13. Christ is our Righteousness

There is only one basis on which we can receive anything from God – righteousness – and only one way in which we can receive that righteousness – by faith in Jesus Christ. He has already fulfilled the requirements of the law on our behalf (Matt 5:17, Rom 5:19). We are now righteous, and subsequently blessed, because of His obedience, not our own. He IS our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30, 2 Cor 5:21), and this righteousness is by faith from beginning to end (Rom 1:17).

There are many who feel they are entitled to God’s blessing because they tithe. The truth is that our works, including tithing, can never make us worthy of anything. Christ has already made us worthy by dying on the cross in order to make us free from sin and righteous in the eyes of the Father. We have been made worthy of His blessings because of who we are, not what we do … It is only through Christ that we have any right to be blessed. Following the law of tithing does not give us the right to be blessed. Christ does.

(Niral Russell Bennett - Tithing and Still Broke! pp 65, 76)

We are now to approach God on the basis of how holy Jesus was for us, not how holy we are. We need to look unto Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith, and expect prosperity on the basis of what He has done – this is what it means to come before Him in the name of Jesus.

(Matthew Narramore – Tithing: Low-Realm, Obsolete and Defunct p 61)

Once again, we need to return to our word of faith foundations:

But the righteousness that is by faith says … “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith that we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’ (Rom 10:6-9)

The word saved here is the Greek word sozo which does not simply mean ‘spiritual salvation’ but refers to a complete work, covering the needs of our spirit, soul and body. Our redemption is total: Christ has redeemed us from sin, sickness and poverty – no exceptions! So the righteousness that is by faith says – to have the benefits of salvation in any area, including the financial area, we only have to believe and confess (make them our own). Making any of our provision or blessing dependent on anything we do is saying that Christ’s righteousness is not sufficient for us.

To say that paying a tithe is what protects the remaining 90 percent from a curse of destruction is contrary to the New Covenant and it devalues the blood of Jesus. Money can’t redeem anything and neither can the practice of tithing … In the New Covenant we are redeemed. It is a finished work. It doesn’t have to be redone each time we get a pay-check. Satan is defeated. We are not in his jurisdiction. We are not under the curse. The blood of Jesus paid the total price for our deliverance and there is nothing we can do to add to it.

(Matthew Narramore – Tithing: Low-Realm, Obsolete and Defunct p 88)

If failure to tithe makes me a God-robber, then my righteousness depends on tithing. If failure to write out the first check on payday to the local church causes me to lose the favour of God on my life, then my righteousness must depend on doing that. If tithing is what redeems the remaining 90 percent of my paycheck, then the blood of Jesus did not redeem it. If a curse is going to come upon me for not tithing, then Christ has not redeemed me from the curse of the Law. The popular teaching on tithing is really saying that we need Christ plus tithing. It is saying that the blood of Jesus wasn’t enough, that we need the blood plus tithing. The message of grace and the message of tithing are as different as night and day.

(Matthew Narramore – Tithing: Low-Realm, Obsolete and Defunct p 96)