Deuteronomy 14:29 regarding the tithes for the levites, strangers, and the fatherless, and the widow. can you explain this and what is the connection in our daily living as a christian. I read a track title “The Benevolent Work of the Church” by Jesse G. Jenkins, In 2 Cor. 9:12-13, that the “unto them” means (poor jewish saints in Jerusalem) having their want releived and “unto all men’ means (other Jewish saints) giving thankgiving to God for their Gentile brethren. They use Acts 2:14 the word “all” means JEWISH SAINTS. In Acts 2:45 refers only to believers of verse 44. and He said the same also in Acts 4:35 where “all men” is again is used, means believers of verse 34. Is their any text or strong materials to use to explain this (UNTO THEM AND UNTO ALL) or the original word (greek) so that it will understand correctly. please give some explanation. ~ Brod Omar S. Agustin, Philippines
Sincere maybe, but hardhearted and practitioners of a religion unlike the disposition of Jesus Christ are those whose doctrine about benevolence restricts the church from helping needy non-Christians. Sincere maybe, but this benevolence doctrine is all about money, which supposedly has already been given to the Lord’s church and which should not be the object of a covetousness temperament, but it is. Consider this example from the ministry of our Lord. Matthew 15:22-28 relates that a non-Jewish woman sought healing from Jesus Christ for her daughter, whereupon our Lord first responded to her that his ministry pertained to the Jews rather than to the Gentiles. Nevertheless, Jesus healed the Gentile girl. That our Lord’s ministry was purposed toward the Jews did not preclude the extension of it toward non-Jews. Our Lord’s compassion was broader than restriction to the Jews. Add to this the salient point made by Jesus Christ respecting the interaction between the saved and the unsaved.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48 emphasis added)
Deuteronomy 14:29, being a part of the Old Testament, which is no longer the law of God to which people today appeal for divine instruction (Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14; Romans 7:6-7), does not directly apply to the implementation of Christianity in our lives today. However, we can make the indirect observation that even under Judaism that the “stranger” (foreigner, hence the non-Jew) was the divinely sanctioned recipient of benevolence when needed. We shall see that the disposition of God, which appears in divine instruction in the New Testament, has not changed regarding those outside of his covenant (today, the New Testament).
In each reference cited in the question, the original language words for “all” and “every” mean precisely and no more or less than the concepts of “all” or “every” as we typically understand them and use them in our conversations today. The words “all” and “every” depend upon the respective contexts in which they are found to define their contextual applications. Therefore, “all” and “every” in verses aside from, for instance, 2 Corinthians 9:13 do nothing to further the application of “all” in 2 Corinthians 9:13. Context is everything in the proper interpretation of Scripture. The “all” in Acts 2:14, according to the context refers to residents of Jerusalem, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject of benevolence. The “all” of Acts 2:44, according to the verse, refer to believers. The “all” of Acts 2:45 certainly would include in its application believers, but there is nothing material in verse 45 to restrict the benevolence exclusively to Christians; any doctrine of benevolence respecting Acts 2:45 that prohibits benevolence toward non-Christians is injected into the text rather than extracted from it. The exact same observations pertain to Acts 4:34-35.
Now, notice 2 Corinthians 9:12-13: “For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men.” Saints or Christians are the objects of the benevolence under consideration, but the application of the benevolence was to “them” (poor saints) plus an “all” beyond the “them” (poor saints). An exact parallel to 2 Corinthians 9:13 appears in Galatians 6:10, which reads: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Clearly, under consideration are two groups, Christians and non-Christians, with an emphasis primarily on attending to the benevolent needs of Christians, but not excluding non-Christians from benevolence. In both passages, needy saints are the motivation for the benevolent contribution, and yet non-Christians are specifically included in the application of those benevolent church funds.
Christians who adopt a doctrine of benevolence that excludes non-Christians from the possibility of being the beneficiaries of benevolence from the Lord’s church are either: (1) sincerely misguided, (2) permeated with hardhearted bias against non-Christians, or (3) lovers of money more than lovers of other men’s souls. In any case, the disposition of the God behind Deuteronomy 14:29 and the Son of God represented in Matthew chapters 5 and 15 is not the disposition of these Christians. Armed with and exhibiting confidence in the Holy Word of God, no Christian and no congregation of the Lord’s church would categorically prohibit the extension of church benevolence toward non-Christians.
