ONE FOR ALL, ALL FOR ONE—UNDERSTANDING THE TITHING PRINCIPLE

[DWJL511]

Sometime in the late nineties, I had what I like to call a “personal spiritual revival.” Due to an unfortunate event, I actually came to be “on fire for God,” and there was a great peace. The flowers looked more colorful, the trees were greener, even the setting sun and darkening skies could make me smile. I was also baptized in the Spirit, and spoke in tongues to praise God for His wonderful creation.

In that season, something was birthed in my heart. As the Bible says, God can work new desires into your heart (Philippians 2:13). I started having a desire to give a portion of my modest income to God—not once off, but regularly.

I was attending a traditional Methodist church then and all I knew about giving regularly (besides Sunday offerings) was the “pledge.” My father had been pledging some of his income or pension to the church annually. I wanted to do the same. No one put a gun to my head. And I didn’t think God would curse me if I didn’t.

Then, I heard a cassette-tape sermon by a pastor who is now my pastor. He taught on tithing (something he rarely does)—not under law and obligation, but under grace and revelation. It all clicked. That desire in my heart was fleshed out with words and scriptures. It was a confirmation that I was on the right track, and as they say, the rest is history.

Today, many years, and tithes, later, I have grown in my understanding of tithing, and that’s what I want to talk about. Just what is tithing?

First off, many Christians say that tithing is obsolete because the Old Testament folks tithed grains, seeds, wine, oil, fruits and flocks, and not dollars and cents. If you bring up the case of Abraham, they will likewise say that if you want to follow Abraham’s example, you will have to fight a war and make sure you win so you can tithe on the spoils.

I find these arguments rather silly. It’s like saying if you want to preach today the right way to do it is to use your bare voice and a donkey, and not any of the modern technologies—public address systems, radio, television, the Internet, and land and air transportation systems—since they didn’t use these things back in Bible days. Or, if you want to get baptized in the Spirit, then you must like the early disciples go to Jerusalem and tarry there, until Pentecost is fully come!

Tithing is really not that difficult to understand and appreciate, once you understand a certain economic principle that God has. And the principle is this:

Romans 11:16, NIV
If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy…​

If you set apart unto God (that is what it means to “make holy”) a firstfruits (first or best pickings) portion of your “harvest” (whatever that may be in modern times), your entire “harvest” is also sanctified or made holy. In other words, Offering just the firstfruits is equivalent to offering the entire harvest.

This principle is inherent in the tithe too. If you tithe just 10% of the increase you have to God, you have in effect given your entire increase (all 100% of it) to God. The entire batch or lump becomes holy just because of the tithe. Like the firstfruits, The tithe or 10% is a representative of the whole.

Let me make this clearer with a simple illustration.

Let’s say you have 100 shirts to give to an orphanage. According the world’s economic principles, if you want to give all your shirts to the orphanage, you would have to give all 100 shirts. Simple Math. But according to God’s economic principle of the tithe, giving just 10 shirts (10%) is as good as giving all 100 shirts (100%). As far as God is concerned, in giving just 10% you have given everything.

I mentioned earlier that the entire batch or the 100% becomes holy (or set apart unto God) just through the offering of the firstfruits or the tithe. What’s the benefit of the entire batch becoming holy? Well, what’s set apart unto God is blessed and protected by God. So if you tithe 10% of your income to God, He blesses and protects the rest. Despite having 10% less after tithing, I have always had enough at the end of the month. All these years, I have never lacked. There are other benefits of tithing too, like how it helps us break the hold or love of money—the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10). If you don’t want your children to grow up loving money, then get them to tithe from a young age, or as soon as they start earning.

Once you understand God’s principle of the tithe—how the tenth represents the whole or how it is “one for all, all for one”—you will see that this principle is also inherent in other well-known Bible doctrines and stories, since it is a divine principle that never goes out of style. Here are a few examples:

• If you break just 1 commandment (10%) out of the 10 commandments, as far as God is concerned, you have broken ALL 10 (James 2:10).

• The Holy Spirit convicts people of just 1 sin—the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (John 16:9). But if you repent of just this 1 sin and believe in Jesus, you are justified not just from this 1 sin but also from ALL sins of your entire life (Acts 13:39). One for all, all for one!

• In his negotiation with the Lord to not destroy the city of Sodom, Abraham went from 50 righteous men all the way down to just 10 righteous men, to which the Lord said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of TEN” (Genesis 18:32). Just 10 righteous men, symbolic of the 10%, were enough for the Lord to spare ALL the other men of the city!

• Abraham’s servant, who was tasked to look for a bride for Isaac, took just 10 of his master’s camels along with him, yet the Bible tells us this: “for ALL his master’s goods were in his hand” (Genesis 24:10). The servant didn’t need to bring along everything, just 10 camels symbolic of the 10%, and that was enough to show others that his master had entrusted ALL his goods to him.

• ALL the Israelites had to wander in the desert because of the evil report of the 10 spies, who were symbolic of the 10% (Numbers 14:34–35). Once more, we see how the 10% represents ALL. The fate of the ENTIRE nation for the next forty years was determined by the faithless 10.​

There are other examples, but I think you get the point.

When you understand the principle of the tithe and see how it is used throughout Scripture, you will begin to understand how it can also apply to various aspects of your walk with God.

Do you want all 24 hours of your day to be made holy and blessed by the Lord? Then give the first pickings—the first few minutes or moments of the day—to the Lord. That’s why we do morning devotions or “quiet time.” You’ll find that the rest of your day goes smoother, even if you face challenges.

If you want your entire week sanctified and blessed as well, then set apart one day, such as Sunday, for the Lord. Yes, go to church and worship Him, and He will bless the rest of your week.

Now we come to the touchy part—tithing on our salaries.

Many Christians like to say, “Lord, all that I have is Yours. I give You everything!”

While the first statement is true since He gave us life and holds our breath in His hand, the second statement is rather absurd, an impossibility, naturally speaking.

You can’t give ALL of your money to the Lord. How are you going to pay the bills or put food on the table for your children? Who’s going to pay the rent and taxes? It’s just not practical or feasible.

God understands this, and He is a very practical God. He says, “If you really want to give Me ‘everything,’ here’s how you can still do it: give a tenth to Me and you’ve given everything to Me.”

Simply give a tenth of your salary, and you’ve given it all to Him. You’ll also find that the remaining 90% goes a longer way than if you had kept it all for yourself.

So that’s the principle of the tithe. Once you grasp it, you won’t miss the forest for the trees. You won’t split hairs and get caught up in details—“It’s agricultural produce, not money!”—and miss the big picture, with all its blessings.

 

[Frogster]

Tithing is something that most pastors seem to think is a rule for the church, even though it is not.

 

[Frogster]

Principle? hmmmm..

Like how people twist Malachi 3 to scare people? If I am under a curse for not tithing, then I would have to be under a curse for breaking food ordinances. But pastors don't want to tell the church they can't have their shrimp and pork ribs, or catfish which the Mosaic code is against, because the congregation won't like that, but somehow i am under a curse for not following a tithing ordinance given to Israel, for a priesthood and a temple that do not exist now. So they want to use the part of the code, that fills their wallets.

 

[Frogster]

Paul for the most part worked, not to burden the church, so did Barnabas, Titus, Silas, Tim, and Priscilla and Aquila.

Why can't pastors today get a day job?

In Acts 20, talking to elders, Paul showed them to work, as he did.

 

[Frogster]

And it is true, Abraham tithed once in his 175 year life span, it was not his money, it was spoils, and lets not turn the man of grace, Abraham into a law, oppppps...I mean a "principle"

Principle nowadays, is a way to turn certain text, into a rule.


Look how people twist the one time offering for the poor of 2 Cor 8-9, money that was not for Paul, into a tithe for pastor, every Sunday, even though the Corinthian event, was a 1 time offering, not a lifelong tax.

Hmmm..be wary of the "principle".

 

[Frogster]

Here are the verses about Paul and others, and working.





Working apostles... Watchman Nee said, the apostles did not go around begging, they had faith. Paul did not want to burden the church.


Paul, Timothy, Titus, Barnabas, Silas, Priscilla and Aquila, working, while Paul was being beat up all the time, and bringing the gospel to the world. Is pastor busier than Paul?

1 Thess 2:9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.



2 Thess 3:8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you.


Said to Elders. Acts 20:33, said to elders, I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Acts 18:3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade


1 Cor 4:12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;

1 Cor 9:6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?

2 Cor 6:5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger;

2 Cor 11:23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.

2 Cor 11:27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.


Gee…I don’t want your money…CHILDREN DON’T SAVE FOR THE PARENTS, BUT TODAY, PASTOR HAS IT ALL BACKWARDS! There is the burden word again, Paul did not want to burden people.


2 Cor 12:14 Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours (possessions) but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

And in the place he did speak of receiving funds, which was not often at all, he was courteous, and reticent about getting helped, certainly this is no legalistic tithing teaching here.


Phil 4:11, not out of need did he speak, he kept that to himself, going hungry leaning on grace, before asking.

In Phil 4:17 "I don’t seek it", and he called it a gift, not extraction, and he did not go around "seeking".

17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit


And the little help he got, he felt like it was robbery, because he really didn't even want that.

2 Cor 11:8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you

Yup, Paul wanted people to work, seen here too. Then help others, like he told the elders in Acts 20, "more blessed to give', in 20:35 quoting the Lord. Elders, church people, everyone was the same all should work. lol!

Eph 4:28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.


Paul cared about the saints, the people, not himself, he was not a tithe extractor, like so many today, the gospel peddlers of 2 Cor 2:17, or those of 1 Tim 6:5, they think the gospel is a money making business.



Romans 12:13
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality


Peter said in 1 Peter 5, elders can't be greedy, likewise Paul said that in 1 Tim 3, and Titus 1 also.

 

[Strong in Him]

First off, many Christians say that tithing is obsolete because the Old Testament folks tithed grains, seeds, wine, oil, fruits and flocks, and not dollars and cents. If you bring up the case of Abraham, they will likewise say that if you want to follow Abraham’s example, you will have to fight a war and make sure you win so you can tithe on the spoils.

I find these arguments rather silly.

Why?
Tithing is something which is taught in the OT but not the New. Some people/church leaders teach tithing and insist others should tithe; what they inevitably mean is "take the OT teaching about giving 10%, convert that into money and give it to the church." No one teaches tithing as laid down in the OT; no one says, "let's have a church allotment, set aside 10% of all fruit & veg, ask God to accept and bless it and then have a feast with it - remembering to invite the poor." If people are going to insist that tithing is Scriptural then they have to follow what is laid down in Scripture concerning it.

The NT pattern is that the disciples shared all their possessions, and the churches had collections for other Christians who were in great need.

Tithing is really not that difficult to understand and appreciate, once you understand a certain economic principle that God has. And the principle is this:

Romans 11:16, NIV
If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy…​

Interesting, but that is only half the verse; the rest says, "if the root is holy, so are the branches". The passage is about grafting branches - Gentiles - into the vine that is Israel, it has nothing to do with tithing. I don't believe we're at liberty to take verses, or bits of verses, out of context and apply them to other things as we wish. People could create all kinds of doctrines that way - like if someone said, "I believe it's ok to gamble because the early church drew lots to decide who would replace Judas, and Scripture says 'go and do likewise'."

Let me make this clearer with a simple illustration.

Let’s say you have 100 shirts to give to an orphanage. According the world’s economic principles, if you want to give all your shirts to the orphanage, you would have to give all 100 shirts. Simple Math. But according to God’s economic principle of the tithe, giving just 10 shirts (10%) is as good as giving all 100 shirts (100%). As far as God is concerned, in giving just 10% you have given everything.

I don't understand that.
If you have 100 shirts to give to an orphanage, then presumably that means you have decided - and as a Christian you will have decided, after prayer and before God, that you should give 100 shirts to an orphanage. If you only give them 10 of those shirts, you have denied them 90 shirts and gone back on your decision/vow. If God tells you to give 100, give 100; if he tells you to give 10, give 10.
In the OT, King Saul was told to go and totally destroy the Amalekites. But he decided to keep back the good and fat cattle and other good things, and just destroyed the weak, (1 Samuel 15:1-21.) He was not commended by God for this; Samuel did not say, "you have destroyed 10%, in God's eyes it is as though you have destroyed everything." He was rebuked for disobeying and God told Samuel that he was actually grieved that he had made Saul king. (1 Sam 15:10.)
In Acts 5, Ananais and Sapphira sold some land, kept back some of the money for themselves, took the rest to the apostles and told them that it was the whole amount. Peter didn't say, "well you have given more than 10% so in God's eyes it is as if you have given the whole amount". He rebuked them for lying to the Holy Spirit, and both of them fell down and died.

Do you want all 24 hours of your day to be made holy and blessed by the Lord? Then give the first pickings—the first few minutes or moments of the day—to the Lord. That’s why we do morning devotions or “quiet time.” You’ll find that the rest of your day goes smoother, even if you face challenges.

I see where you're coming from, but that makes morning devotions into some kind of superstition.
I used to think like that: "if I get ill/get bad marks in an exam/don't do well in a job interview it's because I didn't have my 'quiet time'; if I have a good day and everything goes well, it's all due to the fact that I did." Sadly we can have the best, most blessed 'quiet time' ever, and yet still swear at the kids, get impatient with someone etc etc. In fact the devil loves it when that happens because then he tries to whisper to us "call yourself a Christian? You've just blown it," and try to make us feel worthless and ashamed, so that we don't ask God for forgiveness.

If you want your entire week sanctified and blessed as well, then set apart one day, such as Sunday, for the Lord. Yes, go to church and worship Him, and He will bless the rest of your week.

See above.
We can go to church on Sunday, even 2 or 3 times, yet choose not to worship him, or turn away from him, on Monday. Going to church, worshipping God, hearing from and being blessed by him does not guarantee you will have a "blessed" week; Christians suffer illness and bereavement, and may be victims of crime just like everybody else.
(Apart from the fact that 1 day out of 7 is not 10% so it somewhat spoils your argument.)

Many Christians like to say, “Lord, all that I have is Yours. I give You everything!”

While the first statement is true since He gave us life and holds our breath in His hand, the second statement is rather absurd, an impossibility, naturally speaking.

You can’t give ALL of your money to the Lord. How are you going to pay the bills or put food on the table for your children? Who’s going to pay the rent and taxes? It’s just not practical or feasible.

No, "giving everything to God", does not necessarily mean giving it all away/to the church; it means "Lord, this is your money, how do you want me to spend it? How can I be a good steward of what you have given me?" He knows that we have mortgages/rent to pay, need food and clothes and to take care of our families, but even in that, we need to be wise and faithful. Eg you need a new shirt; do you need the latest, designer shirt as worn by ....., or can you buy a cheaper one and have enough to give the kids a treat?

God understands this, and He is a very practical God. He says, “If you really want to give Me ‘everything,’ here’s how you can still do it: give a tenth to Me and you’ve given everything to Me.”

Simply give a tenth of your salary, and you’ve given it all to Him. You’ll also find that the remaining 90% goes a longer way than if you had kept it all for yourself.

The latter part of that statement may well be true because God is faithful and provides. But I don't believe that if you give 10% of your income to a charity/the church and blow the rest on lottery tickets, alcohol, jewellery, expensive holidays and designer clothes, then God regards it as if you have given 100% to that charity.
Jesus didn't praise the rich people when they put money into the temple treasury, saying, "they have given some of their money to God; it is as if they have given all of it". He criticised them for giving only a small amount of their wealth, while praising a widow for giving all she had. (Luke 21:1-4.)

 

[Frogster]

Why?
Tithing is something which is taught in the OT but not the New. Some people/church leaders teach tithing and insist others should tithe; what they inevitably mean is "take the OT teaching about giving 10%, convert that into money and give it to the church." No one teaches tithing as laid down in the OT; no one says, "let's have a church allotment, set aside 10% of all fruit & veg, ask God to accept and bless it and then have a feast with it - remembering to invite the poor." If people are going to insist that tithing is Scriptural then they have to follow what is laid down in Scripture concerning it.

The NT pattern is that the disciples shared all their possessions, and the churches had collections for other Christians who were in great need.


Interesting, but that is only half the verse; the rest says, "if the root is holy, so are the branches". The passage is about grafting branches - Gentiles - into the vine that is Israel, it has nothing to do with tithing. I don't believe we're at liberty to take verses, or bits of verses, out of context and apply them to other things as we wish. People could create all kinds of doctrines that way - like if someone said, "I believe it's ok to gamble because the early church drew lots to decide who would replace Judas, and Scripture says 'go and do likewise'."



I don't understand that.
If you have 100 shirts to give to an orphanage, then presumably that means you have decided - and as a Christian you will have decided, after prayer and before God, that you should give 100 shirts to an orphanage. If you only give them 10 of those shirts, you have denied them 90 shirts and gone back on your decision/vow. If God tells you to give 100, give 100; if he tells you to give 10, give 10.
In the OT, King Saul was told to go and totally destroy the Amalekites. But he decided to keep back the good and fat cattle and other good things, and just destroyed the weak, (1 Samuel 15:1-21.) He was not commended by God for this; Samuel did not say, "you have destroyed 10%, in God's eyes it is as though you have destroyed everything." He was rebuked for disobeying and God told Samuel that he was actually grieved that he had made Saul king. (1 Sam 15:10.)
In Acts 5, Ananais and Sapphira sold some land, kept back some of the money for themselves, took the rest to the apostles and told them that it was the whole amount. Peter didn't say, "well you have given more than 10% so in God's eyes it is as if you have given the whole amount". He rebuked them for lying to the Holy Spirit, and both of them fell down and died.



I see where you're coming from, but that makes morning devotions into some kind of superstition.
I used to think like that: "if I get ill/get bad marks in an exam/don't do well in a job interview it's because I didn't have my 'quiet time'; if I have a good day and everything goes well, it's all due to the fact that I did." Sadly we can have the best, most blessed 'quiet time' ever, and yet still swear at the kids, get impatient with someone etc etc. In fact the devil loves it when that happens because then he tries to whisper to us "call yourself a Christian? You've just blown it," and try to make us feel worthless and ashamed, so that we don't ask God for forgiveness.



See above.
We can go to church on Sunday, even 2 or 3 times, yet choose not to worship him, or turn away from him, on Monday. Going to church, worshipping God, hearing from and being blessed by him does not guarantee you will have a "blessed" week; Christians suffer illness and bereavement, and may be victims of crime just like everybody else.
(Apart from the fact that 1 day out of 7 is not 10% so it somewhat spoils your argument.)



No, "giving everything to God", does not necessarily mean giving it all away/to the church; it means "Lord, this is your money, how do you want me to spend it? How can I be a good steward of what you have given me?" He knows that we have mortgages/rent to pay, need food and clothes and to take care of our families, but even in that, we need to be wise and faithful. Eg you need a new shirt; do you need the latest, designer shirt as worn by ....., or can you buy a cheaper one and have enough to give the kids a treat?



The latter part of that statement may well be true because God is faithful and provides. But I don't believe that if you give 10% of your income to a charity/the church and blow the rest on lottery tickets, alcohol, jewellery, expensive holidays and designer clothes, then God regards it as if you have given 100% to that charity.
Jesus didn't praise the rich people when they put money into the temple treasury, saying, "they have given some of their money to God; it is as if they have given all of it". He criticised them for giving only a small amount of their wealth, while praising a widow for giving all she had. (Luke 21:1-4.)

wow...excellent work, my dear sister! There is a great site all about tithing, by Russel kelly.


http://www.tithing-russkelly.com/


One of the guys who started the site, posts here on our forum, I forgot his name, but he used to post in the Charismatic section.

 

[sscablao]

Who's robbing who?

“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 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 3:8-12 NKJV

In the book of Malachi, Yes, as the verse itself imply, Israel did rob God. For whatever reason they withheld their tithes and offering. But, who were the ones and ordained by God to collect and or receive the tithes during that time? Were they not the levites? If so, are we living under the old covenant or new covenant? In the new covenant it says

“Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar.” Hebrews 7:11-13 NKJV

Here, it is evident that the levitical priesthood was replace by Christ Himself and so, the levites rights as ordained by God to collect the tithes was taken out from them. So, by right levitical priesthood are no more and even if they still exist and still assume their priestly minister, its already deemed useless as we Christian believed and or should believed.

I also understand that in 1 Peter 2:9, we are royal priesthood, don't you know that the levitical priest (from the line of Aaron) don't tithe? The levites (the ones that were not priest) to whom were not from the lineage of Aaron receive tithes from the people of Israel and a tenth of it was given to the Aaronic priesthood as the Lord's portion, it was never commanded in the bible that Aaronic priesthood was to give tithe also. If they did, do you have any verse to support the claim?

“Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering. Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’” Numbers 18:26-29 NIV

Since we all christian are royal priesthood in essence same as Aaronic priesthood (to which by the way was already replaced by Jesus Christ Himself in the new covenant), don't you think we ought not to give tithes also?

Nevertheless, Jesus is and will be the only priest (no other else) who is in the like of Melchizedek to which no beginning, no end, living eternally. Which means at this very moment, in the near future to come, in eternity in fact, He lives and will live forever. Hence, no man (unless you know someone) in this world who is in the same nature as Jesus Christ that should and is qualified to collect it in behalf of Him. Jesus did not ordained that tithes can or should be collected by pastor/preacher of the word in the new covenant, did He? Is there any verse in the new testament that can support this claim? "Matthew 23:23.....These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone." This verse is not included or any verse whereby Jesus was still on earth because as the bible say:

“For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law;” Hebrews 8:4 NKJV

Which means, levitical priesthood before His coming and while He was still on earth were still allowed to function. Hence, tithes and ceremonial offering which the levites can only receive and perform were still needed.

So, whose robbing God now? Is it not considered thieving or robbing if that someone collected something that wasn't his/her right or were not even allowed to collect it? Also, lets not mix up our biblical terminology, biblical tithing is way different from giving, this two are not correlated. The 1st tithing in the bible was similar or like a salary or support to the levites in return for their service concerning the tabernacle and, a tenth of it was given to the Aaronic priest as the Lord's portion which is also claim by the preacher of the word as they say, they are in essence or spiritually levites. The fact, that the levitical priest was replace and, the fact that Jesus will not be able to receive it physically even if we wish to give it, really speaks louder that it is not needed in today's time. But, its not an excuse not to give in fact, if we call ourself a Christian we ought to give, to whom? If we really wish to please God and wish that a curse will not come to us. The verses speaks for itself:

“for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’” Matthew 25:42-45 NKJV“

He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.”
Proverbs 28:27 NKJV

 

[DWJL511]

It's a principle. Don't miss the forest for the trees. A lot of people like to get caught up with details—arguing on scriptures, splitting hairs.

In the end, catch the principle with revelation, then it's between you and God

 

[Frogster]

Then if it were a guaranteed principle, why would the corinthians, who gave, or tithed, or whatever, not get a cash return? it says at some later time, they might need help from Jerusalem, even though they gave, so why after giving cash, did they not get cash back? if they were in need later, that means they did not get some big cash return.

ESV 2 Cor 8:14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.


NLT 2 Cor 8:14 Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.

 

[Strong in Him]

It's a principle.

No, Jesus said "give and it will be given to you. .............. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Luke 6:38) That's not the same as "give 10% and the Lord will regard it as if you have given 100%." Like I said, he criticised the Pharisees for giving part of their wealth, and commended the widow for giving all hers. He also told the rich young ruler to give up his wealth and follow him.

And if someone gives a Scriptural argument about why this "principle" is incorrect; saying, "don't worry about the details, or with arguing Scripture", is not an answer, nor is it that reassuring. All you're doing is ignoring any Scriptures/arguments which question your premise.

 

[Steeno7]

Tithing was an old covenant mandate. The ten percent tithe is not a new covenant concept. Under the new covenant we give freely as we are led to give. Freely we have received, freely we give.

"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 Corinthians 9:7

 

[DamianWarS]

The word "tithing" is OT language meaning literally a tenth and I believe it is irresponsible to continue using this language as it will always invoke the OT perspective.

The NT concept is not "tithing" but instead "giving". It is about the heart in it over the amount showing that giving with the wrong spirit is meaningless but with the right focus is redemptive and builds unity. It is also not about giving once a week in a passed around plate it is about meeting the needs of the church community.

The corporate church tends to micromanage this value which is not altogether wrong but it does tend to remove the heart element and promotes giving an exact amount each week rather than focusing on the needs which may require a lot more. Those needs may very well be met but many have no idea where the money goes and don't really know how they are contributing which can stifle giving or create mismanaged spending. When a great need comes up people can have an attidude of not desiring to give over their weekly amount. The system is so set that people do not want to hear the needs and would rather give blindly.

A more biblical system would be focused around a house church and a lot of volunteering among members and surprisingly they do not need million dollar budgets to run. Rather than bogging down "needs" with a large list of building maintenance and extra staff people tend to care more and give when needs arise and they tend to be more focused on member care. Like Mrs. Smith needs a new oven but can't afford one, so the need is presented and people give to care for the need of Mrs. Smith. It's a far simpler system and much more biblical than what we see in modern churches today.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Tithing is something which is taught in the OT but not the New. Some people/church leaders teach tithing and insist others should tithe; what they inevitably mean is "take the OT teaching about giving 10%, convert that into money and give it to the church."

Strong in Him:

Yes; this is perceptive!

If ppl want to give 10% of their income, more power to them, but as an obligation it belongs to Israel in the OT, rather than to the church in the NT.

Blessings.

 

[tturt]

DWJL511, that's pretty much how I see it, too.

Yeshua watched the offering plate to see who gave and how much. There's more Scriptures about money than any other topic. If Yahweh doesn't have our money according to His plan, then He doesn't have all of us.

 

[Strong in Him]

DWJL511, that's pretty much how I see it, too.

Yeshua watched the offering plate to see who gave and how much. There's more Scriptures about money than any other topic. If Yahweh doesn't have our money according to His plan, then He doesn't have all of us.

But Scripture doesn't say that if we give God 10% of our money he regards it as if we have given him everything, or that if we worship him on one day of the week, then the whole of that week belongs to God and will be blessed by him.
This is what the OP is saying.

Jesus watched people putting money into the temple plates, and criticised the Pharisees who gave only a fraction, while commending the widow who gave ALL.

 

[pdudgeon]

along with learning the tithe, it's also important to first correctly learn the source of our income.

People who don't see God as the source of their income, (and instead see themselves as the source, and the income as theirs)
will always have trouble understanding why we give to God.

once they are able to get that relationship with money straight, then everything else falls into line.

amazing isn't it, how Christ set aside 100% of His riches and His glory for us, but we have problems with giving 10% to Him?

 

[Strong in Him]

along with learning the tithe, it's also important to first correctly learn the source of our income.

People who don't see God as the source of their income, (and instead see themselves as the source, and the income as theirs)
will always have trouble understanding why we give to God.

once they are able to get that relationship with money straight, then everything else falls into line.

amazing isn't it, how Christ set aside 100% of His riches and His glory for us, but we have problems with giving 10% to Him?

10% is a good starting point, for some. The thing is though, that;
a) giving 10% of your cash to the church isn't a Scriptural teaching. In the OT the tithe was always food - unless there was too much food for them to carry, in which case they sold the tithe, took the money to the temple, or wherever, bought more food and sat down to eat it - not forgetting to invite the priests along too, because they didn't have allotments, and remembering the poor. If we teach tithing by OT principles, we should tell people to set aside 10%, buy food, have a church lunch every week and invite the clergy, and also poor people along. But this kind of tithing isn't taught.
b) not everyone can afford to give 10% in cash to the church (though as I said, that's not Scriptural anyway.) Yet they will happily buy art stuff for the Sunday school, make cakes for the coffee morning, or help look after the church garden so that the church doesn't need to employ a gardener. It seems that sometimes this kind of contribution is overlooked and folk home in on the 10% cash bit.
c) some people give this kind of help to the church and also give more than 10% to a charity or charities.

 

[pdudgeon]

10% is a good starting point, for some. The thing is though, that;
a) giving 10% of your cash to the church isn't a Scriptural teaching. In the OT the tithe was always food - unless there was too much food for them to carry, in which case they sold the tithe, took the money to the temple, or wherever, bought more food and sat down to eat it - not forgetting to invite the priests along too, because they didn't have allotments, and remembering the poor. If we teach tithing by OT principles, we should tell people to set aside 10%, buy food, have a church lunch every week and invite the clergy, and also poor people along. But this kind of tithing isn't taught.
b) not everyone can afford to give 10% in cash to the church (though as I said, that's not Scriptural anyway.) Yet they will happily buy art stuff for the Sunday school, make cakes for the coffee morning, or help look after the church garden so that the church doesn't need to employ a gardener. It seems that sometimes this kind of contribution is overlooked and folk home in on the 10% cash bit.
c) some people give this kind of help to the church and also give more than 10% to a charity or charities.

the reason the OT tithe was food was because the Levites didn't have the acerage to grow their own food like the other tribes did.
nor did they have employment other than the temple.
so yes, the people brought food.

That is still the case for most churches. the priests don't have 5 acres to grow their own food and livestock,
nor do they have the room to prepare the produce or house the animals, or
store enough food for a year between the harvests.
The modern day solution is to bring the cash.
remembering the poor was (and still is) a separate offering.

yes, many people do donate time and talents to the church in addition to their tithe--not in place of it.
And those who know how to give also give to more than just their church.
They just give to the church first.

The point is that they are able to do that for three reasons:
1. because it is God who manages the income and the expenses. He knows how much they need.
2. because they know the difference between a need and a want
3. They give to God first

put all three of those points together, and it is possible for anyone to learn how to tithe.