross to pay for our salvation. The word used for "healed" is the Hebrew word "nir·pā-" of which the root means "to heal." Everywhere it is used in the Old Testament, it is in the context of physical healing. It is not used in any other context so skeptics cannot say that is means anything other than physical healing, such as spiritual or mental healing.

Matthew 8:14
When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

 “He took up our infirmities
and carried our diseases.”
...And here is the proof. The New Testament shows that Jesus healed ALL the sick to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah.

Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Greek word for peace actually has a few different meanings: Health, welfare, well-being, and wholeness.  That means our physical bodies are healed through Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
We are new creations, and it is a gift from God, it's nothing we can achieve or work for. Reconciled means we are made right so we are made right with God because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. And now we are His representatives to the rest of the world and bring the message of reconciliation, the fact that we can be made right with God through Jesus' blood. Jesus died a sinless man, and paid the price for our sin so that we may be clothed in His righteousness, not by anything we can do, but by faith in Him.

Hebrews 9:27-28 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Revelation 20:6  Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Man dies physically, and then faces judgment if he has not accepted Jesus as his Savior. Jesus died to make us right with God so that we don't have to die a second death, which means the punishment of our spirit. Jesus will appear again, physically, but He isn't coming back the way He came the first time. He already paid for sin so He isn't going to be crucified a second time, He is coming to take His people to heaven.

Hebrews 2:1-18
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:

“What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
and put everything under his feet.”

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”
And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”
And again he says,
“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

God put everything under Jesus' authority, and there is nothing that is not under His authority. But currently, we don't see everything obeying Him. Jesus was in heaven from the beginning of time, but God sent Him to earth and He became 100% human, spiritually lower than the angels. Now He is back in heaven, seated at the right hand of God and crowned with glory because He died on the cross and went to hell to pay for everyone's sins (He tasted death. The Bible talks about two deaths: Physical and spiritual, so Jesus died physically AND spiritually when He spent 3 days in hell to pay for the sins of all mankind).
   So now the One Who makes men holy (Jesus) and the ones who are made holy (people who accept Him as their Savior) are of the same family, we are holy as Jesus is holy, and Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers.
   He came to earth to live like we did and be tempted just like we are, and He never sinned, so when He died, He didn't die for His sins, because He had none. He died for ours. He provided freedom for everyone from the power of death (spiritual death) so that no one (who receives Salvation) has to fear death any longer. Since we need to have faith in Him in order to be saved, we are Abraham's descendents, since Abraham was the first one who had faith and trusted God completely. Jesus understands what we go through because He walked the earth just like we do. Now He has mercy on us as our faithful high priest.  He paid the price for our sins, and He experienced temptation, so He helps us when we are tempted.

Ephesians 2:6
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
We are seated in heavenly places with Christ and He is now lifted above the angels, He has everything under His feet. We have the same Holy Spirit in us Who raised Jesus from the dead, so we, too, are above the angels, so that now we command the devil and his angels for Jesus.

Matthew 18:18
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
And this is the power Jesus told us we have. It starts here on earth.

1 Peter 2:24
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
He paid for our healing so that we can live for Him. He was whipped for no reason and paid for all humanity to be healed.

Matt 10:8
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
Jesus gave us an assignment. Once we know who we are and what we have authority to do, we are to go and "do" the Bible.

Mark 16:15-20
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.  (See 2 Peter 1:1)
Again, Jesus gave us an assignment that we can work on while we are here on earth. He says that these signs will follow us. It means that we have to step out, and He will work the miracles as we go, we just need to believe it.

Matthew 28:16-20
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
After Jesus rose from the dead, He told His disciples that all authority in heaven and on earth are given to Him.  That means the devil has NO authority in heaven or on earth. And He told them to teach everyone to obey everything He commanded them.  So everything you read in the first 4 books of the New Testament that Jesus ever told His disciples, He told to us.

Matthew 6:9-13
“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus would say, "The kingdom of heaven is near you," because He carried the kingdom of heaven inside of Him. We carry the same kingdom inside of us, the Holy Spirit. We take heaven everywhere we go, and it's our job to do His will on earth as it is in heaven.

Conclusion: We are God's children and He gave us permission to do what Jesus did while He was on earth. The things He told His disciples to do, He told us to do. We are not beggars, sinners, worthless, or empty. We are God's children, a royal priesthood, Jesus' brothers, filled with the Spirit, seated in heavenly places with Christ, etc. We already have our orders: GO! And we have the power and backing of God. The signs WILL follow us. God's Word says that He doesn't lie. We are given tongues to edify ourselves and we are to guard our own tongues so that we don't curse ourselves or others. God's Word is our mirror to show us what we really look like after we have given our lives to Jesus, and when we do what it says, we remember what we look like. Everything is plain and simple to understand. God is not trying to trick us or give us hidden messages. The Bible means what it says. It's time to take it for what it says and do it.

God gives and takes away, right?

God gives and takes away, right?

 

Before I begin, I want to mention that the Bible is not a mystery that only certain people can understand. It does not take a degree in theology to read the Bible and know what God's will is. It takes religion to make people think that they need an "over-shepherd" to explain the Bible to them. In actuality, the Bible is clear in that we can understand God's mysteries because as soon as we are born again, we are a new creation and we have the mind of Christ. In Ephesians 3:4, Paul says, "By reading this, you will be able to grasp my understanding of the secret about the Messiah" (ISV) and John says, "As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit--just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1 John 2:27). In James 1:22, we are told, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." It is OUR responsibility to do what the word of God says to do. We will stand before Jesus ALONE. Our "over-shepherd" will not be there taking responsibilty for our inaction or wrong beliefs.
 

Job 1:12

The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

We see God giving the devil permission to take everything Job has.

Job 1:21

and (Job) said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised."

Here we see Job saying that God gives and takes away, but in actuality, the devil is the one who took away, Job just didn't know it.

Hebrews 13:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Paul says this about Jesus in Hebrews (proof of God's character in the New Testament).

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

The Lord told this to Balaam (proof of God's character in the Old Testament).

According to most scholars, the book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible, and was written sometime between Adam and Abraham. Abraham was the father of faith, and lived over 400 years before Moses brought the law and Ten Commandments to the Israelites.

Deuteronomy 29:12 & 24-25

You are standing here in order to enter into a covenant with the Lord your God, a covenant the Lord is making with you this day and sealing with an oath,

This is the first covenant that God made with an entire human race, the Israelites to be exact (note that it is for the Israelites, not the Gentiles, which is the category we are in before we accept Jesus).

All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why this fierce, burning anger?” And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.

In the same chapter of Deuteronomy God is telling the Israelites that they will be punished if they abandon the covenant He has with them.

What about Jesus telling Peter that the devil wants to sift him as wheat?

Luke 22:31-32

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Jesus said that satan asked to sift Peter as wheat. He never says that God gave him permission. But Jesus is warning Peter because the devil is a liar and a thief, and Jesus wants Peter to be prepared. Since the devil asked, it means that he is going to attack Peter with or without God's permission. The Greek word for "has asked" is eksaitéomai, which means "a full handing over" and the Helps Word Studies explains that it means "Satan requests Peter be completely removed out of God's hands – and be put totally in his power." The Scriptures never show that happen to Peter.

What about the blind man who God "made blind"?

John 9:1-5

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

If you say that God makes people sick or blind in order to heal them, that's like saying that God makes us sinners for His glory. The Hindus practice a form of that. They break their kids legs when they are still babies so that they can earn a living. People won't give money to healthy kids, but they will to crippled kids. That is a pagan practice, and I have a problem with people who say that my God does that.

The man was born blind, and Jesus said that in order for God's works to be displayed in his life, Jesus had to heal him. If you look at this verse, Jesus says that his blindness was not from sin, so that means sickness and disease are not always the result of sin. Also, if you look at James 5:15, James says that the elders will pray for the sick, and the sick will be healed, and IF he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

God and His covenants

God's Covenant With Noah

Centuries before the time of Abraham, God made a covenant with Noah, assuring Noah that He would never again destroy the world by flood (Gen. 9). Before that, God saw how evil the man had become and destroyed the earth with the Flood. He made a covenant with Noah, but that doesn't mean that He changed, it simple means His covenant changed.

God's Covenant With Abraham

In making a covenant with Abraham, God promised to bless his descendants and make them His own special people -- in return, Abraham was to remain faithful to God and to serve as a channel through which God's blessings could flow to the rest of the world (Gen. 12:1-3).

The Mosaic Covenant

The Israelites moved to Egypt during the time of Joseph. A new Pharaoh came upon the scene and turned the Israelites into common slaves. The people cried out to the God of their forefathers. "So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob" (Exo. 2:24). After a series of ten plagues upon the land of Egypt, God brought the Israelites out "of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand" (Exo. 32:11).

God's Covenant With David

Another covenant was between God and King David, in which David and his descendants were established as the royal heirs to the throne of the nation of Israel (2 Sam. 7:12-13).

The Covenant Of Christ

The New Testament makes a clear distinction between the covenants of the Mosaic Law and the covenant of Promise. The apostle Paul spoke of these "two covenants," one originating "from Mount Sinai," the other from "the Jerusalem above" (Gal. 4:24-26). Paul also argued that the covenant established at Mount Sinai was a "ministry of death" and "condemnation" (2 Cor. 3:7, 9).

The devil is a liar and a thief

John 8:44

You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and telling them they are the devil's children because he is a murderer (he steals life) and a liar.

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Jesus tells His disciples that the thief comes to steal kill and destroy. The thief He is talking about is the devil.

Everything good comes from God

James 1:17

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

James writes that every good and perfect gift is from God, and reason dictates that sickness and disease cannot be from God.

Psalm 100:5

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Luke 18:19

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good - except God alone."

1 John 1:15

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

There is NO darkness in God at all. Since He is good and loving, He cannot be the one who gives us sickness, disease, and bad situations.

Jesus brought with Him a New Covenant

Hebrews 8:6-8

But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:

“The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah."

Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, which is superior to the old one. God Himself said that the time is coming when He makes a new covenant with His people. That time came to pass when Jesus was whipped and gave His life on the cross. This verse in Hebrews is quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34, which was written over 560 years before Jesus walked the Earth, and it was a prophecy about Jesus.

John 17:15

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

Jesus prays that God would protect His disciples (we are His disciples) from the evil one. If God's Spirit lives in us, and the Bible says that the Spirit teaches us all things, why would He give us sickness or disease to teach us something?

Hebrews 8:13

By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Jesus sealed the new covenant with us and made the old one obsolete. He paid by His stripes and by His blood.

Luke 22:17

After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

When Jesus had the last supper with His disciples, He told them that the cup was the new covenant in His blood that He poured out for them. It is the first time Jesus mentioned the new covenant that God made with His people.

2 Timothy 1:8-11

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.

God's plan of grace was planned since the beginning of time but was only revealed through Jesus. The reason it was hidden was so that Jesus could walk as a man on the Earth, and never sin, and then pay for the sins of all the world. Adam, one man, allowed sin into the world, Jesus, one man, destroyed death and conquered the sin of the world.

God Sent His Holy Spirit To Live In Us

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,"

Jesus says that the Spirit of the Lord is on Him because the Lord anointed Him to proclaim the good news to the poor.

1 Corinthians 3:16

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

If God's Spirit lives in you, you are anionted just like Jesus. Here is why:

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed (same Greek word as above) us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

So FIRST He anointed us, then set His seal of ownership on us, then He put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit.

John 3:34

For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

The Holy Spirit Teaches Us, Not The Devil

Luke 12:11-12

"When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

This does NOT say that a man or your "covering" or your pastor will teach you what to say. It says that the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say.

John 14:26

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

If Jesus Himself prayed that God would protect us from the evil one, and if God's Spirit lives in us, and this verse says that the Spirit teaches us all things, why would He give us sickness or disease to teach us something? This verse says that the Spirit teaches us ALL things. Not: "The Spirit teaches you SOME things, and the devil teaches you some things." Neither does it say, "The Spirit will teach you some things, and men will teach you the rest." If a person is truly in Christ and speaking the words of Christ, it will be the Holy Spirit teaching you through that person.

John 15:26

"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

John 16:13

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

1 Corinthians 2:9-16

However, as it is written:

“No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him”—

but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:

“For who has known the mind of the Lord

that he may instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

It is not a mystery. The Old Testament says that "No eye has seen, no ear has heard..." but the New Testament says "...BUT God has revealed it." No one who is in Christ can say that we don't know what God has prepared for us or how He treats us. This verse goes on to say that no one knows the thoughts of God. BUT we have the Spirit, Who is from God. WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST.

1 John 2:20-27

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life. I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

The anointing we received from Him REMAINS in us. Wow! It doesn't come and go. We don't have to call it down from heaven. We don't have to beg for MORE. This verse says that the anionting teaches us about all things and it is real. John 14:26 says that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. So the Spirit is on us because God has anointed us. The Holy Spirit is a person, there is no way we can have more or less of Him. He is here to stay.

The "Paul's Thorn" Excuse

2 Corinthians 12:3-7

And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

Many people believe that Pau's thorn was some kind of sickness or disease. Here, in Paul's own letter to the Corinthians, you see that Paul says the thorn in his flesh is a messenger of Satan sent to torment him.

The "Thorn In The Side" References

When the Bible uses the saying "thorn in the side," it refers to evil men or the enemies of Israel when they fail to drive them out. Paul was a "Pharisee of Pharisees" meaning he was a highly religious Pharisee. It is only natural that he would know the Old Testament scriptures. He obviously knew how the phrase, "thorn in the side" was used in the OT, so when he refers to a thorn in his side, he is using it to refer to a person just like the OT. 

Numbers 33:55

“‘But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live.

Joshua 23:13

then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.

Judges 2:3

Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.

2 Samuel 23:6

But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,

which are not gathered with the hand.

Isaiah 10:17

The Light of Israel will become a fire,

their Holy One a flame;

in a single day it will burn and consume

his thorns and his briers.

Not to mention:

Mark 3:23-26

So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.

Matthew 12:25

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.

Conclusion:

God really is the same yesterday, today, and forever, there is no argument about that. Job did NOT have a covenant with God, and God allowed the devil to take everything away from him, but he blamed God, not the devil, who was really the one responsible. The Israelites had the old covenant, but we have the new covenant. The first covenant required that sins be paid for by blood. In the second covenant, Jesus paid His own blood for us, and we are forgiven, our sins have been washed away. Not only that, Jesus asked God to protect us from the evil one. If we can ask God for anything in Jesus' Name, and He gives it to us, how much moreso will He give Jesus what He asked for? So God already knew what was going to happen and He made a provision for it, even since the beginning of time. Even though God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and He never changes, His covenants change. His heart has always been for His people, but after Adam let sin into the world, God had to treat us differently. He has always wanted to walk with us like He originally intended, side by side in the garden, but He could not because of sin in the world. Jesus made us a new creation so that God's Spirit can live in us and walk with us in the garden. God can now treat us the way He has always wanted to, the way He treated Adam and Eve before the fall.

Does He allow the devil to afflict us to teach us something?

No. We have a covenant with God, Job didn't. We have God's Spirit living inside of us, Job didn't. God is the same as He always has been, meaning His personality and His love for us never change, but His covenants change. He instituted a covenant with us when He sent Jesus, a covenant He can't go back on because it is already paid for by Jesus' blood. He planned from before time began to send Jesus because He knew the future. If I say that He allows the devil to afflict us to teach us something, then I am saying God goes back on His Word, and even more, that God lied when He said if we ask anything in His Name, we will receive what we ask. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is the One Who teaches us, why would God need the devil to teach us, too? Paul admits that he had a thorn in his flesh. He says that because of his many revelations, it was a messenger of satan to torment him, so it was not a physical ailment, sickness, or disease. We see the way "thorn" is used in other parts of the Bible, and Paul was a devout Jew, so he knew the Old Testament inside and out, and he obviously knew how the phrase "thorn in the side" was used, so he used it to refer to the messenger of satan.

If the devil were not a thief, ie. if God gave the devil permission to "steal, kill and destroy" us, then Jesus would not have called him a thief. Anything that comes from the devil is meant to destroy us. He hates us because we are made in God's image, and he can't touch God so he attacks the ones who are made in God's image. Hebrews 12:7-11 says this:

"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

It says to endure hardship as discipline. God disciplines those He loves. It doesn't say, "Endure sickness and disease as discipline." Sickness and disease is from the devil stealing our health. What army has ever brought glory to it's king or commander by suffering at the hands of an enemy army? What mother or father would break their kid's arm to discipline him? Or hand thier kid over to their enemy to punish them?

When unbelievers hear us saying that "God gives and takes away," why would they want anything to do with Him? They already get that from the world. If God really gives and takes away, how can anyone trust Him? Saying that God gives and takes away is saying that God is fickle, and if we don't do everything "just right" He will strike us down or take everything away from us. The New Covenant says just the opposite. It says that we are saved, not by what we do, but by the Blood of Jesus. We are saved by trusting in His Name. I choose to believe that God is good, and He is all light, in Him there is no darkness. I choose to believe that God is the only giver of all good gifts and the devil is a liar and a thief.

Wait a minute. I just found a couple of verses that prove God gives and takes away... John 10:28, "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." And John 1:29, "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"