Did you know that Christians are not commanded to tithe? Yet, there are a numerous religious groups that teach, even demand, that their members are to tithe. The word “tithe” means “a tenth,” so, they are teaching that Christians are to give 10% of their earnings, or whatever money they receive, to the church. Where do those groups get that idea? And, is it Biblical? Let’s turn to the Bible and see what we can learn.
The concept and teachings of tithing comes from passages like Genesis 14:20, “Blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all.” Leviticus 27, and primarily Deuteronomy 14:22-29, are passages that lay out all of the laws pertaining to tithing. There, it says, “You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. … But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe … you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses.” Many denominations use these verses to justify their demand of tithing from their members. They expect all members to give ten percent of their earnings as their offering.
However, here is simple question concerning those passages, are Christians bound by those laws? The answer is no! First of all, notice that the commands are found in the OLD Testament, also known as the “Law of Moses.” To whom did Moses give these laws? The same books give us the answer. “These are the statutes and judgments and laws which the LORD made between Himself and the children of Israel on Mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.” (Lev 26:46) So, the laws and commands to tithe were given to the Hebrews, the Jews, by Moses. They were specifically for that nation.
Secondly, tithing wasn’t primarily about money. For the Israelites, it is first concerns their animals and crops. Leviticus 27:30-32 says, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’s. It is holy to the LORD. … And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD.” The majority of what the Hebrews offered to the Lord for worship was from their harvests or their livestock. They gave back to the Lord a portion of that with which they had been blessed.
Thirdly, according to passages like Colossians 2:14; Galatians 3:23-25, Christians are no longer under, or subject to the that old law of Moses, or the covenant of the Old Testament. We are under the “the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2) and are part of the “new covenant (testament)” (Luke 22:20). The simple fact is, nowhere in the New Testament are Christians commanded to tithe! Tithing is not for the Christian.
Now, that does not mean Christians are not obligated to give back to the Lord. God still expects His worshipers to give back a portion of that with which they have received from Him. Thus, Christians are commanded to ?give as we have prospered? according to 1 Corinthians 16:2. That means if you have received a lot from the Lord, you need to give back a lot. We are also commanded to “give cheerfully? and from the heart, as is written in 2 Corinthians 9:7. Therefore, when the first day of the week comes around (1 Corinthians 16:2; Acts 20:7) God expects us to bring an offering to Him on that day of worship. If someone wants to give 10% of their earnings, because that is what they have purposed in their heart, then they are just following the example of the Israelites. But in reality, when considering what Jesus did for us, Christians should give more than a “tithe”!
0 Comments