One practice that has somehow found its way into Christianity, and which I honestly struggle to understand, is the doctrine of first fruits. I don't know who introduced it into modern Christianity by Nestor Dahni

 

Nestor Dahni 

One practice that has somehow found its way into Christianity, and which I honestly struggle to understand, is the doctrine of first fruits. I don't know who introduced it into modern Christianity or who made it so popular, but what surprises me even more is that some Christians are not only practising it but vigorously defending it. Where exactly is first-fruit offering taught or practised in the New Testament?

I have searched, but I cannot find a single instance where Jesus instructed His disciples to observe first-fruit offerings. I cannot find where any of the apostles instructed the early church to practise it. Neither can I find an account of the early Christians surrendering their first income of the year to their religious leaders. Even the issue of tithing, which is heavily debated among Christians today, has at least one mention in Matthew 23:23, where Jesus addressed the Pharisees about their tithing practices, even though that was not an instruction to the church to adopt the practice.

But first fruits? Where is the New Testament foundation? First fruits was an Old Testament practice given to Israel, primarily concerning agricultural produce. It involved bringing the first and best of the harvest before God as an expression of gratitude and acknowledgement of His provision. Read Exodus 23:19, Exodus 34:26, Deuteronomy 26:1–11 and Numbers 18:12–13. Now, I don't even want to start arguing about the modern interpretation of first fruits as money when it was supposed to be purely agricultural produce. Yes, there were monetary provisions in Israel's religious system, but that does not automatically turn first fruits into a command to surrender your salary.

What I find particularly shocking is how some pastors have transformed this practice into a financial obligation. You get a new job in January? Bring your entire January salary as first fruit. You receive your first salary after a promotion? Bring it as first fruit. You start a new business? Bring your first income. They'll go as far as suggesting that if you fail to do this, you have blocked your financial blessings for the year. Excuse me, where is that in the Bible? And why are Christians so comfortable defending doctrines that cannot withstand the simplest biblical examination?

If you want to give your entire January salary to your church, that is your personal decision. But please, don't tell people that God requires it when you cannot establish that requirement from the New Testament. Christianity is not about importing every Jewish religious practice into the church and attaching a financial penalty to those who refuse to participate. At some point, we must stop defending every practice simply because a pastor introduced it. Open your Bible, examine the teaching and ask questions.

If first fruit is a New Testament financial obligation for Christians, I challenge anyone to show me the passage where Jesus or any of the apostles established it. Not an Old Testament passage taken out of its covenant context. Not a pastor's testimony. Not somebody's story about how their finances changed after giving their January salary.

SHOW ME THE NEW TESTAMENT FOUNDATION.