In many evangelical churches is taught
that tithing should be a practice of every Christian. But there are some who
say that tithing was only a practice of the Jews in the Old Testament. The
subject of tithing is a controversial one in todayțs Christianity.
Tithing before the law
1. Abraham gave tithe to Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God the Most High (Genesis 17:20). We do not find in the Scripture that tithing is found to be a requirement from God to Abraham. Neither it does not mentioned that after this Abram gave again the ten percent of his gain. In this case I understand that it was an act of good will, of Abraham to Melchizedek when he gave as much as he wanted, without being asked for something and the size of this gift was set by Abraham himself.
2. Jacob promised to God that he would give a tenth of all that he had (Genesis 28:20-22). After the experience that Jacob lived the dream he had, he set three conditions to God and then he made three promises to God. Jacob said: If God will be with me ... if He will give me ... and when I come back ... then the Lord will be my God, the stone placed on the altar will be the house of God and will give God a tenth (10%) of all he will receive. We see again that no one asked him to give 10%, but was a voluntary and conditional promise. We meet in the life of Jacob, described in Genesis that God has fulfilled all three conditions, made by Jacob and also we meet that Jacob fulfilled the first two promises , but we don't meet any story that Jacob tithed to someone ever. I want to mention that these two cases are the only description of personal experiences. Before the giving of the law was not prescribed nor a doctrine about tithing and therefore we do not have the moral right to make from this reports and bind a teaching and a practice of today's church. I understand that it was a personal and a voluntary initiative of someone. There was not a practice, but a particular case.
Tithing according to Moses's Law
1. Lord gave some commandments to Israel through Moses concerning the tithe (Leviticus 27:30-34). Any tithe belongs to the Lord: either from the harvest of land or of animals. About this tithe it is said to be brought to the Levites, the servants of God, who had no inheritance in Israel (Numbers 18:21,24). This tithe was never canceled and has been valid as long as the Old Covenant based on the law by Moses held.
2. Without cancel tithes, which had to be brought to Levites, God commanded them to take the tithe of the annual income from the fruit of the earth and animals as they eat them before the LORD at the place which God shall choose and thereby to learn to fear the Lord (Deuteronomy 14:22-23). Apart from the 10% they had to give to the Levites, the Israelites had to take another 10% who eat them before the Lord.
3. Besides those two tithes that the Israelites had to put them aside and do what the Lord commanded them, they have yet to receive one more command regarding tithing (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). This commandment said that every three years the people of Israel to take 10% of all his income and put it in the midst of the fortress. These 10% were devoted to social strata in Israel. The Levites, foreigners, orphans and widows who lived among the Hebrew had to come to take it for them (Deuteronomy 26:12-13).
Neither one of these commandments did
not cancel another one. All three were valid in the covenant which God made
with Israel. That is why I understand that tithing for the people of
Israel was about 23.3% annually. Each case described in the Old Testament was not
only the fixed amount of 10%, but the way in which it had to be given. Nobody
had the right to take tithes and do something else with it, except as it was
prescribed (Deuteronomy 12:6-8). The unfulfilled of these commandments
by the children of Israel, is an attempt to deceive God and it leads to curse,
but the fulfillment of the commandments regarding tithing as the
Lord provided leads to welfare (Malachi 3:6-10).
Tithing in New Testament
1. Jesus Himself said in a discussion with the Pharisees that they should not forget the tithe (Matthew 23:23). It is important that these words Jesus says to the Pharisees, who were Israelites and they were pretending that they fulfill the Law. Those who were considered Hebrew and doers of the Law, had to fulfill the ordinances of the tithe. Yet Jesus did not teach his disciples to practice the tithe, nor apostles taught in the Church of Christ at least something about tithing.
2. Pharisee who boasted before God that they give tithing and do other good things did not receive approval from God (Luke 6:12 p.m.). Again, the Pharisee was a Jew and had to fulfill the commandment of tithing in order to keep the whole Law.
3. The author of the epistle to the Hebrew, points out that Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham, without giving any indication that this practice should be taken up and practiced by believers. So tithing is not a valid instruction even for the church made up from Jews only (Hebrew 7:2).
Tithing nowadays
1. I know some Christians from evangelical churches that promotes tithe simply because it has been taught, they saw that the Bible says something about it, but they have never asked themselves and never seriously studied the subject of tithing.
There are others who know that tithing
was an Old Covenant that Jewish practice, but have imported it into the church
from greed or simple that they don't have financial resources for the church
and its ministries. Tithing in this case is an exit from poor financial state
of the church. Whatever might be the reason and whatever techniques were applied
to convince people of teaching, these people teach what nor Christ nor the
apostles themselves did not teach. To force today's Christians to practice the
tithing in churches is a bad practice. Learning about the duty of Christians to
tithe is heresy. Those who do so, whether are greedy for money, or lack faith
that God cares. For them the purpose justifies the means or simply
cheating and deceiving others.
2. If someone claims that have to
tithe, to give he first, he has to give as it was prescribed to be practiced,
not just 10% but 23.3%. Nobody has the right to break the context of the Old
Covenant tithing purposes, to apply it in the the New Covenant church and
ignore the methodology and concrete indications of the Lord, as it should be
practiced tithing. If this is only a personal conviction of someone, in this
case he has no right to require this practice from other Christians.
3. Even if Jews who believed in Christ and are part of the New Covenant are not obligated to practice tithing because in the New Covenant, the tithing is not commanded.
4. Tithing can be practiced in a church as a principle, only after the general meeting have proposed to have this practice and decided that this will be a practice in that church. In this case the church will practice tithing, but not in the base of teachings under the Old Covenant, but based on their benevolent decision.
I advise you to read about GIVING
