by Dr. Larry Ollison, Ph.D. 

It's not my policy to eavesdrop or listen in on someone else's conversation, but sometimes you get into a situation where you can not help but overhear. A few days ago that happened to me.

I heard two people talking about tithing.  As you know, the tithe is 10% of your increase that God says should go into the storehouse.  One of these two seemed to be quite adamant about tithing.  In fact, he said that if a person didn't tithe, they wouldn't go to heaven.  In other words, they would not be saved and would be condemned to an eternal existence in hell because they did not tithe.

After hearing their conversation I was reminded of a TV minister that said something similar.  He said if a person did not attend church "every time the doors were open," he doubted if they were truly Christians.  He said his family had always attended church and attending church would keep you from having any problems in your life.

Let me comment on this type of thinking.  It's wrong.

You can attend church three times a week.  You can give your tithe to that same church.  You can give another 10% in offerings to missionaries and still be lost and spend all eternity separated from Christ and never see heaven.

How can this be?  Well it's this way.  You are not saved from hell and born again because of anything you can do.  Nothing you can do will save you except the act of accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life.  It's because of what He did and not what you can do that saves you.

Now don't take me wrong.  It is the will of God that we should assemble ourselves for the purpose of building each other up in faith.  It is His will that we tithe, that we give 10% of our increase to the church.  In the book of James, the Bible says that true religion is to take care of the orphans and widows.  How can the church take care of the orphans and widows if it has no funds. Should they steal? Of course not!  God wants us to give. Taking care of the orphans and widows is a good thing and Christians are supposed to do it, but doing it won't save you.

Let's look at God’s Word and see what it says about being saved and attaining everlasting life. 

Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

It's important to know the truth on this. Obeying the law doesn’t save you.  In fact, the Bible says in Galatians 2:21 that if righteousness comes through the law, then Jesus died in vain. Once again, it's not what you do but what He did. You just have to accept Him.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3:16-17

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23