I need a bit of help on that, I've been told I'm supposed to.. Is it true? And has everyone done that? I know I have to pay the 10% (sorry I recently became christian!)
Hi Sophia,
No, you do not have to pay 10% to God. God's Word does not tell us to give 10% to Him. That is a man-made doctrine that is not supported by God's Word.
Preachers today tell their congregations that God requires a tithe of their money. Those preachers are not teaching truth from God's Word when they teach the monetary tithe.
First, God did tell a people to tithe. He told the Israelites to do so. Notice:
Leviticus 27:30-34 And all the tithe of the land,
whether of the seed of the land,
or of the fruit of the tree,
is the LORD'S:
it is holy unto the LORD. And if a man will at all redeem
ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth
part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock,
even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. These
are the commandments, which
the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.
I have bolded one important part. That is the fact that it was a command for the children of Israel. If you do a search throughout the Word of God from Genesis to Luke, you will find that it is only the children of Israel who are responsible to tithe.
You will also find out that the tithe was always "eaten"
Deuteronomy 14:22-29 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it;
or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn
it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and
thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, And the Levite that
is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay
it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which
are within thy gates, shall come, and
shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
According to Malachi 3, tithing was an ordinance:
Malachi 3:7-8 Even from the days of your fathers
ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept
them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Notice that when the Israelites asked, "how shall we return to your ordinances?" God answered with the indictment against them that they were guilty of robbing Him and to no longer be guilty, they had to bring the tithes into the storehouse. (by the way, there is no verse in the Bible that says the storehouse was moved from Jerusalem to your town. Don't let the preachers tell you God's storehouse is your Church)
God's Word tells us that His ordinances were abolished by His Son Jesus Christ:
Ephesians 2:14-15 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition
between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity,
even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man,
so making peace;
God is not going to tell you to do something that His Word would contradict. He abolished the ordinances. One ordinance was the tithe. It is no more required.
Pastors who preach tithing today are guilty of tempting God.
Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Acts 15:28-29 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
Had tithing been a requirement, how did the Holy Spirit (who guides us into all truth; John 16:13) overlook it as one of the "necessary things"?
So, how much should you give to the Church? That is up to you.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according
as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
The Greek word that the word "purposeth" is translated from is the word "proaireomai." It simply means, "to choose for oneself." You must decide for yourself what you will give, not rely on another man to tell you how much to give. God does not want your giving to be forced, or coerced. He wants you to give because you want to give and to give what you want to give.
