Are Christians required to Tithe?

Required? Maybe not.

But should they? Yes. It's a matter of obedience. Moreover, it's a matter of discipline.

 

God is not looking for people to tithe. I believe God wants his people to obey Him as he speaks to your heart and determine the amount you can freely give and cheerfully give it.

God is not sitting in heaven giving brownie points to those who tithe and bad marks to those who don't. Just because you tithe does not mean you are pleasing God.

 

I think it’s a good article you wrote.

My feeling is that it is a little weak in the stewardship paragraph. God has said that He will provide for our needs. Our responsibility is to separate our needs from our wants. A tough thing to teach to the ME generation.

One of the weaknesses of many churches is that they fail to counsel those in financial difficulty on how to be responsible stewards of what God has given them. This is not a responsibility of bankers and CPA’s, it’s a responsibility of the church.

Once proper stewardship principles are practiced, proper giving falls into place more easily.

By the way, great start on the web site

Rob

 

Hrm - I notice you left out the promise of God concerning tithing

That passage is one of the main ones I use to support tithing as a personal choice

Although Im so poor - I cannae tithe - I keep telling God - give me lots of money and half of it is yers

But if my new job works I will get to increase my givings

 

It is a really good thing to see that people are not afraid to question what churches teach as literal.

Churches have been pushing a 10% Tithe for years, yet now people are waking up that it is a false doctrine.

For some 10% is to much, for others nowhere near enough. Likely that is why the Gentiles are not instructed to tithe, Yet we see a model of the church were each family helps each other, and nobody goes without.

I would encourage anyone who feels that a ten Percent tithe is commanded in scripture to look at it carefully and look for evidence for it in the New Testament. Be a Berean, study Gods Word for the answer, dont just believe it because somebody tells you it is so.

 

I do beleive we should as christiand tithe at least 10% but then theirs missions and other special things that the church may have going on that would be above our tithes. I think it is required because how would the Pastor be paid or the church opperate. I mean it is hard for us sometimes to but God always blesses and you know he could have required 50% or even 90% but he didn't.

 

I think your question maybe should be "Is tithing a Heaven or Hell Issue?" To that question I would say No. Is it something we should do? Yes. Jesus in the New Testatment says we should. Will you be blessed if you don't. I say you probably will not recieve what you could have recieved in the form of blessings if you do not tithe. It says in Mal 3:10 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it]."

So even though it may not be required for salvation, it is a matter of obedience.

 

No, there's a difference. There are Christians who elect to eat kosher foods, out of obedience to God's dietary guidelines . But adopting a kosher diet is not a requirement. Most Christians attend worship on Sundays out of obedience, but it is not required.

I read the article. It does not affect my opinion.

 

ifbreformer, I did not just quote Mal 3 only. The important part of Mal passage is that by tithing God will bless you(windows of Heaven). I did not say it was law, it said if you to be blessed, then tithing should be done.

Also, Here is where Jesus said that tihing is something we SHOULD do.

Mat 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Luk 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

 

Jesus did not come here to convince the jews to just keep on doing what they were doing. He came here to tell them of a better way. He said they ought to tithe. Now if he did not mean that, then that was a waste of air and ink. He meant that for them and for us. Now if you don't want to teach your people to tithe, that is a responsibilty you must take on, but i just don't see it that way. He said we ought to, that is not law, but it is a strong recommendation.

I do have a question for you though, Why is this so important to you?

 

IBFR, we are on the same page but I am a bit concerned that you are taking the stance that if you are short one month then the place to cut expenses is the offering plate. Perhaps you need to cut your expenses in other ways. God has said He cares for us and will provide for our needs.

To cut my planned giving because a unplanned expense came up may be acceptable in rare instanses but shouldn't become a practice. That would be putting God's ministry in last place on your budget, in my house my gift/tithe to God is on my first fruits.

And part of the responsibility we have as members of a church is honoring the pastor, even to the point of double honor (1 Tim. 5:17), while this doesn't necessarily mean we pay him twice what he's worth it does mean we honor him by not short changing him or his ministry.

Rob

 

Matthew 23:23 -
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Luke 11:42 -
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

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That's it, Dr. Bob.... and I used KJV as my search for tithe and tithing.

Diane

New Testament Greek
apodekatoo - pay tithe
apodekatoo - tithe
apodekatoo - give tithe
apodekatoo - take tithe
dekate - tithe

Old Testament Hebrew
ma`aser - tithe
`asar - tithe


Smith's Bible Dictionary

Tithe or tenth,

the proportion of property devoted to religious uses from very early times. Instances of the use of tithes are found prior to the appointment of the Levitical tithes under the law. In biblical history the two prominent instances are--

Abram presenting the tenth of all his property, or rather of the spoils of his victory, to Melchizedek. (Genesis 14:20; Hebrews 7:2,6)
Jacob, after his vision at Luz, devoting a tenth of all his property to God in case he should return home in safety (Genesis 28:22) The first enactment of the law in respect of tithe is the declaration that the tenth of all produce, as well as of flocks and cattle belongs to Jehovah and must be offered to him that the tithe was to be paid in kind, or, if redeemed, with an addition of one fifth to its value. (Leviticus 27:30-33) This tenth is ordered to be assigned to the Levites as the reward of their service, and it is ordered further that they are themselves to dedicate to the Lord a tenth of these receipts, which is to be devoted to the maintenance of the high priest. (Numbers 18:21-28) This legislation is modified or extended in the book of Deuteronomy, i.e. from thirty-eight to forty years later. Commands are given to the people--
To bring their tithes, together with their votive and other offerings and first-fruits, to the chosen centre of worship, the metropolis, there to be eaten in festive celebration in company with their children their servants and the Levites. ( 12:5-18)
All the produce of the soil was to be tithed every and these tithes with the firstlings of the flock and herd, were to be eaten in the metropolis.
But in case of distance, permission is given to convert the produce into money, which is to be taken to the appointed place, and there laid out in the purchase of food for a festal celebration, in which the Levite is, by special command, to be included. ( 14:22-27)
Then follows the direction that at the end of three years all the tithe of that year is to be gathered and laid up "within the gates" and that a festival is to be held of which the stranger, the fatherless and the widow together with the Levite, are to partake. Ibid. ( 5:28,29)
Lastly it is ordered that after taking the tithe in each third year, "which is the year of tithing," an exculpatory declaration is to be made by every Israelite that he has done his best to fulfill the divine command, ( 26:12-14) From all this we gather-- (1) That one tenth of the whole produce of the soil was to be assigned for the maintenance of the Levites. (2) That out of this the Levites were to dedicate a tenth to God for the use of the high priest. (3) That a tithe, in all probability a second tithe, was to be applied to festival purposes. (4) That in every third year, either this festival tithe or a third tenth was to be eaten in company with the poor and the Levites. (These tithes in early times took the place of our modern taxes, us well as of gifts for the support of religious institutions. --ED.)