Real Bible Truths TITHING Vrs. GIVING
The first thing I would like to say is that I believe in GIVING to your church and charities. We are supposed to do this as Christians, but Tithing is not the type of giving the Bible teaches us to do, at least Not in the New Testament.
There is a BIG difference between Tithing and Giving and I will explain the difference between them below, so please bear with me. For now just understand that we are supposed to GIVE as Christians, but we are NOT supposed to be TITHING, it is actually against our faith.
The first subject we will be studying is tithing, not because it’s the most important, but because it is one of the most obvious errors being taught today by many dishonest pastors. Yes, I said dishonest pastors! Many of the pastors that are teaching this know very well that they are not being truthful if they know their bibles at all.
Here is the the main problem.
Tithing is NOT, I repeat is NOT taught in the New Testament, NOT EVEN ONCE! We are NEVER told as Christians to TITHE in the New Testament. We are told to GIVE, but NOT TITHE. And there is a big difference.
Why? Because tithing was part of the LAW given to the Jews only in the Old Testament. See (Heb 7:5) Which makes it perfectly clear that tithing was of the Law. And as we all should know, we are not under the LAW because it was done away with in Christ.
Every Christian pastor should know this without exception. This is common knowledge that the Old covenant was done away with to bring in the New covenant under Jesus Christ. If a pastor doesn’t know even this much, then maybe they should consider more schooling if they want to continue leading a church. This is entry level Christianity, grade school if you will. How can they teach higher things if they don’t even understand the basics?
The answer is that they are being dishonest. They know we are not under the Law yet they teach it anyways. Why? Because it brings more money into the church. While it is good to have more funds available in the church to pay the bills and the pastor and for other good things, it is not good that they have to deceive their congregations to obtain it. This is pure dishonesty, and that’s putting it lightly.
Here is the main verse many of them use to make us feel guilty.
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Mal. 3:8
9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
But notice it is an Old Testament scripture speaking to the house of Israel, NOT to Christians in the New Testament.
This is part of the Old Covenant that was done away with in Christ. To apply this scripture to New Testament Christians is to put us back under a yoke of bondage that Christ died to remove for us.
Why would we do that!?
Or should I say, Why would a Christian pastor teach that?
I challenge ANYONE regardless of their background or schooling to show me EVEN ONE Scripture in the New Testament King James Bible where Christ or any of the Apostles teaches us as Christians to pay “Tithes”.
I promise you that it isn’t in there, I’ve done the study. But we are supposed to give. And although tithing is giving, giving is not tithing, and we are to give, not tithe.
NEXT;
What the Bible teaches Christians about giving and the difference between Tithing and Giving.
Here is what the Bible teaches us as Christians about giving.
6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
The key phrase here is the second verse “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart,” This is just the opposite of tithing. In tithing, the Jews were supposed to give EXACTLY 10 percent. They didn’t have the option to give less, although they could give more.
You see tithe means 10 percent. So if the verse in 2 Cor. 9:7 says “according as he purposeth in his heart”, then it is no longer a tithe or 10 percent. It is left up to the Christian how much he wants to give or how much he believes he can afford. It is NOT an exact amount as tithing is.
The Bible says he should not give “grudgingly, or of necessity”. In other words he shouldn’t be stingy, but also he shouldn’t feel obligated to give a certain amount either. This is just the opposite of the Jewish tithe. They had to give a tithe, 10 percent whether they liked it or not.
Some have told me, “well I think a tithe is a good measure so I’m going to keep using that amount”. Well that sounds fine and good but here is the problem with that kind thinking:
You see by choosing a specific amount beforehand they are unwittingly putting themselves right back under the bondage of the Old Covenant. In other words they are making it an obligation and a specific amount which is what the Old Covenant was about. Under the New Covenant we don’t have those obligations because we have been set free from them. Our giving should be based on FAITH, not OBLIGATION. Do you see the difference?
So the bottom line is this; We are NOT to TITHE because that puts us back under the Law that Christ laid down His life to free us from. Tithing is not out of faith but out of the Law. However we ARE to give according to our hearts. Any other teaching from family, friend or pastor is un-scriptual and deceiving.