The tithe that is taught by many Christian denominations to be 10 percent gross or net income is no where to be found in the entire counsel of the Holy Scriptures. Many Christian denominations, Church pastors and leaders say that those who do not tithe are robbing God and will suffer curses for not doing so as stated in Malachi. Don't they know the requirement of the Old Covenant has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ so therefore we are no longer under the law. Lets assume I am wrong and that we are still under the law, even if it were so, tithing wasn't 10 percent of gross or net income. This article will disprove that assertion to the reader, bear in mind, I am not attacking anyone, it hurts to see many do not know the truth about tithing.
These people teach that Christians must pay tithe and I am categorising what they teach into three groups in this article:
- The Abrahamic Tithe: These teachers teach that we are children of faith and since our father in this faith is Abraham then we must pay tithe.
- The Mosaic Law Tithe: This group of tithe teachers teach that we are still under the law or portions of it.
- The New Covenant Tithe: This group teach that since Jesus spoke of tithe in Mathew 23, then we must pay tithe.
Before we begin, take a look at some
SHOCKING TRUTHS ABOUT TITHE.
- Money was never a tithable commodity. Only food products from the land were tithable yet it is taught as being 10 percent net or gross income.
- Only Levites, orphans, poor, widows and strangers could receive the tithe. After the genealogical records were destroyed during the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, it has become very difficult to determine true Levites so therefore modern Jews do not tithe.
- The entire Mosaic Law system including tithing was only for Israel.
- No directive of any kind on tithing is found in the book of the covenant. The book of the covenant was given by Moses and it contains the Ten Commandments and various civil and religious requirements. Read Exodus Chapters 20-23.
- There was to be no planting, no reaping, and no tithing in the seventh year. Are you given a break every seven years?
- There is no instruction anywhere in scripture that grants the right to any human being to place themselves into the priesthood of Melchizedek commanding tithes from God's people- this cannot be overlooked.
We shall now begin to disprove all assertions on tithing. Let's begin with the Abrahamic tithe teachers.
THE ABRAHAMIC TITHE.
As previously stated, this group of tithe teachers say that we are not under the Mosaic Law, we Christians are Children of faith and since our father in this faith is Abraham, and Abraham gave tithe, we must be tithers. Let's see what the scripture truly says:
Genesis 14 tells of a story of how Abram rescued his nephew Lot. Abram fought and defeated the four Kings who spoiled the King of Sodom and the King of Gomorrah. After victory, Abram met the King of Sodom and Melchizedek, the King of Salem and a priest of the Most High God (El- Elyon) who brought wine and bread and blessed Abram saying;
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you"
Abram then gave Melchizedek a tenth of all goods he had recovered. Right afterwards, the King of Sodom said to Abram, " Give back my people who were captured. But you may keep for yourself all the goods you have recovered. "
Abram replied him saying;
"I solemnly swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of Heaven and Earth, that I will not take so much as a single thread or sandal thong from what belongs to you. Otherwise you might say, "I am the one who made Abram rich".
The things I want you to highlight in the passage above are that:
1. Those properties never belonged to Abram.
2. Abram kept nothing.
If tithing is the issue here and that we are to follow Abram's example then we should never give a full tithe of ten(10) percent, we should give it all away. (Gen. 14:23)
THE MOSAIC TITHE.
Before I tackle this subject, bear in mind that Jesus Christ has fulfilled all the requirements of the Mosaic Law. The ultimate requirement of the Mosaic Law was an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life. In Adam, all died. It took the death of an innocent man{Jesus Christ} to set those in Adam free. Life for life.
"For the sin of this one man, Adam caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ". Romans 5:17-19.
For the sake of brevity, I shall explain the Mosaic Law tithe in a single paragraph.
The Mosaic Law tithing throughout the Old Testament focuses mainly on food. It was food for the Levite, food for the stranger, food for the orphan, food for the poor, food for the widow and God doesn't change in Malachi. The subject is still "food in My house" Read Exodus, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Numbers and you'll see surprising things.
Tithes were to be given only to orphans,poor, widows, strangers, and Levites. There are no Levites today. How many men of God can prove they are descendants of Aaron?
THE NEW COVENANT TITHE.
There are some pastors and tithe teachers that argue that because Jesus spoke of tithing in Mathew 23 then it is a new covenant teaching. Let us see if their argument is correct.
"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." Mathew 23:23
Keep in mind that at the time Jesus said these things, he hadn't died and therefore the Old Covenant was still in effect. Levites were also around at that time. The Levites disappeared after the genealogical record were destroyed in 70 AD in the destruction of the temple.
Just because Jesus mentioned tithing in Mathew does not mean it is New Covenant teaching. As explained above, the New Covenant was not until Jesus Christ offered up his blood to fulfill the requirements of the Old Covenant and to save Mankind.
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