Tithing?

Acts29

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But is this a Biblical standard?

John 8:39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.

Abraham had no requirement to tithe, but he did out of gratitude. For God is not mocked, whatever a man sows that shall he reap. There is no requirement to tithe in the NT. There is also no requirement to be blessed either.

At the same time, no one likes a church that bashes people into giving to them. Most of the church has spent the last 2000 years trying to pretend Moses and the law was a waste of God's time, except the part about tithing. A church being greedy is a turn off to most, including me. Those who actually follow Jesus should want to give freely because that is what Christ does. Treasures on earth are temporary. Treasures in heaven are forever.
 
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topher694

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At the same time, no one likes a church that bashes people into giving to them. Most of the church has spent the last 2000 years trying to pretend Moses and the law was a waste of God's time, except the part about tithing. A church being greedy is a turn off to most, including me. Those who actually follow Jesus should want to give freely because that is what Christ does. Treasures on earth are temporary. Treasures in heaven are forever.
So what do you consider "bashing" or "greedy"? Because in my experience people who complain about giving are often upset anytime an offering is taken. If we stopped doing that churches would have to close.
 
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RDKirk

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So what do you consider "bashing" or "greedy"? Because in my experience people who complain about giving are often upset anytime an offering is taken. If we stopped doing that churches would have to close.

Strawman rhetoric. Nobody in this thread is complaining about giving.
 
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Acts29

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So what do you consider "bashing" or "greedy"? Because in my experience people who complain about giving are often upset anytime an offering is taken. If we stopped doing that churches would have to close.

First, passing the offering plate is kind of outdated since most people don't carry around physical cash anymore. Second, if a church can only stay open by pushing people to give, it isn't a church. It is a social club. Any church that regularly experiences the presence of God has no problem with money. Those people enjoy giving.
 
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topher694

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First, passing the offering plate is kind of outdated since most people don't carry around physical cash anymore. Second, if a church can only stay open by pushing people to give, it isn't a church. It is a social club. Any church that regularly experiences the presence of God has no problem with money. Those people enjoy giving.
That's evading my question. I don't care about the method. I simply asked how you would define your previous comment.

However, the statement:

Any church that regularly experiences the presence of God has no problem with money. Those people enjoy giving

Is ridiculous. You have no basis to make such a claim.
 
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tturt

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Jesus, while on earth, 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 12:41-44).

Or do we think He let the poor widow put in everything she had without blessing her as promised in the OT? - "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." Mal 3:10
 
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Vince53

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Acts 29 writes: "John 8:39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.
Abraham had no requirement to tithe, but he did out of gratitude."

Years ago, I grudgingly concluded that there is no clear major NT command to tithe. We make it a major issue (in some churches) while the Bible does not. Also, it has been pointed out that the Pharisees tithed, but they were not spiritually advanced (with a few exceptions).

But God does bless those who tithe, as He promised He would.
 
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Bobber

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Jesus, while on earth, 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 12:41-44).

Or do we think He let the poor widow put in everything she had without blessing her as promised in the OT? - "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." Mal 3:10

Now hold on now! You're implying that because God will bless one for giving and maybe even giving ALL then that means that teaching to the Gentiles a percentage standard of giving (10%) with a curse attached to it if you don't that makes it scriptural to teach. Paul did imply that liberal giving God loves and will bless but that's not to say it must be a demanded percentage.
 
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RDKirk

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Jesus, while on earth, 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 12:41-44).

Or do we think He let the poor widow put in everything she had without blessing her as promised in the OT? - "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." Mal 3:10

That wasn't the tithe they were doing at that moment. The amount of the tithe was dictated by the Law, and that woman would not have been required by the Law to tithe at all.

That was an offering for the poor--which also was not a requirement for her to make--which showed the full measure of love in her heart and faith in God for provision.
 
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Bobber

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But God does bless those who tithe, as He promised He would.

You acknowledged in your post that you see no command to tithes in the NT. You're correct there is none. And Paul talked about the law that no Gentile was under. So instead of saying God will bless those who tithes why not rather say God will bless though who are liberal givers and leave it up to each one personally in their relationship with God to decide just what that is.

To say God will bless those who tithe I think can be pretty weak. You have super wealthy people that 10% giving is like pocket change to them. That's not liberal giving. Or you can have a poor person and 3% to them is very liberal giving that is according to their means. I think God looks upon the heart. What does their giving really mean to them when it comes to their supply and reserve?
 
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Bobber

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That was an offering for the poor--which also was not a requirement for her to make--which showed the full measure of love in her heart and faith in God for provision.

I agree that wasn't a requirement for her to make and Jesus never insinuated it was. He was merely trying to teach people that God looks upon the heart and the spirit and attitude by which people give. The religious leaders were maybe giving more by numbers but it didn't show true liberality of giving to God.
 
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Strong in Him

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Also, it has been pointed out that the Pharisees tithed, but they were not spiritually advanced (with a few exceptions).

The Pharisees were Jews - and it was the Hebrew people who had been rescued from Egypt who were given the command to tithe. They also rejected the Messiah.

But God does bless those who tithe, as He promised He would.

The NT says that God loves a cheerful giver.
I would guess that if you have decided, before God, that it is right for you to give him 10%, then that is fine. If you were doing it reluctantly or thinking that it is the best way to get a blessing from God; that is not fine.
 
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Danthemailman

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Many churches teach that Christians are obligated to give a minimum of 10% of our income to our church. Others teach that preachers of these churches are turning the 10% tithe under the old covenant for Israel into a monetary legalistic prescription for Christians under the new covenant. I even heard a Pastor make a challenge to his congregation to give 10% of their income for 90 days and if God does not bless them then he will give them their money back.

In 2 Corinthians 9:5-7 we read: Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. 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 don't see a "specific percentage" given anywhere for Christians to give under the new covenant, but I certainly believe in giving and not just to our church. I also believe that everything we own belongs to God and we certainly can't out give God.
 
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tturt

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Didn't imply in post #27 that it was tithing. Other Scriptures state tithes and offerings.

Looking into Scriptures earlier found -
"This redemption plan for the families was so important to God that he required each family to give a memorial offering of half a shekel every year so they wouldn't forget. This is discussed in Exodus 30:12-16 and 38:25-28.”

"God himself is the one who started this! It was in his beautiful plan that he gave to Moses in the tabernacle. ...God wanted the name of every head of the house and his family included in the gate of the tabernacle; the silver sockets, which held the veil of the temple, were to be made out of the shekels of their redemption. These sacrifices of half a shekel of silver were made by each man as a ransom for his soul unto the Lord. The shekels were to be melted, and the gates were to hang on the very fact that God has included ALL in his plan." From Ch 2 Good News For You and Your Family - Angels On Assignment book

Also, do we think there's an area of our lives that we're not to surrender to the Lord?
 
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Vince53

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Brethren, I am impressed by the Christian courtesy of the people posting in this thread.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Luke 23:23

Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. Luke 11:42

Notice in these two verses that Jesus does NOT teach that tithing is a major spiritual command. But isn't Jesus teaching that tithing IS a NT command?
 
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Strong in Him

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Brethren, I am impressed by the Christian courtesy of the people posting in this thread.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Luke 23:23

Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former. Luke 11:42

Notice in these two verses that Jesus does NOT teach that tithing is a major spiritual command. But isn't Jesus teaching that tithing IS a NT command?

No, I don't believe so.

Jesus was talking to Pharisees who were under the law of Moses and commanded to tithe their mint, dill and other herbs. Jesus implied that they were faithful and conscientious in doing this - and then said that they ignored the bigger commands of showing mercy.
As people who had rejected that the law had been fulfilled in Jesus, they were still under the law. And being under the law, they had to keep all of it.

But this verse does talk about tithing herbs - as I said, the tithe was always food, not money. They didn't even give that food to the church; they ate it themselves, in thanksgiving for what God had given to them.

I'd love to see the look on the faces of pastors who insist on Biblical tithing if their congregation walked into church carrying cabbages, carrots, potatoes, beans etc, went into the kitchen to cook a stew and then sat in the pews and ate it - after inviting along any homeless people to join in.
 
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Strong in Him

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"As people who had rejected that the law had been fulfilled in Jesus, they were still under the law. "

That is an intelligent point that I have never heard before.

Thank you.
That's my understanding of it; though it's possible I could be wrong.
 
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It's not very complicated. Churches, even those who meet in homes where food is provided, have expenses. The money for those expenses have to come from somewhere. The most obvious source is those who attend the church. Of course there are other ways of raising money, such as bake sales, etc.

It is important that the money is given willingly, perhaps joyfully. It should never be forced or used as a measure of who is most "holy".
 
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