Sabbath Message 29/11/28/120
Dear Friends,
Some question has arisen as to CCG policy regarding estates, and the policy
of the Church regarding people leaving their estates to the Church.
Many of you will know that this question has arisen in the past and the Church has issued a policy on the matter.
In the matter of inheritance it is the responsibility of the family to lay up for the children. The various legal issues are covered in the Law Series (L1) and especially Law and the Fifth Commandment (No.258) and the other Law papers in the various aspects of the Torah.
It has often been a policy of church organisations to get families or individuals to leave their estates to the church. This is not the policy in CCG and we have stated this legal aspect many times. No person is to leave his/her estate to the Church, any church, while they have next of kin living who are legally entitled to inherit the lands and estates of the person. The inheritance laws of the Bible show clearly that the lands and estates of the families are not to be left to any church and that the inheritance of the temple system, and the priesthood, and its servants is in the tithe system (see the paper Tithing (No. 161) ).
God killed Onan, not because of any imputed sexual sin, but rather, because he tried to defraud his brother’s family out of their inheritance under the levirate laws. Any church that tries to benefit from the estates of individuals who have legal next of kin to the third degree of consanguinity is in breach of Scripture. Individuals must not leave their estates to the Church under biblical law. This aspect is covered in the paper The Sin of Onan (No.162). The fallacy that the sin of Onan was masturbation was an invention of the Trinitarian system that sought to improperly benefit from the estates of families, against biblical law. They needed to invent that story to disguise the true message of this sin.
We have had to discipline officers over this issue in the past and we have taken steps to ensure that no legal obligations have accrued to the Church because of this issue.
Individuals are able to provide some benefit to the Church in their estates but not to the detriment of their family obligations under the Law. The Christian Churches of God does not and never has sought benefit from the estates of individuals. Rather, it seeks to ensure that its members comply with biblical law and provide for its own families in their inheritance and in the legal obligations of the family.
Whatever gifts and benefits accrue to the Church must be in accord with biblical law. All gifts and offerings must be in accord with biblical law and the proceeds from unlawful or unscriptural activity must not enter the funds of the Temple of God.
This is a double Sabbath with tomorrow being the New Moon of Adar 1. Have a
wonderful time and eat the fat and drink the sweet in pursuit of the knowledge
of the Lord and in joyful companionship wherever you are.
Wade Cox
Coordinator General
© Copyright 2006 Christian Churches of God, All Rights Reserved
