Tithing. What are Christians suppose to do?

[bud62]

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

The law that was done away was the hand writing Of Moses & only the ones that was against us the BIBLE says .Those LAWs a shadow Till the seed would come come . Which was JESUS . & those LAWs where added because they were braking GODs 10 commandment Laws , & They only lasted till JESUS CAME . & then the sacrificial laws were done. & the BIBLE tells us these things.

 

[bud62]

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.

Read Hebrews 7 : 2 I believe the BIBLE & that's is what I'm going to stand on The BIBLE Explains it's self , If study anuf .

 

[Dino246]

Read Hebrews 7 : 2 I believe the BIBLE & that's is what I'm going to stand on The BIBLE Explains it's self , If study anuf .

I have read Hebrews 7 many times. In no way does it teach Christians to tithe.

 

[Judges1318]

Are we called to give a tenth as the Israelites were

I don't know, but if you do, you'll love the first two years of tithing:

22“You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. 23“You shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock" - Deuteronomy 14:22-23

But the third year, not so much:

28“At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. 29“The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied" - Deuteronomy 14:28-29

So, you see, for two years you eat your own tithe in the presence of the Lord (and give some to the ministry, see vs.27). It's only in the third year that you give it all away so those in ministry, the orphans, and widows can eat and be satisfied.

 

[Guojing]

The law that was done away was the hand writing Of Moses & only the ones that was against us the BIBLE says .Those LAWs a shadow Till the seed would come come . Which was JESUS . & those LAWs where added because they were braking GODs 10 commandment Laws , & They only lasted till JESUS CAME . & then the sacrificial laws were done. & the BIBLE tells us these things.

Anyway you are not contradicting my point since tithing was also not part of the 10

 

[dodgingstones]

I tithe and am blessed to do so even living on a fixed income. Others can do as they please, thats between them and God.

All I have came from God and belongs to God...so how could I justify not giving a portion of what He blesses me with back to Him?

I could not call myself a Christian (disciple of Christ) and not tithe.

If I was on my computer, I could go into greater detail, but on my phone it is simply too much.

Folks can do as they please, and when that day comes they will learn what God has to say about it.

As for poor people tithing...the lady who gave her only two pennies was surely blessed by Christ Himself.

 

[Judges1318]

I tithe and am blessed to do so even living on a fixed income. Others can do as they please, thats between them and God.

All I have came from God and belongs to God...so how could I justify not giving a portion of what He blesses me with back to Him?

I could not call myself a Christian (disciple of Christ) and not tithe.

If I was on my computer, I could go into greater detail, but on my phone it is simply too much.

Folks can do as they please, and when that day comes they will learn what God has to say about it.

As for poor people tithing...the lady who gave her only two pennies was surely blessed by Christ Himself.

I think tithing is a good benchmark for giving, if you can afford it at first.

Since God blesses all giving with more than you gave, you can start out small and work your way up to a tithe and beyond.
But remember, if you're tithing because God commanded it in the law, you get to eat your own tithe for the first two years, and you only give it all away in the third year. That being true, people probably aren't wondering if they have to tithe the old covenant tithe. They probably don't know the rules for tithing anyway.

 

[Guojing]

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

That pastor is basically preaching 2 cor 9:6

 

[Dino246]

That pastor is basically preaching 2 cor 9:6

There was more to it than that, of course. He had some really unbiblical ideas about tithing and other issues. His "We get to" comment was just a salient point.

 

[Guojing]

There was more to it than that, of course. He had some really unbiblical ideas about tithing and other issues. His "We get to" comment was just a salient point.

The farmer could have ate the seed but he gets the opportunity to sow seeds. If you sow only a few seeds, your harvest is smaller.

So the idea that you don’t have to give, you get to give follows the same principle

 

[Dino246]

The farmer could have ate the seed but he gets the opportunity to sow seeds. If you sow only a few seeds, your harvest is smaller.

So the idea that you don’t have to give, you get to give follows the same principle

Please don't conflate or confuse giving with tithing. They are not the same thing.

 

[Guojing]

Please don't conflate or confuse giving with tithing. They are not the same thing.

Actually I agree, it’s much better to use the term giving, tithing unfortunately gives people the impression of the law of Moses, and people usually resist that.

But the principle behind both is still the same

 

[Dino246]

Actually I agree, it’s much better to use the term giving, tithing unfortunately gives people the impression of the law of Moses, and people usually resist that.

But the principle behind both is still the same

Tithing is not voluntary, not biblical as modern preachers teach it, and not for Christians.

Giving is voluntary, is biblical, and is for Christians.

What is the principle that allegedly unites them?

 

[Guojing]

Tithing is not voluntary, not biblical as modern preachers teach it, and not for Christians.

Giving is voluntary, is biblical, and is for Christians.

What is the principle that allegedly unites them?

Abraham tithe to Melchizedek and he was not under the law. Hebrews talk a lot about it

His offspring Issac and Jacob also tithe

 

[TheIndianGirl]

Pastors refer to a verse where Jesus mentioned tithing in passing, to make a point that Jesus acknowledged and did not denounce tithing.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Matthew 23:23

I think pastors are afraid that if they do not push tithing, then no one would give and the church would become bankrupt. This is an issue. Baptist churches are funded by the congregation; we do no get money from an external source (aside from perhaps renting out space).

Churches have to talk about giving somehow. Pastors probably use the term tithe because they think 10% is a good figure. The church is considered a (nonprofit) corporation and is a business. It is important to give in the range of 10% of so, I think. The pastor's salary is generally the median income in the area where she/he is living. There are a lot of unexpected repairs such as roof issues from weather damage. There has to be a generous benevolence/charity fund. If people are only giving a bill from their wallet, this really is not that helpful for the church.

 

[3angelsmsg]

Tithing is returning 10% to the Lord, not to your pastor. Our responsible to towards God, if we withhold. God will hold us responsible and whatever the preacher does that is between him and God. In the old testament, the priests, and those ministering in the sanctuary service had no income.

The rest of the congregation had to return God's tithe in order for those ministering officers to receive a living wage from the tithe.

And the tithe is holy. And similar, the pastors and those ministering in church today who are serving full time in ministry have to be look after by the church. The same principle is being applied as in the old testament

 

[Jackson123]

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.

No Christian are call to love other like love yourself. It mean It doesn't matter If your neighbors need, the Holy spirit in you make you to have love and help him as needed, It may more than 10 percent.
The Holy Spirit is inline with Jesus who sacrificed not only His money, but Himself to die oN the cross to help other.

 

[dodgingstones]

I think tithing is a good benchmark for giving, if you can afford it at first.

Since God blesses all giving with more than you gave, you can start out small and work your way up to a tithe and beyond.
But remember, if you're tithing because God commanded it in the law, you get to eat your own tithe for the first two years, and you only give it all away in the third year. That being true, people probably aren't wondering if they have to tithe the old covenant tithe. They probably don't know the rules for tithing anyway.

I tithe because I love God. Not to gain anything.

 

[pottersclay]

Where a person's treasure is there his heart shall be also.
In short put your money where your mouth is. Even Jesus paid taxes.
The first 12 had a treasurer, the feeding of the multitude seemed out of their budget but what was given was greatly increased.
Give to those that ask. Are you a hearer and not a doer?
God owns everything we are called to be stewards of it till he returns. Your father sees and rewards.
Store your treasure in heaven.
Just a few examples.

 

[mailmandan]

Tithes in the Old Testament were primarily taxes for funding the national budget in Israel. Since Israel was a theocracy, the Levitical priests acted as the civil government. So the Levite's tithe (Leviticus 27:30-33) was a forerunner to today's income tax in which they tithed grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn of their herds and flocks. If the distance was too far for them to carry the tithe, then they were to exchange their tithe for silver, and take the silver with them and go to the place the Lord chose and use the silver to buy whatever they like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything they wish. (Deuteronomy 14:22-29). Smaller taxes were also imposed on the people by the law (Leviticus 19:9-10; Exodus 23:10-11). So the total giving required of the Israelites was not merely 10 percent, but over 20 percent, which is similar to our taxation system today. All that money was used to operate the nation.

All giving apart from that required to run the government was purely voluntary (Exodus 25:2; 1 Chronicles 29:9). Each person gave whatever was in his heart to give and no specific percentage or amount was specified. In the Church age under the New Covenant, believers are never commanded to tithe 10%. Matthew 22:15-22 and Romans 13:1-7 tell us about required giving, which is the paying of taxes to the government. We in America presently pay between 20 and 30 percent of our income to the government, which is a figure very similar to the requirement under the theocracy of Israel under the Old Covenant

Now if someone wants to give 10% of their income or more to their church or another Christian organization, that is fine, we cannot out give God, yet we should not turn the 10% tithe for Israel under the law into a legalistic prescription for Christians under grace. Now just because a specific % is not listed under the New Covenant for Christians to give, this does not mean we should give grudgingly either.