First, let me state that there is nothing wrong with tithing. I am not against tithing. Tithing is honorable if that is what you purpose in your heart to do.
People tend to have strong opinions about the subject of tithing because of the relentless teaching they have been exposed to from the pulpit.
Defining a Stumbling block
A Stumbling block is:
- Actions or behaviors that lead others away from their faith or into sinful behavior.
- Words, actions, or behavior that can hurt the cause of the gospel.
- Anything that causes material ruin or spiritual downfall.
- Any person or thing that draws someone into error or sin.
Tithing in itself is not a stumbling block. However, compelling others to believe it is a New Testament doctrine and a standard of New Testament giving is.
I am convinced that if Pastors would teach the principles of Love and generosity, and stop depending on the tithe to keep the ministry afloat and moving forward, we would see an increase in giving, an increase in influence, and an increase in anointing.
We can’t properly lead and disciple God’s people if we are teaching Old Testament Law as a New Testament practice.
Teaching tithing as a New Testament doctrine, insisting that this is how all believers should handle their money according to “Kingdom Principles,” is exactly what the Pharisees and tax collectors did. In fact, it is likely that this false doctrine entered the early Church through Pharisees who were converted to Christ.
I was taught tithing from the first few days of being born again in 1988. I tithed faithfully for almost twenty years. Almost every Church I attended taught a mini-teaching of tithing and giving before every service. Because of this practice, I heard more teaching on tithing than on any other subject in the Bible.
During the 20 years I practiced tithing, I had many occasions where I desired to give more, be involved with certain projects, and support specific missionaries, but I was not financially able to do it. I was taught that the tithe must go to the local church and I was expected to give offerings over and above that as the Lord led or as I purposed in my heart.
For two decades, the most I was able to give was 14.5% of my total income to God’s work. That was my tithe plus 4.5% more in offerings. I desperately wanted to give more and be a greater financial blessing to those less fortunate. I was frustrated and a little confused.
Our New Testament giving should far outdo giving under the Old. If we follow the principles of love and generosity in the New Testament we will find that we give way more than 10% of our money, resources, time, effort, commitment, etc. If we don’t see ourselves giving like that, then money and things have a hold on us.
We have a new and better covenant with better promises. Giving in the New Testament should be more dynamic and relational than the Old Testament law. This brings me to my first point. Tithing is Old Testament Law. Jesus said so!
The LAW of the tithe
Tithing was a part of Old Covenant law. Current believers of tithing as a New Testament standard argue that tithing pre-dated the law; therefore, it is still a current and valid New Testament command. The problem with that line of thinking is other commands in the law pre-dated the law. For instance, circumcision pre-dates the law. Yet the apostle Paul repeatedly corrected the Church not to bring old covenant practice into the covenant of grace. How do we differentiate between what practices we bring, or do not bring into the New Testament that pre-dates the law? We don’t! If we live by the law in even one point, we are going to be judged by the law.
I was frustrated that I could not financially bless others like I wanted to. Then one service at Church, the pastor taught tithes and offerings as he did before virtually every service. During his teaching he made this comment, “Don’t take my word for it; study it out for yourself.” God must have put some supernatural unction on those words when he made that comment because they pierced my heart. I knew the Lord was trying to teach me something.
After praying and asking the Lord where I was going wrong and what adjustments I needed to make, the Lord told me to ask myself why I believe what I believe. If I didn’t learn it directly from His word, I should examine it and verify it by the scriptures. Not just tithing, but everything I believe.
I started reading everything in the Bible that had to do with tithing. What I found was a deception and strategy of the Devil that has kept the Church in financial and spiritual bondage for over two thousand years.
Tithing in the Old Testament
First, let’s look at what the tithe was used for in the Old Testament.
The tithe was later made a part of the Law in passages such as Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18:20-32, Deuteronomy 14:22-29, and Deuteronomy 26:12-15. One of the purposes for which the tithe was to be used was to support the priestly tribe of Levi, which, unlike the other tribes, did not receive an allocated portion of the land of Canaan for its inheritance. All the other tribes tithed to support the Levitical priesthood. While the other tribes received a portion of land for their inheritance, the Levites’ inheritance was the Lord. The Levitical priesthood is a spiritual type of the New Testament Church.
What Jesus said about tithing
Luke 11:42
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue, and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.”
Matt 23:23-24
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”
Jesus clearly identifies tithing as Old Testament law.
Matthew 5:17-20
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Keep in mind that the OT was still in full force when Jesus spoke these words, even though we find them in the NT. Jesus fulfilled the law in every point because we were not able.
Hebrews 7 is the other place in the New Testament where the tithe is mentioned and the writer isn’t talking about the tithe, he is talking about a change of priesthood. It uses tithing to make the point about the superiority of the priesthood of Melchizedek and the superiority of Jesus as the high priest. It says “Consider how great this man Melchizedek was” in vs 4.
In Jewish culture, bloodlines were very important. Genealogies were meticulously recorded. That is why we see the “begats” in Matthew and Luke because those letters were written to a Jewish audience.
Certain bloodlines had certain responsibilities, specific prophecies attached to them, etc. Hebrews 7 mentions Levi paying tithes (in Abraham’s loins before he was born) and receiving tithes as a priest. The bloodline of Levi was the only bloodline allowed to be a priest. Melchizedek didn’t have this bloodline because Levi obviously wasn’t born yet. He was likely not even a Jew. He certainly wasn’t from the Levitical order.
It tells us the “order” of that priesthood in verse 3 “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.”
If the Jews couldn’t trace your bloodline you were considered, “without genealogy” with no beginning and therefore no end. This is the order of Christ’s priesthood. Neat, how God snuck that in there before the Law was ever written.
So the topic is not tithing, it is just used to make the point about the priesthood.
The other side of the coin.
The belief and perceived benefits of the Church are that if every Christian tithed the Church would have all the money needed to carry out the great commission.
That 10%, instead of being an answer to the Church’s money needs, has become a hindrance to the people in more ways than just finance. How many people could give 20, 40, or 60 percent of their income and still live a comfortable life with all their financial needs met? The truth is, some people don’t even miss 10%, while for some it takes every ounce of faith they have to tithe. It puts a terrible burden on some and not others. Is that fair, equal, or just?
The worst part is this incredible deception is that it keeps professing Christians with one foot in the Old Testament Law while trying to embrace the New Covenant of Grace. This is just one way Satan uses money to trip us up in our faith.
Instead of our giving being a beautiful, relational expression of love, it has become a legalistic, rigid practice that is a burden to some and an excuse to withhold for others.
The Malachi misconception.
Malachi 3:8-10 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.
One of the big misinterpretations of Malachi is that the “storehouse” is a type of the Church and you should bring all the tithes into the “Church storehouse” so that the ministers, staff, and facilities will have what is needed to keep the salaries paid, the lights on, the maintenance of the facilities up to par etc.
Just a surface study of tithing will prove that wrong. If the Church is a type of the storehouse, then the temple must be a type of the church building. The thing is… WE are the temple. Not the church building/organization.
Are houses of worship wrong? NO. Should we have a place to gather, worship, and fellowship? YES. Should we support our local assembly and ministers? YES.
So, should we keep tithing? Or should we embrace the New Testament principles of love and generosity?
New Testament giving should be relational and organic, more fruitful, and a far more beautiful expression of Love than the practice of tithing.
Did tithing become part of the new covenant?
No. There is no New Testament standard for tithing taught anywhere in the New Testament.
A common argument is that tithing was before the law, part of the law, and in force now also. Where is the New Testament Scripture for this?
Circumcision was before the law (Genesis 17:24), part of the law, but is it in effect now? No! Some of the New Testament apostles tried to argue that it was (Acts 15:5-11; Galatians 2:11) but Paul gave them a strong rebuke. Hebrews talks about Abram giving a tithe to Melchizedek but the same passage says there was a change in the law (Hebrews 7:12, Hebrews 8:13) talks about the “first covenant with regulations (tithing is a regulation of the law) made obsolete (tithing was made obsolete).” Hebrews 10:9 “takes away the first” (tithing was part of the first) “to establish second” (tithing is not part of the second)”.
The very first year I abandoned tithing as a practice, I was able to give over 26% of my income and was also able to give away one of the nicest cars I have ever owned as well as furniture, clothes, groceries, and other things that I didn’t even count. I still ended up supporting the local Church with more than ten percent of my income, but I was also able to be more accurate and strategic in helping others as the Lord led.
The car we gave away helped a family of four who had just totaled their only car. The Lord also led my wife and me separately to give a certain amount to a specific family. We didn’t know it, but the husband got laid off, and they felt like they were not supposed to tell anyone, just trust God. The amount we gave them was exactly what they needed to pay their mortgage and have money for groceries. We all knew without a doubt that God had done this. The man got hired in the next few days.
That was just the first year. I could go on with stories of supernatural provision like that, but I want to end with this:
Tithing is honorable if that is what you purpose in your heart to give. The problem arises when someone teaches you that tithing is the way all Christians are supposed to give. It is a lie!
People believe the lie because they don’t read the scriptures for themselves, allowing well-meaning, but misguided preachers to brainwash them and compel them to give legalistically.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
We are not to give under compulsion, but as we purpose in our heart. Giving should be relational and organic, not rigid and legalistic.
Furthermore, God never wanted 10% of anything. He wants it all.
The tithe was put in place to meet the needs of the Levitical priesthood and to teach spiritually dead people to always revere God. Deut 14:23
In the New Testament, we have the freedom to give as we purpose in our hearts, and we have the opportunity to be creative with how we love God and bless others with our money. If we embrace the New Testament principles of Love and Generosity, we won’t stumble over money to the degree we have while practicing tithing.
Thank you for visiting Truth Pressure Ministries. I hope this has been a blessing to you.
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