http://wiki.answers.

com/Q/Is_not_paying_tithes_a_sin
Answer:
One Answer:
According to the Bible, no.
Christians are not under obligation to pay ANY tithes.
The paying of Tithes was a command under the Mosaic aw to the nation of Israel, for the
support of the e!ites.
"nder the Mosaic aw, the e!ites, #or the tribe of e!i$, had no land allotment in the %romised
and#Numbers &':()$ , because the descendants of e!i were to ser!e as priests and temple
wor*ers, scattered among +' cities, for the benefit of the remaining && tribes of ,srael who
supported them by tithing #gi!ing a tenth of what they made or grew$. #Numbers &':()-(.$
#/euteronomy &+:((-(0$ #(Chronicles 1&:+-'2 Nehemiah &):1', 1.$
3hen 4esus died ha!ing fulfilled the Mosaic aw, it was abolished #5phesians (:&62 Colossians
(:&1, &+$ and Christians were no longer 7under law7 #8omans 9:&+$. They were commanded to
gi!e 7what they could7 7from the heart7 7cheerfully7#( Corinthians .:0$both financially and
physically#Matthew (':&.:()$, to the support of the Christian congregation and it7s wor* of
preaching the ;ood News of the <ingdom.#(Corinthians ':&($#Matthew (+:&+$ There was to be
no 7paid clergy7, so no need to tithe in support of it #Acts &':12 &Thessalonians (:.$
=Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,
says the ord Almighty, and see if , will not throw open the floodgates of hea!en and pour out so
much blessing that you will not ha!e room enough for it=. Malachi 1:&)
http://www.prophetic.net/tithe.htm
To Tithe Or Not To Tithe
by Jack Helser
(The $earch For Truth)
Though Ive always struggled with the tithe, I still shook my head in disgust when I heard about the
preacher whos congregation quietly let the church during the prayer ollowing a long sermon on tithing!
He said "#men", looked up and cried out "hal my church is gone$" I laughed saying "they must have led
the conviction o the Holy %pirit"!
&hat the 'ord said took me completely by surprise( "They led rom error and guilt)based giving"!
"What?!?" ) Ive heard more sermons on the tithe than on any other topic e*cept perhaps our need o
Jesus or eternal lie$ #ter I picked up my +aw rom the loor, the 'ord prompted me to study tithing and
giving! Throughout the ,ible study I prayed or His guidance and in the end I reached the inescapable
conclusion that the "tithe" is to the modern church what the issue of "circumcision" was to the
church in Pauls time.
NOT-( Nothing in this article is intended as an e*cuse to stop giving as the 'ord leads you to give!
The verse most oten cited in support o the tithe is rom the Old Testament, ound in .alachi /(0)12(
0! ""&ill a man rob 3od4 5et you rob me! ",ut you ask, 6How do we rob you47 "In tithes
and oerings! 8! 5ou are under a curse))the whole nation o you))because you are
robbing me! 12! ,ring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be ood in my
house! Test me in this," says the 'O9: #lmighty, "and see i I will not throw open the
loodgates o heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough
or it!
.any preachers shorten .alachi /(0)12 to +ust ",ring the whole tithe into the storehouse", and almost
always with the inerence that their church is the "storehouse"! ;or purposes o this paper, the 'ord had
me concentrate on the passage( ",ring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be ood in my
house"! ;rom that passage, the 'ord had me research several questions(
1) &hat is the tithe4
2) &hat was the tithe or4
3) &hat is the storehouse4
1) What is the tithe? The tithe is 12< o the increase, established in 'eviticus
=>(/2)// as an oering Holy to the 'ord! The scripture identiies the tithe as
grain and ruit, herd and lock! The tithe is ood$ #n e*ample o the tithe can be
seen in a shepherd with a lock o 122 sheep who is blessed with the birth o ?2
lambs in the spring! ;ive o the lambs must be oered to the 'ord as a tithe!
The tithe was brought to the temple in Jerusalem in acknowledgement and
appreciation o 3ods provision or His people!
2) What was the tithe for? 3od doesnt need the ood @ 3od doesnt eat! 3od
doesnt desire sacriices or oerings A Bsalm C2(D and Hosea D(D E @ He desires
mercy! 3od doesnt need us to give Him a 12th o everything @ when He
already owns everything A Bsalm =C(1 and Job C1(11b E! The tithe was used to
eed the 'evite priests Aand their amiliesE who were required to work in the
temple day and night ministering to 3od on behal o 3ods people A 1
Fhronicles 8(// E! &ithout the tithe, the 'evite priests would have needed to
raise their own ood, thereby taking them away rom ministering beore 3od! Hence the reerence in
.alachi /(12 "Gthat there may be ood in my house"! Nehemiah 1/(12)1/ records a time when the 'evite
priests were not receiving the tithe wherein they abandoned their daily temple responsibilities to work the
arms to eed their amilies! The reerence to Hrobbing 3od in .alachi /(0 is in act robbing 3od o ministry
and worship by ailing to take care o 3ods priests through the tithe o ood items! Inlike the other tribes
o Israel who were given land as their inheritance, the 'evites were not given any land @ only a ew cities
in which to live! 3od was their inheritance A Numbers 10(=2)=1 E! Thus, the remaining tribes were
obligated to provide the 'evites with ood since they had no land on which to grow their own!
3) What is the storehouse? = Fhronicles /1 teaches that the storehouse is the Temple in Jerusalem!
&hen the tithe was re)instituted under Jing HeKekiah, the king gave orders to prepare storerooms in the
temple to hold the tithe! #pparently the grain "tithe" was heaped up in the streets, which caused a traic
+am o sorts! Jing HeKekiah had the storehouse built to relieve a bad case o urban congestion in ancient
Jerusalem!
Having established the original purpose o the tithe, the 'ord prompted me with several more questions!
Q: "What happened to the temple (storehouse)?"
A: It was destroyed in 70AD and has not been rebuilt
Q: "Wh?"
A: The old co!enant syste" o# ani"al sacri#ice to atone #or sin is #inished
The new co!enant is in the blood o# $hrist who is the #inal and e!erlastin%
sin sacri#ice
Q: "Where is the temple now?"
A: & $orinthians ':&( says W) are the te"*le o# the +oly ,*irit -od no
lon%er resides in a stone te"*le. but in the hearts o# his children throu%h
the +oly ,*irit
Q: "What happened to the !e"ite priests?"
A: The /e!ite *riesthood is no lon%er necessary as the old co!enant
syste" o# ani"al sacri#ice in the te"*le was su*erceded by the e!erlastin%
co!enant o# $hrist0s blood
Q: "Who is the priesthood now?"
A: & 1eter 2:3 and ( says those who ha!e recei!ed 4esus as /ord and ,a!ior are the *riesthood
Fome On 'aity, 'ets :o The Twist
,urdening the ,ody o Fhrist with the Tithe requires several twists and reinterpretations o scripture!
1E The tithe must be imported rom the OT law o .oses to the new covenant o grace by Fhrists blood!
=E The tithe must be redeined rom "locks, herds, ruit and grain" to "money" and oten "time"!
/E The storehouse must be redeined rom the temple in Jerusalem to the local church building!
CE The ,ody o Fhrist must buy into the ordained clergy as the new priesthood, thereby replacing the
'evite priesthood as the rightul recipient o the tithe!
?E The ,ody o Fhrist must oreit their own priesthood and buy into the notion that they are the "laity"!
The tithe has been introduced to the ,ody o Fhrist using = tactics o the enemy!
1) Sowing guilt and shame into the Body of Christ by quoting .alachi /(0 "&ill a man rob 3od4 5et
you rob me! ,ut you ask, 6How do we rob you47 In tithes and oerings!" &hat devoted Fhristian wants to
rob 3od4 The net eect o sowing guilt has been to e*tort money rom the ,ody o Fhrist, thereby robbing
the ,ody o the +oy and blessing o giving as 3od leads! The practice ignores Bauls instructions to the
church at Forinth( "-ach man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or
under compulsion, or 3od loves a cheerul giver A = Forinthians 8(> E!"
2) Blaming the "laity" for the financial troubles in the Body of Christ , by telling the ,ody they are not
blessed by 3od because they do not tithe! Oten .alachi /(12 is emphasiKed "Test me in this, says the
'O9: #lmighty, and see i I will not throw open the loodgates o heaven and pour out so much blessing
that you will not have room enough or it!" In so doing, believers are challenged to tithe, with the promise
that 3od will bless them i they do! %uch giving is not out o love or 3od, but out o selishness! It implies
a reward or works, which contradicts -phesians =(0)8 , and completely ignores our status as sons o 3od
by aith in Fhrist A 3alatians /(=D E and +oint heirs o 3od with Fhrist A 9omans 0(1> E! The practice also
ignores Fhrists words in .atthew C(> ":o not put the 'ord your 3od to the test"!
The #postles :id Not Teach 3entiles To Tithe
#cts 1?(1)/1 records a dispute over circumcision that arose in
the 3entile church at #ntioch! %everal alse brothers had
attempted to require 3entile Anon)JewishE Fhristians to be
circumcised! Baul and ,arnabas sharply opposed the alse
brothers and traveled to Jerusalem to discuss the issue o
circumcision with the other apostles! In Jerusalem, they
reported the miracles and conversions among the 3entiles! The apostles were illed with +oy over 3ods
work there, and they agreed that circumcision was not a requirement or salvation! ;ollowing the meeting,
the apostles and elders in the church at Jerusalem sent Baul and ,arnabas back to #ntioch with a letter
o welcome to the 3entile Fhristians! The essential te*t o the letter is ound in #cts 1?(=0)=8! It reads( "It
seemed good to the Holy %pirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the ollowing
requirements( 5ou are to abstain rom ood sacriiced to idols, rom blood, rom the meat o strangled
animals and rom se*ual immorality! 5ou will do well to avoid these things! ;arewell!"
The apostles did not want to burden the 3entiles with Old Testament practices$ The proo is in their letter
to the 3entiles and the act that the apostles did not impose the tithe on them!
Fome, 'et Is 9eason Together A Isaiah 1(10 E
'ets suppose or the sake o argument that Jesus had commanded us to continue tithing! It would be
appropriate then to use the tithe to eed the priesthood as originally purposed! &ho then is the
priesthood4 The apostle Beter writes in 1 Beter =(? and 8 that e!ery belie!er is a *riest $ Hebrews ?)0
also teaches us that 4esus is the only *riest that we need ! However the institutional church has borrowed
rom the Old Testament model o the 'evitical Briesthood, thereby establishing a new priesthood
Aordained clergyE that is separate rom the rest o the ,ody o Fhrist! The division between the clergy, and
the so)called "laity" is not ,iblical (Is this the doctrine o# the 5icolaitan0s that 4esus says +e hates in
6e!elation 2:' ) 4In act, Jesus did not establish the ordained clergy @ He chose ishermen and ta*
collectors to preach His gospel! Neither did He establish division in His church, He desires unity A John
1>(=2)=/ E! The apostles did not set up an ordained clergy @ they chose men ull o the Holy %pirit and
wisdom to serve the ,ody A #cts D(/, 1 Timothy / E! This man)made division between "clergy" and "laity"
has eectively served to divert the oerings o the ,ody o Fhrist away rom the people it is intended to
bless and the oerings are most oten used in ways contrary to the will o 3od! The net result has been
starvation and inancial bondage or many believers, and the real priesthood @ the whole ,ody o Fhrist @
has not been prepared to carry out Fhrists command to preach the gospel to all nations$
Jesus is the &ord o 3od in the lesh A John 1(1C E! He knew that .alachi /(12 says "bring the whole tithe
into the storehouse" when He instructed the rich man to sell everything and give the proceeds to the poor
A .atthew 18(=1 E! I imagine the %cribes and Bharisees about choked on what Jesus said as they were in
the habit o devouring widows houses or proit A 'uke =2(C> E and the rich mans possessions would
have been a real east or them! In .atthew =?(/1)CD, Jesus reiterated His desire to help the poor in the
parable o separating the sheep rom goats, wherein at +udgement Jesus will reward those who eed the
hungry and clothe the poor! %ince Jesus +udges us or our care o the poor and hungry, and since He
commands us to preach the gospel throughout the world, why is most o our giving used or church
buildings and salaries with only a small percentage devoted to the poor, missions and evangelism4
Is the church making goats out of us by not eeding the hungry and clothing the poor with our oerings4
'ets not wait until the Judgement o Fhrist to ind out$
%ins o the Fhurch #gainst the Needy
The 'ord has been trying to bring me to the truth about giving or
years! On many occasions, He prompted me to take what I would
have normally put in the oering plate at church and give it directly
to someone in need! I love giving like that$ %till, in the absence o
speciic giving instructions rom the 'ord, I never questioned the
common practice o giving everything to the church, whereupon I
trusted the church to administer my gits! That is until the day the
'ord had me witness an abomination that let me nauseous!
In the main oice o a church I attended years ago, I was i*ing a computer one ;riday morning! Two
young black women, with / adorable children dressed in their %unday best, came into the oice to ask or
a ood donation! The / secretaries o our all white upper middle class church stared at them, and inally
one said nervously "our deacon o benevolence is in the oice on Thursday aternoons @ can I make an
appointment or you ne*t Thursday4" One o the women pleaded "&e cant wait a week, we need ood
now"! The secretary repeated her oer, and I became sick to my stomach! I let quickly and drove a mile
up the road to a cash machine and came directly back to the church only to ind that the = women and /
children had let empty handed! The sta did not know where they had gone, and I returned to my car and
wept! I elt as i I had ailed but the 'ord said "you did not ail son, the church ailed"!
%ince that irst eye)opening e*perience, the 'ord has shown me many more sins o the church against the
poor that have let me ill! One church considered installing an air conditioning system or which several
members had pledged L/?,222 while another member o the church who was wheelchair bound rom
advanced multiple sclerosis didnt have enough money to buy ood at the end o the month with what little
state aid she received! Oten she was orced to chose between ood, medicine or heat in winter! ;or many
months my wie and I gave to her anonymously and when she went to be with the 'ord last winter, she
was at peace @ the kind o peace that only acts o love can bring A 1 John /(10, James 1(== E! #s she was
relieved o her inancial stress, she blessed everyone around her with unquenchable +oy! .ost
importantly, she taught us about right giving!
.ore recently, I attended a conerence where the host appealed to the audience to give "an oering for
the poor"! I heard the 'ord say "the poor are among you" A .ark 1C(> E and immediately I thought o a
dear riend in attendance who is e*periencing inancial diiculties and had recently lost her home! The
ne*t day I began a letter to the host saying "'ast night you took an o##erin% from the *oor" ! I groaned at
the error and started to rip the page rom my notebook when the 'ord said "that is not an error @ last
nights oering was taken from the poor"!
The 'ord then brought to mind the parable o the sheep and goats, speciically .atthew =?(C2 where it
says "whatever you did or one o the least o these #rothers of mine , you did or me"! The words
"these brothers of mine" had not made an impression on me beore, and the 'ord brought me to the
understanding that our irst obligation to the poor is to the poor within the ,ody o Fhrist! The 'ord then
brought .atthew 1?(=D to mind wherein Jesus said "It is not right to take the childrens bread and toss it
to the dogs"!
The early church had a much better understanding o Fhrists intent to care or the needs o the ,ody o
Fhrist than we do today! The proo o their caring or each other can be seen in #cts =(CC)C> and #cts
C(/=)/> where the ,ody o Fhrist shared everything, and through their giving, they eliminated poverty and
indebtedness! In act, #cts C(/C says "there were no needy persons among them$" Taking up oerings to
eed the ,ody o Fhrist was common in the early church! In #cts 11(=>)/2, the 3entile church at #ntioch
took up an oering or the believers in Judea who were e*periencing a time o amine! Fan you imagine a
church today taking up an oering or a cross)town rival4
How did the church get so ar o course4
3iving as Fhrist Intends
Though the tithe is not a requirement or the ,ody o Fhrist, we are still instructed to give! &hat changed
rom the Old Testament to the New is our motivation or giving! In the Old Testament, giving was
compulsory @ a tenth AtitheE! In the New Testament we are to give with +oy as we are led to give A =
Forinthians 8(> E, not by compulsion!
Our attitude about giving should be like that o the poor widow who Jesus
esteemed in .ark 1=(C1)CC! %he put = small copper coins, worth a penny,
into the temple treasury! They were all the widow had to live on! $he
understood that %od owns e"erthin& and was willin& to &i"e all that she had with cheer as 3od
had prompted her to do!
It is time to invest cheerully in what is eternal, speciically in 3ods children or the completion o Jingdom
work A .atthew D(18)=1 E! The children must be ed, clothed and equipped to carry Fhrists gospel
throughout the whole world and to make the ,ride o Fhrist ready or her soon returning %avior! Imagine
what it could be like i we resumed giving and sharing as Jesus intends! %urely we would rediscover the
same abundant and powerul living as the early church en+oyed$
On the topic o giving, John 0(/D might seem like a strange scripture to cite( "%o i the %on sets you ree,
you will be ree indeed"! &hile it is true that Jesus set us ree rom the curse o the law A 3alatians /(12)
1/ E, sin and death A 9omans 0(= E, our failure to &i"e as 'esus tau&ht us has (ept the )hurch in
financial #onda&e, and has prevented the Fhurch rom completing the work o Fhrist on earth! How
many children o 3od ail to reach their ull potential as ministers o the 3ospel because they lack
provision4 It is through our giving and sharing that we equip the Fhurch or service, eliminate hunger and
poverty, and realiKe the ullness o our reedom in Fhrist!
&e can no longer aord to misuse our oerings or church buildings, parsonages, conerence centers,
multi)purpose buildings, air conditioning, padded pews, pipe organs, and the like, all o which will soon be
orgotten, while 3od7s children go hungry, poor and ill equipped to minister the 3ospel! Instead, like #bel,
we should &i"e our #est &ifts to the true )hurch * the people * #ecause we lo"e %od and want to
see %od+s wor( accomplished on the earth!
On concluding my study, the 'ord asked one inal question( What building ever won a erson to
Christ!
#sk the 'ord to show you what to give and to whom, and remember that His words ";eed my sheep"
AJohn =1(1>E go much deeper than a pastor7s sermon on a %unday morning! His words are spiritual, and
they are literal!
Jack Helser
&eb %ite( http(MMwww!'ord5ou#re!com
http://www.askelm.com/tithing/thi001.htm
The >in of Tithing Today
The Bible defines =sin= as the transgression of law #& 4ohn 1:+$?any law@ And in the Bible the
use of the word =sin= has to do with !iolating any law of ;od that ;od has gi!en for people to
obser!e. Another way of defining =sin= in the Bible is to apply the !erbal elements of the word
=sin= itself and we arri!e at the phrase =to miss the mar*= as its dictionary meaning. ,n common
parlance =sin= simply means to miss the =bulls eye= in the center of a target and this means to
!iolate any standard of conduct that ;od has decreed for people to obser!e. ;od has gi!en
certain positi!e laws to particular people to perform as well as certain negati!e laws telling
people to refrain from practicing particular deeds. 3hen one brea*s any of these laws that ;od
has ordained for certain people to do #things to perform or not to perform$, that person is
rec*oned to be =sinning.=
3ith this being the definition of =sin,= there are multitudes of preachers, priests, e!angelists and
theologians who are =sinning= on a daily basis in regard to their use #or better yet, their misuse or
their abuse$ of the biblical tithe. There is nothing more clear in the Bible than the teaching of
;od about the ordained tithe. The Bible shows who were to pay the tithe, who were to recei!e
the tithe, the types of products that were to be tithed, who was not to tithe, how the tithe was to
be used, along with regulations that ga!e limitations and restrictions on its use, yet these laws of
;od are being !iolated wholesale by preachers, priests, e!angelists and theologians who want a
ready money supply for their religious or church wor*. ,n doing so, they are deliberately
committing outright =sin.=
The truth is, these religious men and women are often Auite aware of what the ordained tithe of
the Bible was designed to accomplish and to whom the produce or monies were to be paid, but
these modern religious authorities ha!e, in many cases, abandoned all sense of ;odBs directions
and laws regarding the biblical tithe and they ha!e appropriated those funds to themsel!es and
for their own use in ways that the Bible ne!er sanctions. ,ndeed, it is common in ministerial
circles and among the church denominations for the religious authorities to demand the full
biblical tithe from church members. >ome authorities e!en threaten the plagues of ;od on those
of their congregation if they fail to pay the tithe either in part or in full. Cther ministers use the
tactic of producing guilt in peopleBs minds through their sermons in order to eDtract the tithe
from their congregations. ,t e!en has become a common notion among many Christian
denominational teachings that the matter of eDacting tithe from the people is a cardinal
responsibility of the ministry in order to gain money to operate the church and its acti!ities. But
this is wrong. ,t is not biblical. And worse, it is =sinful.=
Now donBt get me wrong. ,t is perfectly proper to ha!e funds gi!en to religious organiEations
#e!en generously if people so desire$ in order for them to perform the wor*s ;od has gi!en them
to do. %eople who are members of a church or a religious group that is doing a good wor* in
teaching the ;ospel or is pro!iding a worthwhile ser!ice to the community and the world should
be supported by its members. %eople should not let others pay for the up*eep of the religious
wor* while they reap the benefits of it. But the securing of the necessary funds with which to
operate those organiEations is not what this boo* is spea*ing about. Fa!ing funds to operate is an
essential factor for any religious organiEation, but the problem with preachers and church leaders
is the manner in which those funds obtained.
The Bible has a clear and easily understood manner in which the teaching of the ;ospel ought to
be supported #and funded adeAuately$ and all people who subscribe to those teachings should
ha!e their part in financing it, but in no way should the ordained tithe of the Bible be used #in the
slightest capacity$ in pro!iding that support. That is what we are tal*ing about. ,n simple terms,
the biblical tithe should not be the means that Christian andGor 4ewish religious organiEations
obtain their funds with which to function. ,ndeed, if a church or a synagogue uses such tithe,
e!eryone who is party to such a scheme is sinning in the eyes of ;od@ That is a fact, and this will
be shown in this boo*.
These are strong words #and they may be shoc*ing to some who ha!e not studied the >cripture
on the matter of tithing$, but they can be shown to be true. 3hen the tithing laws recorded in the
Bible are really comprehended, it will be seen that their misuse by ministers today has degraded
those sacred laws into a monstrous system of money gathering which can only be called #by its
proper title$ =The >in of Tithing Today.=
http://www.lylelange.com/tithing.html
Tithing is a Sin Writen by Lyle Lange
I believe that to pay 10% of ones earnings to the church based on biblical
instruction is actually going directly against biblical instruction.
Tithing In Context
First Abraham
en 1! "1# sho$s %braha& brought bac' ite&s $hich didn(t belong to hi&.
)e had the goods of others obtained by $ar* also 'no$n as spoils.
en 1!"+0 sho$s that %braha& gave this previously un'no$n priest 10%.
It is i&plied that the 10% is fro& the spoils* $hich are goods obtained
through battle.
en 1!"+1,+! sho$s %braha& gave all of the spoils to others in the end.
%braha& didn(t $ant the 'ing of Sodo& to co&e later and say that all the
spoils belonged to hi&. %pparently %braha& felt that such a clai& could be
&ade.
There is no &ention of people interacting $ith -elchi.ede' after this point.
/ote" The 10% $as of people and goods 0 $hich &ay have included &oney.
%n account $hich contains instructions for ho$ spoils $ere dispersed by $ay
of co&&and is found in /u&bers 11"+2,11. What it said $as that those
$ho $ere soilders involved in obtaining the spoils $ere to pay 0.+% to the
te&ple. Those $ho didn(t fight $ere to pay ten ti&es as &uch or +% to the
te&ple. This co&&and ca&e after the ti&e of %braha&* so he $as never
bound to it.
It appears that %braha& paid the 10% of the goods because that is ho$
&uch he $anted to pay* not based on direction fro& anyone else.
There is no &ention of paying 10% $ithin the %braha&ic covenant.
Next Jacob
en +3"+0,++ sho$s 4acob &a'ing a vo$ $ith od. The proble& is that it is
a conditional vo$. od has the final say as to $hether )e $ill bind )i&self
to it. 4acob said that if od $ould protect hi& on his 5ourneys* that he*
4acob $ould give od 10%. If there $ere a 10% re6uire&ent then 4acob
here $ould be adding to that re6uire&ent* $hich $ould certainly be a sin.
There is no response fro& od concerning this vo$.
Now Joseph
en !7"+# sho$s that 4oseph instituted a la$ for the pagan 8gyptians to pay
+0% of their harvest to 9haraoh. It $ould be nice if our &odern
govern&ents $ere so greedy to li&it their collections to +0%. There is no
record of 4oseph instructing anyone to pay anything to od. The +0%
helped to fund the pagan 8gyptian religion.
On to the Mosaic Law
There is no &ention of paying 10% in the boo' of 8:odus.
Lev +7"10,11 sho$s that 10% of the harvest and counted livestoc' &ust be
given to od. If the )ebre$ people don(t $ant to pay in physical goods* but
rather $ant to pay in &onetary for&* they &ust pay a higher percent* 12%.
%lso notice that only the tenth ani&al is to go to od. So if the )ebre$
ani&al herder has less than 10 ani&als of a type they don(t have to pay. If
the )ebre$ doesn(t raise crops or ani&als they don(t have to pay anything.
;euterono&y 1+"3 sho$s that the $ay that the )ebre$s $orshiped od $as
to change as they changed fro& being no&adic to living in the land. <or one
of the issues $hich Leviticus never addressed $as the logistics of distributing
10% of the harvest and livestoc'.
;euterono&y 1+"11,1+ sho$s that the )ebre$s are to bring their 10% to a
predeter&ined place and en5oy the&selves $ith the tribe of Levi.
;euterono&y 1+"17,1= sho$s that the 10% along $ith the other offerings
are to be eaten by the )ebre$ household along $ith those of the tribe of
Levi at a predeter&ined location.
;euterono&y 1+"+1 sho$s that if the predeter&ined place is too far* the
)ebre$ can eat the ani&al at ho&e.
;euterono&y 1!"++,+1 reiterates the previous instruction* that the 10% is
to be eaten at the predeter&ined location.
;euterono&y 1!"+!,+7 sho$s that the previous instruction of adding a 2%
surcharge for transferring the food into &oney $as altered in cases $here
the predeter&ined location is too far a$ay to transport large 6uantities of
food. The )ebre$s are no$ to e:change the goods for precious &etals* but
they are to e:change the &etals bac' into food upon arrival.
;euterono&y 1!"+3,+= sho$s that every three years the 10% of the harvest
is to be stored at the ho&eto$n. This food is to be eaten by foreigners
>entiles?* orphans* $ido$s and local people fro& the tribe of Levi.
The predeter&ined location eventually beca&e the te&ple at 4erusale&.
Leviticus +2"1,7 sho$s that every seventh year the )ebre$ is not to plant
crops or ta'e a harvest* but they can pic' the food that gro$s on its o$n.
%ll of this food is theirs* none of it is co&&anded to be given to od.
<irst Sa&uel 3"7,+0 sho$s a $arning fro& od to the )ebre$s concerning
the bad things a hu&an 'ing could do. It says that he could collect 10% of
the harvest and livestoc'. od $anted the people to see that these actions
by a 'ing $ould see& oppressive to the&.
Nehemiah
/eh 10"10,11 sho$s the first portion of the La$ $hich the )ebre$s state
they are returning to. @erse 11 restates the co&&and to let far&land go
fallo$ every seven years.
/eh 10"1+,11 sho$s that the )ebre$s are to give one eighth of an ounce of
silver for &aterials needed to conduct the te&ple service. /otice that the
10% is not used for this purpose.
/eh 10"1!,17a sho$s that the )ebre$s $ere to bring $ood* firstfruits* flour
and other &aterials for te&ple service.
/eh 10"17b sho$s that 10% of the )ebre$ harvest $as to be brought to the
tribe of Levi.
/eh 10"13 sho$s that a priest &ust be along $ith those of the tribe of Levi
during the collection. /ot all of those fro& the tribe of Levi $ere priests.
Malachi
-alachi 1"3,10 is one of the &ost 6uoted set of verses concerning tithing. I
$ill add to that nu&ber.
Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, "In what way have we
robbed You?' In tithes and offerings You are !ursed with a !urse, "or you
have robbed Me, #ven this whole nation Bring all the tithes into the
storehouse, $hat there may be food in My house, %nd try Me now in this," &ays
the '()* of hosts, "If I will not o+en for you the windows of heaven %nd +our
out for you su!h blessing $hat there will not be room enough to re!eive it,
-./012
This is an accusation fro& od to the )ebre$s* because they $ere not
putting 10% of their harvest into the giant storehouses located at the te&ple
grounds. od even says that the ($hole nation( of the )ebre$s had robbed
)i&. od then tells the& that )e $ill bless the& greatly if they do store
their harvest in the storehouses as co&&anded. There are so&e $ho &a'e
the clai& that this is the only ti&e $here od per&its people to test )i&.
This is si&ply not the case* for od gave the )ebre$s &any &eans to test
)i& as to $hether )e is truly the Lord or not.
8:odus 7"1,2* 8:odus 7"17 and 8:odus 3"++,+1 sho$ od setting up a
&eans to prove that )e is the Lord. These $ere tests that if od had failed*
)e $ould not be Lord. Li'e$ise in -alachi od had set up a test for the
Israelites to see that od $as truly Lord.
On to the New Testament
Lu'e 11"!+ sho$s that the )ebraic 9harisees $ere indeed to tithe on their
herbs* as their herbs could be counted as a part of the harvest. Af course
the &ain thrust of the verse $as the &uch &ore i&portant &atter of the lost
love of the 9harisees.
While the firstfruits are not tithes* there are so&e $ho falsely use scriptures
$hich are about firstfruits to bolster their argu&ents for the need to tithe. +
Ti&othy +"7 sho$s that the one $ho $or's the field should be the one to get
the firstfruits* not the priesthood.
-atthe$ +2"1!,!0 sho$s ho$ anyone can give to our Lord Bhrist* by helping
those around us $ho are in need.
)eb 7"!,7 is a su&&ary of $hat the Ald Testa&ent teaches regarding the
giving of 10%. %braha& gave 10% of the spoils he too' to -elchi.ede' and
the )ebre$s $ere re6uired to give 10% of the harvest to the tribe of Levi.
)eb 7"3,10 sho$s that the 10% given to -elchi.ede' $as different than the
10% given to the tribe of Levi. <or it says that Levi figuratively gave 10% to
-elchi.ede'.
Conclusion
The biblical $ay to tithe is for a )ebre$ to share one tenth of their harvest
and livestoc' $ith those $ho are Levites* foreigners* $ido$s and orphans.
The food is to be consu&ed at the te&ple in 4erusale& three ti&es a year in
years 1* +* ! and 2. In these years it is to be eaten by the person $ho
raised the one tenth and by the Levites at the te&ple. In years 1 and # the
one tenth is to be eaten by the Levites* foreigners* $ido$s and orphans $ho
live locally. An year 7 there is to be no tithe.
Since there is no te&ple today there is no $ay for the tithing syste& to
function on years 1* +* ! and 2. Since there is no for&ally recogni.ed
Levitical tribe today* there is no $ay to fully feed the& on years 1 and #.
Ane can feed the foreigners* $ido$s and orphans to carry out the co&&and*
but one &ust be a )ebre$ to do this. There is no need to $orry about the
seventh year* unless you are a )ebre$ far&er* $ho $ould need to let his
fields go fallo$.
I a& not )ebre$. I a& &ainly of er&an descent. I do not tithe. If you try
to tithe by paying 10% of your inco&e* you $ill go against the La$ as
stated. It $ould be a transgression of the La$. It $ould be a sin.
It is acceptable to give as you please to those $ho are the church as they
are often $or'ing to do the very loving acts $hich you $ish to be done.
They are often preaching the ospel* $hich is an act of love. Ce$are* for
not all churches use their gifts $isely or honestly. If they are appealing to
tithe co&&and&ents fro& the bible* they are t$isting scripture for their o$n
gain. This de&onstrates a critical proble& in their ethic* $hich in ti&e
propagates through other areas of ho$ that church $ill deal $ith ethical
issues.
If you desire to $orship od by giving to )i&* you can follo$ the $ords of
The Word* and give to those in need. Ane can give in &oney* resources*
ti&e or all of the above. The 'ey to any such giving is that it is given out of
a desire to truly care for that person(s $ell being* and that it be done for the
glory of od. This is ho$ to give to od.
http://bible-truths-reeale!.com/a!1".html
#O #I#$% O& 'O# #O #I#$%(
7C%7 denotes 7compare passage7
,t needs to be established at the !ery outset here that this study does not teach against Christians
gi!ing into the wor* of ;od. ,t is about how they gi!e H whether spontaneously, or by
compulsion. A teaching persists in the contemporary church that Christians under grace in the
New Testament are obligated to tithe as the 4ews under the law had to tithe in the Cld Testament.
There are no defining scriptures anywhere in the Bible howe!er, to !alidate such teaching.
Ne!ertheless the proponents of tithing do use scriptures to argue their position.
The purpose of this study is to eDamine those scriptures in conteDt to determine if they really can
be used for that purpose. But first let us find out eDactly what the tithe is #C% e! (0:1)-1+$. 3e
see from this that the tithe is a tenth part. "nder the law here the Cld Testament 4ews had to pay
ten percent of the produce of the earth and the increase of their herds and floc*s to ;od. ,t had
nothing to do with money then, as it has today. Today the tithe is stipulated as ten percent of
oneBs gross income which has to be paid to the local church. Those who argue for the tithe use
Mal 1:'-&& to teach that the local church, being the place where Christians are spiritually fed, is
the New Testament eAui!alent to the Cld Testament storehouse where the tithes had to be ta*en,
and that New Testament Christians who withhold their tithes will be cursed the same as the Cld
Testament 4ews #C% Mal 1:'-&&$. Nothing that ;od says here can be applied to New Testament
Christians. ;od rebu*ed the 4ews who were under the law and obligated to tithe. New Testament
Christians are not under the law because it has been fulfilled in Christ, and they ha!e been
redeemed from its curse #C% 8o &):+2 ;a 1:&1-&+$.
The tithe is first mentioned in scripture when Abraham tithed to MelchiEedec H a priest of the
most high ;od H from the spoils of war after the slaughter of the *ings, when Abraham rescued
his nephew ot and the women capti!es, in ;en &+ #C% ;en &+:&'-()$. 3e will learn more about
this tithe and how it is represented by the proponents of tithing in the contemporary church a
little later when we study Fe 0. Another argument for tithing is said to be found in Mt (1:(1 #C%
(1:(1$. Many in the church belie!e that by ac*nowledging the obligation of the 4ews to tithe here
4esus is teaching that tithing is also obligatory for New Testament Christians. Tithing is not e!en
the issue though. 4esus was rebu*ing >cribes and %harisees who were subIect to the law and
obligated to tithe anyway. The issue 4esus was addressing was not their tithes, but their neglect of
Iustice, mercy and faithfulness toward others. To practice these was more important then being
stic*lers for the smallest detail of tithing #C% Mt (1:(+-11$. This is what 4esus was really leading
up to in Mt (1, which precludes J(1 from being used to teach that 4esus was sanctioning tithing
for New Testament Christians.
Compulsory tithing under the law in the Cld Testament does not translate to gi!ing under grace
in the New Testament. The New Testament does not compel Christians, but rather in!ites them to
gi!e generously in response to the needs of others, and as an eDpression of their lo!e for ;od #C%
&Cor &9:&-(2 (Cor ':&-&62 .:&-&62 ;a 9:9-'2 4as (:&1-&02 &4n 1:&9-&.$. 3e learn from these
scriptures that New Testament gi!ing is !oluntary, spontaneous and freely gi!en, not from a
sense of obligation nor with an intent to merit blessings. ;i!ing is to be seen as a pri!ilege, not
an obligation. &Cor &9:&-( is used by those who promote tithing to teach that the money the
Corinthians were to put aside each >unday represented the tithe. (Cor ':(-+ is used to encourage
Christians to tithe, yet in J' %aul clearly states that he was not commanding the Corinthians to
gi!e2 he only wanted them to pro!e the sincerity of their lo!e for their brothers and sisters in
Christ. ,n J0 he calls their gi!ing an act of grace, which is the eDact opposite of mandatory
tithing. ,n (Cor .:6 %aul stresses the importance of the collection being seen as a willing gift, not
as money that has been eDtorted from them #C% &Cor &9:1-+ with (Cor ':(-+, 0-' and .:6$. The
clear teaching in all these scriptures is that New Testament gi!ing under grace comes from what
one has, not from what one does not ha!e. Christians are only eDpected to gi!e according to their
means, and although there must a readiness and eagerness in gi!ing, Christians do not ha!e to
run themsel!es into debt or reduce themsel!es to po!erty le!el in order to gi!e into ;odBs wor*.
This is acceptable to ;od. The issue is oneBs willingness to gi!e H not the amount #C% u &&:+&2
(Cor ':&&-&(2 .:0$. Christians must not feel bad if they are e!er unable to gi!e #C% (Cor ':&1-
&6$. This teaches that Christians who are well off should meet the needs of those who are not. ,n
this way none will lac*, and there will be eAuality for all, Iust li*e ;od directed the ,sraelites
with the manna in the wilderness #C% 5D &9:&9-&'$.
There are four things Christians must do in gi!ing: they must gi!e willingly from the heart, they
must not gi!e grudgingly2 they must not gi!e of compulsion2 they must gi!e cheerfully #C% (Cor
':&(2 .:6, 0$. Christians who gi!e what they can to those in need will find that the grace of ;od
furnishes a sufficiency for their own needs, and e!en more, in order that they may abound in
good wor*s for others #C% %sa +&:&-(2 %r &&:(+-(62 &.:&02 ((:.2 5cc &&:&2 u 9:1'2 (Cor .:9, '-
&6$. At the heart of all Christian gi!ing is the ac*nowledgement that ;od is the creator, the
owner, and the gi!er of all things, and what we gi!e bac* to ;od is only a part of what Fe has
gi!en to us in the first place #C% ;en &:&2 5D &.:62 /e ':0-()2 &Chr (.:&)-&92 %sa (+:&2 6):&)-
&(2 Fag (:'2 4n &:&-12 4as &:&02 (%e &:1$. 5!erything Christians ha!e belongs to the ord. No
one has anything that they had not first recei!ed from ;od.
Those who hold that tithing is obligatory for New Testament Christians also use Fe 0: &-&) to
teach that, as Abraham was the antecedent of all New Testament Christians and paid a tithe to
MelchiEedec, it is incumbent upon all New Testament Christians to tithe. They contend that
Abraham was the representati!e tithe payer of all his seed to come, which Christians are #C% ;a
1:(.$. Now let us loo* at Fe 0:&-&), but in the conteDt of the whole chapter to see what it really
means #C% Fe 0:&-('$. 3hen *ept in the conteDt of the whole of Ch 0 it is plain to see that
tithing, as being obligatory for New Testament Christians, is not being taught in J&-&) at all.
MelchiEedec is the subIect, not 4esus, and tithing is mentioned only in the conteDt of
demonstrating the superiority of MelchiEedec o!er Abraham and e!i in the first place, and the
superiority of ChristBs eternal priesthood o!er the temporary e!itical priesthood in the second
place, which ma*es the New Co!enant superior to the Cld. That is the theme of Fe 0, not tithing.
Tithing is only incidental to pro!ing that the New Co!enant, of which 4esus is the mediator, is by
far superior to the Cld Co!enant, and it cannot be made to mean anything else #C% Fe 0:&., ((-
('2 ':9-&12 .:&&-&6$. 3e also learn in these scriptures that the Cld Co!enant has been made
obsolete in Christ and done way with in its entirety. That was how ;od designed it: the Cld
Co!enant was only temporary2 the New Co!enant under Christ is e!erlasting #C% Fos (2&& with
8o 1:(&-((2 &):+2 (Cor 120-&+2 ;a 1:&.-(92 +:(&-1&2 6:&-+2 5ph (:&1-&92 Fe 0:&(, &':((2 ':9-&12
.:' -&62 &):&-&)$.The clear teaching in all these scriptures is that the Cld Co!enant, which
includes the law on tithing, has been completely abolished in Christ and has no rele!ance for
New Testament Christians. Yet those who stand for tithing argue that the tithe itself was not
abolished, because it was established by Abraham four hundred and thirty years prior to the law
when he tithed to MelchiEedec in ;en &+:&'-(), which we loo*ed at earlier, and therefore it
should be carried on by New Testament Christians. They use ;a 1:&0-&' as their proof teDt. et
us see what it says, but also in conteDt #C% ;a 1:&1-&'$. This scripture cannot be used to teach
that AbrahamBs tithe to MelchiEedec should be continued. This has nothing to do with tithing, or
MelchiEedec. ,t is about the Co!enant ;od made with Abraham. %aul is using the analogy of
;odBs Co!enant with Abraham, and a legal agreement made between humans, to show that once
the parties to it ratify an agreement, it stands fore!er H it cannot be annulled or !oided. 3hat
%aul is teaching here is that the blessings ;od promised Abraham stand fore!er too. They were
not affected by the law in any way #C% ;en &(:&-1, 02 &1:&+-&'2 &6:&-&'2 &0:+-'2 ((:&6-&'2
(9:&-'2 (':&-+, &)-&6 with 8o +2&-(6$. This is the Co!enant ;od made with Abraham. The
purpose of the law was to *eep a sinful people in the way of sal!ation until the seed of Abraham
H Christ H came to inherit the promise, and distribute the blessings to all who recei!e Fim by
faith as sa!iour #C% ;a 1:9-&9, &.-(.$. 5!eryone in Christ, regardless of nationality or seD, is the
seed of Abraham and heir of ;odBs Co!enant promise.
,t is patently ob!ious from the scriptures studied thus far that none of them can be legitimately
used to promote tithing as a New Testament Christian obligation. As stated at the outset of this
study, there is no defining scripture anywhere in the bible to !alidate any teaching that it is
incumbent upon New Testament Christians to tithe. As also stated pre!iously, compulsory tithing
under the law in the Cld Testament does not translate to gi!ing under grace in the New
Testament. New Testament gi!ing is centred entirety around stewardship H Christians gi!ing of
themsel!es completely to the wor* of ;od H which includes their time, their finances, and their
material possessions #C% Mt &):10-1.2 M* ':1+-1'2 u &+:(9-16$.
None of this is teaching against New Testament Christians gi!ing in to the wor* of ;od through
their local church. >criptures are !ery clear on the subIect of gi!ing H only those who sow into
the <ingdom will reap the <ingdom benefits #C% ;a 9:9-&)$. %aul is defining ;odBs law of
sowing and reaping here. ,t applies to e!ery aspect of the Christian wal*: Christians gi!ing of
themsel!es, their finances and their time to others2 their financial support of the ministry, their
moral beha!iour, and their Christian ser!ice. ;a 9:.-&) teaches that while e!er Christians *eep
doing good, in spite of the opposition they may encounter, in due course they will reap the fruit
of the har!est. And notwithstanding that they are to do good unto all men, they are to be
particularly concerned with the well - being of other Christians #C% Mt (6:1&-+9$. All Christian
gi!ing has to be as to ;od, the ChristiansB source, for whate!er Christians do they are doing it as
unto 4esus. 4esus eAuates ChristiansB treatment of those in need with their treatment of Fimself:
what Christians do for them, they do for Fim. The Christian wal* is not only a spiritual wal*, it
must also ser!e the material needs of others, especially other Christians #C% 4as (:&1-&0$.
Fere Christians are presented with the real test of their faith. Christians are not Iustified by
wor*s, but because they are Iustified by faith, they do the wor*s. This pro!es their consecration
to ;odBs ser!ice and confirms their lo!e for ;od and for each other #C% &4n 1:&9-&.$. The only
faith that sa!es is that demonstrated by wor*s out of ChristiansB lo!e for ;od. This scripture is
the eDact counterpart of 4n 1:&9: K3hosoe!er belie!eth in Fim should not perish, but ha!e
e!erlasting lifeL. &4n 1:&9-&. is the acid test of Christianity by which Christians *now whether
they are following the eDample of ;odBs lo!e to others. ,f Christians are not willing to gi!e of
material things to others in need, they certainly would not lay down their li!es for them. ,t is not
enough that wealth and material possessions are acAuired for self-gratification. They must always
be made a!ailable for the wor* of ;od #C% Mt 9:&.-(+2 u &(:&1-(&2 (Cor .:6-9$. Although
;odBs law of sowing and reaping dictates that blessings will always be returned for generosity,
Christians must ne!er gi!e in order to recei!e. ;i!ing must always be moti!ated by lo!e.
,t is the duty of all who are taught the word to help pro!ide material support for those who teach
the word. Those who minister the word are entitled to li!e off the word #C% &Cor .:0-&+2 ;a 9:92
1 4n 6-'$. No wor*ers of the word should ha!e to see* help in any form outside the church.
Christians ha!e a duty, which should be seen as a pri!ilege, to contribute to the needs of e!ery
wor*er of the word. They must not be treated li*e beggars, but recei!ed, sent, and supported in a
manner worthy of ;od #C% Mt &):+)-+(2 u &):1-02 &Ti 6:&0-&'$. ,n Mt &):+&-+( 4esus
promises that Khe that recei!eth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall recei!e a prophetBs
reward and he that recei!eth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall recei!e a
righteous manBs rewardL. This teaches Christians how important it is in ;odBs purposes to
recei!e and support true messengers of the gospel.
,n bringing this study to a close here it needs to be re-stated that while there is eDtensi!e teaching
on Christians gi!ing into the wor* of ;od in the New Testament, there are no scriptures whate!er
that teach tithing. 3hat they do teach is that Christians belong to ;od and what they ha!e is held
as a trust for him. Their gi!ing is done to help those in need and to ad!ance the <ingdom of ;od.
They are only obliged to gi!e in accordance with their means, out of what they ha!e, and the
amount they gi!e is not as important as their willingness to gi!e it. ;i!ing is seen as proof of
their lo!e. ,t is done sacrificially and !oluntarily. ,n their gi!ing Christians sow not only money,
but also faith, time and ser!ice. To sum up, their gi!ing is characteriEed by what %aul said in
(Cor .:0, Ke!ery man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him gi!e, not grudgingly, or
of necessity: for ;od lo!eth a cheerful gi!er.L