Tithing. What are Christians suppose to do?

I might be kicking a hornets nest, but I would like to know what some people’s opinions on the matter are. Are we called to give a tenth as the Israelites were, or do we give according what’s in our heart? Please let me know. I look forward to a spirited(And friendly) discussion.

i said yes if you can afford it do it but to a good cause obviously not t.d. jakes or those frauds.

God will bless a cheerful giver thats a guarantee and you shouldnt give to get, you should give out of love and out of cheer. if God has blessed you with enough to give thats already a reward in itself.

if you are homeless living under a bridge dont tithe

The Bible says nothing to Christians about tithing; it's an old covenant requirement. The New Testament does talk about giving to support the Church and its work, to support the needy, and at times, sacrificially. The general principles are 'to whom is given much, much will be expected' and 'those who give sparingly will reap sparingly, and those who give generously will reap generously'.

That's the short answer.

Agreed. If you give graciously you will receive abundantly. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean monetary blessings. I did attained a Church that really put a focus on tithing. It was called the “10/10/80” plan. Save 10%, tithe 10%, and live off of 80%. It’s not a bad idea per say, but it certainly wasn’t Biblical.

TD Jakes. LOL! My parents use to watch him.

No, Christians are called to be Priests. Those called at this time are being called to be Priest with Jesus. They the New Testment version of the Levitical Priesthood. The Levites didn't pay a tithe. You won't find one being paid in the New Testament. In fact, if anyone lacked they were to receive from those that had - no matter how much excess you had. In other words, if your a Christian then your brethren in Christ should be able to take of all your wealth where needed. There is no maximum or minimum of 10% in the Church. The amount is as your have been blessed, shall others be blessed.

No Christians are called to give 90% and keep 10% for themselves. That poor widow gave 100%. So that's fair enough.

But it must be given to the Lord, not for the self-aggrandizement of those who claim that Christians must pay tithes and then squander it away.

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 in the Old Testament into a monetary, legalistic prescription for Christians under the New Covenant.

I even once 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 "under the New Covenant," but I certainly believe in giving cheerfully and not just to our church. I also believe that everything we own belongs to God.

Malachi 3:8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. The whole nation of Israel.

*Malachi is written to Israel under the Old Covenant. Malachi 1:1 - The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi.

Tithing GO's back before the JEWs to Abraham Out OF Haran some where around Babylon , And HE was a gentile . & he paid tithe . If we love the sinners , I think we Should tithe . The tithe is to get the gospel out to the LOST & to HIS people , Malachi 3:8 - 12 Will a man rob GOD ? yet ye have robbed ME .But ye say , Wherein have we robed THEE ? In tithes & offerings . ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robed ME . even this whole nation . Look at how much that HE paid for US. GOD BLESS.

You are correct with Abraham tithing, but there is no commandment to do so in the New Covenant. I’m not saying that a person should not do so if they feel that is their obligation to God. Thanks for posting!

A lot of people I know believe that it is supost To go only to GODs CHURCH .That being the one that is keeping all of GODs commandments . But I Think as long as it's going to GODs people that getting the gospel out . LIKE Peter & Paul DID . But about all I can say is to read Malachi 3 : 8 - 12 & to pray that GOD will show you HIS will GOD BLESS YOU WITH THE KNOWLEDGE .& a willing Heart .

The term tithe means first fruits. What is the principle of the first fruits that God instilled in the world?

Exodus 13:2 Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

Here, God plainly declares that the firstborn “is Mine.” It belongs to Him. In fact, you’ll find God declaring many times in Scripture that the firstborn is His! For example,

Exodus 13:12–13 says:
That you shall set apart to the Lord all that open the womb, that is, every firstborn that comes from an animal which you have; the males shall be the Lord’s. But every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you will not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. And all the firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.

Jesus was God's firstborn, and God himself practiced what he commanded. He sowed Jesus, Jesus was in a very real sense God's tithe to the world. Notice that God gave Him to us before we believed. Romans 5:8 says:

God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

We give our firstfruits offering—our tithes—in much the same way. God is a giver and a tither, we are born of God and hence we have God's DNA.

This is independent of Law or Grace. We don't give because we are commanded to, we give because God is a giver, and we are created in his image.

Several years ago, I had temporarily attended a church in which the new Pastor there was obsessed with building a new mega church and he even 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 this new mega church (that they didn't really need) and to this day have 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. He would give slide shows on the screen of someone laying down and holding onto a balance beam, proclaiming, "I will give 2% but not 10% in order to beat the congregation over the head with guilt for not giving 10%.

During one sermon, the Pastor 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. That Pastor went on to say to the congregation that the word "deeper" is a code word for "I'm not tithing 10%." The Pastor also mentioned 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!"

He never used what Jesus stated in the parable of the unjust steward?

10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

I don't believe that no one will be saved with obedience to GODs LAW . HIS 10 commandments which HE wrote with HIS own finger , go all the way back to Creation , Where there is no law there is no sin . Right before Cain KILLED Abel ,GOD told Cain that Sin lieth at the door If there was no law then Cain wouldn't have sinned ,Thou shalt not KILL . Deuteronomy 8 : 20 As the nations which the LORD destroyeth before your face .so shall ye perish: because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your GOD . 7 many others sinned befoure moses . Do you you think that GOD changes . They were saved through their faith & we are save by our faith ALL are save by faith . Revelation 14 : 12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of GOD ,& the faith of JESUS . they are obedient . These show us we haft to be obedient . & a requirement to obey GODs LAWS .

Galatians 3 emphasized this
23 Before the coming of this faith,[j] we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

This 1 Cor passage is reinforcing the Galatians passage by saying that, while the Jews were under the law, God had to use a system of punishment to teach the Jews how they should tithe to the Lord. Like parents, it is unwise to reason with a toddler since he is unlikely to understand so you use a system of punishment to get him to learn certain behaviour.

However, once we receive Jesus as our Lord, as we become adults, we would now have the capability to truly understand the soundness of things that our parents taught us when we were young. You now do the right things because you are aware that actions have consequences

You can use this analogy, we often remind young kids daily, “Do not touch the sharp knives in the kitchen, do not put your hand in the stove”. It’s because when someone was younger, there may not be much point to reason with them. We punish them when they break those rules

But when an adult comes to our house, it will be silly for us to give the same warnings, because it would be insulting. Yet, it does not follow that he should then put his hand on the stove, just because the same warnings that we would give to children, we no longer give to him

I don't think you will find where Abraham give first fruits like you are talking about , I believe he give one tenth of all HE had. Hebrews 7 : 2 To whom also Abraham gave tenth part of all: Not just first fruits but all . GOD BLESS as HE sees FIT .

Abraham never gave a tenth of all his belongings to anyone.

In Genesis 14, after he and some allies recovered the people of Sodom and their belongings in a battle, having defeated Kedorlaomer and his forces, Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek.

I had a pastor who said more than once, "We GET to tithe!" What silliness. I left that church and have never looked back.