IS TITHING A REQUIREMENT FOR CHRISTIANS?

How do you like the title of this article? Back when I was in a cult, the leadership would preach from Mal 3 and declare that if we didn’t tithe from our gross income, we were robbing God! I would suggest that he was really robbing us when he accepted our tithes.

So, let’s examine what tithing is and is not and whether or not it is required of Christians.

A tithe simply means a tenth. In a religious setting it refers to a tenth that is set apart to God. To understand how it was used in the Bible we have to go back to the time of Moses. If you recall Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and organized them by tribes before Joshua, his successor, led them into Israel. Once in the "Promised Land" the tribes took their places much as the thirteen original colonies were set up. Now those from the tribe of Levi did not get any large area of land because they were not going to be farmers. God chose the descendants of Levi to serve the other tribes in the tabernacle, later the Temple in Jerusalem. So to compensate them, each of the other tribes were required, by law, to give ten percent of their increase to support the Levites. 

Numbers 18:21 says, "I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting". 

These were not voluntary offerings, but mandatory payments, much like us paying our federal income taxes. To fail to do so was to rob God, as Malachi said in Mal 3:8-9.

I have heard a pastor say, "Well, we should tithe, in principle, by giving ten percent." There are 613 Old Testament Laws. If we are to apply the law of the first tithe, in principle, how do we apply, in principle, the dietary laws of Lev. 11? Shouldn’t we be consistent? How would he suggest that we apply the law of the second tithe of the Old Testament? Did you know that there was a second tithe in the Old Testament? In Deut 14:22 it says, "Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the first-born of your herd and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as his dwelling for his Name." You see, the Israelites were required to not only give a tenth of their increase to the Levites, they were to put aside another ten percent so that when they went to Jerusalem to celebrate holy day observances found in Lev. 23, they would have the resources to do so. If a pastor says that we should in principle give ten percent, would he also suggest that we spend ten percent of our income for our holidays, such as Easter and Christmas?

And there was a third tithe. In Deut 14:28 it says, "At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the father less and the widows who live in your town may come and eat and be satisfied, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the works of your hands."

If you do the math, the Israelites were required to pay 23% of the increase each year. But, didn’t Jesus tithe? Sure, in Matt 23:23 it says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spice-mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law- justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practices the latter, without neglecting the former." So Jesus did tithe to the Levites because he was a Jew and the temple sacrifices were still being carried out and the Levites were still working there.

In the New Testament church we don’t see the word tithe used. We do see giving done. Paul wrote in I Cor 9:7 "Each man should GIVE (not pay tithe) what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion (Old Testament Law), for God loves a cheerful giver. Jesus said in Matt 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

I think what he meant by that is how you spend your treasure (time and money) says a lot about what you really value. Some people love old cars, others love books, others enjoy sporting events and we spend our time and money on these things and activities. If you really value the work of God being done around the world, you will willingly give of your time and money. If a pastor wants to increase donations on Sunday, get people excited and involved in ministry and the money will follow.

Would it surprise you to learn that Jews today are not required to tithe? That’s true. They don’t tithe because there is no temple. They are encouraged to GIVE ten percent to causes which help, as they say, "to heal the world."

I would like to see churches get away from the word tithe and simply accept the offerings from their congregations. Perhaps I am more sensitive to this because of the abusive tactics used in the cult I was in years ago.

Our pastors are not a Levites and we are not Israelites. They have no right to demand a tithe from us. If a pastor suggests that if you don’t tithe that you are "robbing God," as Herbert Armstrong did, perhaps it is more accurate to think that he is the one who is robbing us by taking what he has no right to.