Tithing: Is It a Command for Every Christian?

General Faith
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Tithing: Is It a Command for Every Christian?

Tithing is a topic that often raises questions: Was it a rule that every Christian had to follow, or is it a personal choice? If we are called to tithe, how exactly are we supposed to give that money to God? Should the tithe go directly to the church, or can we support other Christian organizations and nonprofits as part of our giving?

What are the biblical principles surrounding tithing, its role in our Christian walk, and how we can honor God with our financial resources?

For further insight, check out this article:
6 Things Christians Get Wrong About Tithing.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Marinela Malcheva

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What happened to the tithes that were brought into the storehouse? Do churches follow that example? Malachi 3:10

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I’ve heard it explained that the practice of tithing was specifically given as an instruction for Israel under the Old Covenant. Today, we are called to give as we have purposed in our hearts, not out of obligation, but with a joyful spirit. As the Apostle Paul writes, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:7. This approach emphasizes voluntary giving based on our own discernment and the joy it brings to our hearts.

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What Do I Owe Jesus?
We often speak of Tithes of 10%, and a gift to meet special needs. We may even get to Church AND Sunday school, or Prayer meeting and Bible study, some even go to evangelistic outreach. Look at all we do for Him.
What Do I Owe Jesus?
The wealth of the universe “That Debt” could not repay!
He in love stepped from eternity and across time and was born a man. Totally GOD (the second person of the Trinity, existing for all eternity, Became, Totally a man just as we are.
The Holy Trinity has no corporeal physical form. We say person and immediately think physical, like a human. We need to be careful with our mind picture.
The Self-existent Spirit Essence is a person, but not human. Person here means thinking, feeling, and acting. The Image of God in man is this person, the ability to think, feel, and act and 'With knowledge of results, make choices
It was from The Self-existent Spirit Essence that the WORD came to earth and became flesh to dwell with us, to pay a debt we could not Pay.

BUT, OH THE COST!

Jesus was a man, lived as a man, learned a trade, taught us Truth, 
 HE took our place on a Roman Cross, He dismissed His Spirit and knew death
 But God raised Him from the dead, He was changed and given a resurrection body, then transfiguration took Him to sit at God’s right hand!

But, OH THE COST,

Where does it say Emanuel returned to the Self-existent Spirit Essence which was His origin. We see Him next in revelation “The Lamb that was Slain”, the one worthy to open the book!
Once He took the human form to pay our debt, He kept that form to the end,
the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS IS THE MAN JESUS.
He was and is human, yes raised from death and transferred to Heaven, but still a man.

OH! WHAT HE GAVE FOR ME!

He is, He must be, my all, my all in all, life and Lord, Master, and FRIEND. Lord and Master, yet wants to commune with us and be a true friend.
We owe Him ALL.
The Question is not “What Do I Owe HIM?”
The question should be
In that deepest private personal place of thought and hope,

"What would I withhold from Him”?

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Do we need to distinguish between giving to Gif and giving to a church?

are we to hold church leadership responsible for how the tithes are applied? Building a new gymnasium doesn’t seem to meet the mandate in Malachi. Or do we give blindly and trust it will be used wisely?

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Is tithing still valid? We are told in the OT (Malachi) that we are robbing God by not tithing, yet the NT tells us that we should give what we feel is ‘appropriate’ to our income. Having been told in a heavy shepherd church that I must tithe, I found it wasn’t possible. My late wife wasn’t a Christian and I felt that 5% would have sufficed. Many heavy shepherd churches demand that their members tithe, regardless of their family circumstances and income and I feel that this is wrong. A millionaire could quite easily tithe without feeling a thing yet the person existing on benefits would be struggling. Strangely enough, the people who are firm adherents to tithing are the ones who already enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. We are really struggling financially and will have to sell our house to clear debts.

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Tithing isn’t commanded for Christians under the New Covenant. That’s the part most folks miss while reaching for their calculator during offering time. The Old Testament tithe was part of the Mosaic Law, tied to Israel’s theocratic system and temple structure
 not a universal Christian rule to drop 10 percent of your paycheck every Sunday.

But don’t think that lets you off the hook. Grace doesn’t lower the bar
 it raises it. You won’t find Jesus handing out punch cards for faithful tithers. You’ll find Him pointing to a widow who gave her last two coins and saying, that’s how the kingdom gives. Voluntary, sacrificial, joyful. Not reluctant. Not compulsory (2 Corinthians 9:7). That’s not about a number
 it’s about your heart.

And where does that giving go? Start where you’re fed
 your local church. Galatians 6:6 says the one who is taught should share all good things with the one who teaches. But giving isn’t chained to one building. Supporting gospel-driven ministries, missionaries, and biblically sound nonprofits is part of the picture too. Just don’t call it generosity if it’s what’s left over after Amazon, Starbucks, and Hulu have had their tithe.

If your giving under grace looks stingier than Israel’s giving under law, something’s broken. The tithe was a training wheel
 but Spirit-filled generosity is a whole different ride.

God doesn’t want your percentage. He wants your priorities.

—Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.

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I’ve belonged to churches that received my tithe, even on my pre-tax income. 50 years after my conversion, I find myself agreeing more with the ArmEnian Calvinist – tithes should support the work of the KINGDOM, which includes the 95% of our waking hours when we are NOT engaged in formal corporate worship.

RJR pointed out that the Levites were scattered throughout Israel, like raisins in a cinnamon roll. They received the whole tithes, and reinvested most of these resources in LOCAL needs – by serving as health officers, teachers of the Law (and literacy), advisers to local courts, and agents of poor relief.

The Levites also tithed – that’s a tithe of a tithe, 10% of 10%, or 1% of the whole GDP – to support the formal liturgical activities at the Tabernacle and Temple.

The Seventh-Day Adventists punch well above their weight because they direct tithes into missions and medical services. The local congregations subsist on offerings over and above the tithes.

If we were to direct MOST of the tithes into the kinds of things the Levites handled – the public school system would go out of business. Insurance companies would scale back. Poor folks would be mentored into productivity.

And we would celebrate a King who ruled over EVERYTHING, and a faith that applied to ALL of life, not just the “churchy” part.

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Hi,

If you have to ask the question, you should not be tithing.

It is a joy to give.

Blessings