Do I need to pay tithe?

Sabertooth

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I don't know, but in our experience, God still blesses the tithe.

"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,

Says the Lord of hosts;
“And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the Lord of hosts." Malachi 3:10-12 NKJV

The second highlighted part doesn't mean that you will have more money. It means that He will make your remaining 90% go farther than it would have otherwise. (And that is what He has done for us.)
 
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Hammster

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Do I need to pay tithe?
A pastor said "not paying tithe is robbing God".
Did Paul say we (gentile Christians) must pay tithe in New Testament?
There is no requirement in the NT to pay a tithe. When we give, we should give cheerfully. So if you can, give.
 
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tturt

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Yeshua talked about tithing:

"But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." (Luk 11:42) But we're not to make a show of giving (Matt 6:1).

Also, Yeshua watched the offering plate and noticed who gave and how much. Then He remarked "For they all put in from their abundance, but she from her need has put in everything she had - all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:44). Seems like Yeshua would have taken the opportunity to tell His disciples that the poor wouldn't be expected to pay tithes/offerings/giving soon if that was going to be the case. Or do we think He let the poor widow put in everything she had without blessing her as promised in Mal 3:10.
 
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Daniel9v9

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Unless you're an Israelite in the Old Testament with access to the Temple, you are under no obligation to tithe. Christ is our new Temple and the old law is done with. It was a type and shadow of Christ. Now we may give offerings - not under obligation - but cheerfully.

Don't be burdened with it and if any pastor tells you Christians are required to tithe, they don't know their Bible well. :)

Check out Acts 15:1-29 for a quick Bible reference to see the freedom we have in Christ.
 
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AvilaSurfer

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Yeah I’ve heard this argument. “Tithing is OT, there’s no tithing in the NT.”
Bull. If you want to stick with NT, what did Jesus say? “Sell it all, give to the poor, follow me.”
So I think I’ll tithe.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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The tithe was for the support of the Levites because they had no inheritance in the land. And their work was limited to Temple service so they couldn't engage in a productive trade to support themselves and their families. Today full time ministers are in much the same boat as they must be paid from the contributions of their church members. And while not commanded tithing remains a valid principle for many. Contributions must pay for the other costs of maintaining a church or ministry as well.
 
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Daniel9v9

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I think there's a confusion between the concept of tithing and the concept of offering here. Tithing is essentially a temple tax. Offering is a kind of freewill offering. One is required, the other is recommended out of love. There's an important difference here.
 
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Daniel9v9

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Sorry for the spam, but I also want to add that if our motivation for "tithing" is so that "the Lord may bless us" - if taken to mean a material profit for ourselves - this is a terrible reason to offer and entirely unscriptural. I only mention it as I've heard it said by many. We don't offer what belongs to God for personal gain. That's just absurd.
 
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OldWiseGuy

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From a mature point of view tithing assures a relatively stable church income, necessary to meet the costs of maintaining ministry, buildings, and other costs. It is a contribution based on commitment to one's church and is necessary so that all things can be done 'decently and in order'. In the parlance of charities these are termed 'sustaining members' and are necessary if a church is to maintain it's ministry and programs.
 
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GodsGrace101

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Do I need to pay tithe?
A pastor said "not paying tithe is robbing God".
Did Paul say we (gentile Christians) must pay tithe in New Testament?
What is it robbing God of?
God needs our money?

We are not required to tithe and any church that demands this would be on my list of good churches.

Money is for man...not God.
Jesus said to give cheerfully.
You can give less, or more, up to you.
 
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RichardY

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I view tithes as a welfare system. Largely defunct due to the state. Something like 10% of income ,or a day a week, or 3 days a month would be reasonable.

I think it would be better than the current state system. There used to be large church estates in Canada(Quebec) and the UK. Maybe there still is. Seeing the major churches sellout though, wholesale. I wouldn't be inclined to pay a tithe, especially if it ends up compounding problems through not being communally used.

Yeah that is a cheek, to say you're robbing God.

No.
 
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RaymondG

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Do I need to pay tithe?
A pastor said "not paying tithe is robbing God".
Did Paul say we (gentile Christians) must pay tithe in New Testament?
You do not need to pay tithes......you must give it.

Be wary of those who tell you that you need to Pay it or that you do not need to pay it. Both can lead you to the same destruction....
 
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Kenny'sID

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A pastor said "not paying tithe is robbing God".

I'd have to ask him...Since the money goes to you, then who was it again that I'd be robbing?

2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV
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.

And FWIW, I would "decide in my heart" NOT to give to someone who laid a non biblical guilt trip on me, and claimed I was robbing God in order to get my money.
 
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Daniel C

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Do I need to pay tithe?
A pastor said "not paying tithe is robbing God".
Did Paul say we (gentile Christians) must pay tithe in New Testament?


Well this is what Chirst said on the matter of giving money away in the interest of charity:

Matthew 6:1-4


So giving should be done discreetly. I also think the point of giving alms is a reminder that our possessions have been given to us only by the blessing of God and by sharing we avoid falling into the trap of a self-centred mind and move towards a self-sacrificing mind, which God calls for.

Full time preachers need a wage to live so I don't think it's unreasonable to donate some to the church to keep a roof over the heads of our preachers.
 
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topher694

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The principle of the tithe and giving is not OT/NT, it predates the law, it goes all the way back to the garden.

Whenever, Jesus re-articulated a principle in the Gospels, He always raised the standard, He never lowered it. He also made it about the heart vs solely obligation. The point is, can you give according to God's standards and still do it cheerfully? Versus, give an amount that keeps you cheerful (ie, doesn't bother you)? This is because God knows that the #1 thing that can steal our hearts from Him is the love of money. If we can be obedient AND give cheerfully, that demonstrates He has our heart, not money.

I have heard the arguments time and time again that tithing is not NT. And this is what I have seen first hand when it comes to giving. Those that argue that tithing is not NT, never give even close to 10%, not even here or there. Those that do tithe are often generous beyond 10%, whether that be to the church, homeless, personal blessing to their pastor, or whatever. So, which one sounds more in line with the heart of God?

btw, I am not talking about mega-church, televangelists sort of thing, that is a different discussion entirely. I'm talking about your average everyday local church which - despite the frequent accusations to the contrary - are not fleecing anybody, but rather trying to keep the lights on, help as many as they can, and provide for their family who already have to sacrifice more than most people realize.
 
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Strong in Him

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Strong in Him

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Another thing; when people talk about tithing they quote verses from the OT.
In the OT the tithe was food - NOT money. The only time that money was involved was if the Lord had blessed them so much that 10% of their crops was too heavy for them to carry to Jerusalem. THEN, they sold that 10%, took the money to the temple, bought food with it and sat down to eat a feast.

It is wrong for people to teach that we have to give 10% "as Scripture says", then say "well the equivalent today is money so that means 10% of your wages" - and then claim that they are tithing according to Scripture.
If you feel it is absolutely essential to follow Scriptural teaching on this matter; buy an allotment, harvest 10% of your crops and have a meal to celebrate God's goodness to you - not forgetting to invite your church minister, and the poor, to eat it with you.

Yes, it is important to give money to the local church, so that salaries can be paid, missions started or continued, resources bought, etc etc. But there is no NT teaching that a Christian has to give 10% of their salary to these things. Some would dispute that they are even important.
 
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Hank77

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Do I need to pay tithe?
A pastor said "not paying tithe is robbing God".
Did Paul say we (gentile Christians) must pay tithe in New Testament?
It doesn't have anything to do with be gentiles. Jews today do not pay tithes. That's because they actually know and have a better understanding of the tithing laws and where the tithe must be given. Three times a year at the temple in Jerusalem.
Do they give to their local synagogue to maintain the building, pay the rabbi, etc. yes they do. Do they give to charity, yes they do. But they don't claim what they give is a tithe, because they know it's not.

There are many churches who do just fine financially without teaching tithing.
I was in the Assemblies of God type churches for many, many years and believed them about paying tithes and my family no matter what always gave 10%. The Lord did bless us in our ignorance of His word.
However, when I did learn I didn't stop giving I just knew that if something happened that I couldn't give for a time, like loosing a job, God wasn't going to curse me for not paying it.
 
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Cis.jd

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Do I need to pay tithe?
A pastor said "not paying tithe is robbing God".
Did Paul say we (gentile Christians) must pay tithe in New Testament?

It depends. These days, i just have this high skepticism towards churches. If you trust the church you are tithing too, then go. It's good, IMO. It's more of showing thankfulness to God for the finances he has blessed you with and just giving back by making sure churches are standing so that other people can have their lives saved.

But yes, at the same time you really have to be careful on the churches you give money too because even the nicest churches can have such high corruption with in.Maybe look around change.org or some charity sites and maybe you can tithe through donating to christian groups who are trying to help others (whether it being human to animal care).?
 
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