TITHE, IS IT STILL APPLICABLE TODAY?

The local church today despite those who are sincerely seeking the Lord, often fall victim to the spirit of religiosity and false doctrines. This is evident due to some of the practices and beliefs that are so commonly found in modern churches. Among them, is the practice of tithing and the controversy that is attached thereto. It is therefore important to ask ourselves whether the Church of Jesus Christ should be subject to this practice? What does the bible really teach us about tithing? What does the Lord himself have to say about it?

Open your heart as we go through this study together so that the Lord may speak to you.

Old Testament Law teaches us about 4 different types of tithing

1st type of Tithe

The Israelites had to pay a general tithe destined to the Levites.

Num 18:21 - "Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance and in return for the work they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting”

God had chosen the Levites to minister in the tabernacle. As compensation for their service, they were to receive a tax equivalent to 10 per cent of income from the people of Israel.

2nd type of Tithe

The Lord had commanded that the Levites should present a tenth of the tithe to the Lord by making a contribution to the High Priests.

Read Numbers 18:25-31

The second tithe served to provide the High Priests with income thus allowing them to give full attention to temple service.

The 3rd type of tithe

Year after year, the people of Israel were to put aside a tenth (tithe) of their crop to use during their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Deuteronomy 14:22-26

Directed by the Lord, the people of Israel were commanded to assemble in Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate His appointed feasts. These feasts provided an opportunity for the people to rejoice together before the Lord. Every year, the people would put aside a tithe from their crop as a provision for the journey to Jerusalem. It is interesting to note that the tithe was never spoken of in terms of money, it is always referred to in kind!

The 4th type of Tithe

There was a 4th tithe that the people had to pay every three years. This special tithe was intended for the poor, the widows and the orphans.

Deuteronomy 14:28-29

This tithe was given every three years.

It is important to note, that the four types of tithes were mandatory taxes required from the people and should not be confused with voluntary offerings to God.

Malachi 3:10
This is the key verse that churches today use to justify the doctrine of tithing. A careful examination of this passage leads to a very interesting conclusion. Now, remember that under the law, four different types of tithes were prescribed. Which one of these four does Malachi 3:10 refer to?

Nehemiah 10:38

In both Malachi 3:10 and Nehemiah 10:38, the Hebrew word for tithe is “ma’aser”. The passage in Malachi therefore speaks of the tithe that was due by the Levites and not the tithe that was due by the people. Thus, the curses that certain church leaders refer to and threaten the people of God with if they do not tithe is coercion. In fact, Malachi 3:10 does not address the disobedience of the people in general, rather it rebukes the Levites who had robbed God by not bringing “tithe of the tithe” to Him. Hence, those who use this passage to coerce the body of Christ into paying the tithe do not realize that the passage is applicable to themselves!

In order to understand the book of Malachi, one should read Malachi 4:4

The book of Malachi was written in a context were the Law of Moses was to be strictly adhered to. As Christians however, we are no longer under the Old Covenant but under the New Covenant. We are no longer bound by the Law of Moses. We are not under the law but under the grace offered to us through Christ Jesus. Before you decide to subject yourself to a single one of the precepts of the Law of Moses, remember that by keeping part of the Law, you obligate yourself to keeping the whole law. Remember also that it is contrary to the teachings of Jesus.

Galatians 3:10
If we rely on the works of the Law for salvation, we must keep the whole law. Otherwise, we are under a curse!

Did Jesus teach tithing?

In Matthew 23:23, when Jesus spoke about the tithe, He was not addressing his disciples.

Those who promote tithing often use this verse, which, if studied properly, shows that the tithe is abolished under the New Covenant.

"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.”

By examining when Jesus speaks to the Pharisees saying “these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others”, should we assume that this implies all Christians should tithe? Therefore, who then was Jesus speaking to? Jesus was explicitly addressing the Pharisee.

What was the one special thing that characterized the Pharisees? They considered themselves “fully consecrated to the Law” which speaks to the very meaning of the term “Pharisee”

Jesus was therefore addressing a group of men who claimed to walk in perfect obedience to the Law. Consequently, He tells them to continue to observe the Law without neglecting justice and love towards God.

However, throughout Matthew 23, we see Jesus expressing his anger and displeasure with the hypocrites whom He sternly denounces in verse 19: “You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?”

Jesus concludes his address to the Pharisees and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem by announcing his crucifixion, the destruction of the temple and the advent of a New Covenant.

Before his death and resurrection, Jesus was not teaching disregard of the Law. On the contrary, He often pointed people to the precepts of the Law, including tithing. See Luke 10:25-26 and Luke 15:18-20.

However, Christians are not under the Law, but under Grace!

After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, everything changed.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two and the throne of grace became accessible to us. We are no longer under the law but under grace.

Jesus said: “It is finished” John 19:30. All that the Law required was accomplished in Christ Jesus.

Here is what God requires of us: 2 Corinthians 9:7 “

God wants you to give according to what He has laid on your heart to give. Most importantly, He wants you to give according to what you have. God wants his children to make both spiritual and financial contributions to His work and it is pleasing to God when his people give voluntarily. However, this should not be done reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Why then teach the tithe? Here are
Finally, there are two possible explanations for the erroneous teaching that seeks to force the tithe upon the Church of Jesus Christ:

The first explanation is that the tithe is still being taught because of the ignorance that plagues the religious system that the so called “spirit filled” churches are steeped in. The people of God are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). In the course of church history, certain pagan and unscriptural practices were forced into the church and they later became the norm in most local churches. Today, in the light of God’s Word, we need to realize that there is no scriptural basis to support the way the tithe is preached in most of our assemblies today.

The second explanation is the intended deception by greedy Church Leaders. In 2 Peter 2:3, the bible warns us against false teachers who, in their greed, exploit the people of God with false words. Clearly, the leaders spoken of in this passage are not serving the Living God! They always look out for their own financial gain by devising cunning fables and deceitful teachings to keep the people of God in ignorance. They should repent!

You may be teaching the tithe to the flock over which God has made you an overseer. If that is the case, I invite you to examine your motives. Do you teach it out of ignorance? Do you teach it to deceive? Or is it a little bit of both?

Finally, if we have a sincere heart, we will teach sound doctrine without compromise.

May the Lord keep us from stumbling!