ECT Tithing: Is it Biblical?

Freedm

New member
Tithing. Is it Biblical?

I’m going to get right to the point. Tithing as we know it today, in the modern church, is not biblical. Giving, out of the goodness of your heart, is of course biblical, but this is not the same thing as tithing the way the churches expect you to tithe, nor the way the Israelites tithed before Jesus came.

Churches teach that we should give 10% of our income to the church because the Israelites were commanded to do the same in the Old Testament. Not only is that 10% number incorrect, but even if it were correct, we are not under the law. And if we put ourselves under the law, by trying to obey even one command, then we are refusing the sacrifice of Christ who took on the curse of the law so that we can be free of it. As Christians we live by grace and love, not by law.

Tithing in the Bible

There are three kinds of tithing in the bible.

1. The tithe to the Levites (Numbers 18:21-32)
2. The festival tithe (Deuteronomy 12:5-19)
3. Tithes to the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-30)

The Tithe to the Levites

When the Israelites entered the promised land, 11 of the 12 tribes received a piece of land as their inheritance. The 12th tribe, the Levites, who had the task of serving as priests for Israel, did not receive any land. This is why 10% of the produce of the land was to be given to the tribe of Levites, since they did not have their own. If a man wanted to give a monetary tithe instead, it had to be 12% not 10% (Leviticus 27:31). Furthermore, the tenth of each herd or flock was also to be given as a tithe.

Also of note is that God commanded this tithe to be given to the Levites as a reward for the work they did in the tabernacle and for bearing the sins of the people (a job which Jesus assumed on the cross) (Numbers 18:21-23).

The Festival Tithe

God ordered feasts for the Israelites where they were to gather together in Jerusalem three times per year (For the feast of tabernacles, passover and the feast of weeks) and bring a tenth of their grain, their new wine, oil and the firstborn of the herds and flocks and rejoice before the Lord in celebration.

If people were unable to make the journey or unable to carry their goods to the feast, they were permitted to sell their goods and use the money to buy for themselves whatever they desired to celebrate before the Lord. As part of this command they were also reminded to include the Levites in the celebration and allow them to partake in the tithe, because they did not have their own land to produce food with which to celebrate.

So this is another 10% of the produce of the land, on top of the original 10% which was to be given to the Levites.

Tithe to the Poor

The third tithe was collected once every three years (and since tithe means 10% this amounted to 3.3% per year) and this was set aside for “the strangers, the fatherless, widows, and Levites living within the gates of the Israelites” so that they may eat and be satisfied. This tithe also came with a blessing from the Lord as a reward for giving the tithe.

Summary

Altogether, the tithes amounted to 23.3% of the goods produced from the land. 10% for the Levites, 10% for the three annual feasts, and 3.3% for the poor to celebrate once every three years.

There are a few important points to note here.

1. All three tithes were intended to be produce from the land and herds only, not monetary.
2. The tithes were not given to God, but to people, for reward, celebration and charity.
3. Most importantly, these commands were part of the law, which we are not under.

Translating the Law to Modern Day

If you want to try to obey the law, and substitute today’s pastors for Israelite Levites, then you need a farm. Then bring 10% of everything you grow on that farm to church on Sunday. If you can’t carry the fruits and veggies to church then you are permitted to sell it all and then give 12% not 10% of your income.

Obviously, I am not suggesting you do this. I am making the point that tithing to your church is very different from what the Israelites did in the Old Testament.

Tithes Were Never for God

Secondly, tithes were never given to God, so the old argument that “you are stealing from God” if you do not give a tithe to the church is a lie, and if your pastor is still using that line, you need to call him on it. God has his own inheritance, which is his people. He does not need a tithe from our land or our wallets.

We Are Not Under the Law


The third point is by far the most important point here. Jesus fulfilled the law, which means we no longer live by it. Jesus is our priest now, not the Levites. He bore our sins on the cross, so we no longer need Levites to do it for us (and no, pastors are not our modern day Levites). We are all priests in Christ Jesus.

Paul warns that if we choose to live by even one letter of the law, then we are putting ourselves under the entire law and in doing so would be rejecting the sacrifice of Jesus. In Galatians he uses circumcision as the example, but we can assume that this applies to any part of the law.

Galatians 3:10, 5:3

For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."… I'll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses.

We are not living under the law. The law lives in and comes forth from our hearts. This is the new covenant. Jesus said the greatest command is to love the Lord your God and your neighbour as yourself. From these flow all the other laws. In other words, we give to the poor and celebrate before the Lord not because we are commanded to, but because we want to because of the love that is in us.

Jesus took away the curse from us. Don’t take it back by trying to obey the law in tithing.

Give Out of Love

Instead, give out of the love that flows from your heart. Give to the church if you want to, but do so out of love for God and for God’s people, not because you believe you are commanded to give a tenth of all you earn.

Matthew 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’

Just to be clear; I am not saying you should not give money to your church. I’m saying, if you choose to do so, do it for the right reasons and do not be fooled into thinking that we are under any command to do so. Personally I would rather give to a charity which I know does not spend 80% of its revenue on mortgages, utilities, sound equipment and janitorial services, but maybe that’s just me.
 

Right Divider

Body part
We Are Not Under the Law

The third point is by far the most important point here. Jesus fulfilled the law, which means we no longer live by it. Jesus is our priest now, not the Levites. He bore our sins on the cross, so we no longer need Levites to do it for us (and no, pastors are not our modern day Levites). We are all priests in Christ Jesus.
You were doing great until you got to here....

  • We in the body of Christ that are gentiles never had Levites in any way.
  • We in the body of Christ are NOT priests in any way.
  • We in the body of Christ do not have a priesthood of any kind.
  • We in the body of Christ have Christ as our head and not as our "high priest".
Our apostle Paul never once uses the words "priest" nor "priesthood" in any of his epistles. Never once.

Otherwise you had a lot of good stuff in there.
 

Lighthouse

The Dark Knight
Gold Subscriber
Hall of Fame
Tithing. Is it Biblical?

I’m going to get right to the point. Tithing as we know it today, in the modern church, is not biblical. Giving, out of the goodness of your heart, is of course biblical, but this is not the same thing as tithing the way the churches expect you to tithe, nor the way the Israelites tithed before Jesus came.

Churches teach that we should give 10% of our income to the church because the Israelites were commanded to do the same in the Old Testament. Not only is that 10% number incorrect, but even if it were correct, we are not under the law. And if we put ourselves under the law, by trying to obey even one command, then we are refusing the sacrifice of Christ who took on the curse of the law so that we can be free of it. As Christians we live by grace and love, not by law.

Tithing in the Bible

There are three kinds of tithing in the bible.

1. The tithe to the Levites (Numbers 18:21-32)
2. The festival tithe (Deuteronomy 12:5-19)
3. Tithes to the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-30)

The Tithe to the Levites

When the Israelites entered the promised land, 11 of the 12 tribes received a piece of land as their inheritance. The 12th tribe, the Levites, who had the task of serving as priests for Israel, did not receive any land. This is why 10% of the produce of the land was to be given to the tribe of Levites, since they did not have their own. If a man wanted to give a monetary tithe instead, it had to be 12% not 10% (Leviticus 27:31). Furthermore, the tenth of each herd or flock was also to be given as a tithe.

Also of note is that God commanded this tithe to be given to the Levites as a reward for the work they did in the tabernacle and for bearing the sins of the people (a job which Jesus assumed on the cross) (Numbers 18:21-23).

The Festival Tithe

God ordered feasts for the Israelites where they were to gather together in Jerusalem three times per year (For the feast of tabernacles, passover and the feast of weeks) and bring a tenth of their grain, their new wine, oil and the firstborn of the herds and flocks and rejoice before the Lord in celebration.

If people were unable to make the journey or unable to carry their goods to the feast, they were permitted to sell their goods and use the money to buy for themselves whatever they desired to celebrate before the Lord. As part of this command they were also reminded to include the Levites in the celebration and allow them to partake in the tithe, because they did not have their own land to produce food with which to celebrate.

So this is another 10% of the produce of the land, on top of the original 10% which was to be given to the Levites.

Tithe to the Poor

The third tithe was collected once every three years (and since tithe means 10% this amounted to 3.3% per year) and this was set aside for “the strangers, the fatherless, widows, and Levites living within the gates of the Israelites” so that they may eat and be satisfied. This tithe also came with a blessing from the Lord as a reward for giving the tithe.

Summary

Altogether, the tithes amounted to 23.3% of the goods produced from the land. 10% for the Levites, 10% for the three annual feasts, and 3.3% for the poor to celebrate once every three years.

There are a few important points to note here.

1. All three tithes were intended to be produce from the land and herds only, not monetary.
2. The tithes were not given to God, but to people, for reward, celebration and charity.
3. Most importantly, these commands were part of the law, which we are not under.

Translating the Law to Modern Day

If you want to try to obey the law, and substitute today’s pastors for Israelite Levites, then you need a farm. Then bring 10% of everything you grow on that farm to church on Sunday. If you can’t carry the fruits and veggies to church then you are permitted to sell it all and then give 12% not 10% of your income.

Obviously, I am not suggesting you do this. I am making the point that tithing to your church is very different from what the Israelites did in the Old Testament.

Tithes Were Never for God

Secondly, tithes were never given to God, so the old argument that “you are stealing from God” if you do not give a tithe to the church is a lie, and if your pastor is still using that line, you need to call him on it. God has his own inheritance, which is his people. He does not need a tithe from our land or our wallets.

We Are Not Under the Law


The third point is by far the most important point here. Jesus fulfilled the law, which means we no longer live by it. Jesus is our priest now, not the Levites. He bore our sins on the cross, so we no longer need Levites to do it for us (and no, pastors are not our modern day Levites). We are all priests in Christ Jesus.

Paul warns that if we choose to live by even one letter of the law, then we are putting ourselves under the entire law and in doing so would be rejecting the sacrifice of Jesus. In Galatians he uses circumcision as the example, but we can assume that this applies to any part of the law.

Galatians 3:10, 5:3

For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."… I'll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses.

We are not living under the law. The law lives in and comes forth from our hearts. This is the new covenant. Jesus said the greatest command is to love the Lord your God and your neighbour as yourself. From these flow all the other laws. In other words, we give to the poor and celebrate before the Lord not because we are commanded to, but because we want to because of the love that is in us.

Jesus took away the curse from us. Don’t take it back by trying to obey the law in tithing.

Give Out of Love

Instead, give out of the love that flows from your heart. Give to the church if you want to, but do so out of love for God and for God’s people, not because you believe you are commanded to give a tenth of all you earn.

Matthew 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied: ‘“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’

Just to be clear; I am not saying you should not give money to your church. I’m saying, if you choose to do so, do it for the right reasons and do not be fooled into thinking that we are under any command to do so. Personally I would rather give to a charity which I know does not spend 80% of its revenue on mortgages, utilities, sound equipment and janitorial services, but maybe that’s just me.

RD is correct. We are not a priesthood. That was Israel.

You were doing great until you got to here....

  • We in the body of Christ that are gentiles never had Levites in any way.
  • We in the body of Christ are NOT priests in any way.
  • We in the body of Christ do not have a priesthood of any kind.
  • We in the body of Christ have Christ as our head and not as our "high priest".
Our apostle Paul never once uses the words "priest" nor "priesthood" in any of his epistles. Never once.

Otherwise you had a lot of good stuff in there.
 

Bradley D

Well-known member
"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7)
 

Right Divider

Body part
Correct doctrine require more the just being Biblical. It must also be dispensational.

God does NOT always require the same thing from all people at all times.
 

Freedm

New member
You were doing great until you got to here....

  • We in the body of Christ that are gentiles never had Levites in any way.
  • We in the body of Christ are NOT priests in any way.
  • We in the body of Christ do not have a priesthood of any kind.
  • We in the body of Christ have Christ as our head and not as our "high priest".
Our apostle Paul never once uses the words "priest" nor "priesthood" in any of his epistles. Never once.

Otherwise you had a lot of good stuff in there.

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
 

Freedm

New member
RD is correct. We are not a priesthood. That was Israel.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
 

Freedm

New member
You were doing great until you got to here....

  • We in the body of Christ that are gentiles never had Levites in any way.
  • We in the body of Christ are NOT priests in any way.
  • We in the body of Christ do not have a priesthood of any kind.
  • We in the body of Christ have Christ as our head and not as our "high priest".
Our apostle Paul never once uses the words "priest" nor "priesthood" in any of his epistles. Never once.

Otherwise you had a lot of good stuff in there.

Jesus is also our priest.

Hebrews 4:14
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
 

Right Divider

Body part
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter was NOT written to the body of Christ. It was written the same scattered twelve tribes that James was writing to.

1Pe 1:1 KJV Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Jas 1:1 KJV James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

1 Peter 2:9 is a QUOTE from Exodus about the nation of Israel.

Exo 19:3-6 KJV And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; (4) Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. (5) Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (6) And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

The body of Christ is NOT a nation nor a priesthood. The words "priest" and "priesthood" are completely missing from Paul's epistles. Paul IS writing to the body of Christ.
 

Right Divider

Body part
Jesus is also our priest.

Hebrews 4:14
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
The book to the HEBREWS was NOT written to the body of Christ. It was written to .... the HEBREWS.
 

Bright Raven

Well-known member
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
Malachi 3:8-9 King James Version (KJV)
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
 

Right Divider

Body part
Malachi 3:8-9 King James Version (KJV)
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
The nation of Israel. This scripture has a context, like all scripture.

Mal 1:1 KJV The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.
 

Cntrysner

Active member
Malachi 3:8-9 King James Version (KJV)
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

How much should one give now in tithes to insure they don't rob God?
 

Freedm

New member
The book to the HEBREWS was NOT written to the body of Christ. It was written to .... the HEBREWS.

The book of Hebrews may have been written for the Hebrews, but specifically Christian Hebrews and those who the author was hoping to convert. In other words, it teaches of Christ regardless of who it was written for, and it teaches that Christ is our priest.

That fact does not change based on the audience because the job of the priest was to take on the burden of sin from the sinner, which is what Jesus does for those who've accepted him. So how then can Jesus be a priest for those who've rejected him? Clearly Jesus is the believer's priest.
 

Freedm

New member
Malachi 3:8-9 King James Version (KJV)
8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

We are free from the curse. Don't you believe that?
 

Right Divider

Body part
The book of Hebrews may have been written for the Hebrews, but specifically Christian Hebrews and those who the author was hoping to convert. In other words, it teaches of Christ regardless of who it was written for, and it teaches that Christ is our priest.
No, it does NOT teach Christ "as our priest" with regards to the body of Christ.

It teaches Christ "as their priest" with regard to the nation of Israel and the promises made specifically to them.

Perhaps you'd like to attempt an answer as to why Paul, the apostle of the gentiles, never ONCE uses the words "priest" nor "priesthood" in ANY of his epistles. If "Christ is our priest" (and by OUR, I'm referring specifically to the body of Christ), then why does Paul never mention that in ANY of his THIRTEEN epistles. Seems like of glaring omission.

That fact does not change based on the audience because the job of the priest was to take on the burden of sin from the sinner, which is what Jesus does for those who've accepted him. So how then can Jesus be a priest for those who've rejected him? Clearly Jesus is the believer's priest.
Your logic is completely faulty. You do not understand the dispensations of God. You do not understand the promises that God made to Israel. You do not understand Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.
 

Freedm

New member
What is the curse in giving to God?

The curse is not in giving to God. The curse is in trying to obey the law.

Galatians 3:10
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
 
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