Where is tithing commanded

Rather, we uphold the law. The fact is that God knows we can not all give an equal amount because we all have different resources, so He gave a percentage ensuring it would equal out.

Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.

They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on. Jesus understood that even though this widow gave a small amount compared to the others, her heart was more giving because she gave a larger percentage of what she had than all the others. This verse is also interesting because this widow gave all she had to live on.

There are many people today who say they can't afford to tithe but this woman realized she couldn't afford not to. God knows we are naturally inclined to be selfish and will want to keep our money. So while, yes, we should give cheerfully, sometimes we need to take the step and actually give regardless of our internal feelings. The act of giving allows God to change our hearts so that ultimately we end up doing so cheerfully. Having a standard keeps us accountable. What if you, like many of the commentors, take issue with those you hand your money over to: the Church.

Those who express this concern reveal two potential problems that need to be addressed:. This individual is attending an untrustworthy church and should consider finding a new one. The truth is, church leaders are responsible for using church money in a responsible way - they have more accountability for that than we do.

And as mentioned previously, most of them do a pretty good job of this. Still, it's worth bearing in mind that our accountability as believers is simply to give and trust that God will take care of the rest.

Hopefully you are in a church where you can trust your leaders to do what is right. If you are unable to find such a church, then it would be beneficial to work on your trust in God, asking Him to help you trust the leaders He has placed you under or pray to help you find a solution if there is a genuine problem of corruption present. But just remember, you're responsible for what you give and for your heart, and the church leaders are responsible for how to use it.

But we must recognize that this oft-quoted passage Malachi was written not as a blanket promise to Christians in all times and all places, but to a very specific group of people in history—the impoverished, insecure Israelites living in the land after their return from exile in Babylon. God requires more here than just tithe Malachi : He requires His people to be generous in mercy and justice.

Similarly, the Pharisees during Jesus' time were scrupulous tithers, but Jesus told them that they were condemned, for they preferred giving a fixed percentage of crops to the more demanding, more radical and more important or as Jesus said, "weightier" pursuit of justice and mercy and the love of God with their resources Matthew ; Luke Second, this position argues that Jesus affirmed the continuation of the tithe Matt.

Since Jesus upheld the tithe, then Christians are commanded to tithe today. Christians who take this position believe you should donate at least 10 percent more on this later or to other causes outside of the local church.

More or less, this position treats the tithe as a baseline of giving—not a limit. First, the offerings that were tithed by Abraham Gen. In other words, there's no evidence that Abraham and Jacob continued to tithe or that their actions were binding for others then or today.

Second, the tithing required by the Israelites was a part of the Mosaic Law. When Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Mosaic Law Matt.

What is more, when Jesus talked about tithing and offering sacrifices Matt. When giving is referenced in the NT, followers of Christ are commanded to give generously 2 Cor. There are strengths and weaknesses in both of these positions, and the length of this blog post isn't sufficient to cover everything about tithing in the bible. For example, if you give 10 percent of your annual income to your local church, then an offering is any money you donate that exceeds this amount.

Then an offering is a financial gift you make to your local church—regardless of the amount you give. To offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God is to offer yourself entirely to him. Living sacrificially for God is something he calls everyone to do every day. When it comes to offering yourself to Christ, you are called to renew your mind. Practically speaking, you renew your mind by studying the Bible, meditating upon the scriptures, and hearing the Scriptures preached.

Consider these statistics. According to State of the Plate , only 10—25 percent of church members tithe. Only 5 percent of the United States population particcaptes in tithing. On average, Christians give 2. There are more stats I can share, but I think you get the point. Giving in the Church is on a downward trend regardless of what we might think about tithing in the bible.

When you place your faith in Christ, you will—in time—be transformed into a giver. But it does mean that through faith in Christ, you will be empowered to be generous with what you have. Depending on your situation, there are several reasons why you may not be able to give to your church. As you offer your life as a living sacrifice to Christ, review Bible verses about money and stewardship. Seek help from a friend or a financial advisor.

And by the grace of God, strive to live the generous life God has given us and called you to live. Tithing was used by God in the Old Testament to take care of his people. Today, Christ works through your offerings to advance his kingdom and bless others. A generous life includes serving with your time and talents.

To do this, you have to study the Bible. After studying the Bible, the second best thing to do is to pray about your situation. He will guide you through his Word, and give you the grace you need to live a generous life. Two quotes from FMF and one quote by christianpf:. Just prior in that passage he specifically told the disciples to obey the pharisees because they sit in Moses seat.

I may be missing something here, but Jesus command in Matthew or Luke about tithing is not referring to us unless we should concern ourselves with the law. The problem is that each of us learns differently. THe tithe is not the answer for Spirit led Christians. Abraham only gave a tithe from the spoils of war. Tithing was not an exclusive litmus test for Israel. I dare you to test the law of gravity.

Throw a ball up and see the effects; it will come down. Plant an apple seed and an apple tree will grow. Malachi 3, is nothing but a plea from God to get his people to at least do it, if not for obedience sake, at least for their own benefit. There were laws that people were supposed to follow if we follow one we have to follow them all.

So if you tithe you must also do all of the rest. This is where people mess up. A new testament can not begin until the death of a testator. Jesus had not died yet so he was still under the old law. When He died the New Testament began. And as far as I know there are no levitical priest that I can pay my tithe to.

I just know that I will be blessed not based on any law of tithing or whatever, but I will be blessed because I am now a child of God. Tithe your last bit of money to a church and then when your lights get shut off ask that same church for help and see how many of those same churches will tell you no. Are they equal? God would never allow this to happen or otherwise our salvation would be at stake. It needs to be established at the very outset here that this study does not teach against Christians giving into the work of God.

It is about how they give — whether spontaneously, or by compulsion. A teaching persists in the contemporary church that Christians under grace in the New Testament are obligated to tithe as the Jews under the law had to tithe in the Old Testament. There are no defining scriptures anywhere in the Bible however, to validate such teaching. Nevertheless the proponents of tithing do use scriptures to argue their position. The purpose of this study is to examine those scriptures in context to determine if they really can be used for that purpose.

But first let us find out exactly what the tithe is CP Lev We see from this that the tithe is a tenth part. Under the law here the Old Testament Jews had to pay ten percent of the produce of the earth and the increase of their herds and flocks to God.

It had nothing to do with money then, as it has today. Those who argue for the tithe use Mal to teach that the local church, being the place where Christians are spiritually fed, is the New Testament equivalent to the Old Testament storehouse where the tithes had to be taken, and that New Testament Christians who withhold their tithes will be cursed the same as the Old Testament Jews CP Mal Nothing that God says here can be applied to New Testament Christians.

God rebuked the Jews who were under the law and obligated to tithe. New Testament Christians are not under the law because it has been fulfilled in Christ, and they have been redeemed from its curse CP Ro ; Ga The tithe is first mentioned in scripture when Abraham tithed to Melchizedec — a priest of the most high God — from the spoils of war after the slaughter of the kings, when Abraham rescued his nephew Lot and the women captives, in Gen 14 CP Gen We will learn more about this tithe and how it is represented by the proponents of tithing in the contemporary church a little later when we study He 7.

Another argument for tithing is said to be found in Mt CP Many in the church believe that by acknowledging the obligation of the Jews to tithe here Jesus is teaching that tithing is also obligatory for New Testament Christians. Tithing is not even the issue though. Jesus was rebuking Scribes and Pharisees who were subject to the law and obligated to tithe anyway.

The issue Jesus was addressing was not their tithes, but their neglect of justice, mercy and faithfulness toward others. To practice these was more important then being sticklers for the smallest detail of tithing CP Mt This is what Jesus was really leading up to in Mt 23, which precludes V23 from being used to teach that Jesus was sanctioning tithing for New Testament Christians. Compulsory tithing under the law in the Old Testament does not translate to giving under grace in the New Testament.

The New Testament does not compel Christians, but rather invites them to give generously in response to the needs of others, and as an expression of their love for God CP 1Cor ; 2Cor ; ; Ga ; Jas ; 1Jn We learn from these scriptures that New Testament giving is voluntary, spontaneous and freely given, not from a sense of obligation nor with an intent to merit blessings. Giving is to be seen as a privilege, not an obligation. In V7 he calls their giving an act of grace, which is the exact opposite of mandatory tithing.

In 2Cor Paul stresses the importance of the collection being seen as a willing gift, not as money that has been extorted from them CP 1Cor with 2Cor , and The clear teaching in all these scriptures is that New Testament giving under grace comes from what one has, not from what one does not have. This is acceptable to God. Christians must not feel bad if they are ever unable to give CP 2Cor This teaches that Christians who are well off should meet the needs of those who are not.

In this way none will lack, and there will be equality for all, just like God directed the Israelites with the manna in the wilderness CP Ex There are four things Christians must do in giving: they must give willingly from the heart, they must not give grudgingly; they must not give of compulsion; they must give cheerfully CP 2Cor ; , 7.

Christians who give what they can to those in need will find that the grace of God furnishes a sufficiency for their own needs, and even more, in order that they may abound in good works for others CP Psa ; Pr ; ; ; Ecc ; Lu ; 2Cor , At the heart of all Christian giving is the acknowledgement that God is the creator, the owner, and the giver of all things, and what we give back to God is only a part of what He has given to us in the first place CP Gen ; Ex ; De ; 1Chr ; Psa ; ; Hag ; Jn ; Jas ; 2Pe Everything Christians have belongs to the Lord.

No one has anything that they had not first received from God. Those who hold that tithing is obligatory for New Testament Christians also use He 7: to teach that, as Abraham was the antecedent of all New Testament Christians and paid a tithe to Melchizedec, it is incumbent upon all New Testament Christians to tithe.

They contend that Abraham was the representative tithe payer of all his seed to come, which Christians are CP Ga Now let us look at He , but in the context of the whole chapter to see what it really means CP He When kept in the context of the whole of Ch 7 it is plain to see that tithing, as being obligatory for New Testament Christians, is not being taught in V at all.

That is the theme of He 7, not tithing. Tithing is only incidental to proving that the New Covenant, of which Jesus is the mediator, is by far superior to the Old Covenant, and it cannot be made to mean anything else CP He , ; ; We also learn in these scriptures that the Old Covenant has been made obsolete in Christ and done way with in its entirety. The clear teaching in all these scriptures is that the Old Covenant, which includes the law on tithing, has been completely abolished in Christ and has no relevance for New Testament Christians.

Yet those who stand for tithing argue that the tithe itself was not abolished, because it was established by Abraham four hundred and thirty years prior to the law when he tithed to Melchizedec in Gen , which we looked at earlier, and therefore it should be carried on by New Testament Christians.

They use Ga as their proof text. Let us see what it says, but also in context CP Ga This has nothing to do with tithing, or Melchizedec. It is about the Covenant God made with Abraham. What Paul is teaching here is that the blessings God promised Abraham stand forever too. They were not affected by the law in any way CP Gen , 7; ; ; ; ; ; , with Ro 4; This is the Covenant God made with Abraham.

The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until the seed of Abraham — Christ — came to inherit the promise, and distribute the blessings to all who receive Him by faith as saviour CP Ga , It is patently obvious from the scriptures studied thus far that none of them can be legitimately used to promote tithing as a New Testament Christian obligation.

As stated at the outset of this study, there is no defining scripture anywhere in the bible to validate any teaching that it is incumbent upon New Testament Christians to tithe. As also stated previously, compulsory tithing under the law in the Old Testament does not translate to giving under grace in the New Testament. New Testament giving is centred entirety around stewardship — Christians giving of themselves completely to the work of God — which includes their time, their finances, and their material possessions CP Mt ; Mk ; Lu None of this is teaching against New Testament Christians giving in to the work of God through their local church.

Scriptures are very clear on the subject of giving — only those who sow into the Kingdom will reap the Kingdom benefits CP Ga It applies to every aspect of the Christian walk: Christians giving of themselves, their finances and their time to others; their financial support of the ministry, their moral behaviour, and their Christian service.

Ga teaches that while ever Christians keep doing good, in spite of the opposition they may encounter, in due course they will reap the fruit of the harvest. And notwithstanding that they are to do good unto all men, they are to be particularly concerned with the well — being of other Christians CP Mt The Christian walk is not only a spiritual walk, it must also serve the material needs of others, especially other Christians CP Jas Here Christians are presented with the real test of their faith.

Christians are not justified by works, but because they are justified by faith, they do the works. If Christians are not willing to give of material things to others in need, they certainly would not lay down their lives for them. It is not enough that wealth and material possessions are acquired for self-gratification.

Giving must always be motivated by love. It is the duty of all who are taught the word to help provide material support for those who teach the word. No workers of the word should have to seek help in any form outside the church.

Christians have a duty, which should be seen as a privilege, to contribute to the needs of every worker of the word. They must not be treated like beggars, but received, sent, and supported in a manner worthy of God CP Mt ; Lu ; 1Ti In bringing this study to a close here it needs to be re-stated that while there is extensive teaching on Christians giving into the work of God in the New Testament, there are no scriptures whatever that teach tithing.

What they do teach is that Christians belong to God and what they have is held as a trust for him. Their giving is done to help those in need and to advance the Kingdom of God. They are only obliged to give in accordance with their means, out of what they have, and the amount they give is not as important as their willingness to give it.

Giving is seen as proof of their love. It is done sacrificially and voluntarily. In their giving Christians sow not only money, but also faith, time and service. Br Val Boyle, Whether one agrees with your argument or not, this is an excellent post. Very well written. Your points are difficult to refute. I research again from the old and new testament if there was a proof of this vital information about the misconception of the tithing laws.

But our mind has a free moral agency given by God to receive and to comprehend of what is the truth. When I read in Genesis on how Adam ate the fruit of the tree, he acquired for himself the knowledge of the good and evil despite the warning he receive from God that he would surely die. Those five senses that Adam had used to determine the good for himself were of fleshly in nature.

We have eyes that we used for seeing, nose that smell, taste, hearing, feel or touch when we hurt ourselves. These senses had become the very soul of science employed in our educational, political and medical system. On one push of the button there will be a mass destruction to many times that of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing. If ever he would choose the tree of life of God that will become our 6th sense in addition to our physical senses, the Holy Spirit.

We know that man was created and completed on the sixth day of creation and the seventh would be the crown of glory that God bestowed on those who will succeed the race to eternal life. That is why the tithing as the first step, should not be put into a halt because there would be a significant role in the coming of his government. As the former seventh day Adventist I do believe that the millennium or years mentioned in the Revelation is the seventh day of God when the resurrected saint will inherit the Kingdom of God.

If the tithing was really the first step to his government, then why Paul encourage the Christian in giving? Was he harassed? Or Persecuted? This happened during the reign of Claudius. But this time it is a negative increase and if the church will only depend on tithes that will probably a collapse of the church in Jerusalem in addition of persecution by the Jews.

So Paul resort to their finances thru the use of giving and temporarily made to stop the tithing contribution because of this phenomenon climate change. Certainly it could not have been a collection of money because of time frame that Paul has given to the Corinthians and because of miles away from Jerusalem. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers in their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal things.

We might also to wonder on why there was a contribution for the saint in Jerusalem in which we should also take it into account.

Is this the New Testament model for ministers? In 1 Corinthians he defended his ministerial role and argued that he and Barnabas had the right to receive financial support from the Corinthians for their service to the Church. Even though they had this right,. To avoid such accusations, he took no financial support from them.

Willis please elaborate? If one continues to tithe and it is a hardship for him, it is now done out of obligation and not freely which is the true requirement around giving in New Testament scripture. LOVE should be the driving force for all we do. If you purpose in your heart to tithe then tithe you must! The issue is not the amount but rather HOW it was given! But to make the giving in place of the tithing is what astounds me.

Tithe or the first fruit of God has been implemented even in thetime of adam or prior to the creation of man and the ratification of the old covenant. Would you believe that the angels of God do have the tithing system?

You may also to wonder that kingdom of Israel at the time of david is a typical type of the kingdom of God in a fleshly form. These tithings system has something to do with the government of God.

Financing it and at the same time teaching us to be a giver. For the royal kingdom requires a royal tribute. When the apostles of Christ started to preach the kingdom of God the only available scriptures at the time was the old testament. If giving will replace the tithing laws then this should be supported by the old testament scriptures just like Christ when he was introduced to the converted jews.

There are four books of the new testament outline the life and teaching of Christ but even one i could not find that he teaches the early disciples to no more tithes. I would say it that Paul will never intend to overwrite the teaching of jesus. In the book of acts the economic situation in the Roman world mostly compose of agricultural product in the time of Paul was really devasted by a severe dry spell and they could hardly make a living.

In order for the gospel to move on he resorted their finances to giving. Thats the call of the nature cause them not to tithe. How would you react on this? If giving is the essence to earn your salvation then you should also consider that the religion of islam when the ramadan time came they chose the day to celebrate their holiday by giving what they can to the poor. Willis, no offence but I would say your approach to doctrine of tithing is greatly flawed and lacks scriptural support.

You have failed to prove your point using scriptures and have relied on personal opinion instead. Please remember, no scripture is of private interpretation.

If you feel in your heart that tithing is something you must do, then go ahead and do it. It would be very wrong to compel others to do same using very flawed theology. If we are to follow your argument, circumcision becomes compulsory because it was practised by Abraham and even Moses before it was made compulsory by the torah.

Animal sacrifice too would be very relevant since it had been practised long before Jesus came. Please take out time to fully study the difference between the old testament and the new. It is evident in scripture that tithing does not apply to the new testament believers, instead we are encouraged to give freely and cheerfully, this I say while running the risk of sounding like a broken record.

Do not rely on personal opinion i. What do you think would be your opinion? It would mean to me as something which is special and very important and pleasing aroma to Him. It can be comparable into a treasure that something he cherish of. If you tell your wife that she is the prettiest. That would be the best complements you could describe to her because you love her. One reason to consider that in the later times there would be false prophet who will teach that the law has done away.

Preaching that Jesus abolished the tithing laws. They replaced the commandment of God by man made commandment like Christmas, new year …. This thing is almost identical to what the Lord has done to Abraham by trying his faith if he could sacrifice his only son to him. Anything that blocked the way between you and God is idolatry in nature. If the law of tithe is to become a burden or a yoke of bondage. I only used circumcision as an example in line with your argument.

Did Abraham tithe his personal possessions? Answer is NO. He never paid a tithe on his personal possessions. You have also taken numbers 18 : 29 completely out of context. It was a command given to the levites with regards to the tithe the rest of the eleven tribes paid to them and that in itself speaks of the law because the law made a class distinction between those who served in the tabernacle The tribe of levy and those who worked the remaining eleven tribes.

This class distinction does not apply in the new dispensation. Again I say, your theology is greatly flawed, it is full of personal opinions. You have not backed up all your talk with any scripture. Money was never to be tithed. It was only the farmers that paid tithes on their crops and their livestock and no one else.

Where is it written in the bible that you should tithe money? Joe, you ARE right anyway. All this would be of no consequence if one does not have any relationship with God. That is indeed the most important thing. My opinion? Then if you are wise enough tell me who gave the tithing laws was it God or Moises? Again, is tithing a will of God? If the tithing law is the will of God therefore it was imposed or implemented first in heaven. Is there any hard to understand that.

The problem is who will perform the tithing laws in heaven? Are there any creatures living aside the human living? The angels ofcourse.

And you will probably astound if you read in Ezekiel that the first creature who rule the earth is none other than Lucifer, the arc angel.

Now here tony I want you to answer for once this question. I Mean it and I will believe you the moment you point a single verse that clearly say that Jesus annulled the laws. You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cumin. You should have practice the latter, without neglecting the former.

Did Jesus encourage the Jews not to tithe anymore? What was the latter things to practice first? The conclusion of the matter is : the tithing law has three matters in which he instructed the people to be guided by these elements.

Gal in fulfilling the law of tithing. I am in a family that has studied theology and not one can find evidence that this ONE law…out of all of them…has come over from the Old Testament…. As a matter of fact if we decided to follow the law instead of believing Jesus fulfilled these this for us then we must take on ALL of the law…sacrificing animals…etc.

Because we are not a perfect people and Gods will is perfect he sent Christ to stand in the Gap so we are worthy…. My finances are better served feeding a few lately who have lost their jobs…. Actually…My family will still have church in our home if all churches closed their doors…we do not have to assemble in things that require Debt…think about that…. Sometimes we confined ourselves to just believe in God and you will be saved because we are under grace and Christ fulfilled the law for us.

We treated them as our second parents and always love to be called them reverend. We just swallow it no matter what this thing will do to ourselves. Those early years is proved to be an ignorant. Now that we are in millennium era and knowledge has improved in a higher class Technology has risen to more sophisticate. But the doctrine that concerns our belief seems to be left out.

The bible was called by some the most misunderstood book. If you give a one problem solving to ten math expert they gonna give you the same answer very quick but if you give one verse in the bible to ten ministers they gonna give you ten different interpretations. I asked you why? How many of us still believe that Jesus broke the Sabbath day? Do we care to look it up in the bible?

Increase in knowledge by searching and reasoning out from the scriptures. I remember the scene in the Harry Potter movie about the gift he receive from a friend.

When he open the gift wrap the book jump and started to bark like a dog not only that it bites too! Maybe he just want to tell to let the bible interpreted itself. But what would be our part here? Because it is the people who shall receive the knowledge of God must take the first step and conquer the world of doubt. The bible is just only the reference of the basic knowledge but the improvement must go to the people because it is them who will receive the spirit of God and not the bible.

The Sabbath recognized the healing because it is an act of mercy. And mercy is one of the fruit of the spirit Galatians thus mercy fulfil and uphold the law of Sabbath. Get it? It is quite difficult to follow your discussion, you are all over the place bro.

And there you are still doing it; presenting your personal opinion as the word of God. If you believe in the sabbath, good for you. That is your opinion which you are jolly well entitled to. But you do not have to force it on everybody else! It is clear you have not left your adventist background behind and you are trying to mix the old testament and the new testament together. So bro, stop telling us what you think and I would advice that you read the books of Galatians and Romans thoroughly.

Yeah, the writer of the book of Hebrews adviced that we leave the ABCs and move on to more mature things. The ABCs have their place. If you are not well grounded in the ABCs, how can you move onto maturity? It is getting too personal and thats not healthy at all.

I think I will hold my peace from here on. I never force anyone to believe in me. We are here to express how we understand of certain things. If its really came up to be my opinion then i should dare to ask. Is it beneficial? Paul instructed us to become matured, to enhance the Godly character from being basic because the bible teaches us only the basic knowledge. After all, the bible is just only the reference for righteousness.

This is the question that until now you refuse it to answer. While never seeing the early church tithe, we see the early church giving in great ways.

The first Christians in Jerusalem sold their possessions and sought to help each other so that none had need Acts ; The amount they gave was not defined but was something that should be done as one had decided and with joy 2 Corinthians Early Christians gave to help support those who were laboring in ministry [pastors and missionaries] 1 Corinthians , giving honor to those who teach the word 1 Timothy Christians were warned about the dangers of wealth and encouraged to be generous 1 Timothy ,