Tithing, Whats the Big Deal?

It is interesting that in the OT firstfruits was produce and herds. In the NT, firstfruits is only mentioned 7 times and it is people. Firstfruit is mentiioned once and it too refers to people.

 

LeBuick, there are certain questions, or comments that merit a response, that you are ignoring. What's with your jumping on "putting God to a test" if you so value the tithe system of the OT, when that is exactly what God said to do 'in this' in Malachi 3:10? And also, this claiming your treasure is not the earthly kind that rusts [coins; money], then do you currently have any of this rusty treasure right now, and have you used any of it within the past week?

 

A caeful study of OT tithing law will reveal tithing did not go to the priest, but to the servants of the priests. The priest actually only got a tenth of the tithe that the servants received.

 

In Acts 15, Peter clearly states that the Gentile Believers were not to be put under the yoke of bondage found in the Mosaic laws. Tithing was a Mosaic Law.

We today are not required to tithe.

 

Because Malachi 3:10 is not the way your posts reflect putting the Lord to the test. Your posts are more like Matt 4:7.

It is one thing to give more to the Lord in the context of His will for your life. It is quite another to abandon everything you are doing and recklessly play games with your livelihood, your families welfare, and other areas to prove a flawed point.

 

And it is another thing to place Gentile Believers (the Church of today) under Mosaic Law.

 

My advise FWIW is this:

If you give 10% of your income, don't call it a tithe and try to keep this fact to yourself so that your Father will reward you openly.

On the other hand I really believe the sincerity of these folks who are trying to keep the local churches from legalism and/or even using OT legal terms.

In reality, it should be a joy to share what we have with others.

If you only feel comfortable say with 5% or 1% giving or some fixed figure, then give it.

If you buy a camera (I just did) then it will eventually reap corruption, the camera will get old, break and quit working. In any event the camera and the pictures will burn when "the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" along with our cars, homes, computers, boats, cottages, etc, etc...

But, if you give to the destitute, they will bless you, God will bless you and you will reap a blessing which will go on into eternity.

You can do both but you will trade some eternal reward for the temporal.

We are not in bondage to give, but we will either reap into eternal life or have a trinket for the here and now only (and we need some of that).

There's an old saying (Puritan I believe) "you can't take it with you but you can send it on ahead".

2 Peter 3
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.​

HankD

 

How's that? As I said, I did a statistical test comparing the months I tithe against the months I don't. That's what Malachi 3:10 says to do-- "Test me in this...." That is, of course, if tithing resulting in blessing is applicable to NT Christians. I conclude it is not.

What exactly does this mean? That 10% is the optimum in giving-- that you will be optimally blessed by that figure, and won't be blessed as much if you give less, and will be blessed the same amount (as for 10%) if you give more? If not, then what?

Is that what Jesus told the "rich young ruler" he had to do? Is that what Barnabas did when he and many others sold everything and 'laid the proceeds at the apostles' feet?' [I hope they weren't ticklish]

 

BTW, It seems to me that in Malachi 2:4; 2:8; 3:3, God's quarrel was with the Levites who were taking the tithes from the people and keeping some or most of it for themselves and not bringing them all into the Storehouse.

It is to the Levites primarily (IMO) that God is asking "will a man rob God?"

No doubt, that in seeing this the non-priestly tribes were reluctant to bring their tithes knowing that it would be stolen.

HankD

 

That makes me feel a lot better! :thumbs: I give an offering whenever I can, and I give as much as I can. I trust God to take care of my family, but to me that includes me using what little my hubby gets paid to pay our bills and feed our kids. I just can't see God blessing me for putting so much money in the offering plate that the kids have to starve that week. I know a lot of people tell stories about receiving that surprise check in just the nick of time, but I think it's better to pay your bills and feed your family first. This is just one of those tough subjects! :BangHead:

 

drfuss: Good point. I never heard a proponent of tithing requirements include this.

 

Was not tithing part of the Mosaic law? In Acts 15:5 we read of Pharisees who were believers who rose up saying that Gentile Believers were to be circumcised and that they were to be commanded to keep the Law of Moses.

They rose up, they wanted to be in control, not in unity with the Jewish Council that was assembled.

Peter, in verse 10, rebuked these Pharisees by telling them the Gentile Believers were not to be put under the yoke of bondage of Mosaic Law.

Gentile Believers, according to Peter's statement, were not required to pay tithes at all.

Nor are we today to be put under that yoke of bondage.

The only tithing mentioned outside of the Law was by Abram (who did not tithe his own property, but the spoils of war) and Jacob (a fullfillment of a promise made to God if God would do certain things for him first)

If one want to use these characters as examples, then one would have to tithe of spoils of war and not one's own property unless one had made a vow to God and God fulfilled His requirements first.

 

I don't believe there is scriptural support for tithing 10% for Christians. I do believe that everything I am and everything I have is the Lord's. I cannot hold back 90% or 80% or even just 10% for me. It is all His. He let's me have some to live on, and some for recreation but if He calls on me to put 100% toward something besided myself it is His.

10% is, to me, formula-based Christianity. I don't like formulas, whether for prosperity or for answered prayer or for salvation. Christianity and following Jesus Christ is a matter of the heart. These are my objections to the 10% tithe teaching. Every time I hear a pastor tell a congregation that they will benefit financially because they tithe, I cringe. It is detestable to me.

And it is an OT templ/priesthood commandment. There were reasons why the tenth sheep or the tenth steer to pass under the bar was set aside for the Lord. The priests who served in the temple had no land. They needed to eat. And there were the poor, and so forth.

How can you give anything to God? What is there that you have that is not already his? What does He lack? The tithe was given because the priests were not alloted any land inheritance in the promised land. The priests who served in the temple had to eat. This idea that I have something that I can give to God seems foreign to me. I am His, and all the things I think I have are also His. If the church needs a new roof and God calls on me to give 50% of this month's income and He doesn't call on anyone else to give anything, then I have to do what God compells me to do and with a cheerful heart, giving praise that He would choose me to help in that way and that He blessed me with the ability to do it!

At least that's the way I wish I could feel about it, but regardless of how I feel about it the principle is the same.

 

Can someone give a Biblical outline of why tithing is no longer required ?
Thank You.

 

Yes, someone can.

You are welcome.

 

And this deep theological analysis is brought to you by Charmin.

 

Please explain your answer. I am not trying to be anything but genuine in my request this an attempt to learn.

Many people have offered scripture. I was just wondering if someone could give a scriptural explanation, the way you would with salvation or baptism or any other topic.

This was not to offend. I hope the response was not one of being upset or challenged but just to say yes you would outline this topic in scripture.

Sometimes there is so much opinion I would just like to see scripture given so that I can study and pray about the topic.

 

Scroll up to post #92 I gave Biblical explanation in one passage alone.

 

Thank you for your response here. The verse does say and I will quote KJV...

Acts 15:10- Now therefore why tempt ye God,to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples,which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear.

From the verse before that 15: 9 which says - And put no difference between us and them, purifying their HEARTS by faith.

I think that the context of verse fifteen is in reference to salvation explianing to them like he did in the verses before about a belief in Christ from the heart and the preaching of the spirit doing the work. ( Vs. 7-8)

You would have to further explain why this frees them from the law. Hebrews is much more clear on this, IMO. All this says to me is Peter was telling them there was no need for them to do this and that conversion is the work of the Holy ghost and not being circumcised.

Do not take this the wrong way, I just do not know how to express this another way. Would one verse be sufficient in explianing salvation ? A tract with one verse would not be as effective as a tract that had a number of verses that led to a decision. Just a thought.
I was hoping for more if you could

 

Verse 5 explains why Peter said they were freed from the law.

Acts 15:5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.


Tithing was one of the 613 laws within the Law of Moses. The Pharisees were trying to issue a command that the Gentile Believers keep the Law of Moses... this included tithing..

Peter said they were not to be put under the yoke of bondage of the Law. NO TITHING for the Gentile Church.