In our day of serious religious confusion concerning miracles, speaking in tongues, and the blessings of God, the television preachers are embarking on another heated subject which has the entire world’s attention; the subject is MONEY! Many television ministries are completely centered on money. It seems as if they could care less if the entire world is going to burn in hell; they are asking for people to send a check before they go!
“It’s a matter of your faith. You got one-dollar faith, and you ask for a ten thousand-dollar item, it ain’t gonna work. It won’t work. Jesus said, ‘According to your faith’, not ‘according to His will, if He can work it into His busy schedule.’ He said, ‘according to your faith be it unto you.’ Now I may want a Rolls Royce and don’t have but bicycle faith. Guess what I’m gonna get? A bicycle” (Frederick K.C. Price, “Praise the Lord” broadcast on TBN, 21 September 1990, taken from Documentation for Christianity in Crisis by Hank Hanegraaff).
Kenneth Copeland explains, The Laws of Prosperity, “You must realize that it is God’s will for you to prosper. This is available to you, and frankly, it would be stupid of you not to partake of it”.
Is there any wonder why people are angry, confused, and discouraged by this type of preaching? When a person actually obeys the message of these heretics, discouragement is soon to follow rather than prosperity. Those who actually follow their guidance and send their money often receive a past due bill in the mail rather than the “blessings of God”. There is a big difference between walking by faith in the area of Christian stewardship and walking by stupidity in the area of a completely false gospel.
Following a Sunday morning message, I went visiting in the community where I pastor. I visited one of my members homes who had not been attending for several weeks. During our discussion, I asked him if he had any reason for not attending. He replied, “Well, now that you mention it, I do have one thing I am not pleased with. I don’t like hearing you preach on money.” I replied, “Sir, I have not preached one sermon on money since I have been the pastor of this church, can you explain?” He replied, “Well, you mention it occasionally in your message.” I replied, “I may have touched on it where the text covered it, but as far as preaching on money, I have not done that at this point.” He said, “Let me give you something I have been reading, it may help you see where I stand on the issue.” At that point he went back into the house and brought back a blue folder. The blue folder contained a 42 page document titled “Tithing is Unscriptural Under the New Covenant.” He had researched the topic of “tithing” on the internet, and had fully dissected the entire article complete with highlighted phrases, scriptures, and marginal notes. The author of the article stated, “It’s a sin to enforce tithing on New Testament Christians!” The member of my church handed me the packet and said, “Read the article and come back to discuss it with him at a later date.” I went home and read the entire article. I have made attempts to meet with the gentleman to discuss the article, but he has not had time. Hopefully he will find time to discuss the article in light of scripture in the days to come.
Based on this conversation, what are your thoughts or insights on the subject of New Testament tithes and offerings? Should we bring our tithes and offerings into the storehouse (local church) in our day? Are we bound to the ten percent from the Old Testament? What should our instructions be toward our congregation? Are we stepping out of bounds by preaching about Christian stewardship? If a person decides not to give a specific percentage to God through the local church, is he robbing God? Is a person required to give through the local assembly, or can he mail his “tithe” to the television preacher’s ministry? Does Christian stewardship involve giving more than money to the Lord?
Please post your thoughts based on scripture. This is our spring board for the discussion. Once your specific position is posted, others will be free to engage on the topic based on your position along with their insights as well. Feel free to engage in the conversation further once your post has been made, discuss the topic to its fullest extent in order to gain the most from this study.
May this sharpen us in the area of biblical stewardship! To God be the glory!
Josh Buice
Malachi 3:10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].
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40 Responses to “Preaching about New Testament “tithes” and “offerings” – Sinful or Sacred?”
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Brad Warren:
Sorry it has taken me so long to post. Tithing is something I am still trying to work through, so I am going to make some comments that are interesting but are not necessarily my opinion. The following is a radio transcript from John MacArthur’s “Grace To You.” I apologize for not having the website from which I got this but it would be easy to locate on Google using the keywords, ‘John’ ‘MacArthur’ and ‘tithe(ing)’. It reads like someone talking, so pardon the informality:
Question:
There is a very popular Charismatic TV program that promotes the “law of reciprocity,” as far as tithing goes, giving money to the Lord. In effect, that whatever you give to the Lord, you are going to receive it back while you are on earth. I just want to hear your views on that.
Answer
Open your Bible to a very important portion of Scripture that has to be considered in any discussion like this [tithing], on that question, and that is 2 Corinthians 8-9, because this is where the issue is discussed. The principle that is laid down here has to be brought into thought. The whole section of 8 and 9 is talking about giving, by the way, there is nothing in here about tithing. There is nothing in the New Testament any place to advocate tithing.
“Tithing,” are you familiar with the concept of tithing, you know, “Give 10% to the church,” you know, that kind of thing? Tithing, basically, is never, ever advocated in the New Testament; it is never taught in the New Testament. Never!
It is referred to a couple of times, that’s all, as a historical fact: it talks about tithes being offered by Abraham to Melchizedek, you know, “in the loins of Abraham,” it says, Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. It is just an historical reference. It talks about the fact that Abraham gave tithes, also of a tenth of the heap, which he took in the battle with the kings. So it is only an historic reference. And then in the gospels it talks about the fact that the Jews tithed to their government, again a historical reference. No place in the entire New Testament is it ever advocated for us to give tithes, that is, for us to give 10% to the church. You say, “Well what was it in the Old Testament?” Every year a Jew had to give 10% of all of his crop and all of his produce, and all of whatever he had. He gave 10%, which was called the “Levite’s Tithe,” and what you have to understand is that the nation Israel was a theocracy, that is, it was ruled by God through priests. There were 24 different orders of priests, with thousands upon thousands of priests. They were the government officials, they were the Senate, the Congress, the whole thing, only they didn’t have to vote on anything. They just sought God and God told them what to do. So, it was a theocracy ruled by God and that rule was disseminated through these people.
Well, since they were the agents of the government, they had to be supported. Do you remember that the twelve tribes were each given land, but they split the tribe of Joseph in to two tribes: Ephriam and Manassah to make up twelve, because Levi was taken out, because Levi was the priestly tribe and they owned nothing. So they had to be supported by all the other tribes. They were given cities in the locations of the other tribal areas and people had to give money to support their livelihood. Part of their sheep, part of their crop, and everything had to go to support Levi’s tribe, because they were the ones who represented God in the government.> /p>
So when you gave your 10% each year you gave it to the government for the care of the country, the nation. Secondly, you gave another 10% every year, which was for the festivals and the religious convocations of the nation. In other words, all of the big things that were held in Jerusalem, all the things that had to be done to prepared for the feasts and so forth in Jerusalem, and all the holy days, and all the Sabbaths, and all the everything else that went with it.
So you pay 10% to the Levites to support them as they operated in behalf of God in the government; you paid 10% to take care of the national festivals, which were many, many. Then you paid another 10% every third year, which went to the poor and the widows. So if you broke that down, you are at about 23.3% per year. Now what that was, was an income tax system. That was a system of taxation to fund the government and its religious activities and its welfare needs.
So when people today say, “We want to tithe now like they did in the Old Testament,” they can’t stop at 10%, they got 23.3% to start with. In addition to that, you paid a half shekel temple tax every year, in addition to that, if you had a field, you had to harvest the field in a circle and leave the corners open for the poor. It was a profit-sharing plan. If you dropped a bail of hay off your wagon, on the way to the barn, you had to leave that for the poor. So you start adding that up and you are looking at about 25% of their income went to fund the national entity of the government. Now when you get into the New Testament, the Jews were still doing that, because they still had a nation, even though they were an occupied nation, they were still a nation. They were occupied by the Romans, but they weren’t run by the Romans. They had their own religious hierarchy, they had their own school systems, they had their own festivals, and all that stuff, and so they had to take care of that. They had their own priesthood; it all had to go on, that is why Jesus said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” in other words, pay the Romans what they asked, and render to God the things that are God’s. So just to clarify that at the very beginning, when you are talking about a tithe, you are talking about the “taxation.” Now when you translate that over into our time, it is kind of interesting to me that the base tax system in our country is about 20%, you add sales tax to that and you probably get another 5%, we are on about the same level they were then. About 25% of our income goes out for taxation, if you are in the normal tax bracket and with normal deductions, unless you are really doing well, but then they get you in different ways, because the more money you have the more things you buy, the more things you buy, the higher sales tax you pay, so maybe it comes out even harder for people who have more. Nonetheless, that’s taxation. OK? Giving was always something different, always you gave whatever you wanted, like when they built the tabernacle and God said, “Let every man bring whatever he purposes in his heart; let him do it willingly, whatever he wants to give.” And they kept coming, bringing so much that finally they said, “Stop, don’t bring anymore, that’s enough.” So giving is always a “freewill,” it’s always an expression of love and appreciation–whatever you want to do.
Now you come to 2 Corinthians, chapter eight, and you learn how the church gave. The church knew there was a need so the church gave. How did they give? Well, it wasn’t 10%, it says, “The churches in Macedonia, 2Cor 8:1, gave abundantly out of deep poverty. It says that their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality.” Here was a very poor church in Macedonia, very poor, but they gave generously, out of their hearts liberally. In fact, verse three says, they gave beyond their ability. They gave more than they should have given, more then they could of given, and the reason they did that was in verse five, because they first gave themselves. I mean when you give yourself then everything you have belongs to the Lord. So, Paul is saying to the Corinthians, “If you want a lesson in giving, look at these people. Out of deep poverty they gave everything they had.” In fact, they gave more then they should of, but they did that because they had already given themselves to the Lord. Now you have the key motive in giving; what is the right motive in giving? It is not to get anything. It is in that whole hearted abandonment, “they gave everything.”
I had read something very similar before in MacArthur’s book “Whose Money is it Anyway.” If any of you have it, you might want to read that chapter.
For the sake of clarity, everyone should know that I believe, at the very least, that believers are called to be good stewards of all they own because God does indeed own everything they have. Furthermore, believers should give as much as they can as often as they can – even beyond their means (2 Cor.8:1-2) as God calls them, but that the Christian’s normal responsibility is, as 2 Cor. 9:7 says, “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Here are some points of discussion
1) What do you think of Dr. MacArthur’s statements?
2) Is the demand to tithe nullified by the dissipation of theocratic Israel and subsequent emergence of the catholic (worldwide) church?
3)What of the silence in the NT concerning tithing? Don’t you think that something as important as the financing of the gospel would be mentioned? Why doesn’t Paul, in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, at least mention tithing?
4) If tithing is no longer a requirement and it was to be preached as such (an option not obligation)would people actually start giving more? Does not grace breed bountiful service?
Again, these are just points of discussion that I thought may be worthy of consideration.
Brad Warren
Does anyone know the historical position of the church? Is the preaching and teaching of “tithes and offerings” the traditional view of the Church Fathers or is it a recent development? Just curious! This is all new to me, so I will be asking alot of questions.
In Christ,
Brad Walker
Brad,
First, I will answer your question regarding the “law of reciprocity” mentioned at the beginning of your post. I understand the Scriptures to speak of the “law of the harvest” in respect of giving. This is located in the 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 passage. Although the Scriptures specifically tell us that if we will sow bountifully we will reap bountifully, it never states when we will reap or in what manner of substance the reaping will take. I have witnessed countless T.V. personalities (I am reluctant to label them preachers) spread the “gospel” of the “law of reciprocity” by suggesting to their audience that they must sow a “seed gift” in their ministries for a specific blessing. This is a horrendous and troublesome teaching which is gaining momentum across the world. It would benefit Christianity in the eyes of the lost if conservative preachers would expose these false teachers on every possible occasion. I have been committed to exposing these false teachers when the subject of giving has emerged in the studies of our church.
I believe that when Christians give with a cheerful heart, they can expect God to bless their giving. They will most likely not receive a check for double the amount in the mail the following week, but God knows the heart of man, and He is faithful to send the blessings on His time schedule and in His divine manner. It may be that a faithful Christian who gives to the Lord finds that their tires last longer on their automobile, their children don’t experience as many doctor visits, and the “unforeseen expenses” are often minimal when one walks closely with the Lord.
Secondly, I will discuss the matter of tithes and offerings. I fully understand what the “tithe” was in the Old Testament. It was a system that God used to run the nation, pay His Priests, and minister to the needy. Everything from the way crops were harvested to the specific laying up of grain and other foods for the people was the system God created to allow His people to operate in a specific manner. Tithing was the 10% and the other “taxes” etc.. eventually equaled near 25% of their total income. Anything over the commanded amount was considered an “offering”. Following the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Jews continued to practice the “tithing” system into the New Testament because they still had a nation and it had to operate on a specific system. Although the Priest was no longer needed, other ministries were necessary and had to be funded by the people.
In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul speaks about the collections. He gave specific instructions on how they were to be done.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
This text clearly indicates that Paul wanted the people to give on a specific day (the first day – Sunday), and it was to be done according to the amount of income that God has prospered each individual. This would seem to indicate that Paul had some specific percentage in mind since he said “as God hath prospered him”. Where much is given, much is also required. Since the text does not specifically indicate that Paul was commanding a specific percentage, others appeal to the 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 passage claiming that Christians can give what they want to the Lord. The text reads:
2 Corinthians 9:6-7
But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
This is the “Law of the Harvest” passage that I spoke of earlier. When Paul says that “every man {Christians} according as he purposeth in his heart” he is not meaning that we can simply give 1% and expect to please God. It would seem that if 10% (eventually totaling 25%) was the system used in the Old Testament, a New Testament Christian would desire to give over and above that amount. Many people such as John MacArthur Jr. claim that “tithing” was merely an income tax system used to run the country and pay the Priests. This is an accurate statement, however, it was a command by God that was to be followed. While we do not see any specific command of “tithing” in the New Testament, we do see the practice of it being used to spread the gospel and fund the ministries of the early church (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). While I agree that the specific command for “tithing” is not issued by God in the New Testament, I would also argue that it was not a needed command. Just as God expects His people to obey the command to abstain from murder, He also expects His people to give in a specific and systematic manner that will accomplish His mission in and through the local church setting. This manner involves a specific giving percentage along with offerings. Offerings were given sacrifically over and above the normal amount for the furtherance of the gospel and accomplishing of specific goals within the local church. In Acts 4-5 we see the selling of property and possessions in order to give to those in need. This would be considered an offering to the Lord.
No matter where you stand on this subject, it is obvious that Christians must give! They must give and it must be done out of “poverty”. This means that it is possible for the poor widow to give more than the rich man within the congregation if she gives out of her poverty and he gives out of his surplus. It is a foolish thing for a Christian to lower their amount of giving or even stop giving to the Lord (through the local church) due to some radical belief concerning the subject. If you were to conduct a systematic survey of those who give to the Lord compared to those who don’t give to the Lord, I am convinced that you will find the level of blessings are much higher in the lives of those who give!
Next, I believe it is important that all Christians give to the Lord through the local church. I disagree wholeheartedly with the person who mails in a check to the T.V. personality and does not give through the local church. The local church setting is the God ordained plan to reach the world, not the T.V. personalities. I base my convictions on 1 Corinthians 16:2. How can a person “lay by him in store” to the T.V. ministry? It clearly states in verse one of 1 Corinthians 16 that it was to be done on the “first day of the week” which is Sunday. This is the Lord’s Day – the day that we observe as a day of worship. We know that when the local church meets together, the saints are to be present (Hebrews 10:25), therefore, the plan is to bring the money in on the first day (the day of worship).
Last of all, I believe that this 1 Corinthians 16 passage also indicates that giving is a form of worship. The believers are gathered together on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) for worship (Hebrews 10:25). If the collection was taken as a congregation, it is obvious that it was a form of worship in the early church, and I believe that it should be considered the same thing for our local assemblies. From the earliest of times God has blessed man with possessions. He gave Adam and Eve the beautiful Garden of Eden, but He required only one tree to be set aside and not touched or used. God required a percentage of the Jews’ money / grain / crops in order to operate the nation in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, we see the giving of Jesus Christ for the Salvation of mankind. Just as Christ was offered up for our sin, we should be willing to give back to God from the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Giving is a pure form of worship! Having made this statement, I would also like to appeal to the 1 Corinthians 16 text once more to make one last point. Giving is a form of worship, but it should not be carried out in a hazardous manner. It should always be done in an organized and systematic way. The amount of giving should be considered in the home before one comes to the church. Once inside the church building, the Pastor should never bring emotion, persuasion, or outside influence into the picture in order to persuade people to give money. Paul evidently did not want to influence the amount of money the church would give, and he also wanted to be able to gather one organized collection rather than many individual (home to home) collections. When practiced / observed in the proper manner, God will bless the individual Christian and the local church body.
May God bless us as we give back to Him in order to see the lives of others changed by the power of His gospel message (Romans 1:16)!
Josh Buice
Who did you say is robbing God?
We have all heard about Malachi 3. Leaders sometime rail on the people using this chapter to accuse them of robbing God if they don’t bring a tithe to that local church. But, I think there is a totally different interpretation of this scripture.
Malachi 2 starts out with, “And now, o ye priests, this commandment is for you” and then it has much to say about how the priests were conducting themselves. The next two or three chapters are all about the priest’s misdeeds and wrong attitudes. It uses the same phrasing in quoting the priest’s responses “but ye say, how have we….”, followed by God’s answer, for several incidents of things the priests have wrongly done or not done when they should have. Therefore, it seems to me that God is talking to the priesthood primarily thru these chapters.
When we get to Malachi 3, God addresses not bringing all the tithes into the storehouse. Now, if I understand the operation of bringing in gifts correctly, the people brought the tithes to the priests, and they brought them into the storehouse. For example, when Nehemiah built the temple, the Levites were to bring the tithe of the tithes into the treasure house (Neh.10:37-39). If the priests did not do what was right, and did not bring it in, and not put meat in the storehouse to be used for the purposes God intended, then they took what the people gave to God, and stole it from Him.
Rather than calling a man who did not give a robber, it seems more logical that “robbing God” refers to stealing what had been given to God, dedicated to God. There was a prescription for the tithe that divides giving into different year periods in Deuteronomy. One year it was set outside for the poor, one year given to the priests, and one year it was taken to the temple to throw a party for the purpose of praising God (try teaching that in church). So it doesn’t seem that not bringing the tithe into the storehouse would really refer to anyone except those to whom the tithe was given for the purposes God outlined, but who did not carry out those purposes.
And this is why there might be a curse on the nation. An individual lack of bringing a tithe would not curse a nation, but the priest’s misuse could do that. That is the context of Malachi 3, the whole nation was cursed, but you know that someone in that nation gave tithes. Probably most gave tithes.
This same situation is in operation today. Leaders of churches sometimes do not use the funds given to them in ways that God has designed, planned, or told them to do. It’s really true that men rob God, but it isn’t quite the way we have been told. Since, in the new covenant, we are each made a priest unto our God, even individuals should be careful to use funds as God directs.
If we will listen to the Lord, we won’t be giving funds to a leader who is robbing God.
I don’t believe in tithing. I don’t practice tithing.
For those who believe the Tithe is part of the law, may I suggest that Grace always exceeds the law. New Testament Christians didn’t give a tenth, they gave all. My wife and I got past tithing years ago.
I’m glad Christ didn’t tithe on the cross.
The tithe is a good starting point; a bench mark. But we should outshine the law.
Let me show you how grace exceeds the law:
The law says: Don’t murder. Grace says: Love one another. Which one is more costly?
The law says: Don’t get divorced. Grace says: Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Which is more costly?
Look at all of the laws, and notice that grace always exceeds the expectations of the law. Love is always more costly than legalism. So while legalism requires we give God a tenth, love for God would far exceed that.
By the way, he’s not talking to priests when he commands tithes be brought to the store house. That looks like a sneaky way to get past tithing. I would encourage you to far outgive the law.
Josh,
I think the primary problem that you have in your interpretation of 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 is what it was used for……….the saints and their need, not for the machinery of the church. Dispencer was right when he pointed out what the tithe was used for. Your point that God commanded it is correct. However, I think Dr. MacArthur is simply stating the effects of the tithe not how it came about.
I never recall Paul doing what you said and setting up a particular percentage or any assumption of that sort. As a matter of fact, he claimed it to be ok for someone to live from the gospel, but he didn’t do it. No, he worked and when the Lord provided through others in the church, then he used that money as well. Again, the attitude of the heart is the issue. If the attitude is right, then the giving follows and I might add, not just to a local assembly, but as a brother or sister purposes to give.
a Very good topic:)
The matter is clear…Jesus said tithing was a ‘matter of the Law’ (Mat 23:23)…and Heb 7:5 says tithing was required by ‘the Law’.
Acts 15 (and about 40 other scriptures from Romans, Galations, Ephesians, Colossians and Hebrews) makes it clear we as gentile believers are not under the Law or required to keep the Law.
The only giving to God in the New Testament is done by giving to the NEEDY only (Mat 25:31-45)….including the NEEDS of ministers……and NOT to church organisations.
Do not be deceived..tithing is ‘of the Law’ (unless you don’t believe Jesus’ own words?)…and therefore not a matter of ‘faith’ (Gal 3:12) and therefore does result in Gods people being put under a curse (Gal 3:10) (Luke 18:10-13)
Jesus clearly said he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. WHy do you assume the fulfillment sets a lower standard than the alw itself?
According to the verse you cited, “Faith” “justice” and mercy are also all mattrs of the law. Should we stop practicing them as well?
The law sets a minimum standard. Grace always exceeds the law.
Law: Don’t kill.
Grace: Love your enemy.
Law: Don’t get divorced.
Grace: Love your wives.
It is dangerous to hold such a low view of the law, since it is the very Scripture Paul declared “God breathed” and “useful.” (He was speaking of the Law, Psalms and Prophets.)
As Jude warns us, we should not use grace as a license for immorality. Why would we ever calls believers in Christ to a lower standard than those who did not fully know our God? And why such a negative view of the Law — maybe a review of PSalm 119 would be helpful.
“Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.” Psalm 119:1
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.” Psalm 119:9
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18
“Remove from me scorn and contempt, for I keep your statutes.” Psalm 119:22 (Are you are showing contempt for the entire Law of God?)
“Teach me, O LORD, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.” Palm 119:33
“The arrogant dig pitfalls for me, contrary to your law .” Psalm 119:85
“Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law .” Psalm 119:153
“I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law .” Psalm 119:163
So what if tithng is a matter of hte law? According to Psalm 119, so is:
The path to purity.
Truth.
Wonderful things in the law. (You seem to think there are terrible things in the law)
Tithing is not something I HAVE to do, it is something I GET to do — like the Law! No one will force you to keep the law, but it is a joy f you do.
Wonderful post, David.
Unless youTtithe enforcers are keeping the Sabbath which means resting no work or play from Frid. at sundown to Saturday at sundown without exception then this is proof that you are selecting the
ordinances and laws of God from the Old Testament that you want to keep!!! You know you are not ceasing from all activity of the Sabbath which is Saturday and Devout Jews still go to their Religious Services on Saturday . In the Old Testament God required that all be kept to be in Covenant and blessed by Him.
In the New Testament Jesus freely gave you favor as a gift when he died on the Cross and paid in full for (Believers) your salvation, access to God and all rights and privileges. Jesus said only to ask the Father in His name for only need freely without charge. There is also the Scripture in the New Testament that said “Christ has redeemed us from the Curse of the law by being made a curse for us on the tree. That pretty much cancels out the curse in the previous text in the Old Testament.
Tithing much like the circumcision crowd in the Old Testament that made the Apostle Paul made at the Galatians for looking back at the Law and works and not forward to the works of Christ on the Cross, tithing is robbing the Lord of the work He did and replacing it by human efforts of their tithe works. They pat themselves on the back for any blessings because they paid tithes. Where is the recognition and glory due to Jesus for having paid in full for your blessings and Salvation? Who is the one really robbing God. The glory of the Cross has been replaced by glorying in tithing instead. One law is kept when all 613 Mosaic laws, Jewish Feast and Ceremonies had to be kept for right-standing with God can’t you people see that by breaking the others you have canceled all blessing because all had to be followed to the Letter of law?
Thank God Jesus paid my fines and in his name and by His blood I am blessed and highly favored.
Not everyone is fooled by your gross manipulation and twisting of Scripture. A few of us are not Robots and are using logic to see the illogical of forced tithing with that Old defunct Malachi curse that Jesus has canceled out and you inwardly know it or else you would be keeping the Sabbath.
The Apostle Paul was so mad at the crowd telling Gentiles to keep the Circumcision law and other laws of Moses that he described the Galatians as being under under a spell of witchcraft. In my opinion this is also the same thing occurring to date with those crying keep the tithe law or be cursed. Why the silence on the other laws? illiteracy of the New Testament promises after Christ Rose from the died and fulfilled the law as our substitute will ensure that most Christians today be scammed and spiritually abused! Read your Word for yourself then you can discern when you are being mislead! Give freely but there is not enough money that has been printed for you to possess that would pay God back for giving up His Son on that Cross.
Can someone even name all of the six hundred and thirteen Levitical Old Covenant laws, this includes the ten commandments, Jewish Ceremonial laws, Jewish governmental laws and personal laws. ? HECK NO YOU ALL CAN’T YOU! So stop shoving the Old Testament Malachi curse down our throats when that was only one law. God said you have not kept my laws in Malachi, the word laws was plural! Keep all or it resulted in a curse. Stop being dumb and read so you can think logically!
Dee- I really take exception to your calling others on this blog dumb. It is quite rude and just unacceptable. If you can’t abstain from name calling, you need to really examine yourself.
It is true that no one can keep all of the law. That is a fact. However, this does not mean that we have a license to break any law we choose and expect to be covered by God’s grace. Hebrews is clear that you cannot knowingly sin and expect forgiveness.
That being said, you cannot imagine the joy that comes from obeying the laws that you can obey. I have seen multiplied blessings in my life from obeying this one law. Jesus spoke on money more than any other subject because He know that we as humans would have a problem with it. He did not mince words. Give to God what is God’s. That’s enough said….
Heres what I think…. I dont believe we are under the Old Testement law to tithe, the tithe was done away with in Christ. The New Testament speaks more of a freedom in giving from the heart, and sometimes it’s not always monetary. They didnt re-initiate the tithe until 300 years after Jesus Ressurection, when the church was becoming institutionalized. I was a faithful tither 10% of my gross for years until I started to really research it and dig into the history of it. The proof is in the pudding, do your homework. It’s not required, However I will say if you choose to give 10% of your paycheck to the church and you are happy doing that, and it’s something you feel the Lord has moved you to do, then by all means give. However to do it out of fear that if you dont tithe God is going to let the devil steal everything… I can assure you God is not going to let that happen to you.
Christine do not assume I do not give to God what is His as I am lead by His Holy Spirit and inner convictions on when to give and how much which complies with 2nd Corinthian 9:7 to give as one has decided in his own heart. I simply do not approve of New Testament Scipture twisting to scare people half to death with an Old Testament curse when Christ has now redeemed us from the curse of the law as in the tithe law. Gal 3:13 It is wrong just as wrong to extort the body of Christ as it is to call people dumb maybe lacking New Testament Knowledge would be a better term. Any how throwing people back under a Old Testament curse that was addressed to Jews under the Old Covenant and not Gentiles which many Churches are doing today is worst than calling someone dumb! Jesus has now died to pay for any and every need for free which is more than any ten percent cannot out of our pocket could do! People do not need to go to Church to be shamed and condemned and extorted to give. There are many good scriptures on giving voluntarily without manipulations and the Malachi curse! Also Matthew 23:23 was said to Jews still under the law and before the Cross. Abraham tithed one time (not a good example of continuous tithing and I don’t remember God asking for this as a Covenant. So they are using this out of context also!
By the way I assume you are a tither because you think it is still a law well you have six hundred and twelve more to go and you have to keep all of the Jewish feast and observances. Do you know what they are?
I DOUBT IT!
Dee- I did not assume that you are not a tither. My post was general. However, yes I am a tither as well as offering giver. I do not feel bound by a law to do so. I titthe because I have decided in my heart to do so. Your venom is misplaced in this instance. If you are interested in New Testament Christianity maybe you should look at some verses about women being sober and becoming more Christ like. Your attitude is unecessary and I must say offensive in your last post. I do not follow every OT law. That is impossible. I do know what many of them are because I have studied the OT intensely. I don’t know anyone who does know every single law, and I doubt you do either.
I do believe I have thought logically on this subject and that is all I have to say.
Hey, Dee –
My family keeps Sabbath. The command was to REST on the Sabbath. We are free to worship on any day. We also keep Passover (in our church this year) and Tabernacles.
Grace always exceeds the law. So the law does set a minimum standard.
Only by the power of God can the law really be honored. The Jew couldn’t keep it. It was impossible. Yet, note all of psalm 119 is about the goodness of God’s law. It is not a curse, as some here seem to suggest, but a blessing.
And when Paul said that “all Scripture” is “God breathed” and “USEFUL” he was referring to the Old Testament.
Dee, you said: “Thank God Jesus paid my fines and in his name and by His blood I am blessed and highly favored.”
Why do you see tithing as a “fine”? Supporting God’s work is a fine?
You also said: “Christ has redeemed us from the Curse of the law by being made a curse for us on the tree. That pretty much cancels out the curse in the previous text in the Old Testament.”
You are mixing two curses. Poor exposition on your part. The “curse of the law” is not Malachi 3! It is death. Disobedience to the law brings death. It did nto say he canceled out the law — it said he canceled the “curse” of the law.
Dee: “By the way I assume you are a tither because you think it is still a law well you have six hundred and twelve more to go and you have to keep all of the Jewish feast and observances. Do you know what they are? I DOUBT IT!”
I do know what they are.
Why do you feel free to pick and choose what part of the Bible you’ll obey?
I couldn’t agree with you more David. I think we would do well to try to observe many of the OT laws. There are many blessings and untold joy that come with this type of obedience. I think Dee has a problem with authority. It is very apparent that she does not like to be told what to do. She thinks nothing of calling names and writing in a very rude and unnecessary manner. Funny how, the grace she likes to preach that keeps her from having to give God what is His, is the very thing she chooses to withhold from others. Interesting….
Christine,
I have foun this journey into GOd’s Word — living it out as fully as I can — a true joy. I have discovered new ways of teaching my four daughters God’s word.
God gave us a discipleship program. But we, Christians, threw it out. We actually declared it bad! And then we began writing out own discipleship programs. But if we will be fully obedient to GOd’s structure, empowered by God’s Spirit, we will find not only a deeper walk with God, but deeper joy.
Thank you for your encouragement. Agree with all you said.
Blessings,
David
Thanks, David. I have been on an amazing journey for the past couple of years and much has changed in my life. Just looking back over some of my posts here has been an eye opening experience for me. It really is amazing how much change God has brought in my life. I am praying that Dee and others can experience that same change.
By the way I assume you are a tither because you think it is still a law well you have six hundred and twelve more to go and you have to keep all of the Jewish feast and observances. Do you know what they are?
I DOUBT IT!
First, you said “you have to keep all of the Jewish feast…” It’s not “HAVE TO” it’s “GET TO.” I get to honor God with the tithe. And I get to keep Passover. Do you HAVE to celebrate Christmas? Is it legalism for you to celebrate Christmas? Then neither is it legalism for me to honor God with the Passover and the tithe.
Second, you called them “Jewish feast.” Gentiles are “grafted in” to the family of GOd as children of Abraham. THey are yours as well.
Is the Tithe for today?
Very often, local churches, including those that are sincerely seeking the Lord, fall victim to the spirit of religion and to false doctrines. This is evidenced by some of the practices and beliefs that are so commonly found in those churches. Among them, is the practice of tithing and the controversy that is attached thereto? It is therefore important to ask ourselves whether the Church of Jesus Christ should be subject to this practice. What does the bible really teach about the tithe? What does the Lord himself have to say about it? As we go through this study together, I ask that you put aside your own opinions about this subject and that you yield your spirit totally so that you may be able to receive the word of God.
The law prescribed 4 different types of tithes:
1st type of Tithe
The Israelites had to pay a general tithe destined to the Levites.
Num 18:21 – “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in
return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting,
God had chosen the Levites to minister in the tent of meeting. In return, God had ordained that they should receive tithes from the people.
2nd type of tithe
The Lord had commanded that the Levites should present a « tithe of the tithe » to the Lord by making a contribution to the High Priest.
Read Numbers 18:25-31
This second tithe served to provide the High Priests with income thus allowing them to give full attention to temple service.
The 3rd type of tithe
Year after year, the people of Israel were to put aside a tenth (tithe) of their crop to use during their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Deuteronomy 14:22-26
All the people were commanded to assemble in Jerusalem, in a place chosen by the Lord, three times a year, to celebrate the His appointed feasts. These feasts provided an opportunity for the people to rejoice together before the Lord and He had ordained the means by which everyone would have enough provision to bring to Jerusalem: year after year, the people would put aside a tithe from the yield of their crop.
It is interesting to note that the tithe was never spoken of in terms of money! It is always referred to in kind!
The 4th type of tithe
There was a 4th tithe that the people had to pay every three years. This special tithe was intended for the poor, the widows and the fatherless.
The 4 tithes that we’ve just listed should not be confused with voluntary offerings to God. They were mandatory taxes required from the people.
Malachi 3:10
This is the key verse that all advocates of the tithe use today. Their entire teaching rests on this verse! However, a careful examination of this passage leads to a very interesting conclusion. Now, remember that under the law, 4 different types of tithes were prescribed. Which one of these 4 does Malachi 3:10 refer to?
Nehemiah 10:38
In both Malachi 3:10 and Nehemiah 10:38, the Hebrew word for tithe is “ma’aser”. The passage in Malachi therefore speaks of the tithe that was due by the Levites and not the tithe that was due by the people. Thus, the curses that certain church leaders keep threatening the people of God with, in order to scare them into paying their tithes are not applicable to the church in general. Malachi 3:10 does not therefore address the disobedience of the people in general; rather it rebukes the Levites who had robbed God by not bringing “tithe of the tithe” to Him. Hence, those who use this passage to coerce you into paying the tithe don’t realize that the passage is rather applicable to themselves!
In order to understand the book of Malachi, one should read Malachi 4:4
The book of Malachi was written in a context were the Law of Moses was to be strictly adhered to. As Christians however, we are no longer under the Old Covenant but under the New Covenant. We are no longer bound by the Law of Moses. We are not under the law but under the grace offered to us through Christ Jesus. Before you decide to subject yourself to a single one of the precepts of the Law of Moses, remember that by keeping part of the Law, you obligate yourself to keeping the whole law. Remember also that it is contrary to the teachings of Jesus.
Galatians 3:10
If we rely on the works of the Law for salvation, we must keep the whole law. Otherwise, we are under a curse!
Did Jesus teach tithing?
In Matthew 23:23, when Jesus spoke about the tithe, He was not addressing his disciples.
Those who promote tithing often use this verse, which, if studied properly, shows that the tithe is abolished under the New Covenant.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”
When Jesus speaks to the Pharisees saying “these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others”, does it imply that Christians ought to tithe?
Who was Jesus speaking to? To the Pharisees.
What was the one special thing that characterized the Pharisees? They considered themselves “fully consecrated to the Law”: this is the very meaning of the word “pharisee”
Jesus was therefore addressing a group of men who claimed to walk in perfect obedience to the Law. Consequently, He tells them to continue to observe the Law without neglecting justice and love towards God.
However, throughout Matthew 23, we see Jesus expressing his anger and displeasure with the hypocrites whom He sternly denounces in verse 19: “You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?”
Jesus concludes his address to the Pharisees and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem by announcing his crucifixion, the destruction of the temple and the advent of a New Covenant.
Before his death and resurrection, Jesus was not teaching disregard of the Law. On the contrary, He often pointed people to the precepts of the Law, including tithing. See Luke 10:25-26 and Luke 15:18-20.
However, Christians are not under the Law, but under Grace!
After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, everything changed.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two and the throne of grace became accessible to us. We are no longer under the law but under grace.
Jesus said: “It is finished” John 19:30. All that the Law required was accomplished in Christ Jesus.
Here is what God requires of us: 2 Corinthians 9:7
God wants you to give was He has laid on your heart to give. Most importantly, He wants you to give according to what you have. He is pleased with voluntary offerings. God wants his children to make both spiritual and financial contributions to His work. But this should not be done reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Finally, there are two possible explanations for the erroneous teaching that seeks to force the tithe upon the Church of Jesus Christ:
The first explanation is that the tithe is still being taught because of the ignorance that plagues the religious system that the so called “spirit filled” churches are steeped in. The people of God are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). In the course of church history, certain pagan and unscriptural practices were forced into the church and they later became the norm in most local churches. Today, in the light of God’s Word, we need to realize that there is no scriptural basis to support the way the tithe is preached in most of our assemblies today.
The second explanation is the intended deception by greedy Church Leaders. In 2 Peter 2:3, the bible warns us against false teachers who, in their greed, exploit the people of God with false words. Clearly, the leaders spoken of in this passage are not serving the Living God! They always look out for their own financial gain by devising cunning fables and deceitful teachings to keep the people of God in ignorance. They should repent!
You may be teaching the tithe to the flock over which God has made you an overseer. If that is the case, I invite you to examine your motives. Do you teach it out of ignorance? Do you teach it to deceive? Or is it a little bit of both?
Finally, if we have a sincere heart, we will teach sound doctrine without compromise.
May the Lord keep us from stumbling.
In Christ,
That is a very long answer for a disobedient response. to lead people away from God’s Word, the commandments and the act of giving is beyond dangerous.
“Most importantly, He wants you to give according to what you have.”
That’s what tithing is! giving accoridng to what you have.
that you somehow see a God of the O.T. and a God of the N.T. operating differently is certainly not in the Bible I’m looking at. jesus Christ the same YESTERDAY, TODAY and FOREVER.
Finally, you said: “The curtain of the temple was torn in two and the throne of grace became accessible to us. We are no longer under the law but under grace”
It is only by grace that you can keep the law. Keeping the law never saved anyone. But removing the law all together has left us with a generation of Chrsitains with no plan for discipleship. Thus we get discileship according to rick warren, Bill Hybles, Joel Osteen, John macarthur… why do we need all these books? because we removed God’s discipleship plan: The law.
Christ removed condemnation of the law — the Spirit makes us able to do what men could not do in the O.T. — be obedient to God.
And one last thing:
To call obedience to God’s word “legalism” shows a complete misunderstanding of what legalism is. Legalism is making up rules to keep, not the honoring of God. Obedience is not legalism.
Jesusgavemelife –
What an excellent defense of your position. I believe it to be Biblical as well. We need to be ever careful to note that Jesus was talking to a people in time who were living under the Law. But with all the Bible’s warnings about our treasures, here Jesus does not affirm the tithe for us. Many use His instruction to place US under the Law as well! We need to ever careful that we do not place God’s people under requirements which are not clearly spelled out in scripture. Under Grace, God deals with our hearts! What other requirements of the Law would we be placed under?
For such an important topic, where was Paul’s instruction to the church on the subject! How much we rely on the Apostle to teach us about what Jesus’ death and resurrection meant. What about Peter, John, etc. The Tithe is noticably absent from the New Testament under the New Covenant.
I’m with you (and scripture) on this one. Thanks!
This discussion very much reminds me of the Sabbath debate as well. While the Lord’s Day is very important and I believe (obviously) Biblical, it could easily be rendered an attempt at observing the Sabbath put forth by the Pharisees by those seeking to reintroduce a form of legalism. All attempt at motivation by fear, social pressure, guilt, shame, etc. has, in my opinion, resulted in failure every time. God wants our hearts.
Look at the stories of people who are being forclosed on, yet still tithe. Am I missing something? The money they tithe was taken from it’s rightful owner, the mortgage holder. Shall we steal to give to God?!
Under the New Covenant God dwells in us by His Holy Spirit. This is infinitely better than life under the Law. Love for God, which He grants us, is beautiful indeed and motivates us to give. Praise the Lord for His goodness!
For all the talk of not wanting to be legalistic, look what you are pushing: Disobedience to the very word of God.
The Scripture is plain as day. We are to give God a tenth. and yes, we are to honro the Sabbath day. creative theology can get you around that, but be careful. . . once that door is open, you will have trouble shutting it to every liberal idea out there.
This idea that the law is bad is distrubing. Try readng Psalm 119.
Or, Paul said: “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.” Rom. 7:14
It is not the law that is the problem, sin is the problem. Once Christ atoned for sin, we became free to be truly obedient to God.
“Many use His instruction to place US under the Law as well!”
Psalm 119:18
“I will always obey your law , for ever and ever.” Psalm 119:44
I guess “for ever and ever” is just until God changes his mind, right?
“It is time for you to act, O LORD; your law is being broken.” Psalm 119:126
But now, imagine this: Christians here are actually using and invoking JESUS to give grounds for breaking the law of God. Grace has become a liscense for immorality. (Jude 4)
“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7
“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law ” rom. 7:22
Note that Paul in particular uses “Law” in two ways: God’s law and the law of sin.
“So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law , but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” rom. 7:25
The law cannot save us. (Rom 8:3) That does not mean it has no use at all. Breaking the law does not disqualify us from salvation. But salvation does qualify us to keep God’s commands.
Be careful when you sit in judgment of the Law of God:
“Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law , you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.” James 4:11
Mark: “Look at the stories of people who are being forclosed on, yet still tithe. Am I missing something? The money they tithe was taken from it’s rightful owner, the mortgage holder. Shall we steal to give to God?!”
yes, you are missing something:
God comes first before the mortgage company. I pay my tithe BEFORE I pay my home.
Mark,
I think you are missing a very important point. Those who are foreclosed on have bigger financial issues than whether or not to tithe. Our lifestyles often put us in a place where our homes, cars, etc. are put into jeopardy. We as Americans more often than not ovre extend ourselves and disobdy the Bible by getting into large amounts of debt to finance our lifestyle and still expect God to bless us. This is clearly not the way things work. Our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills and wants to give us everything we need, yet we feel the need to get the bank to finance what we think we need which puts us in a place where we cannot be generous and we have to choose whether to tithe or pay bills.
You are right that we often take money from its rightful owner to pay bills. All of our money is God’s and when we have to use 85 or 90 % of our take home pay to cover debt, we are absolutely taking money from its rightful owner.
David, Christian -
Where would the church be without preaching the tithe? I can tell you I honestly don’t know. But God does. Certainly the church needs our financial support. But with Christ came an authentic love of God, by His Holy Spirit, not a rigid task master of quotas and rules. And EVERYTHING I have is His, all of it!! This issue is not cut and dried by any means. I believe 10% to be a guideline with clear precedent. I give because I love God, and my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Thanks for your comments. Excellent… I am truly torn on this one. Since you don’t know me from anyone I can tell you I faithfully tithed until last year when our pastor vehemently preached that it was not Biblical. I nearly fell over. Coma. But when I followed his argument it was, in my opinion, air tight. That is not to say that I do not continue to support the church abundantly. But you see the confusion in the body over this one. And the truth is that while I went broke, my brothers and sisters in Christ were living pretty well. The stats for evangelicals on this one are as dismal as the divorce statistics for Christians.
I understand your argument and certainly see the points you are making. Like many in the church I struggle with this one and I believe that Pastor Josh, from the article, does as well. Admittedly I have not read all of the posts. He may have clarified his position in support of it.
But when I think of the purity and ceremonial aspects of the Law, I am left wondering why your arguments above do not apply to those as well! Please don’t misunderstand. I know what Jesus fulfillment of the Law means, no more sacrifice. It is finished! And I also know what scripture says about the Law (great verses by the way). You do realize that youtube is on fire (who cares;-) with accusations of hypocrisy over the Lev passages on homosexuality being applied to gays, and our “eating shellfish” as Christians, with impunity. Of course they don’t understand but they do serious damage. When you quote psalms to them they say “See, see! You cherry pick your doctrine”. My knees wobble a bit at the accusation. They have a point.
But let’s take the Jewish Sabbath. SDA and other churches take it as a hill to die on. But what definition do we use. Do you use electricity on the Sabbath? Do you travel long distances? Restaurants are filled with Christians on Sunday! This is one of the ten Commandments folks! In my house it is dedicated to the Lord.
A few years ago the church I attended (no longer) had a contractor literally constructing our new sanctuary on Sunday. I went crazy. I was told I was legalistic and too rigid in my application. I scratch my head. “But I thought it was a day of rest pastor…”
So what to do!?
Re:Tithe/Mortgage Co.
Would you rob a bank to tithe? Of course not. Yes, it is a big building, but still someone’s money. Given to you in good faith. Would God not be more glorified if you were diligent to honor a binding contract with an unbeliever (or believer for that matter)? Is it a good witness if we burden our neighbors with a liability arising from a broken promise?
God does not “need” our money. God needs nothing from us! He needs our ENTIRE HEART. When he give us a new heart, he always has our money and everything else we have.
Blessings to you both.
Come on, Mark. Now you’re just being ridiculously absurd.
I have very heavy debt and made dumb mistake by not paying one dime to student loan. 10 years ago, I started hardship forbearance and was paying $165 at that time. Never did pay one dime since then, now if I had to pay back then it would be $465. One reason why I did not is because I was told by pastors to pay 10% first before anything. Look at me!
Tithing Pure and Simple is a practice that was under the law and for a select people. Read Malachi 1:1. The practice ended with Christ death and antonement on the cross. Christ never exhorted his followers to pay tithes. He only acted on the one time to prove a needless point.
The ”Storehouse” [ temple and outer /inner courts ] was totally destroyed in 70AD under Hadrian . God’s spirit does not dwell in temples made by hand. The NT church has no relevance to the OT temple that even Christ prophesied would be destroyed.
Offering are freewill [ non-compulsory vs. Tithes that was compulsory for the Israelite men] in the NT era. Christ death on the cross would be the final sacrifice [ High Priest had to offer himself annually ] ending the law of ordinances with the Veil of the Temple [ separated Holy of Holies ] from the outer chambers / court. Believers have free access to Christ who died for all sinners.
I could go into much detail , but, will defer.
In closing, scripture connotes that every third year there was no Tithes and that the agricultural [ animal / land by-products ] was to be set out for the poor, etc. How come the preachers of today do not practice this important requirement of the Tithing Ordinance?