Tithing in the New Covenant 10% or what is in your Heart

[Agricola]

Yet again its rather simple, forget what the specific instructions say in Bible. Got a job? God let you have that job, God can make you unemployed overnight if God thinks you need to be, so show your appreciation and give some money back for God to use, it does not have to be your church either, there are plenty of deserving charities out thier, i shall shamelssly plug MAF just now! Sharing the Love of Christ through Aviation and Technology - Mission Aviation Fellowship

God provides in otherways for you, for myself I never pay full price for anything I need, I always end up getting hundreds of pounds worth of food shopping for less than 20%, as a result I spend an extra few pounds and pick up more than I need, I take it to church and give it to people whom Holy Spirit prompts me to. I have given away thousands of pounds worth of food over past couple of years.

I also give services and skills to the church and for other organisations to use, such as producing and making CDs.

For some time I stopped giving to God and things dried up, it wasn't until I began to give I was overwhelmed with what I was getting back, in short, it works, call it tithing if you want to, or dont, it dosnt matter, its the principle of giving God back a bit of what HE has given you and you are giving for right reason, not out of expecting more in return.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

If you were a craftsman and did not raise animals, then 10% of your increase was tithe and that was that.

This is pure BS. Nowhere is this stated in scripture...

 

[john832]

This is pure BS. Nowhere is this stated in scripture...

Why dignify this stupidity with an answer?

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

Remember the tribe of Levi was not given any inheritance in the land, they had no way to grow food or generate income. Their duty was to serve God.
So there were two tithes every year, 20% of your income.

More BS on your part. The three tithes were spread out over 7 years, not 2 (or 3) tithes per year. And the tithe had nothing to do with income.

The tribe of Levi was given 48 cities and did whatever it wanted to sustain themselves. Approximately 4500 feet of land on each side of every Levitical city was theirs for pasturing and cultivation. That's almost a mile in any direction extending from each city wall. Depending upon the size of each city, that was conceivably as high as 3 sq.miles of agricultural land for their use per city. There were 48 Levitical cities, so the combined acreage they possessed for pasturing and cultivation could have been as high as nearly 140 sq. miles. This acreage is comparable to what both the tribes of Benjamin and Zebulon received.

Also, the Levites were part of the professional class in ancient Israel. They were teachers, judges, members of the Sanhedrin, builders, architects, musicians, singers, scribes, and law enforcement officers. So they were well able to take care of themselves.

You are such a phony trying to look like an expert...

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

Why dignify this stupidity with an answer?

You don't have an answer. You prefer BS

 

[Agricola]

WHy are you all arguing over amounts? IT DOES NOT MATTER.

AS I said in my previous post, what matters is motive and intent, if you want to give something back to God for providing you with a job, or for meeting your needs, just give whatever you feel is right.

It is absured that we have to be so legalistic and religious when it comes to giving back something for God, yet we do not hesitate to think when we give something to our friends and family.

A wallet is returned to the owner, the $2,500 is still inside with all the plastic. The owner is over joyed, so automatically pulls out half a dozen crisp $50 notes and gives them to the person who found it for being honest.

A group of friends help someone with an afternoon of gardening, they are rewarded at sunset with a BBQ of prime steak and wine and other nice stuff.

Someone has fixed a persons computer, as a thank you they paint thier fence in return.

So you see, in life we readily give rewards and give a little back in return if we were given something. What would happen if the person who found the wallet, turned around said, "Sorry but the law says you must give me half of what I found"? Start a heated argument, just like we see on these forums over Tithing.

God is a living God with which we have a personal relationship with which moves with the times, not stuck 4000 years ago in the past in ancient law.

So again I say, it matters not if you want to give something back to God, it matters not if you call it tithing, or giving, or donations, it matters not how much you give, but God knows how much you can afford to give, or not if thats they case.

 

[NiceneCreed]

God is the same yesterday today an tommrow an he ask for 10% which is really a little amout sence it is all his anyway... anything less than 10% is a lack of faith that God will take care of are needs this is the one thing in the bible God actually tells us to test him on... anything more than 10% is an offering annis also great...thats simiple truth... much love.

That's a great response; but what if someone is homeless and without money? What if someone has to spend all their money on cancer treatment? Are you telling me that they are lacking in faith in God for not tithing? I just feel as though you are taking the whole tithing thing to the extreme, and you are neglecting to take other factors into consideration, such as situational circumstances, (i.e., homelessness, illness, joblessness, etc.). Simply because one has no money to tithe, doesn't mean they have no faith in God, and simply because one has to spend all their money on rent and food, does not mean they have no faith in God. But there is Scripture which says we are to help people in these types of situations.

 

[allaboutlove]

If there homless then they have no income to tith from an as far as spending it all on cancer treatment or whatever else if you give your 10% to God he will make sure you have enough for what ever you need.. so to say you cant pay tithes because you have to pay something else is not trusting in God to take care of that something else.... ive been low on money but when i pay my tith ice always had enough to pay what i gota pay..

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

WHy are you all arguing over amounts? IT DOES NOT MATTER.

Who's arguing over amounts? The argument was over whether or not the tithe was income taxation. The scriptures clearly teach that it wasn't.

 

[NiceneCreed]

Yet again its rather simple, forget what the specific instructions say in Bible. Got a job? God let you have that job, God can make you unemployed overnight if God thinks you need to be, so show your appreciation and give some money back for God to use, it does not have to be your church either, there are plenty of deserving charities out thier, i shall shamelssly plug MAF just now! Sharing the Love of Christ through Aviation and Technology - Mission Aviation Fellowship

God provides in otherways for you, for myself I never pay full price for anything I need, I always end up getting hundreds of pounds worth of food shopping for less than 20%, as a result I spend an extra few pounds and pick up more than I need, I take it to church and give it to people whom Holy Spirit prompts me to. I have given away thousands of pounds worth of food over past couple of years.

I also give services and skills to the church and for other organisations to use, such as producing and making CDs.

For some time I stopped giving to God and things dried up, it wasn't until I began to give I was overwhelmed with what I was getting back, in short, it works, call it tithing if you want to, or dont, it dosnt matter, its the principle of giving God back a bit of what HE has given you and you are giving for right reason, not out of expecting more in return.

Are you saying that people who are without jobs, suffer from physical illnesses, (i.e., cancer, etc.), and who are homeless, are deserving of their situational circumstances because they didn't tithe? That has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard. My mother attended church and tithed regularly, and yet she became ill with an eight pound tumor that nearly took her life, and it is for that reason I find your comment to be insulting to those who do tithe and yet bad things happen to them.

" . . . He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45, New International Version, 2011).

 

[NiceneCreed]

If there homless then they have no income to tith from an as far as spending it all on cancer treatment or whatever else if you give your 10% to God he will make sure you have enough for what ever you need.. so to say you cant pay tithes because you have to pay something else is not trusting in God to take care of that something else.... ive been low on money but when i pay my tith ice always had enough to pay what i gota pay..

I find your comment to be inconsiderate of those who have no other choice but to spend all the money they have on cancer treatments. My mother attended church and tithed regularly and fell ill with an eight pound tumor that almost took her life. Had she not paid the hospital everything she had, they would not have operated on her, and the doctors said that had she not been operated on when she was, she would have died within several weeks. I really find your comment to be insensitive to those who are not in the position to pay a tithe; would it have been better my mother had died? How much more is my mother able to tithe now because she is alive?

 

[Bryancampbell]

I think it's by your heart, but let me say it like this man....God gave us plants and animals, I don't think we should completely take 100% of it or else they both go instinct....So like we give back at least 10% of it back to the earth so it can replenish or who knows maybe even multiply....That's how I see it to haha

 

[peacefulbeliever]

I believe that the principle of giving is repeated in 2 Cor. 9:6,7 and still applies but the law of 10% does not. When you give, God will bless and will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground. (paraphrased Malachi 3:10)

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work . . .2 Cor. 9:6,7

 

[Hal51]

Once again, thank you for all your feedback. Whenever I am stuck I turn to you my brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

[michaelwriting]

I have become convinced that the 'tithe' is part of the old covenant for the nation of Israel. The entire arrangement was set up as an elaborate system, as many have alluded to. Paul and the early church did not lay the burdens of circumcision, tithing, or any other Jewish laws or customs on the Gentile believers. The giving was to be done cheerfully without compulsion. A compulsory tithe would violate 2Cor9:7. Instead, we can look at the benefits that Jesus said for giving, and consider that we serve him as we give. I know I could do much better in my own giving, but apparently God is still merciful to me.

Furthermore, many people get confused because they think everything in the bible applies to them. God makes all kinds of promises and requirements throughout the scriptures. Some of those promises and requirements are made to specific people, and other promises are universal.

For example, many people like to quote about how God promises to give us 'a hope and a future' (Jer 29:11). This is a great verse which shows God's character towards his people, and God may use it to comfort us personally, but in reality, this promise was specifically for the Jewish exiles returning from Babylon. God also made promises to make Nebuchadnezzar a lunatic, and that promise was fulfilled to him personally. While God may also operate in similar ways toward other people, it doesn't necessarily mean that every verse applies to every person.

On the other side, God has many universal promises, such as all the 'whosoevers' and 'whatsoevers'. He also has universal principles which imply 'if you do this, God will do that' or 'if you do this, the consequences will be that'.

So, if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved. And whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. These seem to be universal promises and principles that apply to everyone.

That is my small offering for this discussion. Take care brethren. : )

 

[Bryancampbell]

Someone once told me if they had 10 babies, they give one up for adoption for their 10% tithe???????? I'm like wow

 

[Agricola]

Are you saying that people who are without jobs, suffer from physical illnesses, (i.e., cancer, etc.), and who are homeless, are deserving of their situational circumstances because they didn't tithe? That has to be one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard. My mother attended church and tithed regularly, and yet she became ill with an eight pound tumor that nearly took her life, and it is for that reason I find your comment to be insulting to those who do tithe and yet bad things happen to them.

" . . . He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45, New International Version, 2011).

how on earth did you draw that conclusion from my post, I said nothing of the sort. What I did say is that if you are lucky enough to have a job, or whatever, then give what you can afford to give back to God and not neccasarily money.

 

[ed2]

The modern day tithe (10% of one's income) is unbiblical. The tithe commanded in the Old Testament was never based on a person's income. It is a fact that the people of this day had actual incomes, so saying that tithing of produce, livestock, wine, etc. is equated to giving of income is false. Besides, not every person in Israel was commanded to tithe. The tent makers, seamstresses, carpenters, fishermen, farm hands, etc. did not tithe. The command was literal and could not be deviated from. Like someone already stated, if a rancher only produced 9 animals that year, there was no way he could tithe because the tithe required the 10th animal to pass under the rod. It was not the best 10 percent or the first 10 percent but rather simply the 10th one. I know a lot of what I just posted has already been mentioned, but just kind of backing up what some of the others have said.

I do not teach tithing to my congregation, although I used to. I had a discussion on tithing several years ago with a member and he brought up a concern that tithing was not a New Testament practice. I listened objectively and was honest with him. I told him that I had never really studied tithing and that I was just going with what I had been taught on the subject. After two months of study on the subject, I preached for 4 straight Sundays on why the modern day system of tithing was unbiblical and a man made religious duty. I apologized to everyone for putting them into bondage with this unbiblical tithing system. With that said, part of the study was on New Testament giving practices. Like some here have already stated, the New Testament instructs us to give what we purpose in our hearts. How do we, as Christians, purpose anything in our hearts? We seek God about it. He will lay it on our hearts what to give. Pastors, including me at one time, advise their members to seek God about everything, except tithing. It would seem that most pastors don't want to trust their members with seeking God about voluntary, free-will giving. At least that was the case for me, and is the case for most that I talk to about it. I will add, that when I abandoned the modern day tithing system, giving increased dramatically. I quit passing around the plate and just put in some locked drop boxes that people could drop their money in. It kind of freed people up to give in secret.

You might be wondering about my comment that today's modern tithing practice is man-made. If it is man-made then we should be able to identify when it came about, right? Well we can. I would just tell you, and you can do the research yourself, to look at the Council of Macon in A.D. 585. I don't have my notes with me, but I am pretty sure on the year, just not 100 percent. I hope this helps you in your study.

Eddie

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

After two months of study on the subject, I preached for 4 straight Sundays on why the modern day system of tithing was unbiblical and a man made religious duty. I apologized to everyone for putting them into bondage with this unbiblical tithing system.

An honorable brother IMO. Do you mind me asking what part of the US you are in?

 

[ed2]

An honorable brother IMO. Do you mind me
asking what part of the US you are in?

Thanks for the kind words, and no, I don't mind. I am in Alabama.