Please give me your thoughts: Is Tithing required by the New Testament?

Tithing

standingfirminChrist
"If you are being led to tithe, then you are to tithe produce, flocks and herds... for that is what tithe was. It was not money."

So if you are being led to tithe and are not giving produce, flocks and herbs but instead money, you are not tithing and thereby not following the leading as you claim to.


I appreciate your position on tithing and agreed with it up to this comment. You are in dangerous territory of saying the Spirit cannot lead a person to tithe. I say it is almost 100% unlikely that He would, but I cannot say He could. I think everybody I know who is tithing is under the teaching of a man that says they must. It is almost sure that they are doing "as under law".

But, we must remember that as keeping the Law is of no value, so is not keeping it.

Gal. 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

I hope you take this is the right spirit and keep defending the libery that we have been called to.

 

I did not say the Spirit cannot lead a person to tithe.

If the Spirit leads to tithe, it will be the Biblical tithe. Anything outside of that is adding to God's Word.

Tithing was never money. It was not required of anyone but landowners who farmed or raised cattle or sheep.

You need to study what titheing is and was.

 

I will say this...

If the Spirit does lead you to tithe, He is going to lead you to keep the other 612 Levitical Laws. For if you are guilty of breaking one, you are guilty of breaking them all... even if you are tithing a tenth of your produce, sheep or cattle.

 

A tithe is merely 10%, .10, 1/10. It is simple math. Move the decimal one place to the left.

For a Jew, God gave very strict commands regarding what he required. If a person wants to give 10% of anything it is a tenth, ie a tithe. If a kid is collecting cans with a 10 cent deposit on it and he wants to give every tenth one to a missionary he has the liberty to do it. And if done "unto the Lord", God will accept his gift.

You are putting people back under law by saying what a tithe has to be for them. They are under no law, don't put them under it.

Romans 14:5 "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks."

and verse 10 " But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

 

he can give a tenth of his money to the Lord's work, but it is not tithe. Tithe was never money.

 

drfuss: Those who pay a tithe, are responding to a an O.T. requirement even thought it was not allowed to be money(Duet. 14). Those who give 10%, are giving and are not responding to a requirement. I always give more than 10%, but I do not tithe.

 

As I said, if the Lord wants one to tithe, He is not going to change His Word. He will have that one tithe produce, sheep or cattle.

Also, He will have them adhere to and follow the other 612 Levitical laws. For if one is guilty of one, one is guilty of all.

Also, since it was only landowners who were farmers and herdsmen, God does not and will not require tithes of people who follow another trade. That includes multimillionaires. If their millions are not because of farming or herding, God does not require tithe from them.

God does require every one of His Children to give, though... and to give cheerfully

 

I agree that tithing is no more required under the New Covenant than is circumcision. Yet I am wary of the antagonists of tithing because they are often (not always) seeking an excuse to give less than 10%. God gave us the opportunity for life everlasting and we owe everything to Him. Support of His work should eclipse all other concerns about our finances and for most people 10% should be a starting point for giving.

 

10% should be a starting point?

Is that a command by God, or a demand by you?

 

Well, it's by me. Let's just say that is the standard I use for myself and I don't think it is unreasonable for most others to do so as well.

 

Well, we have come th the truth concerning your statement, you said it yourself... you don't think.

 

Tithing

Here is where tithing is dangerous and causes those like SFIC to say it can't be done. I basically agree and always tell believers tithing is not a rule to follow or to start with.

It's by me. I use it myself.
For a Christian, giving is to be influenced by the Holy Spirit of God. Rather than being in communion with the Spirit, we come up with devices to get us to do good things. This is where we get spoiled or beguiled of our reward: the Holy Spirit leading us.

You call it a standard
STANDARD, n. [G., sort, kind.]
3. That which is established as a rule or model, by the authority of public opinion, or by respectable opinions, or by custom or general consent;

Because we call it a standard it almost always results in:

"It isn't unreasonable for other."
This is the result of decision making after the flesh. If it is good for me, it must be good for them. Or, in the OT it was what God wanted, so it must be good. Let's call it "a starting point". No, the starting point for a NT believer should be prayer.

Gal. 3:3 "Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?"

 

1Co 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

With all of the other NT verses on giving, this one indicates we ought to give proportionally as we have received, though it seems the percentage is up to us to decide.

If one determines to give 10%, so long as he does not do so in an attempt to be justified, there is no problem.

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a mix of "Keep the OT Law" and "Nobody's telling me what to do" on this topic?