Tithing
Numbers 18:24-28 (NIV)
24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering. 27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest.
According to the above Scriptures, could just anyone claim to be a representative of God and therefore have Israel pay tithes to him? Let’s read it again, "I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord...From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest." Now in order to be a priest one not only had to be of the tribe of Levi, but he also had to be of the family of Aaron. In fact, if one could not trace his genealogy back to the family of Aaron, he could not be a priest of God. This is the whole point of Hebrews seven. Jesus Christ is a priest for the eons of the rank of Melchizedek because Melchizedek predated the law which stated that only sons of Aaron could be priests. Therefore Melchizedek’s genealogy is not given in the Scriptures, and Christ, who according to the flesh is of the line of Judah, can and will be God’s High Priest in the Kingdom of God.
There is NO temple of God being officiated in Jerusalem today. There is NO Levitic priesthood to officiate at such a temple. Because of the New Covenant Jesus gave to us there is NO NEED for such a temple or priesthood at this time. Only Levites could collect tithes at the temple. Therefore, if one cannot historically trace back his genealogy generation by generation with no lapses to the family of Aaron, he IS NOT and CANNOT be a priest authorized of God at this time to collect tithes for the temple services (church).
Of course Jesus IS our Sacrifice, and therefore that whole system funded by the tithes of the law is no longer applicable. The whole system changed under the New Covenant! God no longer required us to tithe. Instead, he asked us to give generously according to what our heart tells us we should give.
When Tertullian (160-225ad) wrote about tithing in the early Christian church, he said: "On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation; but only if it be his pleasure, and only if he be able: for there is no compulsion; all is voluntary. They are taken to support and bury poor people, to supply the wants of boys and girls destitute of means and parents, and of old persons confined now to the house; such, too, as have suffered shipwreck; and if there happen to be any in the mines, or banished to the islands, or shut up in the prisons for nothing but their fidelity to the cause of God's Church, they become the nurslings of their confession. . . . One in mind and soul, we do not hesitate to share our earthly goods with one another. All things are common among us but our wives." (Tertullian, Apology, 39)
"Every one must make up his own mind as to how much he should give. Don't force anyone to give more than he really wants to, for cheerful givers are the ones God prizes." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
A study of catholic church history will show that at some point, probably around the year 585, the catholic church brought back the teaching of tithing, but only as voluntary giving, and still just on the crops, herds, and flocks, right out of the Old Testament ( The earliest positive legislation on the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in 567 and the [canons] of the Council of Macon in 585."--The Catholic Encyclopedia). Since they didn't teach it as a "biblical tithe," they were able to change the rules to make it fit the needs of the catholic church. By the middle of the 13th century, the Church's claim to tithes was extended to include the poultry of the yard and the cattle of the stall, to the catch of fish and the game of the forests. Had tithing in the Old Testament been on everything as some have claimed, there would have been no need to expand the definition.
Research has also shown that tithing was first taught and collected by protestant churches in the United States during the second half of the 1800s. Had tithing always been required, why was it not until the late 1800s that the protestant churches in the United States started collecting tithes? And even then, the teaching of tithing was not consistent between churches of all denominations. It wasn't until recent years that churches started teaching that you tithe on your income, or gross income.
The biblical tithe was always on assets that came from God; never on income or anything that came from man's labor.
Nowhere in the Bible are there any examples of anyone tithing on wages or any other type of income. During these biblical times, there were designers, embroiderers, and weavers (Exodus 35:35); manservants, maidservants, hired workers (Leviticus 25:6); plus many other occupations. Nowhere is there an example of any of these other occupations paying a tithe. There is no example of Jesus tithing on his wages as a carpenter or boat builder, or Paul tithing on his wages as a tent maker, or even Peter tithing on the fish he caught. ONLY farmers who owned crops and/or animals in herds and flocks tithed.
We believe in generous giving, from the heart, and that the requirement to tithe ended at the cross along with all the other Mosaic laws. However, those who disagree and believe that tithing is still required, need to understand that God required tithing of crops and animals, and never on man's income. God said the tithe belonged to Him, and He gave the tithe to the Levites.
"Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you." (Deuteronomy 4:2)
Here are some Biblical guidelines for Christian giving.
1. Provide for Your Family’s Needs First. Giving so much that you neglect your family’s needs can be dangerous unless you have a clear call from God to do so. Your first priority must be to care for the needs of your family. God has made it clear that this is His first priority as well:
"But if anyone doesn’t provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever." 1 Timothy 5:8
Paul makes it clear that neglecting your family’s needs is a serious offense to God for a Christian – on the order of denying the faith and being worse than an unbeliever. That’s a pretty strong statement! Paul is speaking here about believers who have widows in their family who need help, but the concept would also apply to your own household. Meeting your family’s needs is one way we show the love of God. Giving while ignoring your family’s needs can be detrimental to your witness as a Christian unless you have decided as a family to purposely deny your needs in order to give.
However, the difficulty for Christians – especially those in wealthy countries, like America – is differentiating our wants from our needs. The line between a want and a need is often blurred in America. Is television a family need? Is eating out a family need? Is an expensive car a family need? Be careful that you do not mistake a want as a legitimate need.
This idea should also include reasonably providing for future needs, which would include savings and insurance. Again, remember we’re talking about needs and not wants. Making sure you’ll be able to eat a decent, healthy meal when you can’t work any more. This is saving for a need. Saving so you can eat at five-star restaurants every night during retirement is not a need – it’s a want. Again, be sure you don’t mistake wants as needs.
If you are so poor that you truly cannot meet your family’s needs and give at the same time, consider alternative ways to give. Giving your time as a volunteer or simply taking time to show God’s love to someone can actually be much more powerful than giving money.
2. Pay What You Owe. After meeting your family’s needs, your next duty is to pay whatever you owe. Your giving should never put you in a position where you will fail to pay what you owe to others (debts, taxes, etc.). Breaking a vow or promise to pay so that you can give will not honor God.
" Give therefore to everyone what you owe: taxes to whom taxes are due; customs to whom customs; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor. 8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." Romans 13:7-8
3. Give Generously to Anyone in Need. "And even though there were no Levites in Jacob’s day, nonetheless, there were "... the FATHERLESS, and the WIDOW, which are within thy gates. They shall come, and SHALL EAT AND BE SATISFIED; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hand which thou doest" (Deut. 14:29).
After you’ve followed the first two guidelines the next instruction we have as Christians is to give generously to anyone in need. We should give willingly, cheerfully, and out of love.
You’re not going to find a specific percentage or amount in the New Covenant that dictates how much a Christian should give. Our example for giving is Jesus, who gave everything generously and sacrificially – even while we were still sinners rejecting God. The only standards we have are to take care of our family’s needs, pay what we owe, and then give generously to the needy with the right motives in our hearts. Here’s what the Bible says:
"Give to him in need who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:42)
"He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise." (Luke 3:11)
But we must also give wisely. We shouldn't just hand money to someone who is slothful and lazy, who'd rather stand on a street corner and beg for money. “For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3:10)
Let me give you an example. If I see that my neighbor is hungry, if his house burnt down or someone robbed him, if he had some unfortunate illness, if the factory that employed him was shut down, or if he was a victim of some circumstance not of his own making and was working to get out of it --then we should gladly help this person in his time of need.
However, if I see that my neighbor drinks away his paycheck, destroys his property through indifference and negligence, can't hold down a job because he doesn't show up or is incompetent, or if he is just plain lazy --then we should not to stand between him and the consequences of his own actions. "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea..." (Luke 17:2)
True Christian charity offers help to those who are truly in need - and tough love to those who can and should be working. “And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15)
4. Support Your Minister
In most cases, a pastor's ministry is his day job, and it is right for the members to give him due compensation. Such an arrangement is quite biblical and in keeping with Paul's own teaching in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 "Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel."
And in Galatians 6:6 "Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them."
So what are we to do? How do we know how much to put in our “Giving” category when we make our budget? The answer is to commit yourself (and your money) to God first, then follow His Spirit’s guidance as to how much, to whom, and how often you should give. No, it’s not as simple as just saying give 10% and you’re good. But God’s desire isn’t for people who just follow a set of rules. God desires a personal relationship with each one of us – and good relationships require lots of time and communication.
Generosity Encouraged:
"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25-28
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. "
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NIV)