Should a Christian tithe, what does the Bible say

I recently heard a sermon on tithing at a Reformed Baptist Church, where I have applied for membership.
The pastor made it clear that we are all to tithe because that's what God wants us to do. He said, if we don't give generously of our finances that God will not bless us.
He presented many Bible verses showing that it is Biblical and that God expects us to obey it.
We can't claim to be believers, then only pick and choose the parts of the Bible that suit our lifestyle and ignore the parts we don't like.
Below is a link listing 20 Bible verses showing that tithing is something all of Gods people must do if we are to be obedient to His Word

https://echurch.com/20-bible-verses-about-tithing/

I know that nobody will argue with Gods Word, so this is only a reminder of our obligation to tithe. I will say in advance that anyone who tries to argue against it is arguing against sound Biblical teaching

I have that among most small churches I've been to, the more activity they encorage and have going on. The more involved they, the helpers get, the more invested they'll become. Tithes will increase. People will see their investment in church programs used in a visible active way. And give more.

2 Corinthians 9:7 King James Version (KJV)
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.

Obligation would make it "of necessity", and this is a heart issue, because if one doesn't want to but feels a necessity to (obligation) it would then lead to them giving "grudgingly." We ought to encourage giving, sowing and reaping, because such finances are a blessing not only to oneself but others. Good stewardship involves giving, not only because it is involves helping others, and spreading the Gospel, but because at work are spiritual principles. Laws set by God, promises He fulfills. Give and you shall receive, reaping and sowing (sparingly, or bountifully). and "helping the poor is like lending to the Lord, He shall repay you."

In essence, it is paradoxical to the natural mind. To give leads to increase? How? If I give, I am losing something. This is subtraction. Yet God says in His word to give and you will receive. These are principles of faith, lived by they shall prosper a person. Multiplication and not subtraction. Therefore, to give is good stewardship because giving leads to more, and you can be blessed to be a blessing and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Thanks for the encouragement.

I would like your opinion on an issue I'm facing regrading giving to the Church. I'm going to inherit a large sum of money after the sale of a relatives estate who recently passed away and I'm one of the beneficiaries in his will. Should I give my Church 10% of the money I receive or is tithing only meant to be deducted form your salary.

I would really like to know what Jesus would advise me to do, I have prayed about it but I'm still not sure what God wants me to do. I will continue to pray about it, but I would value your opinion because I have read a lot of your posts and I do respect your opinion on many things.

We are surrounded by the blessings of God every moment of the day.
You also said something to the effect of "you are not a true Christian if you don't tithe."
To which my response is: tithing doesn't make you a Christian.
Faith in Jesus Christ makes you a Christian.

Concerning the pastor you mentioned, I'd like to point out that if pastoring the Church is his sole means of income, the Pastor has a direct interest in the amount of tithes going in to the offering plate.

2 Corinthians 9:7 tells you what to do.
there is no 10% tithe legalistically commanded of the Church for any type of income, either salary or otherwise.
Each man is to give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity

Is the Boby of Christ under the OT law tithe requirements?

Tithe info OT
The tithe (under the Mosaic law) wasn't money according to Leviticus 27:30; it being the fruit of the tree, seed of the ground and the 10th animal to pass under the rod. Other passages such as Malachi 3:10 "that there might be food in my house," also confirm that the tithe was fruit, seed & animals, not money.

People paid three tithes of a tenth each, not one. The Levitical tithe (Numbers 18:19-20), the festival tithe (Deuteronomy 14:22-17), and the poor tithe, every 3rd year (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). So if your religon regard's itself as being under the Biblical command to pay tithes, then preach three tithes not simply one!

No one paid a tithe on money. The tithe was a tax on only agricultural produce. Example: A fisherman paid nothing on his catch, tradesmen, cobblers, potters, the women, who made the soliders garments, the servants who worked in the fields for wages, were not required to pay tithe.

The tithe was exclusively a tax on the produce on the land of Israel, so if you don't live within the Promised land (Israel), then you were not required to pay tithe. Numbers 18:21 clearly states; “all the tithes in Israel,” so tithes were only paid on people’s increase (Deuteronomy 14:22), on their agricultural products (Leviticus 27:30), within the land of Israel (and not outside of Israel).

The first of these tithes, the Levitical tithe, was payable only to the Levite tribe of Israel, (Nehemiah 10:37), nobody else was permitted to collect it, and this tithe had to be paid to the tribe of Levi within one of 48 designated Levite cities within Israel (Numbers 35:7).

Every 7th (Sabbath) year (Exodus 23:10-11), and 50th (Jubilee) year (Leviticus 25:10-11), the entire nation of tithers, within the nation of Israel were completely excluded from paying tithes for those entire years.

So if you are not tithing EXACTLY just like this, as in the above six points, then what you are calling tithing, isn't biblical tithing. It's man-made teaching, promoted today by money-grubbing religious extortioners.

1 Corinthians 5:10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, """or extortioners""", or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.

1 Corinthians 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, """"nor extortioners"""", shall inherit the kingdom of God.
(Relogions that require tithe are extortioners, """RUN"""!)

I challange anyone reading this post. To show me ""JUST ONE"" New Testament scripture requiring beilevers to tithe.

Before you post the Abraham passage in Hebrews. Here's the facts on that one:

ABRAM
Genesis 14: Abram gives 10% (vs 20) of the best of the war spoils he'd taken to the Priest & King of Salem, Melchizedek.

Abram gives the best 10% of the war spoils to Melchizedek. And the remaining 90% to Sodom & Gomorrah (vs 24). Abram kept NOTHING for himself!

Abram NEVER PAID 10% of his personal items (EVER!): No cattle, no oil or wine, no corn or wheat & NO MONEY! Only booty from the Kings he conquered while retrieving his kidnapped nephew Lot.

Does our local Church & global ministries need our financial support? Of course, yes, ABSOLUTELY!

Acts 20:35 (C) Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
(I see here a blessing promise from the Lord for freewill giving)

1 Cor 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
(Bring WEEKLY your best freewill gift)

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
(Give a little, receive a little, give alot, receive alot)

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.
(A tithe is given out of the laws necessity. A worthless gift from todays believer. A freewill gift from the heart is loved and rewarded by our Lord)

When it comes to giving. New covenant Christians are taught to give generously, sacrificial & expectant of a blessing in return. And most certainly be CHEERFULL FREEWILL GIVER'S!

We should all prayerfully examine our giving patterns. Pray earnestly that the Holy Spirit would challenge us. To see whether they are in line with God's New Testament plan of being Generous, Sacrificial, Cheerful Giver's!

Or examine whether our preached doctrine places its members under old covenant laws. Laws that our Lord paid the ultimate price to free us from.

I hope & pray your Pastors promoted stated tithe position is out of ignorance. And not, like many I see on many TV. A deceitful way of money grubbing & trolling for $

Should a Christian tithe, what does the Bible say

Click to expand...

You can find an extensive study Here on this contentious subject...

He's a false witness.

Tithing was never an income or estate tax. It was the increase of the land - flocks and fields. That's all it was. It was required of the descendents of Jacob who inherited the land because Jacob vowed a vow to GOD to give to him the tenth of the land that GOD had just promised to give to him. Jacob didn't tithe because he didn't inherit the land.

Many churches teach that we as Christians, under the New Covenant, are commanded to give a minimum of 10% of our income to our church. Others teach that preachers of these churches are turning the 10% tithe from the Old Testament 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.

I once attended a church in which the new Pastor there handed out pledge cards for people to fill out so they can pledge to give extra money on a monthly basis over a three year period "above and beyond 10%" directly to the "moving forward" project to build a new mega church (that they didn't really need) and to this day never built.

More than a few people left that church because all that Pastor mainly talked about was money (primarily the 10% tithe) and building that new mega church. During one sermon, he even mentioned that a member of the church came into his office one day, somewhat irate and said that he is leaving that church because he is tired of hearing about money all the time and needs to find a church where he can go "deeper in the word."

The Pastor mentioned to the congregation that the word "deeper" is a code word for "I'm not tithing 10%." The Pastor went on to say that he checked the records and sure enough that member of the church was not giving 10% and some months gave nothing at all and then acted like, "good riddance to him!"

people argue about 'God's word' all day long here and you are pretty good at it yourself

your pastor is not giving you sound biblical teaching

we are not under levitical law that demands we give a tithe and your pastor should know that

and again, we have motives hidden from sight by using the Bible to manipulate people

we are free to give as much or as little as we want

as the majority of responses to your op indicate

God loves a cheerful giver...and people give cheerfully when they are not forced to give an amount or forced to sign pledge cards

that kind of thing is not freedom, but rather bondage

It's probably safe to assume that he gave OT commands specific to the Sinai covenant and gave no context.

Do you realize that by requiring you to pay him a weekly fee in order to be accepted at his congregation he is effectively selling salvation for money?

Bring him some tomatoes and zucchini from your garden and leave your wallet at home.

Many will come to Him on that day saying Lord, Lord haven't we healed the sick and cast out Demons and done many wonders in your name and He will declare to them. Go into the everlasting lake of fire, you workers of iniquity for I never knew you.

If you don't give your money generously to God, He will say I never knew you. You didn't feed me when I was hungry, greed is a grievous sin.

please supply the actual source for the above

is it in the Bible? I can't find it...but if you have the biblical source for it, please post it

however, if this comes from a person and not the Bible?

ignore it altogether and look for a church that actually tries to be biblically accurate

there are no perfect churches or people, but hiding behind the Bible to extort money and put fear in people is...sorry...demonic IMO

First, I appreciate you starting a separate thread on this subject. As you already know, I do not believe that Christians are required to tithe. You may not appreciate the tone of my challenge to you, but I assure you it is for your good. I desire your freedom, not your slavery.

Second, you seem to have your mind made up on this and are already closed to actual discussion. The tone of your comments certainly makes this clear. So rather than pussyfooting, I will be clear: you have been deceived. You have been deceived into thinking that anyone who disagrees with your interpretation of Scripture is arguing against God. That's garbage, and is an open invitation for deception, because it closes you to sound correction.

Others have already offered sound instruction on this matter; I suggest you carefully consider it. I will add a few points...

Tithing is not giving. The two are distinct concepts. You have made the error that "not tithing" means "not giving at all" which is false. Tithing was never voluntary, but was required under the OT law.

Everything prior to Acts is under the Old Covenant. Yes, that also includes what Jesus spoke, because His time on earth was under the Old Covenant. His words to the Pharisees were under the Law. Jesus's words to the Pharisees were words of condemnation, not affirmation. Taking His words out of this context distorts the message.

The mention of tithes in Hebrews 7 is entirely a history lesson and has no continuing application. As the rest of Hebrews explains in patient detail, the Old Covenant has ended for those in Christ. We have no remaining obligation to it.

As Paul explains in Galatians, adding Law to Christ means you are under the whole Law, and have fallen from grace. You are complete in Christ; why go back to miserable and weak principles which enslave you and cannot save?

Another poster has adequately explained giving according to the New Testament teaching.

Even if you think you are tithing 10%, I can probably point out areas where you aren't. Do you give ten percent of your income tax refund? If so, you aren't tithing, because you already paid on that income. Do you pay 10% on your health and vacation benefits? Probably not. How about interest income from your bank account? Tithe means tenth, no less and no more!

We as Christians are not under the Old Covenant Law. We are free in Christ to give freely. Don't make yourself a slave because of ignorance.

It's funny how you read or hear something and then suddenly become Mr. Know-it-all.