I haven’t done so officially yet, but I was just thinking the other day about writing a testimony about how i came to my conclusion about tithing. I guess what prompted this was when I had mentioned to someone that i used to tithe. They asked me what reasons did I switch my views on tithing and if it had anything to do with the abuse of money in the church. Typically people ask questions like that because they wanted to see if my tithing stand was born out of ill conceit. Most people think that if your opposition sprouted from rebellion then they think that your argument is not legitimate. I’m sure there are many people out there today that believe in Spirit-led giving because they questioned abuse in the church. I’m sure some of them are still rebellious and bitter about it. But let’s not throw out the truths that we find even though they are found in the doubting moments of the church.
My tithing testimony doesn’t include a rebellious foundation. I grew up in a church that was very good with money. We had no debt, and we had great outreach. We didn’t have the bells and whistles, like coffee shops and stage lighting like most seeker-sensitive churches, but we still had more than what we needed. I remember the church going into debt only once because the school needed classrooms. It was a facility that cost only 1 million dollars and was well worth the cost for the students of a complete high school and church to constantly use.
So anyways back to my testimony, I got my first job at 16 at an ice cream shop. My very first paycheck I tithed on. I tithed from then all the way through the end of college. I didn’t question it. My parents had tithed all their lives and so I would as well. I really didn’t even know what verses that tithing was commanded from, but I tithed anyways. I am glad that I gave all that money, and there are no regrets there. The only thing I regret to tell you about my tithing testimony is that I was living by a law and I didn’t know why. It was automatic.
There’s been some controversy today about ATM tithing and automated debits for your offering. People are afraid that since the money is not physically placed in an offering plate that we will be out of tune with the heart of giving. But with how tithing is automated today, what difference does it make if you blindly press a button on the internet, or you just blindly sign a check? If there is no spiritual interaction involved it doesn’t matter if you have automatic withdrawals or you place cold hard cash in a gold offering plate as it passes by.
Let me tell you that one of the hardest things for me was to tithe my income when I was paying my way through college. Most people have it harder than I did, but I paid for my own gas, insurance, vehicle, entertainment, tuition, and books. My parents gave me a place to stay and eat for free, but they didn’t give me anything extra. Over one summer i had three jobs and was working about 70 hours a week. Regardless of how hard I worked I still had to take out some loans. Luckily it was only about 1 year’s worth of school debt
I mentioned that my parents had tithed all their lives, but let me just reassure you that God didn’t throw money out of the sky at our family. We probably just barely made it. I could honestly tell you that my parents probably had more credit cards than I actually get in offers in a year. They were extremely in debt! And managed to steal my credit and get me in debt as well, but that’s beside the point. The point I want to bring up is actually a question. Let’s say that my parents gave only 4% to the church, but were excellent in their finances and paid all their bills on time? How would God judge them? Of course, they did the opposite, but what do you think God judges more severely – not tithing or getting in debt? Hmmm, good question, but that’s not how God judges our stewardship. You see God doesn’t have a checklist of requirements that we need to meet before we’ve become acceptable to him. Remember the steward that was left in charge of 2 talents while his master was gone? He buried the talents and when his master returned, he gave 100% of the talents back. A good steward is an investor, not a giver, not a bill payer, not a returner.
This is essentially what I did with my money. I was a giver, not an investor. An investor is Spirit-led, but a giver follows directions from a dead law.
So as I was saying about my tithing testimony in college. At the end of college, I became involved in a fellowship that challenged and fed me. We did lots of ministries together. One day a friend confronted us about tithing. He said that tithing is not required of New Testament Christians. I immediately argued with him. Of course, I didn’t agree. I couldn’t have been wrong all these years. After all, tithing is commanded in the bible, right? After that i began to search the scriptures to prove him wrong. The more and more I studied, the more and more, I couldn’t prove him wrong. It was the craziest thing! I kept going over and over scriptures. I kept questioning my reasoning. There’s just no way that this much of the church has been wrong for so long about tithing. Then it hit me. What was the number one thing that Jesus talked about in the bible? It wasn’t heaven, hell, hatred, the tongue, lying, or satan. It was money.
Outside of the Holy Spirit and the Word, money is the most powerful and influential substance known to mankind. If there is anything that the church can be wrong about, it’s gotta be about money.
So I’ve been heavily studying and discussing tithing since 2005. I started a tithing website, started this blog, and started a tithing group in order to get the word out. Hopefully one day, I will write a book.
I cannot tell you the amount of growing and learning that God has given me over the past years. I wish I could just take a portion of my heart, soul, and mind and let you see the truths that God has spoken to me about Spirit-led giving. My passion on this subject is what keeps me writing about it so much. If this truth was not so alive in me I wouldn’t be able to write as much as I do. Right now, I believe there are over 180 blog articles that have been written here since 2006. Each day there are about 245 unique visitors, 3280 hits, and 175 google searches. That is another thing that keeps me motivated about this site. I know people are searching for the truth.
I am convinced that Spirit-led giving is what God intended for his Children under the New Covenant. Would I remain open to new evidence that tithing is required for us, well, sure! I have listened to hundreds of sermons and read dozens of books on tithing, so I’m not sure that much of anything new is out there to reveal, but an open mind is there, believe it or not. I hope my tithing testimony encourages some. Please share your testimony as well. It will encourage me and others.
Deacon & Usher says
Deacon & Uaher were here and read up
freewillgiver says
The mandated Christan 10% to the local church moneytithe doctrine. It is the fith or sixth thing that chrisians in America learn after they make a commitment to become Christians. Chistians feel so strongly about it but they cannot support it with the Bible. Christian moneytithing is Unchallenged leagalism, automaticaly belived. We know that salvation comes without works but the moneytithe doctrine teaches that spirituality, faith, Blessingings and Christian growth come through the works of moneytithing. Thankyou for promoting free will Offering the only giving that Christians should do. Wow I had not thought of it that Jesus talked so much about money but he never required a moneytithe in the Old or New testement.
Frewillgiver
Anthony E. Fierro says
Since tithing is definitely a principle taught in the Bible, it is absolutely shocking to hear the number of people that teach that tithing isn’t relevant for Christians today. Many of these individuals decry tithing as an “illegal and abusive practice of the Church”. They claim that if you practice tithing you are still under “Old Testament bondage”. The purpose of this article is not to identify every scripture in the Bible relating to tithing, but rather to try to refute some of the arguments commonly used to convince people that Christians don’t need to tithe.
1) Tithing is not necessary under this current dispensation of grace.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “If the ‘grace’ you have received does not help you to keep the law, you have not received grace.” While it is true that we now live in a dispensation of grace, that grace was purchased at a tremendous cost. It did not free me of all obligations to Christ. Lev. 27:30-32 emphasizes that the tithe is “holy unto the Lord”. We are commanded to “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16). If we consume upon ourselves that which is holy unto the Lord, then we are cheapening the grace that purchased our redemption.
‘If the “grace” you have received does not help you to keep the law, you have not received grace’.
2) Tithing was only an Old Testament teaching, and was not applicable in the New Testament.
Scripture records several ceremonial obligations, such as the law of animal sacrifices, which are no longer binding upon the New Testament church (Heb. 9:8–10). These were types that were fulfilled by Christ at his first advent. However, tithing was instituted for a specific purpose and not as a type. The Apostle Paul presented no argument against tithes as he did repeatedly against the ceremonial issues of the law (ex. meats, holy days, new moon feasts, Sabbath days, circumcision, etc.). Jesus himself even commended people for tithing (Matt. 23:23). There are many scriptures in the New Testament showing where the ceremonial law of God was fulfilled and no longer applicable to the church, but there is no scripture stating that tithing in no longer necessary. It is very audacious of men today to take it upon themselves to make changes to God’s written plan for the tithe.
3) Tithing was only required of Jews, not Gentiles.
The vast majority of our Bible was written to the Jews. All of Jesus’ words were spoken to Jews. That does not mean we can disregard them because we are not Jews. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
4) Before the Law of Moses, tithing was done on a voluntary basis.
All true worship of God is voluntary on our part. That was true before, during and after the Law of Moses. No one makes you attend church. No one forces you to be baptized. No one makes you live a holy life. Similarly, no one can compel you to tithe. That does not mean that it’s optional either. The grace of God allows us to obey all of God’s Word and not just the parts we like.
5) Malachi 3 was only written to the Jews that were under the Mosaic Law.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (II Tim. 3:16). Of course Malachi was writing to the Jews in his day, because the Gentiles were still the wild olive branch that had not yet been grafted in (Romans 11:17). If we are to say that the scriptures only apply to the people that they were originally written for, then we can disregard the entire Bible. We don’t need to show charity, because that was only a charge given to the Corinthians.
6) It is impossible to give tithes to the one true High Priest and anyone else collecting tithes under grace is a fraud and a robber.
“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matt. 25:40) It is true that we are not able to physically give our tithes to Christ, and he has no need of them anyway. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalms 50:10). However, he has established a church that bears his name and is his representation in the earth.
7) Those that tithe are denying that Christ fulfilled the law of Moses.
There was a law of God in place long before the Mosaic Law was instituted. For example, God instructed Noah regarding the number of animals he was to take into the ark. He differentiated between the “clean” and the “unclean” animals. The Bible does not record the law defining such unclean animals, until Leviticus 11. Yet, that law was already in existence in Noah’s time.
Similarly, the principle of tithing preceded the establishment of God’s covenant with ancient Israel and it did not cease with the establishment of the second or new covenant!
8) A pagan Roman Catholic Church established tithing centuries after the Bible was written.
This is a very weak argument since there are so many scriptures in the Bible that shows God’s people observing the principle of tithing. The truth is God himself established tithing in the book of Genesis (Gen. 14:20).
9) Only Levites could collect tithes and since the Levitical priesthood has ended, so has tithing.
This argument is based on the assumption that God gave the tithe eternally and unconditionally to the Levites. The Bible does not say that. When we tithe, we are giving it to the Lord and not to man. Man only uses it. In Malachi 3, Israel was not robbing the Levites of tithes – they were robbing God.
The ability to receive tithes was not just based on ancestral heritage. The Bible even records some examples of individuals receiving tithes that were not Levites. Abraham paid tithes to Melchesidek (Gen. 14:18-20) and he obviously was not a Levite since Levi would not be born until many years later. There were some who came and brought their tithes to Elisha (II Kings 4:42).
10) Only food products from the land were “titheable”; money was never a “titheable” item.
There is certainly no scripture that excludes money as a “titheable” item. In fact, the scriptures say that you are to give tithes of all your increase (II Chron. 31:5). In the agricultural society of Moses day, the primary source of wealth for people was their crops and animals. This was their source of income. God is laying out a principle that you are to tithe from your source of income.
11) Giving offerings has replaced tithing, and you only need to give what you feel is appropriate for your situation.
“Proportional giving” is a concept that is impossible for Christians to fulfill. We can never give back to the Lord in proportion to how he as blessed us. If we gave everything we had, we would still fall far short.
In addition, offerings were not a New Testament creation designed to replace tithing as some would want you to believe. In fact, the giving of offerings was taught in the Old Testament in addition to paying your tithes. The children of Israel were required to bring an offering when they came up to the Temple three times a year (II Chron. 8:13). Giving offerings is not to be in place of your tithes, but in addition to it. The Israelites had robbed God of “tithes and offerings” (Mal. 3:8). If they were one and the same, this passage would not make sense.
In conclusion, people can come up with all kinds of arguments to not do something that they don’t want to do. Due to space, I have not even addressed some of the weaker arguments sometimes used (ex. tithes were suppose to be brought into the storehouse and the New Testament church has no storehouse). From studying the scriptures, I strongly believe that tithing is still relevant for our day. It was instituted as a method to support the work of God and to be a vehicle by which God could bless his people. Both of which we still need today.
Brian Hanna says
Truth About Tithes
BIBLE VERSES
Is Your Giving by the OLD COVENANT or by the NEW COVENANT
Jesus Died to Set us Free From The Law!
The following Bible verses prove Jesus No Longer Demands The Tithe!
Is Your Giving by the Law or by The Holy Spirit?
Question: Have you been taught the liberty of giving by the Holy Spirit. Or are you taught the legalistic law of giving called tithing? The Bible say’s if you live according to the law you become a debtor to keep the whole law. The Bible also says if you try to justify yourself by the law you will fall from grace.
OLD COVENANT
Moses Established Levitical Law Of Tithing – Only Required Every Third Year!
Deuteronomy 14:27-29 You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you. “At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates. And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
Moses’ Levitical law mandates a four-way split of the tithe! The storehouse was to provide a welfare fund using 75% of all tithes! The tithe was to bless the poor, not put a yoke of bondage on them!
Deuteronomy 26:12 “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, 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.
According to the Levitical Law of tithing established by Moses, priests are limited to room and board, as the Levitical Law prohibits priests from owning property.
Joshua 14:3 Moses had granted the two-and-a-half tribes their inheritance east of the Jordan but had not granted the Levites an inheritance among the rest,
Joshua 18:7 The Levites, however, do not get a portion among you, because the priestly service of the LORD is their inheritance.
Are we Under the Law Or Not?
NEW COVENANT established in Jesus’ New Testament
Hebrews 9:16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be a death of the testator.
Before Jesus died to establish His testament, the new covenant, He said to those still under the law at that time;
Matthew 23:23-26 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Hebrews 8:6-13 Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” In that He says, “A new covenant, ” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Are You Guilty of Wrongfully Demanding The Tithe? Repent!
Matthew 9:13 …go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Matthew 12:7 …if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have
condemned the guiltless.
Galatians 2:16 …man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ…
Original Jewish Christians Set The Standards Required For Gentile Christians
Acts 15:1-29 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Galatians 5:1-18 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another! I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Romans 7:6 …now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that WE SHOULD SERVE IN THE NEWNESS OF THE SPIRIT and not in the oldness of the letter.
Galatians 3:24-25 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Hebrews 7:18-19 For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and un-profitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. (Read Hebrews chapters 7 & 8 for more clarity)
But Still…
Acts 20:35 …‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Only, Let Your Giving…
Philemon 1:14 …not be by compulsion…
2 Corinthians 9:7 …let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Matthew 6:1 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
Give by The Holy Spirits Leading With Faith and Love…
Luke 6:38 …and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
2Corinthians 9:6 …He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
But Remember…
1Corinthians 13:3 (paraphrased) Though you bestow all your goods to feed the poor, and even give your body to be burned, but have not love, it will profit you nothing.
To Those Who Give Out of Love as They Are Lead by The Holy Spirit…
2Corinthians 9:10 …He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness…
James 1:25 …he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
New Covenant followers of Jesus are free to give as the Holy Spirit leads them.
Are you free to exercise this liberty Jesus died for you to have?
What sacrifice does Jesus really want from you?
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Warning to all pastors: STOP DEMANDING the TITHE, says THE LORD JESUS
These Bible verses were compiled from the New King James Version by Brian & Jon Hanna Truth Ministries, PO Box 25096, Cleveland, OH 44125 http://www.ConnectionMagazine.org, email: jon@connectionmagazine.org
Our purpose is to rightly divide the word of the One True Almighty God/Father/Savior Jesus Christ who’s word is found in the Holy Bible; To provoke you to read His Word thoroughly; To incourage you to seek Him diligently in prayer, and to help you develop a strong relationship with Him.
Please visit http://www.connectionmagazine.org with your corrections and/or comments
Tim Greene says
All this talk about tithing not being a biblical pricinpl e is bunch of crap. I will agree say tithing usually means 10% of your income. However, giving is still taught and you should be doing it. All these verses about we are no longer under the law. Which is true, but we still live the law. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. So if you are living for God and Christ, you will live the law without having to do all the sacrifices. Which where what Jesus set us free from, but the practices of tithing, I have are throughout the new Testament, just not a 10%. I would say it is based on what you can do, and like it was said it is not to say it is money.
In other parts of the world people bring crops for pastors as their tithe. It is what you can do and based on where you live. US, we have money, well not if you look at the National Debt, but anyway. Giving would be money, but lets say you cannot afford to get 10%, which I would say is a good percent to use since it was what Abraham gave, but is not mandatory. However, you can give like 4%. Then you should give 4%.
Let’s say you are so tight budgeted that you cannot afford to give any money, so you tithe your time. This is of course goes above and beyond already serving in the Church.
Do not be so quick to throw the Law out, because Jesus did not abolish the Law.
Jared Brian says
I hope you didn’t get the idea from my blog posts that i wanted to throw out the law or that i don’t want people to give. Of course we should all be sacrificial in our giving.
Ken says
It’s amazing how defensive people who tithe get when they are faced with the following….
1) Why tithe when Christians never tithed
2) Which tithe do you tithe, do we even have a right to not tithe two of them?
3) What do you do during the seventh year when NO tithe was required?
4) Do you give your tithe to a Levite, a tithe to the poor and do you tithe for the festival?
5) How do twist scripture so that tithe is MONEY?
..this is just the beginning….
What God wants is us to care for each other. The Levites portion was the tithe… the poor (who were not required to tithe) were also the recipients of the tithe.
If you are going to “tithe” biblically, then you better make sure you are doing it by the book.
For those of who have been freed from the law of sin and death, our whole being is for God’s glory, our time, talents and money.
Only God can make a claim on any of these three and He does it through the Holy Spirit that lives deep within each one of us who are called and held by Jesus.
Jared Brian says
Ken,
Thanks for stopping by. I love it when their defense is just a bunch emotional discharge of empty proof. It’s interesting to me that the majority of sermons that are accompanied by testimonials are the ones about tithing. That’s partly because the pastor can’t get too deep into scripture on the topic otherwise people start asking questions.
– Jared B.
freewillgiver says
Tim Green
Which is it? Is failing to moneytithe 10% a sin or not. If monetithing is what Jesus requires then we are in a grave sin for telling people that they are not required. If monetithing 10% is manditory then please present verses in the New testement. We don’t want to be in sin so enlighten us. However if you are wrong then I declare that you are in sin for teaching an error which is a stumbling block to the givers of the moneytithe and a bigger sin for the recievers of the moneytithe. The old testament people had money and crops but they were never required to moneytithe 10%. Your view of tithing sounds like freewillgiving if one can give 4% of their income. Just come right out and admit that Preachers are wrong when they demand a moneytithe of 10%. Would you ever proclame that folks are in sin if they do not monetithe 10% of their money? You know that so many churches do exaclly that or they allow their congregations to get the impression that they must give 10% of their money or they are in sin. Take a stand are preachers who allow people in their congregations to think that they are in sin if they don’t tithe 10% of their money stealing or not?
Are you hot cold or lukewarm over this issue of moneytithing? You cannot have it both ways because there really is no middle groud.
Freewillgiver. please respond
Speaking Truth says
To me, the fundamental question is are we bound to giving to the pastor or to the needs of our brothers and sisters (Matthew 25:35-46)? The reality is that many pastor see the tithe as a revenue stream – period. They don’t trust us to give from the heart (as scripture commands in 2 Corinthians 9:7), so they tie the bondage of the law around our necks, twist Malachi 3 and declare that we’re cursed for witholding it, and some pastors are even kicking people out of church if they don’t consistently give their 10%.
So Ken, no one is arguing about giving – especially grace giving. But if your defending the “tithe”, then you either support it as a 10% tax (which as we all know, tithe means “tenth”), or you support giving from the heart as the Lord leads.
Speaking Truth says
Sorry Ken – I was addressing Tim’s post, not yours.
I agree with you :-)
Willow says
If the tithe includes money and/or acts/deeds. My question is: How many people actually give 2 hours and 24 minutes (a tenth of each day) to acts/deeds for God?
I know if I tithe 10% and then have to worry the rest of the week how I’m going too pay bills and feed my family then I’m not a cheerful giver.
Dori says
I agree with your belief in Spirit-led giving. Just this week, I have been confronted with a choice. Pay my tithe to my church, where my pastors manage with their own faith to hold down a million dollar home and a few luxury cars (which I am in no way criticizing them for) OR buy new school clothes for my godson. This is a child that I met at a birthday party of a friend in the projects. He is very poor, his mother practices bi-sexuality, parties all the time, and is very physically abusive to all three of her children. I listened to the Lord and got involved in this child’s life. Believe me, I have paid a price for this decision. I’ve had the Dept of Children & Families called on me 3 times (always ending up in my favor) since my godson came to live with me. People just don’t understand why some white girl wants to take care of some ghetto black boy. But, I just did what was in my heart. It was not the most “opportune” time either, when he came to live with me (I am a single mother with two sons of my own). I have struggled a lot financially and had my faith challenged on a whole new level. I’ve been criticized and persecuted by many, especially those close to me, some who don’t want the little black boy around. But, they don’t know what this boy and me have been through together or how close we are now. He’s my son. And recently he has been telling me how God has been speaking to him (and its true, I am a witness) Now, you tell me, do I send my little boy to school for another year of humiliation because he has old worn out clothes and make part of my pastor’s Hummer payment or, do I get to experienc the true joy (I hold back tears now) of giving so passionately from my heart to my godson. I already know the answer for me, my godson and I are going shopping this week and nothing gives me greater pleasure. And I believe God is smiling too. Why would the Lord withhold blessing from anyone who would use it not just to give to a charitable cause, but would use it to be a witness to a young child and say “this is how much God loves you”. I haven’t just given this boy money, I have given him my whole heart. I will never leave him nor forsake him.
Stefanie says
Why can’t it be both? If I willfully ascribe to giving 10% of my money to the church, and I do so with a thankful heart for the blessings God has given me, then I don’t see why that is a problem.
We don’t live in an age of livestock and harvests, but as a salary earner, my increase is money which can be traded for such goods. I realize that as a New Testament believer, I am not bound by the old law, but if you read in the New Testament, new believers sold EVERYTHING they had and gave it to the church. You don’t really see many people doing that nowadays, even though it is biblical.
My testimony is simple regarding tithing. I lost my job and had to move to another state. I was $14,000 in debt. I found a steady job that paid half of what I made at the first job. I had to move back in with my parents. I had never tithed before, but I felt like it was the next step in my personal walk with God. My parents were strongly against me giving a tithe since I was in debt. However, I felt that it was what I was supposed to do. It took me over a year to get out of debt. I didn’t spend money on games, entertainment, expensive food or clothes. I worked hard to put as much of my debt behind me every month. Within my first year of tithing, I started a job which paid more than the first job I had. I continued to tithe and after 2 years, I was making 20% more a year from receiving 3 raises. This was miraculous because my company has been tight about money and yet I was blessed again and again.
I am not a millionaire, but I feel secure in my God. Whenever my car has broken down, or I’ve needed money, I’ve had enough in savings to cover it. Sure, it’s frustrating to have very little at times, but I always have enough to take care of problems that arise. I believe that I am blessed because in obedience to God I started to tithe. I lost my first job I believe because I turned my back on God and the church. I think God wanted me to be more committed to Him this time around and giving Him my money just furthur solidifies my committment and love for Him. Everything I have is His and yet he asks for so little in return.
I think this is something each of us work out as part of our salvation and our walk with God. I personally do not like freewill giving because it is emotional in response, just like impulse shopping. Giving regularly is a more disciplined action. Done in the right context, it is actually a very beautiful thing that can draw you closer to God.
Stefanie says
Unlike your parents, when I started tithing, I was getting out of debt, not sinking myself furthur in it. I was able to throw over $1k at it every month until it was gone. Because I had been so unresponsible starting my adult life, tithing made me meditate on how I had gotten where I was. To be honest, the amount I was paying in tithe, was less than what I had been paying to go out to eat every month in my previous lifestyle.
When I got my first house, the lender said “I know you are looking for a house in X range, but you could afford SO MUCH MORE.” This is the bullfish that so many people have swallowed by greedy lenders. I ran the numbers in advance of my home purchase and got something I knew I could afford while putting away savings every month.
I agree that basic economics is important for Christians. High school kids should be taught basic life skills like balancing a check book.
If tithing causes you to go furthur in debt, then you need to evaluate how you are spending your other money. Tithing helped me look at that in my life.
Anthony E. Fierro says
****PRAISE GOD FOR YOUR TESTIMONY STEPHANIE!!!****
Seriously – if you’re living so tight that you can’t spare a DIME something is wrong with you. Give up the cable, the Starbucks, the pager and a cell phone and prove good stewardship…then when you get on top you can bless yourself too!!!
smiley says
Yes. Praise God. But you both fail to realize that EVERYONE that is supposedly commanded to tithe do not have ANY of what you mentioned. They don’t have a home to put cable in or extra money for Starbucks. If I love God and I am homeless and jobless are you saying that God is going to or has already cursed me for not tithing?????
Jerry says
To Stefanie, thanks for your testimony. What a refreshing input on an otherwise bleak and dismal site. I stumbled upon this place and have been amazed at the comments. Obviously a gathering place for those inclined to justify, rationalize there reason for giving less than 10%. To Dori, bless your heart. I personally give a tithe to the church and also support, through giving, other Christian charities, and give of my time at church. But my personal belief is that the 10% is given to God (not specifically the church) for his will. It would appear his will is for you to help this child. God Bless You, but of course he already has.
Jared Brian says
Jerry,
My stance on tithing does not rationalize giving less than 10% any more than your 10% stand rationalizes giving less than 100%. Not unless you really think a tithe equals a 100% committed steward?
Your comments are from an amateur’s point of view. Not only does it lack facts, but it lacks discernment about the motives and achievements of many participants on this blog. I know many people who do give more than 10%, and also teach against the tithe. Kind of shocking isn’t it? Makes you wonder how people can be against tithing, and yet fight greed? Hmmm, kind of sounds like they understand how to be Spirit led.
– jared
Bill says
I too grew up thinking that this was completely scriptural. I met my wife in college who held the same views and after we were married we tithed ourselves right into debt. Years of guilt followed because we weren’t able to “keep up with the Jones” at church in our tithing effort. It wasn’t until last year (14 years later) that I began to really dig into the source of tithing. Our church did a campaign on giving and we led a small group that “helped” folks focus on their finances. What I learned in this group was a tragedy. We had “law-a-holics” who were borrowing money from parents to pay their bills so they could pay their tithe. I didn’t hear any outrage from the leadership team. I became angry.
I have been set free from the law of sin and death. I am disappointed in the contemporary church today that still quietly sits back and indirectly enforces the tithe. Moreover, I am taken back at the notion that I will be more blessed if I am being ‘obedient’ to the tithe and could possibly be ‘cursed’ if I’m not. What a tragedy.
Unfortunately, the church has played up through personal testimonies that tithing automatically = blessings! There is a real danger that exist here and there isn’t enough time to go into depth about it but know this…the church will be held accountable for their selfish money-hungry sins.
Jared Brian says
Bill,
Thanks for sharing your testimony.
– jared
John S says
Please pray for me and my wife. We have been serving God free from the yoke of tithing in our episcopalian church. Recently a new Priest (thats what we call them) was posted to our Church. He immediately started to teach about the importance of tithing. I have been involved in the music ministry of the Church. But I am aware of the scam of tithing. I opposed his tithing teaching through emails with our members. The new Priest reacted by removing me from the music ministry! Please pray for my future in the local Church.
John S says
I know of two cases in my own life about tithing. A member of our Episcopalian church, who came out of SDA continued to tithe in spite of her poverty. Her two children were born invalid. She died and the family did not even have money to buy a coffin !
Another case is my collegue who was from Brethren background, also high on tithing. In his old age, the wife left him for another man and he is spending his rest of life at an Old Folks Home.