Ok, to be perfectly honest, I have been tithing for many years and I have been glad to do so. I followed what I was told by my church. Now, I am questioning whether or not it is mandated by the Bible. Not being a Bible scholar, I find that I cannot say one way or another. Now that my budget is tighter, I am wondering if I need to tithe 10%. I guess the fears jump in and the questions go around in circles in my head (I don't let go of questions very easily). My thoughts (some of them): "If I stop tithing 10%, am I going to be cursed?" "If it is not Biblically mandated, why do I feel guilty?" "Is the church using certain verses to defend their position on tithing to justify their asking for the tithe?" (are they using legit verses that defend it, or are they taking things out of context)
the Scripture that is used to teach "tithing" is from Malachi 3:10 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. I truly believe in tithing. Yes, it was an OT law, but you see examples of tithing all the way from Abraham to teaching of Jesus. (I have scripture ref, but for the space sake I will not post them... if you want them just ask) The OT examples of tithing and giving of offerings contain important principles of stewardship of money that are valid for us! I don't have anything that the LORD has not given to me. That is the way I feel about it. My tithe goes to support the ministry of my church, yes it pays the light bill, the pastor's salary, the SS curr., the giving of needy families, etc. This is all the work of the MINISTRY OF CHRIST. WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE THE CHURCH WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE ITS MISSION.... TO WIN SOULS FOR THE KINGDOM! I just did a google search and what I found was disturbing. Many people are teaching that tithing is not necessary! WERE DO THEY GET THAT FROM. I can say from my own experience, that even when I knew that My tithe would pay that bill that week, I STILL GAVE AND THE LORD SUPPLIED!
I believe that tithing is the way God uses to teach us to let go and let Him have it back. I don't believe His heart or ours changed in any way concerning generosity/greed. Another thought.....if someone wants to get technical about New Testament mandates, then we are instructed to share EVERYTHING with our brothers in sisters in Christ. Something to think about.
Shelby mentioned Malachi 3:2. But you really should start with verse 8 and go through verse twelve. It talks about the people "robbing" God by not bringing in the whole tithe. And this is the one place where God says "Test me and see..." (v. 10). It is not an option in our house. When the children were little, we would give them ten pennies for allowance every Sunday morning. Nine would go into their little banks, and the tenth one would be taken to church. Believe me, God doesn't "need" a penny each week from my kids, but my kids DO need to get into a habit of tithing. As my pastor says, "You can't out-give God!"
If we follow the OT regulations, most of should be tithing over 50 percent of our income. Personally, I dislike the entire concept as it's presented in today's "Christian culture" because it implies that we pay God a tip of 10 percent and then the rest is for us to spend and waste as ever we like. Lost in the discussion is the fact that everything - everything - we have belongs to the Lord. When we're young and have young children, it's a struggle to give 10 percent. When we're older and our children have grown, many could give 50 percent or more. As with most things, it's a matter of the heart. The actual amount that we give is irrelevant. And what does 10 percent actually mean? Before or after tax? Is it also 10 percent of our time? Also, how many of us, if we're honest, give with no strings attached?
Jackie,, I am with you it is not an option in our home. I am simply giving back to the LOrd what he has so graciously given to us!
Forgot to mention that I also give my first fruits and am trying to instill this in the rest of my family. Whatever I grow in my garden, in the orchard, the eggs from our chickens (you get the idea)....whatever gain I get, the first of it is always given away. After that, I still give a hefty amount (cuz I don't want to dicker with God about every tenth egg or tomato ) is then given freely and happily to whomever may need it. I plant about 4 times as much as we will actually need just to give it away. I agree with Steve in that we have turned the act of tithing into merely a test of God and His promise rather than having a generous heart that trusts God to supply my needs when I am in want through another brother or sister in their time of plenty. A friend of mine calls it 'God's economy'.
Steve, we tithe before taxes. Carl says if the government gets it's percent based on the full amount, then God should, too. My understanding of the purpose of the tithe was for the priests to live on. Today, the tithe is what runs the church...pays the salaries, heating, gas, etc. God is not a fool. I believe that if we give "just to get", it's not going to work. I think that when God says to test him, it's more of a "I want to give, but I've got these physical needs. My bills are due; shouldn't they come first?" And God says that if we put HIM first, giving a tithe when we know we have other bills that we don't have the money for, He will make sure we have what is needed. Most of us, myself included, are not in that kind of a situation, living hand-to-mouth. Many in the church we just left ARE. Yet the pastor encourages them to give a tithe, and we've had testimony again and again of God providing. When Carl was a single dad on food stamps, he would tithe one tenth of what he bought with the food stamps to the church's food pantry.
I'd take this How Much Do You Really Know About Tithing Test It presents facts about tithing that aren't talked about very much. I wouldn't stop tithing because of money. I would stop tithing if you are convinced that it is not for new covenant believers.
And just to back up my earlier statement about the true number given in the OT being much higher than ten percent for some: 1) Ten percent went towards supporting the Levites and priests 2) Ten percent was used to finance national festivals 3) Every third year, there was another ten percent to support the very poor 4) Then there was the temple tax 5) The corners of fields were left unharvested to help the poor 6) On top of that, everyone was encouraged to give freely to help others Some claim that John the Baptist promotes a fifty percent tithe, for example. What is missing in these arguments, however, is that we give to demonstrate our love for God and not to obey some rule or other. When we love someone, do we give them ten percent of our time, for example, and wave goodbye for the rest? Incidentally, I came across a news article that reveals Utah as the state with the highest number of bankruptcies. The reason given is that the Mormon church is very strict about expecting its tithe, even when it means individuals must go bankrupt. To my mind, that is downright dishonest because the rest of us end up paying for such financial irresponsibility. Jesus' message is clear: We're to give to Caesar what is Caesar's and not give to God what is effectively stolen from others.
I always wondered why, with just about every single other detail of Church operation outlined in the NT, tithing is not. Seems fishy to me. I'll stick with offerings and attempting to achieve the concept of "none among them had a need."
It's a matter of heart. Plain and simple. If you give expecting to get or because of legalistic reasons or because you want everyone to know how wonderful you are for giving so much, God won't honor it. Whether that be 10% or 75%. If you give out of love and honor, or to help fill another's need, then God will bless the gift.
I've always been taught that it's only an offering if it's over and above your tithe which you have already paid. We tithe now, but we didn't always. We too have proved "you can't outgive God."
Well that's the kicker, Lindina. I'm not a farmer, therefore, according the mandates of Scripture, I have nothing to tithe.
Yeah, I did tithe this morning and I am not going to just stop cold turkey without any thought. The thing is I have been questioning a lot of things and this is just one of them. On the one hand, I (honestly) have thought, well if it is not mandated- it will make it a lot easier to pay other things. On the other hand, I have thought, it is nice to contribute to the church so it can function well. Not that my giving alone supports the church, but the combination of all the tithers does (and the people who give any amount). I figure it is something to think about and study about. I don't really want to ask my pastor, because I already know his position.
From those who felt it would "make it a lot easier to pay other things", my understanding is that it DOESN'T work that way. In fact it works the opposite. The more you withold, the less you have for those "other things".
It's my understanding that the tithe is of whatever is your "increase". That would include any income, whatever that income consists of. Money, crops, whatever. That's what we operate under. We don't farm, either, so we don't have any "firstFRUITS" to tithe, but we do have income - some from labor (my retirement, kids' tuitions) and some from ownership (a little land rent/mineral rights). And I'm not saying you're wrong about giving an offering -- I'm only throwing out there what I've always been taught, and what my understanding of it is.
Tithing was an OT practice. Every law was laid out one by one for the Israelites (Lev & Deut, for example). In the NT, the concern is more over heart and attitude than a long list of step-by-step rules for daily living. We're told to each decide for himself how much we're able to give based on how much we've prospered over the past week. If it doesn't hurt to give, it's not a sacrifice. If you're giving just for show, it's not a sacrifice. If you're giving all you can, even if it's less than others give, it IS a sacrifice. II Cor. 9:6-7 - "But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." I Cor. 16:1-2 - "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: on the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come." Lk 21:1-4 - "Then He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, 'Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her povery has put in all the livelihood that she had.'" We're no longer bound by OT regulations. They're a useful tool to guide our hearts in the right direction, but they're no longer a law to be followed today.
