Is tithing biblical in the New Testament church? Wow! What a subject. You talk about a hot topic! So what's the answer? In a word, "NO!" I can see it now - some of you may have just spit whatever you was drinking or eating right at your computer monitor. Now you have a mess to clean up.
I want to address this issue in a serious manner. Tithing does appear in the Bible. So one
could say tithing is biblical. While tithing is biblical it is certainly
not Christian. You see, tithing was an Old Testament law that belonged to
Israel.
It was basically like an income tax. You don't find New Testament
Christians tithing.
Let's take a look at what the Old Testament
tithe was. The word "tithe" means "tenth part". God
actually instituted three tithes for Israel as part of their taxation
system. First, there was a tithe of the produce of the
land that was to support the tribe of the Levites. The Levites had no
inheritance in the promised land. This was God's means of provision for them. Secondly, there was a tithe of produce to
sponsor the many religious festivals in Jerusalem.
If the produce was too much for the family to carry to Jerusalem they were permitted to convert it
to money and give the money in place of the produce. Thirdly, there was a tithe of the produce of the
land that was collected every three years for those in need. These tithes consisted of crops, livestock
and/or flocks, not money (except as previously mentioned). When you add all these tithes up they average
23.3 percent of their income every year, not just the 10 percent we hear preached about today.
All these ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant were nailed to the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. That's why we don't see Christians tithing any more than we see them sacrificing animals to cover their sins. We're under a new covenant - a better covenant! I praise and thank God for it!
All these ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant were nailed to the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. That's why we don't see Christians tithing any more than we see them sacrificing animals to cover their sins. We're under a new covenant - a better covenant! I praise and thank God for it!
Giving is taught and encouraged, but there is no mention of the tithe
in the early church. When it comes to giving, we see the New Testament Christians giving cheerfully
according to their ability to give. It wasn't a duty to them (2 Corinthians 8:1-13, 9:5-13). They didn't give out of a
command. They gave voluntarily to help other believers as well as to support the
apostolic workers who were planting churches.
Some today believe we should tithe to support our clergy
system. Of course, most who believe that
are the so called clergy! The argument
they use is that the tithe should be used to support the ministers today just
as it was used in the Old Testament to support the Levites. Here’s a newsflash – today the Levitical system has been done away with! We are all priests now. Remember the priesthood of the believer? Do you realize that ministers were unsalaried
for the first three centuries? The
elders (shepherds) in the New Testament church were men with jobs. They had their own vocations. They gave to the church rather than taking
from it. So paying pastors really has no foundation in the New Testament.
The Bible does teach we are to give to support the Lord’s
work and to give generously to the poor.
Beyond that, there is no support in Scripture for salaries, operational
costs and building overhead. And there is
certainly no support for tithing in the early church. Now if a Christian chooses
to give ten percent or more out of a personal decision there is certainly
nothing wrong with that. You are free to
give unto the Lord as you see fit. The problem comes
when tithing is taught as a commandment of God for the New Testament
church. That’s just plain wrong.
What about the poor?
Under the Old Testament system of tithing it was good news for the
poor. They benefited from the
tithes. In our day, however, mandatory
tithing oppresses the poor even more as they are thrown into deeper financial
debt as they strive to give their tithe.
The gospel shouldn’t be a heavy burden to the poor and needy – or anyone
else for that matter.
In some institutional churches, today, if the church records don’t reflect
that you tithe you cannot hold a ministry position in that church. Never mind your love and commitment to God and the things of God.
Tithing has nothing to do with your devotion to God. It was never reflected that way in the early
church. If tithing was an indicator of
one’s devotion to God then the New Testament Christians must have not been
devoted to God because all the biblical evidence we have shows they did not
tithe.
God loves a Cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). I've often told people, "Don't give if you're going to want that money back. Don't give if you do so grudgingly."
Saying these things from the pulpit makes church leaders cringe! That's good for them though. It's fun to watch them. At least I'm entertained by it.
Let's be givers to God and His work. Let's be givers to the poor and needy. Give as you feel led to give. You certainly won't hear me say anything about tithing! I haven't believed in the tithe for many years.
Let's enjoy the journey in the freedom Jesus means for us to have.
Ray
This blog post is another in a series looking at the practices of churches today and how they line up with the New Testament. Perhaps this series could be better called, "Kicking Over Sacred Cows". For further reading and research, I recommend the book "Pagan Christianity?" by Frank Viola and George Barna.
I want to thank those of you who are sharing this blog with others. I so appreciate it. It's my desire to encourage and challenge believers everywhere to be the church Jesus has called us to be. Leave the baggage of organize religion and serve Jesus in freedom following the leading of the Spirit as we gather in His name. Please feel free to continue to post a link to this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or even email it by using the icons below. Let's see what God will do!
Luke 11:42 "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
ReplyDeleteBy Jesus saying "and not to leave the former undone," it is made clear that Jesus was not arguing against doing what is right. However, a personal relationship with God is more important. This links up with Malachi 3:8-12
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.”
God is not saying, for eternal salvation you must tithe. He is saying you are taking away something from God when you do not tithe. The tithe is meant as a way of providing food and resources to support the church not as a way of doing something to get into heaven. We are blessed with eternal life through Jesus Christ. You are blessed with crops, work and other things here on earth by tithing.
I'm not certain you understood this post. Tithing is an OLD TESTAMENT law for Israel. The passage in Luke you mentioned was talking to Pharisees ie Jewish religious leaders. They were still under law. Jesus was right in His comments there.
DeleteI am not arguing against doing what is right either. My point is, let's follow the pattern of the New Testament church. In fact, I don't believe Jesus ever taught His disciple to tithe. Interesting, huh?
The passage you mentioned in Malachi is the one preachers use all the time to emphasize the need for people to tithe today. I might add they use that passage out of context when they do that. To keep this in context we must remember this passage was directed to Israel when they were under the Mosaic law. In this case, Israel was holding back their tithe they were to give and were therefore stealing from God. As you mentioned in part, the tithe was to assist those in need among them. I would encourage you to read the earlier verses in Malachi 3 as that puts a little context on things.
As I mentioned in my blog the tithe was not so much money, but rather products. It was a tithe of the harvest of the field, of the herds, of the flocks and, in some cases, money. I covered that in the blog post. Again, this was for the support of the Levites, the poor, the strangers and the widows.
Because Israel was withholding their tithe, they were guilty of ignoring the needs of those who needed it. That was God's plan.
You find tithing taught or practiced in the New Testament church.
Again, I do strongly believe in giving to God. What you give is up to you. The fact is, all we have belongs to Him any way.
I appreciate you thoughts and input. Enjoy the journey! - Ray
Dear Brother,
DeleteYou are mistaken in your views. I would love to speak with you, as a brother. How can we dialog privately?
truthpedla@yahoo.com
Ray said, "As I mentioned in my blog the tithe was not so much money, but rather products. It was a tithe of the harvest of the field, of the herds, of the flocks and, in some cases, money."
ReplyDeleteTo be accurate, the Biblical tithe commanded by God was NEVER money. The tithe was always from crops and animals. In Leviticus 27:31, you could redeem (buy back) the tithe with money, but the tithe was still the crops and animals. In Deut. 14:22-27 you could exchange the tithe for money, but then you had to use the money to convert it back to food.
Good discussion, meant with all due respect and is a great way to learn.
ReplyDeleteRay stated, “All these ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant were nailed to the cross at Jesus' crucifixion. That's why we don't see Christians tithing any more than we see them sacrificing animals to cover their sins. We're under a new covenant - a better covenant! I praise and thank God for it!”
Ok this is where it gets confusing for most. There are not three tithes but one. The others mentioned were actually ceremonial Sacrifices to cover their sins, the Old Covenant. A Sacrifice is the offering of sheep, bulls, doves, grain/meal, wine, or incense to God as an act of propitiation. Propitiation means to appease the wrath of the offended and being reconciled to him. This is why God came into the world in human flesh as Jesus Christ to be the perfect sacrifice for sin and make atonement or “propitiation” for the sins of the people thus forming the New Covenant a better covenant! I praise and thank God for it, too!
The word “Tithe” is derived from the Hebrew word "aser" meaning ten. The "ma'aser," or tithe, thus means the tenth part of one’s increase. Which means to give the tenth part of something, often of a person's income, but also taken as one-tenth of the increase (profit) of an individual is expected to offer under Biblical law, which is relevant under Old & New Testament churches. That is what makes the tithe transferable and relevant to any time. It is a tenth of something. Today it is money but in those days it was grain or meat.
Give to God what is rightfully his with a joyful heart and he will overflow your cup with more.
@Anonymous,
DeleteYou are totally incorrect.
THE FIRST TITHE
Leviticus 27:30-33 defines this tithe as a tenth of crops and animals in herds and flocks.
Numbers 18 gives the ordinances, or instructions, for this tithe, and commands this tithe be taken to the Levites.
Purpose of this tithe: to support the Levitical Priesthood.
SECOND TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.
Purpose of this tithe: “that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always”
THIRD TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Purpose of this tithe: to feed the poor.
The tithe was never money, could not be money, and never came from anyone's income.
Many say that in Biblical times they didn’t have money and that the economy was based on bartering of goods and services. That is not so. The Bible shows they not only had money, but that money was used as a common way of doing business.
According to the International Bible Encyclopedia, the days of mere bartering ended before the days of Abraham.
Here are just a few examples from The Word to show they did, in fact, use money in Biblical times.
The tithing law itself proves they had both money and a marketing system for buying and selling their crops and animals (Deuteronomy 14:24-26).
THE PURCHASE OF LAND WITH MONEY BY ABRAHAM - Genesis 23:15-16
THE PURCHASE OF LAND WITH MONEY BY JACOB - Genesis 33:19
JOSEPH WAS SOLD TO THE ISHMEELITES FOR MONEY - Genesis 37:28
A MONEY OFFERING TO BE USED FOR THE SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE - Exodus 30:14-16,
Since the Temple Tax (tribute in KJV) HAD to be paid with MONEY, and since Deut. 14:22-27 prove they had a marketing system to buy and sell the crops and animals, your argument regarding income and money has no basis.
Hi Gary
DeleteCould I suggest that it is you who are totally incorrect scripturally.
The bible only ever refers to A tithe...or THE TITHE ...singular 10%.
IF there is more than one tithe as you claim then it is no longer a tithe (ie 10%) ... it is 20 or 30%.
The bible NEVER refers to a 'first tithe'...or a 'second or festival tithe'...or a 'third tithe or poor tithe'
By inserting these lables you are adding to God's word. which the scripture forbids us to do...and attempting to mislead people as to what God required.
The proof of a single tithe is simply the maths and the scriptures, The Levites in Numbers are less than 3% of the population of Israel ...FACT (read the book of Numbers if you dispute this). If they were to get the whole 'first' tithe every year as you claim, then they would be getting more than 3X the food of the rest of Israel.
That is why the bible says the THIRD year is the only tithe THE YEAR OF THE TITHE...and it is primarliy the LEVITES tithe.
Deut 26:12-14
12 "When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year — the year of tithing — and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the LORD your God: 'I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. NKJV
This third year Levitical tithe is ALL that God commanded of the Israelites as regards their tithe in that year... repeated 3X incase you still cannot accept it and let go your preconceptions about multiple tithes being require.
Chris (@TithingTRUTH.com)
Hi Gary
DeleteOn the contrary, you are being very deceitful in your suggestion of there being 'multiple tithes' required in the bible.
The SCRIPTURES only ever speak of THE (singular) tithe.. or A tithe.
A tithe is 10%...not 30% as you claim the scriptures teach.
Adding words to the scriptures is strictly forbidden.... especially word such as "First or Levites' tithe...and 'Second or Festival' tithe...and 'Third or Poor' tithe. This is done despite the total absence in the Hebrew text of ANY such words.
The Levites were only 3% of Israels population....read the book of Numbers and REPENT of this deception! How could you possibly believe that they deserved 3X the food that the rest of Israel had???
The third year is the ONLY year in which a tithe was given away...according to the scriptures.
Deut 26:12-14 "When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year — the year of tithing — and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the LORD your God: 'I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. NKJV
This THIRD YEAR tithe was ALL that God required...not the last of THREE tithes as you claim. God confirms this 3 X in the biblical 'tithe confession' which follows. This tithe IS the Levites tithe primarily....but was also shared with the poor.
Preachers are using this nonsense to say that we should give MORE than 10%...when THE tithe was only ever 10% of the herds and crops produced!
Chris @ TithingTRUTH.com
This issue is about to rear its pimply head in the " fellowship" I attend and I suspect I will be having a discussion with the pastor whom I believe will be pro tithing.
ReplyDeleteI have always held what I believe to be a New testament viewpoint which seems to line up with your views. That everything we have is from The Lord and that we cant give to make him our debtor since we owe him our very souls already
Thanks for at least giving me some support.
Blessings
it is a good stuff... but my question; is it true that tithing was under the law? when Abraham offered Melchizedek a tenth was it under the law? what about Jacob when he promised God to give a tenth of everything, was it under law?
ReplyDeleteMay God bless us
Yes, all were under law.
DeleteHi Cristopher
DeleteAbraham was under a different Law (Gen 26:5). The law referred to is the covenant law which Noah lived under (Gen 8:20-Gen 9:17) (look up Noahidism) .. and in addition had the covenant of circumcision included with it as per Gen 17.
The Israelites were under the Law of Moses which came 500 odd years later which was only ever given to Israel (Lev 27:34 and numerous references in Deut)
The Abrahamic covenant includes NO REQUIREMENT to tithe.
Chris @ TithingTRUTH.com
it is a good stuff... but my question; is it true that tithing was under the law? when Abraham offered Melchizedek a tenth was it under the law? what about Jacob when he promised God to give a tenth of everything, was it under law?
ReplyDeleteMay God bless us