We already know that Tithing is for Pagans and it is also for Sissies, but the practice of Tithing is also for Dummies too. Hopefully, by the end of this enlightening article, I’ll take you to school to wisen you up and then you’ll finally realize that being a sacrificial, Spirit-led giver is much smarter than being a tither.
Tithing is a No Brainer
It almost takes no forethought to be a tither. Once you get your paycheck, move the decimal one place to the left, and voila! You have your 10%. Sign your check, lick the envelope, and place in the offering plate. Paying your utility bill isn’t even this easy. God gave his son, who sacrificed his life to seek a complex relationship with us, and we find it acceptable that worship with our possessions is this effortless.
Some people view tithing’s no-brainer as a positive thing: It’s simple, and straightforward with no gray lines. You would have to be stupid to mess tithing up. Sometimes simplicity can be attributed to wisdom, but God did not develop the concept of a tithe because he distrusted our capability to navigate through more complex matters.
With tithing, churches have very little concern about congregational funds being delegated to more deserving charities. While the dogma of tithing reigns supreme over financial stability, liberty is thwarted.
The minute that dictators see people think for themselves is when they get nervous. Mass brainwashing is imperative if you seek control over the finances of a group of people. Sheep are stupid and so are people, so pulpit preachers relish the idea of basic, straightforward instruction to command the people to perform. No questions are usually asked about what to give, where to give, and who to give it to; so this ‘no brainer’ mentality is extremely convenient.
Why is Simplicity Bad?
The problem is two-fold.
The first is that leaders desire to control more than they desire faith. Those who give, are exercising faith because their finances are tested due to the strain on their budgets; but the leaders, the ones who set the examples, are the beneficiaries of a law requiring a minimum 10%. This was a fine law in the Old Testament because the ministers (Levites) were under the restrictions of the Law as well. They were equal participants with the legalities of tithing because they could not own land, nor have an occupation. By law, they were required to serve in the office of a Levite. Levites never felt led by the Holy Spirit to start a ministry since the law required them to serve regardless. Naturally, the same code of laws that the Levites were assigned to serve, were the same laws that the Israelites were assigned to provide. Today we’ve implemented a hybrid system of Old Testament laws that are imposed on God’s children, but that is not imposed on the leaders. This is bad for our leadership.
The second problem is that givers miss out on the pursuit of God. I alluded to this earlier by illustrating how simple tithing is. It’s just a simple 10%. There is no need to pray about how much, where, or who to donate to. Just sign your check and forget about it. For those who can easily afford their tithe, then their contributions are hardly beneficial to their spiritual well-being. Their tithe is simply a gesture, rather than something more meaningful. As I stated before, God is seeking a complex relationship with us. This does not include worship that requires almost zero interaction.
Tithing is for Gullible People
Tithing is not an exclusive Christian doctrine. Many other religions practice tithing or some form of a minimum requirement for giving. In reality, I don’t need to be born again in order to tithe to my God. Many will give for their religion if they are forced to, or if they feel there are benefits for their giving. I’m sure you pay taxes, but does that mean your relationship with your government is the same as your relationship with your God?
Godly giving is done right when it is in response to love and grace. I can portray a loving, generous heart through my tithing because I feel there is no other choice; but when I am not required to give, and yet I give sacrificially – now that shows I am genuine and not counterfeit. Most gullible believers feel that our generosity is what separates us from other religions, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. What separates us is our ability to give without any obligation, and to use love as our law instead of ordinances. Before you think I’m trying to throw out the bible, let me remind you that most of you reading this practice generosity towards a spouse or your children the way I’m encouraging you to give to God. You don’t need an ordinance that dictates your obligations to your loved ones; more than likely you are giving to your loved ones out in response to your love for them. If we don’t need ordinances dictating our generosity towards our horizontal relationships, then why would we need these ordinances if we truly are in love with our vertical relationship?
Enforced giving cloaks the true intentions of why most people give. I’ll be the first to admit when some people realize that they are not required to tithe, they stop giving altogether. Does this mean that they will be blessed for their tithe in the past, but now going forward God will be displeased? What makes you think that God blesses an obedient, although reluctant, giver? So, why in the world would God value tithing as a minimum requirement?
I know that individuals are capable of tithing with a good heart. I’m not saying these people are counterfeit. I’m talking about those who cloak themselves behind the self-righteous act of tithing. Tithing can incubate artificial love.
If you think tithing is protecting your finances, or if you believe its saving you from the devour, then you are dumber than I thought. Tithing doesn’t do any of that. Do you think the Pharisees were under the blessing of God because of their tithing? Jesus called the Pharisees many names, but to put it in modern terms, they were just a bunch of dummies.
Believe it or not, you can be under the curse of the law for tithing. Some of you think you are saving your finances, but in turn, you are destroying them. How could you be so gullible? Galatians states, “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse”. If you don’t think tithing is a command under the law, then you are even more gullible than i thought.
Tithing is for These Dummies Too
Have you ever had a conversation with a dummy? I’m not talking about a real person. I’m talking about a doll or manikin that is controlled by someone. Unless you are sitting in a psyche ward reading this, then I’m sure your answer is – No. U can’t have a conversation with a dummy because they are not living beings. They may appear living by their appearance or because they are being manipulated by another source but they are still dead objects.
An individual that is dictated by tithing is the same as this manikin. Let me explain. God’s purpose in tearing down the veil was to establish a relationship and personal communion with himself. Originally Israel’s worship and obedience were mandated through the law and prophets. Israel’s worship was basically spelled out for them. Just like a puppet All that was needed was compliance. There was no praying or consultation about what the right thing was to do. They didn’t need to wonder how much money the Levites needed this week or how much the poor needed. Israel didn’t need to pray about how much to give or to seek out those who needed help. All this guessing work was already done for them. They just needed to show up and do their duty. Israel’s job description is the same job as a dummy since they didn’t have much control over what they were supposed to be doing. The most complex function of tithing was taking the time to count out the tithe each harvest.
A dummy (puppet, manikin) does not consult with its master about its daily activities because a dummy does not communicate. In the old testament, Israel did not have direct or intimate communication with God. The Holy of Holies was their direct line of communication, and only a priest could enter. The good news is that Jesus died to provide us a line of communication to the Father through him. The veil was torn, and as soon as it did, the strange communication barrier that once separated the master from his followers had vanished.
Not only had the veil been torn and a line of communication established, but on top of that God also sent us his Spirit to guide us. He would guide us to serve, give, pray, worship, counsel, and teach. The law’s purpose to lead God’s people into worship had been fulfilled, and the purpose of the Holy Spirit guiding and directing the Church began. We no longer were puppets being dictated by the strings of the law; we became children of the master and walked side by side to help us understand his will in real time.
I’m not saying that tithers are dead or not born again. I’m saying that worshiping God through tithing is preventing them from communication with him and hindering a more intimate relationship. As I said before, dummies don’t communicate with their master because they don’t have the ability. We are given the ability, through the Holy Spirit, and the means, through the torn veil to communicate with God in the most ideal way; but here we are satisfied with worshiping God with the automated task of tithing. We’ve stitched back the two pieces of the torn veil because we’ve become scared to liberate generosity in the Church.
Conclusion
Spirit-led giving takes prayer, fellowship, and dedication. It is the most radical way to give. Because of the focus and energy required to exercise Spirit-led giving, it is not a simple task. Although tithing is a no-brainer, I can see that it may be impossible or difficult on the budgets, but when it comes to seeking God’s will tithing takes no thought or prayer. If you want to remain gullible, Be my guest. Just remember that tithing doesn’t fool God about your heart, and neither does tithing protect you; actually it’s the opposite. Lastly, tithing is for dummies who find comfort in the strings of law, and who also wish to keep their distance from intimate relationships with God.
This was a wonderful article. It confirms my belief that the tithe doesn’t protect my finances and it is not required. God provides my needs because He loves me.
I didn’t grow up in church. Therefore, as a new believer back in the day and still today, I study the word and listen to His spirit. When I question the belief or doctrine of a church, people look at me like “Why don’t you believe.” I always feel like other believers go along with everything that has been passed down through generations. They don’t “study”, think for themselves,or rightly divide the word. We need to be like the Bereans.
In my experience, I have left churches, where I tithed, because they kept insisting on giving more. It was about building extensions and the latest technology to reach people for Christ. What I witnessed was mismanagement of funds.
The last church I attended for well over one year and participated in a home group. When I left, no one reached out to see if I was okay. But, I keep receiving mail asking for more money esp since it’s Christmas.
The women’s ministry was ran by a controlling woman. She wanted the twelve leaders to be financially responsible for the holidays, funeral meals, monthly meetings, etc. As I single woman, I complained I cannot afford to support all the ministries I wasn’t a part of.
In closing, I do not give out of guilt or compulsion. I feel free to draw closer and depend on God for all my needs. He is Our provider. I am no longer a dummie. :0) I am a cheerful giver.
One great way to figure out a false teaching is this; Does the bible say what the teacher says it says.
Hey, Christians generally despise Planned Parenthood because of the abortions they provide. But the news and entertainment industry has reduced the issue to “free mammograms for poor women.”
Hey, what if WE, us Christians, provided those free mammograms? It won’t happen, we need the money for those building renovations, and those (undisclosed) salaries.
If our money is cursed for not tithing correctly, why do church leaders not return the money to all those giving less than 10%? Why would a church take in cursed money? If a person gives 5,7, or 9%, the church should immediately return the money, lest they take on a curse!
I guess churches that espouse tithing, but collect anything really don’t believe in it either!
Tithing is racist, and sexist, too. Ten per cent of a million dollars would actually mean nothing to that person. Ten per cent of $14,000 to a single mom is devastating. But I’m sure the pastor won’t care. After all, the windows of heaven will open up and pour blessings on that poor woman that she won’t believe. Of course, it won’t happen, because tithing doesn’t apply to Christians.
Jacob tithed. But you won’t hear your pastor say much about it. Look it up, then you’ll know why the tithe teaching, gets paid out of the collection basket pastor’s lips are sealed.
In the BIBLE, the tithe HAD to go to WHOM? Again, the pastor’s lips are sealed.
Are you robbing God of the tithes and offerings? Excuse me, the person in the pew CAN NOT rob God of tithes and OFFERINGS. But who could? The pastor.
Don’t you want the windows of heaven to open up and pour blessings upon you that you won’t believe? Whoops, doesn’t work. If it does, it has to work 100% of the time. Whoops, using that lie, there is NO reason whatsoever for a Christian to be poor. Ever.
I informed Jesus Christ roughly 12 years ago that not only wouldn’t I, a child of his, be tithing, I wouldn’t be giving ANYTHING to the local church. Since then, like before, I have been blessed beyond belief, for no reason other than grace. During the Great Recession, I never lost working hours, as many people did. In fact, I turned down an incredible amount of overtime during this period. And, I didn’t take a cut in pay either. I actually got a few raises during that time. My 401K? I played it better than 99% of money managers. I retired a year and a half ago, at the age of 55. I thought I would need a part time job, but I was wrong.
I write this because no one can explain this to me. After I made it clear to Jesus that I wouldn’t be tithing, I kept on getting blessed beyond my wildest dreams. It was GRACE. I didn’t deserve this, but it was given to me anyway.
I do give money to Christian causes. Actually, I have one favorite Christian charity. That charity feeds the hungry, clothes the (figurative) naked, houses the homeless, etc, and makes sure those people hear all about Jesus.
How many people are burning in hell right now, because they heard this lie about giving 10% of their gross income to the local church, and rejected Jesus because of this lie?
God is in control of all things in the world. If a pastor is acting in the manor that you believe most pastors are with the tithe or offering, then leave it to God . Everyone reaps what they sow. Tithing isn’t in the bible for no reason. Its a form of worship.
that’s not biblical and it’s a form of avoiding conflict out of fear to hold leaders accountable. the Bible clearly states ti stay away from a greedy abusive swindling persons that claim to be believers. this is a gaslighting response
I think that this site with info on tithing in my opinion is discouraging to those that tithe in all faith. this is a personal journey with God. straight to the point, do not worry about where the money goes,but know that you payed the tithe to the lord of your life. If you can’t feel the conviction then maybe the lord of your life might be something,(“money”)or someone else. Everything giving to us isn’t all for us it is to share to the needy. Its an act of faith so if your faith is in your self righteousness in your earnings. We should be open to council always in every aspect of life. Your correct that’s this is no salvation manner but it is a faith manner. Let God speak to you. I’m not the best at writing but I’m sure you get my point. I only share because I feel God telling me to write to you and share. God bless.
Hi Fabian, I became a Christian 41 years ago. I use to be a teacher in a non-denominational church. At that particular time in my life, there was nobody who felt more strongly about paying tithes, than I did.
I remember on one occasion stating that Christians who were not faithful in paying their tithes, were guilty of robbing God. In fact, in my heart, I use to look down on Christians who were not faithful in paying their tithes. I considered them to be 2nd rate Christians.
However, in time, as I became more and more familiar with the Scriptures, the Lord began to open my eyes up to the Biblical truth concerning New Testament Tithing.
I am the type of individual that only wants to know and understand God’s truth from His Written Word, regardless of how unpopular that truth may be to many other Christians.
Re-examining the Institutional Church’s “Doctrine of Tithing”
To find out the Biblical Truth about tithing, simply go to the internet and key in any one of the titles listed below: Having a good Biblical understanding about the tithe in relationship to the Church is of “GREAT” importance to the Body of Christ.
By understanding that the New Testament Church is not required to tithe, and is not “Scriptural,” it then becomes quite clear that the Institutional Church “System” is not a God ordained system, but a man-made system.
The tithe – is it still applicable today? – Lee Underwood(Below are some excerpts from this article)
In these last days, many traditions of the Christian Institutional Church are being revealed to be nothing more than just that: man-made customs. So, in regards to these tithes, are they Biblical or are they just tradition also? Did Yahweh actually command that they be collected for use by a local assembly for its daily operating expenses? The only way to understand any of this is to take a look at “Scripture” and discern what it says regarding this practice.
“Scripturally,” we can see that the tithe was never meant to support pastors, elders, boards of directors, traveling ministers, local assembly buildings, or other things of the sort.
The Origin of the “Christian” Tithe
The first person to mention paying for the full-time support of certain members of local congregations is Cyprian (200-258 CE). The idea did not go over real big at the time. Congregation leaders were given salaries when Constantine came into office, 200 years after the beginning of the Christian religion.
Tithing did not become a commonly accepted practice until the eighth century – 700 years after the beginning of Christianity. By the eleventh century it had become a legal requirement in order to fund the State-run church.
The tithe – Vision Of The Church (Below are some excerpts from this article)
“THE TITHE” SAYS THAT ONE PERSON HAS THE RULE OVER OTHERS WITHIN THE CHURCH. THE TITHE LIMITS MINISTRY. THE TITHE UNDOES SPIRIT LED GIVING AND GIVING TO THE POOR WITHIN THE CHURCH. THE TITHE, BIBLICALLY, WAS THE AMOUNT OF THE SIN OFFERING THAT GOD COMMANDED ISRAEL TO MAKE IN THE OLD COVENANT. BIBLICALLY A TITHE WAS ONLY PAID TO THE HIGH PRIEST OF JERUSALEM, AND ALWAYS CONSISTED OF ANIMALS OR GRAIN (BREAD AND MEAT)–THE SIN OFFERING. THE CHURCH IN THE BIBLE DID NOT PAY TITHE. HEBREWS 10:18 SAYS IN THE NEW COVENANT THERE IS NO MORE SIN OFFERING — JESUS IS OUR SIN OFFERING. HE OFFERED HIS BODY–AS MEAT AND BREAD–THE TITHE.
The Opposite System…..In the Bible, the money was NOT given to leadership to build and operate a church building. It was Spirit-lead giving–to the poor in the church–so that no one had lack. All the houses of God were cared for, they did not exalt one man’s house over another. No “Office” of priest–No tithe…..In the Bible only a priest collected a tithe. The “Old Covenant” had a specific priesthood–this priesthood is specifically done away with in the “New Covenant” and we are all made priests unto God–therefore there is no Cristian who has the Biblical right to collect a tithe.
Exposing the tithe lie – Jack Helser (Below are some excerpts from this article)
Burdening the Body of Christ with the Tithe requires several twists and re-interpretations of “Scripture.”
1) The tithe must be imported from the OT law of Moses to the new covenant of grace by Christ’s blood.
2) The tithe must be re-defined from “flocks, herds, fruit and grain” to “money” and often “time”.
3) The storehouse must be re-defined from the temple in Jerusalem to the local church building.
4) The Body of Christ must buy into the ordained clergy as the new priesthood, thereby replacing the Levite priesthood as the rightful recipient of the tithe.
5) The Body of Christ must forfeit their own priesthood and buy into the notion that they are the “laity”.
It’s nice to see a differing opinion on the topic of tithing.
For many years, I wanted to ask some of the church leaders about it, but they just shrugged it off. Can’t even initiate the question. : /
Just finished college in the Philippines, but then I see that the church leaders have a more extravagant lifestyle than I do, or than average, I decided to give it to NGOs instead.
For example, I do not own my own purchased smartphone, but they indulge themselves in all the Apple products(iphones tablets) or cars or have their own house while I have neither and just starting out in my career.
I think we should be very careful about ascribing evil or malicious intentions to all pastors who support tithing as such an accusation is usually unjust and untruthful.
Why do I say this? For the obvious reason that most pastors are trained to believe in the common teachings about the tithe and practice tithing themselves. Many are giving and will cut a check for someone who is in financial difficulty. So, to accuse them of having greedy intentions would be deeply unjust, uncharitable, and unchristian.
But when confronted with these teachings about tithing and the problems with it, I believe many would be shattered. First, it would be a correction to an incorrect teaching they had believed most of their lives. Second, it would call for abandoning a security blanket they had become accustomed to depending on. The church has bills to pay. There are employees, a mortgage perhaps, gas, electricity, water, and maintenance.
Without the tithe, where will this badly needed financial support come from? And while we demand faith from the pastor and the church leadership, do we have the same level of faith we demand of our leadership? And yet, that is not an excuse for continuing to promote error once it is known.
In fact, there is nothing scriptural about having a professional staff or a church building either. Perhaps it would be better to sell the building and turn the positions in the church into voluntary ones so the church would be made of disciples ministering rather than just sitting and listening once per week.
And yet, we need to gather. We need fellowship. We need testimonies, and to offer praise and worship and exhorting and teaching. We need to build each other up.
But what happens when a church outgrows its building? Do we stop growing? Do we hive off and form more churches? Do we morph into home cell churches and plan on splitting every, say 9 months or 18 months?
Do we get excited about growing and revival for a moment and fizzle–wash, rinse, repeat?
People can be really hard on leaders. And yet people can be deathly afraid to lead. It’s easier to sit back and be an Epicurean and judge those who fail to do things that we think we would do if we were in their position. And yet we will not step forward and start doing.
This was a wonderful article. It confirms my belief that the tithe doesn’t protect my finances and it is not required. God provides my needs because He loves me.
I didn’t grow up in church. Therefore, as a new believer back in the day and still today, I study the word and listen to His spirit. When I question the belief or doctrine of a church, people look at me like “Why don’t you believe.” I always feel like other believers go along with everything that has been passed down through generations. They don’t “study”, think for themselves,or rightly divide the word. We need to be like the Bereans.
In my experience, I have left churches, where I tithed, because they kept insisting on giving more. It was about building extensions and the latest technology to reach people for Christ. What I witnessed was mismanagement of funds.
The last church I attended for well over one year and participated in a home group. When I left, no one reached out to see if I was okay. But, I keep receiving mail asking for more money esp since it’s Christmas.
The women’s ministry was ran by a controlling woman. She wanted the twelve leaders to be financially responsible for the holidays, funeral meals, monthly meetings, etc. As I single woman, I complained I cannot afford to support all the ministries I wasn’t a part of.
In closing, I do not give out of guilt or compulsion. I feel free to draw closer and depend on God for all my needs. He is Our provider. I am no longer a dummie. :0) I am a cheerful giver.
God bless you, Vicki.
One great way to figure out a false teaching is this; Does the bible say what the teacher says it says.
Hey, Christians generally despise Planned Parenthood because of the abortions they provide. But the news and entertainment industry has reduced the issue to “free mammograms for poor women.”
Hey, what if WE, us Christians, provided those free mammograms? It won’t happen, we need the money for those building renovations, and those (undisclosed) salaries.
If our money is cursed for not tithing correctly, why do church leaders not return the money to all those giving less than 10%? Why would a church take in cursed money? If a person gives 5,7, or 9%, the church should immediately return the money, lest they take on a curse!
I guess churches that espouse tithing, but collect anything really don’t believe in it either!
Good article. Echoes what I’ve been saying for years.
Tithing is racist, and sexist, too. Ten per cent of a million dollars would actually mean nothing to that person. Ten per cent of $14,000 to a single mom is devastating. But I’m sure the pastor won’t care. After all, the windows of heaven will open up and pour blessings on that poor woman that she won’t believe. Of course, it won’t happen, because tithing doesn’t apply to Christians.
Jacob tithed. But you won’t hear your pastor say much about it. Look it up, then you’ll know why the tithe teaching, gets paid out of the collection basket pastor’s lips are sealed.
In the BIBLE, the tithe HAD to go to WHOM? Again, the pastor’s lips are sealed.
Are you robbing God of the tithes and offerings? Excuse me, the person in the pew CAN NOT rob God of tithes and OFFERINGS. But who could? The pastor.
Don’t you want the windows of heaven to open up and pour blessings upon you that you won’t believe? Whoops, doesn’t work. If it does, it has to work 100% of the time. Whoops, using that lie, there is NO reason whatsoever for a Christian to be poor. Ever.
I informed Jesus Christ roughly 12 years ago that not only wouldn’t I, a child of his, be tithing, I wouldn’t be giving ANYTHING to the local church. Since then, like before, I have been blessed beyond belief, for no reason other than grace. During the Great Recession, I never lost working hours, as many people did. In fact, I turned down an incredible amount of overtime during this period. And, I didn’t take a cut in pay either. I actually got a few raises during that time. My 401K? I played it better than 99% of money managers. I retired a year and a half ago, at the age of 55. I thought I would need a part time job, but I was wrong.
I write this because no one can explain this to me. After I made it clear to Jesus that I wouldn’t be tithing, I kept on getting blessed beyond my wildest dreams. It was GRACE. I didn’t deserve this, but it was given to me anyway.
I do give money to Christian causes. Actually, I have one favorite Christian charity. That charity feeds the hungry, clothes the (figurative) naked, houses the homeless, etc, and makes sure those people hear all about Jesus.
How many people are burning in hell right now, because they heard this lie about giving 10% of their gross income to the local church, and rejected Jesus because of this lie?
God is in control of all things in the world. If a pastor is acting in the manor that you believe most pastors are with the tithe or offering, then leave it to God . Everyone reaps what they sow. Tithing isn’t in the bible for no reason. Its a form of worship.
that’s not biblical and it’s a form of avoiding conflict out of fear to hold leaders accountable. the Bible clearly states ti stay away from a greedy abusive swindling persons that claim to be believers. this is a gaslighting response
I think that this site with info on tithing in my opinion is discouraging to those that tithe in all faith. this is a personal journey with God. straight to the point, do not worry about where the money goes,but know that you payed the tithe to the lord of your life. If you can’t feel the conviction then maybe the lord of your life might be something,(“money”)or someone else. Everything giving to us isn’t all for us it is to share to the needy. Its an act of faith so if your faith is in your self righteousness in your earnings. We should be open to council always in every aspect of life. Your correct that’s this is no salvation manner but it is a faith manner. Let God speak to you. I’m not the best at writing but I’m sure you get my point. I only share because I feel God telling me to write to you and share. God bless.
Hi Fabian, I became a Christian 41 years ago. I use to be a teacher in a non-denominational church. At that particular time in my life, there was nobody who felt more strongly about paying tithes, than I did.
I remember on one occasion stating that Christians who were not faithful in paying their tithes, were guilty of robbing God. In fact, in my heart, I use to look down on Christians who were not faithful in paying their tithes. I considered them to be 2nd rate Christians.
However, in time, as I became more and more familiar with the Scriptures, the Lord began to open my eyes up to the Biblical truth concerning New Testament Tithing.
I am the type of individual that only wants to know and understand God’s truth from His Written Word, regardless of how unpopular that truth may be to many other Christians.
Re-examining the Institutional Church’s “Doctrine of Tithing”
To find out the Biblical Truth about tithing, simply go to the internet and key in any one of the titles listed below: Having a good Biblical understanding about the tithe in relationship to the Church is of “GREAT” importance to the Body of Christ.
By understanding that the New Testament Church is not required to tithe, and is not “Scriptural,” it then becomes quite clear that the Institutional Church “System” is not a God ordained system, but a man-made system.
The tithe – is it still applicable today? – Lee Underwood(Below are some excerpts from this article)
In these last days, many traditions of the Christian Institutional Church are being revealed to be nothing more than just that: man-made customs. So, in regards to these tithes, are they Biblical or are they just tradition also? Did Yahweh actually command that they be collected for use by a local assembly for its daily operating expenses? The only way to understand any of this is to take a look at “Scripture” and discern what it says regarding this practice.
“Scripturally,” we can see that the tithe was never meant to support pastors, elders, boards of directors, traveling ministers, local assembly buildings, or other things of the sort.
The Origin of the “Christian” Tithe
The first person to mention paying for the full-time support of certain members of local congregations is Cyprian (200-258 CE). The idea did not go over real big at the time. Congregation leaders were given salaries when Constantine came into office, 200 years after the beginning of the Christian religion.
Tithing did not become a commonly accepted practice until the eighth century – 700 years after the beginning of Christianity. By the eleventh century it had become a legal requirement in order to fund the State-run church.
The tithe – Vision Of The Church (Below are some excerpts from this article)
“THE TITHE” SAYS THAT ONE PERSON HAS THE RULE OVER OTHERS WITHIN THE CHURCH. THE TITHE LIMITS MINISTRY. THE TITHE UNDOES SPIRIT LED GIVING AND GIVING TO THE POOR WITHIN THE CHURCH. THE TITHE, BIBLICALLY, WAS THE AMOUNT OF THE SIN OFFERING THAT GOD COMMANDED ISRAEL TO MAKE IN THE OLD COVENANT. BIBLICALLY A TITHE WAS ONLY PAID TO THE HIGH PRIEST OF JERUSALEM, AND ALWAYS CONSISTED OF ANIMALS OR GRAIN (BREAD AND MEAT)–THE SIN OFFERING. THE CHURCH IN THE BIBLE DID NOT PAY TITHE. HEBREWS 10:18 SAYS IN THE NEW COVENANT THERE IS NO MORE SIN OFFERING — JESUS IS OUR SIN OFFERING. HE OFFERED HIS BODY–AS MEAT AND BREAD–THE TITHE.
The Opposite System…..In the Bible, the money was NOT given to leadership to build and operate a church building. It was Spirit-lead giving–to the poor in the church–so that no one had lack. All the houses of God were cared for, they did not exalt one man’s house over another. No “Office” of priest–No tithe…..In the Bible only a priest collected a tithe. The “Old Covenant” had a specific priesthood–this priesthood is specifically done away with in the “New Covenant” and we are all made priests unto God–therefore there is no Cristian who has the Biblical right to collect a tithe.
Exposing the tithe lie – Jack Helser (Below are some excerpts from this article)
Burdening the Body of Christ with the Tithe requires several twists and re-interpretations of “Scripture.”
1) The tithe must be imported from the OT law of Moses to the new covenant of grace by Christ’s blood.
2) The tithe must be re-defined from “flocks, herds, fruit and grain” to “money” and often “time”.
3) The storehouse must be re-defined from the temple in Jerusalem to the local church building.
4) The Body of Christ must buy into the ordained clergy as the new priesthood, thereby replacing the Levite priesthood as the rightful recipient of the tithe.
5) The Body of Christ must forfeit their own priesthood and buy into the notion that they are the “laity”.
It’s nice to see a differing opinion on the topic of tithing.
For many years, I wanted to ask some of the church leaders about it, but they just shrugged it off. Can’t even initiate the question. : /
Just finished college in the Philippines, but then I see that the church leaders have a more extravagant lifestyle than I do, or than average, I decided to give it to NGOs instead.
For example, I do not own my own purchased smartphone, but they indulge themselves in all the Apple products(iphones tablets) or cars or have their own house while I have neither and just starting out in my career.
I think we should be very careful about ascribing evil or malicious intentions to all pastors who support tithing as such an accusation is usually unjust and untruthful.
Why do I say this? For the obvious reason that most pastors are trained to believe in the common teachings about the tithe and practice tithing themselves. Many are giving and will cut a check for someone who is in financial difficulty. So, to accuse them of having greedy intentions would be deeply unjust, uncharitable, and unchristian.
But when confronted with these teachings about tithing and the problems with it, I believe many would be shattered. First, it would be a correction to an incorrect teaching they had believed most of their lives. Second, it would call for abandoning a security blanket they had become accustomed to depending on. The church has bills to pay. There are employees, a mortgage perhaps, gas, electricity, water, and maintenance.
Without the tithe, where will this badly needed financial support come from? And while we demand faith from the pastor and the church leadership, do we have the same level of faith we demand of our leadership? And yet, that is not an excuse for continuing to promote error once it is known.
In fact, there is nothing scriptural about having a professional staff or a church building either. Perhaps it would be better to sell the building and turn the positions in the church into voluntary ones so the church would be made of disciples ministering rather than just sitting and listening once per week.
And yet, we need to gather. We need fellowship. We need testimonies, and to offer praise and worship and exhorting and teaching. We need to build each other up.
But what happens when a church outgrows its building? Do we stop growing? Do we hive off and form more churches? Do we morph into home cell churches and plan on splitting every, say 9 months or 18 months?
Do we get excited about growing and revival for a moment and fizzle–wash, rinse, repeat?
People can be really hard on leaders. And yet people can be deathly afraid to lead. It’s easier to sit back and be an Epicurean and judge those who fail to do things that we think we would do if we were in their position. And yet we will not step forward and start doing.
Perhaps we could help leaders.