Before we go into a subject that is sure to draw the ire of many a pastor and the disgust of many a tither, let me first say that it's good to give to God's ministry. It's also expected of every one of God's children to support the things of God. If one so chooses to tithe, this is a good thing, but only if one chooses to do so freely and not because of some misplaced command of God. John 8:32 says that if we know the truth then it will make us free. I pray that this study will set many free from the error of today's tithing.

What is biblical tithing?

Who is tithing for?

Who are commanded to give them, and finally;

how are people of grace suppose to give to God?

False: What we see in church today is Biblical Tithing.

Biblical tithing was commanded by God under the law of Moses so that man would have a way to celebrate the goodness of God's provision. It was a way to show God gratitude and to share with others the increase that you were blessed with throughout the year. It was the sharing of ten percent of ones crops and livestock. It was sharing with the priests (who had no crops) and with the poor. Tithing was commanded on the Israelite under the law of Moses. When speaking to the children of Israel, who God had just delivered out of slavery in Egypt, God commanded them to tithe.
²² Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. -Deuteronomy 14:22

Tithing was actually a feast of thanksgiving to God for His provision. The things offered as tithes was food to be consumed by the givers.
²³ And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. -Deuteronomy 14:23

Tithing was given by a believer at a place chosen by God. ²⁴ And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: -Deuteronomy 14:24

Tithes were shared with the Levitical priests (Priests who were the ancestors of the tribe of Levi) because they worked in the tabernacle and had no crops of their own. Every third year the entire tithe was to be put in a store house so that the poor and the priest could share in God's blessings.
At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: ²⁹ And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. -Deuteronomy 14:28-29

There were at least three tithes.

1. The Levitical Tithe, given to the Levites who were the servants of the priests. The Levites, in turn tithed one tenth of this tithe to the priests. (Numbers 18:25-28)

2. The Feast Tithe, given both the first and second year of the three year tithing cycle.

3. The Poor Tithe, given every third year to feed the poor and Levites.

In addition to this, there are other facts of note that are conspicuously missing when tithes are being taught. Some of these include:

-The whole Levitical tithe went to Levitical cities were the Levites ate from the tithes (Leviticus 27:33) and priests ate from the first fruits (first born animal) offerings. (Nehemiah 10;35-37a)

- Because of the three tithe structure, it was likely that between 20 and 30 percent were paid in tithes annually.

-Only farmers and herdsman tithed. Tithes were given out of the increase of crops and herds which reproduced by ground seeds or the seeds of physical reproduction.

-The poor and craftsmen did not tithe. Again, in the third year, most of the tithe was given to the poor!

-Tithes were only required from the cities and lands that God had promised Israel. (From the crops of the promised land)

- Although there is much disagreement on whether or not tithes are meant for the modern day Christian, there is little doubt that they are command to those of the Jewish faith. How curious then that those who teach tithes to Christians tell them to do something that the original recipients of the command do not follow. The modern day practitioners of Judaism do not pay tithes. They have no one to pay them to and no storehouse to pay them in. There are no Levites working in temple because the temple was destroyed! They correctly understand the tithe as provision for the Levite who ministered within it. The temple that God dwells in today is inside of the born again believer.

-There are no scriptures after the day of Pentecost that teach tithing whatsoever. No, not one. In Matthew 23 Jesus did tell the pharisees that they tithed improperly by not placing emphasis on the more important issues.

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. Matthew 23:23

He clearly condoned tithing but at this time, this was correct. Jesus himself was under the law.

4But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Galatians 4:4,5

-In Matthew 23:23 the people he talked to were not Christians under the New Testament of grace. The Holy Spirit was not yet poured out on God's church until after His resurrection. Pentecost (Acts chapter 2) was like the birthday of the church. Furthermore, a Christian believes in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Obviously, when Jesus was teaching here, He was neither dead, buried, or resurrected.

False: If we don't give God ten percent of our earnings we are robbing Him.

The average church goer gives tithes by way of an offering plate that is passed around the sanctuary or by lining up and filing around the church. The tithes collected are exclusively monies that shall be used to finance the church operations. This would include lights, water, salaries, programs and so forth. The parishioner is drilled repeatedly about giving God the ten percent that He deserves and that anything less is robbing Him.

I can remember being a boy of about ten years old being raised in a Baptist church. When the time came to take up tithes and offering, the preacher would stand before the congregation and read a scripture that I had gotten so familiar with, I could almost say it verbatim. This is not unique, in fact, many churches read Malachi 3:8 during offering time.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?

Then if being a God robber is not bad enough, Malachi 3:9-10 is read.

Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.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 then, if a member of the church fails to pay tithes, he is a no good God robber whose life is going to be cursed! This scare tactic is used by many to prove that if you don't give the church ten percent of your earnings, God will devour your finances and keep blessings from you. This scripture has been horribly taken out of context. This is not talking about money at all, it's talking about food. The store house that Malachi 3:10 refers to is the same storehouse that Deuteronomy 14:28-29 talks about. This was a tithe of food that was used to feed the Levitical priest, the foreigner and the poor! Ironically, most preachers stop at verse 10 when verses 11 and 12 make it quite clear that this passage is talking about crops.

¹¹ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroythe fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. ¹² And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. -Malachi 3:11-12 (Bold added for emphasis)

Because the house of Judah failed to give God the tithe of their crops and animals, God had cursed them with locusts to devour the fields and withheld the rain. The windows of heaven that He promised to open was an end to the drought. This has nothing to do with an outpouring of finances as some erroneously teach.

False: Money was used for Tithing.

Tithing was never money, it was always food! One argument people use against this fact is false assumption that there was no money at this time. Some say that because of this, food was the preferred method of tithing. Today, the average person does not have crops or livestock so they give God ten percent of what they earn instead. The problem with this is that Israel did have money and God still didn't ask for it.

And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: ²⁵ Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: -Deuteronomy 14:24-25 (Bold added)

So then, if the distance to the place of the feast is too far to drive the livestock and carry the grain, the Israelite was to exchange them for money, go to the appointed place and then buy back more cattle, grain or whatever else the person desired. The reason for this goes into my next point. Whereas tithing today is exclusively given away so that the church can do with it as is pleases, scriptural tithing was spent by the very people giving them. Tithing could be a feast of thanksgiving!

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, -Deuteronomy 14:26 (Bold added for emphasis)

False: Tithes are supposed to be paid to the pastors of churches.

The tithes of today's churches are given to the pastor for his salary, others on the payroll, and church upkeep. (This isn't what tithes are for). The tithe was given to the Levites. The priest, who ministered inside the tabernacle to offer sacrifices, had to be a direct descendant of Aaron (the brother or Moses). The helper priests that assisted them (but offered no sacrifices) had to be descendants of Levi. The tithe was given to the Levites as a way of supporting them because God commanded them to do no other type of work.

And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. ²² Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die. ²³ But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. ²⁴ But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. -Numbers 18:21-24

The Levite, in turn, offered ten percent of this tithe to the priests. The job of the priest was to be an intercessor between God and man and only the high priest could enter the veil of the tabernacle which was a physical representation of this separation. If a pastor is not a descendant of Levi or ministers beyond the veil in the tabernacle, he is not a priest. Furthermore, even if he is a descendant of Levi and did minister behind the veil (which no longer exists), he would have to give up all rights to personal property! The ministers and preachers of today are closer related to what the Old Testament calls prophets. (A priest brings man's request and offerings to God, but a prophet brings God's word to man). Prophets didn't receive tithes, only priests, and even then at one percent (a tenth of a tenth). But for argument's sake, let's not use such a limiting definition of “priest.” The scriptures says this of Christians.

And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. -Revelation 5:10

If we are all priests, then tithes should go back to us anyway! So then, when we get paid, our tithes have already reached God's intended destination (the Christian priest). Tithes were designed to show God our gratitude for blessing us. Part of showing that gratitude is being free to give to things that please God.

False: Christians are commanded to tithe.

Most importantly, tithes were never commanded to Christians in the first place. In order to truly understand why we are not commanded to tithe, Christians must first understand the difference between the dispensations of law and grace. Tithing is commanded under the law of Moses and given to the Levites! We are the church and we are under grace.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. ¹⁵ What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. -Romans 6:14-15

²⁴ Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. -Galatians 3:24-25

We don't have to follow laws and commands that we were never given! If we were under the law, we would have to do everything it said. We would still have to stone adulterers and children who talked back to parents. We would have to still give offerings of crops and livestock and observe the Jewish holidays. Saturday would be our Sabbath and not Sunday (which means no one would work on this day). We wouldn't eat certain foods, such as pork, which was considered unclean. (Click here for article on Law and Grace)

When Jesus died on the cross and said "It is finished," what was finished was being made righteous by the works of the law. Jesus is the Christian high Priest and He alone stands in the gap for us. He is the intercessor between God and man. The Christian is the tabernacle and the veil that used to separate us was ripped in two. This was God's way of showing us that the barrier between God and man has been broken.

Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. ⁵¹And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; -Matthew 27:50-51

Yes reader, Christ is all we need. If a church truly believes that tithes, which are commanded to another people (Israelites), in another time, (before the resurrection of Christ) are for Christians today, then they must also teach that we must do everything else commanded in the law. This, my friends, would be consistency.

If you are a minister (or anyone else) who believes that tithing is for today's church, that's okay. All I ask is that you and your members bring animals to service for sacrifice. If you believe that all sacrifice was fulfilled in Christ (which is correct), then stone members for infidelity as well as disobedient children. Tell everyone who works on Saturday, the real Sabbath... or Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, to quit and teach the observance all Jewish holidays. Reader, we don't have the liberty to take what we want out of the law and leave what we don't. We must take it all or leave it all. Old Testament scripture is good for teaching faith, love and obedience, but the commands for Christians are all found in the New Testament. Remember, “New Testament” simply means God's new promise.

Free will giving is taught in the New Testament
We have already discussed how tithing is not applicable to Christians today. The question now becomes, does the Bible tell Christians how we are supposed to give? The answer is a resounding YES!

6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6,7


38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38

Both instances of giving are to be done generously. A generous giver shall be eligible to reap generousity in return. It is also clear that we are to give whatever it is in our hearts to give. We give happily not grudgingly and freely not of necessity or fear of some sort of curse or punishment. This is the exact opposite of what Malichi 3 is teaching. God is against Christians giving in fear, He wants us to give in love.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 John 4:18

An Illustration of why giving is to be done freely and out of love.
A man who has been married for five years stops giving his wife gifts and complements. She remembers how he pampered her when they dated and thinks that he takes her for granted. One day, after coming home from work, she meets him at the door and tells him that she wants flowers, a candy and a movie. He shrugs it off, puts his foot on the coffee table and grabs the remote. The next day the same thing occurs and the day after that. On Thursday, she grabs the remote, cuts off the TV, and tells him that if he doesn't appreciate and love her enough to give her flowers, candy and a movie, then she's filing for divorce.

The next day he storms in the house, walks up to her, slams the flowers on the table and says,"Here's your stinking flowers."
The dozen roses scatter all over the floor. He then chunks a box of chocolates in her lap before marching off to the bedroom to change.
"Are you going to get ready or what? You're the one who wants to drag us to the movies!"

Tell me reader, did she get what she asked for? The answer would be yes.
Now, do you think she is happy with her gift? The answer of course, would be no.
Neither is God if your giving is not done out of love. Not grudgingly or of necessity, but being a cheerful freewill giver. I hope you can see that his wife would of been happier with 3 flowers given lovingly than two dozen given out of necessity.


False: Since tithing is not commanded to Christians, we have no reason to Give.

So then, since money was not an acceptable tithe, (only herds and grain), since tithes were only given to the Levitical priests (who served in God's tabernacle), and tithing was commanded to the Israelites under the law of Moses and not to the church who are under grace, the question now becomes, why should Christians give? In a word, Love.

If Christians are really taught the depths of His love, if we truly understood what Jesus endured for us on Calvary, if we knew all the rights and privileges that we have been given because of God's unending sacrifice, then we wouldn't have a problem with giving. I'm not against giving to God's church, I'm only opposed to false and misleading doctrine. Here are some real reasons to give.

Giving proves gratitude.

One day, while walking down the street, someone yells “Look out, a bus!” Before you can turn around you fell the impact of something hitting you and knocking you to the ground. You hear the screeching of tires as a bus slams to a halt. You look up and realize that the I-pod you were listening to is dangling in the bushes. There's lots of screaming and as you stand up it's clear that you're alright.

As you gather yourself, you find out that a young man, hit by the bus, has pushed you out of the way. His elderly father, crying over him, had pointed you out. He fought to hold on but before the ambulance arrived, he died in the street.

You go to the funeral to pay respects to the person who traded their life for yours. As you greet the grieving father, you tell him that you will never forget his son's sacrifice and that if there's anything he needs you will be there for him.

Later that week you get a phone call from the father. He is a pastor of a church and he was told that you know how to play the piano. He is looking for a replacement piano player (his son was the old one). He doesn't want you to replace him, he just wants you to fill in for a couple of Sunday's until he finds a new one. You agree and tell him its the least that you can do. Once you arrive, he goes over the songs with you and you know that you can easily play all of them. Before he leaves to take the pulpit, you catch him by the arm and reply, “There's one more thing, how much do I get paid?”

A person who is truly grateful wouldn't even think to ask such a question? Yet there are multitudes who say that they appreciate the sacrifice of Christ who won't do anything unless they are paid. Reader, if we truly understood the agony of hell, if we truly understood the suffering that Jesus endured, we wouldn't be seeking payment, we would be seeking to repay. I want to assure you that if we are Christians, God wants more than or money, He wants our time and talents as well. Giving proves our gratitude.

Giving is reasonable.

You get one hundred dollars and lovingly give ten to your son. You go to the tire shop to get a replacement tire and find out that you need ninety one dollars instead of the ninety you calculated.

You turn to your son, “Son, could you give me a dollar for the tire?”

Even though everything he has comes from you, not only the ten dollars, but food, shelter, and transportation, (which you are trying to fix so that he doesn't have to walk to school), he blatantly says, “No, get your own money.”

Asking for a dollar back is not unreasonable considering that everything he has comes from you anyway. What is unreasonable is not wanting to give back to someone who has taken care and loved you even though you often didn't deserve it. We treat God just like this callous ten year old boy when we don't give back. It is reasonable to give to God.

Giving yields blessing.

You walk through the African forest and you spot two monkeys caught in traps. The traps are designed so that the monkeys can see the fruit on the bottom of them. (They look like two transparent boxes with a hole on top). The luscious fruit is plainly visible, but when the monkeys reach in to grab the fruit, their fists are too big to pull out. Both monkeys are standing there jerking their arms back and forth trying to get free. You know that the natives who made these traps eat monkeys. Feeling compassion for them, you show the first monkey some fruit and although he reaches for it, he refuses to let go with the other hand. After a few minutes of this, you give up and repeat this with the other monkey. When he releases, he is rewarded with an even bigger piece of fruit and also his life. As you tun to leave, you can hear the voices of the natives coming.

God wants to bless us with more, but we are too greedy to let go of what we have in the first place. If we refuse to open our hands to give a dollar, neither will our hands be open to receive ten more. Although not all blessings are financial, God has promised to take care of us. Like the greedy monkey, many Christians fail to be blessed because they are trapped by things they are unwilling to let go.

Giving proves love.

No fancy illustrations necessary. Giving and loving go hand in hand. I may give flowers to my wife every year but it's not because I have to, it's simply because I love her. We give to God for the same reason.

Conclusion

Free will offering is clearly taught in scripture. This is an offering given from the heart of whatever you are lead to give. It also illustrates how you feel about, God, His people, and His program. I want to make it clear that there's nothing wrong with giving to the church. There's nothing wrong with supporting a pastor and his family. There is something wrong with calling it tithes. This implies that it has to be ten percent and that it has to go to the pastor when we are actually taking up a free will offering. An offering is given out of love for God, His word, His workers, and the needy. Although an offering can be under ten percent, it can also exceed it. The Bible makes it clear that a person in the ministry has a right to be supported by it.

Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? ¹⁴ Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. ¹⁵ But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: -1 Corinthians 9:13-15

However, (vs 15) also makes it clear that a person can forgo this right and let the money be used to further the gospel. If I have a mansion, a Rolex watch, and a jet do I really need a pastor's anniversary to take from the poor and elderly?

Living off the offerings of the church was not demonstrated by the Apostles.

Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: -2 Thessalonians 3:8

For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. -1 Thessalonians 2:9

Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; ¹² And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:-1 Corinthians 4:11-12

A careful examination of these scriptures reveal that they actually encourage people in ministry to work so that they can be a good example to others!

Offering is meant to help people in need and to minister to them spiritually and physically.

And all that believed were together, and had all things common; ⁴⁵ And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. -Acts 2:44-45

But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? -1 John 3:17

Offerings to God are only expected of Christians. Unsaved people are not expected to support God's program and shouldn't even be asked.

Because that for his name’s sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. -3 John 1:7

Sadly, lots of churches are being built off fear and greed. Although the buildings are rich and lavish, the members are spiritually broken and bankrupt. I would like to close by saying that not being commanded to do something simply means not commanded. There is nothing wrong with giving to a pastor or church member in love. There is nothing wrong with giving ten percent (or more) of your earnings if your heart leads you to do so. It's only wrong to do these things if you think that God has commanded it, when you think that if you don't you will be "cursed with a curse." This is a false teaching and a scare tactic. The only reason for giving to God or anyone else is love.

The Damage

Lawful tithing teaches Christians to give legalistically instead of lovingly. It keeps them under the curse of the law and motivates giving by fear and greed. Giving to God is not supposed to be motivated by either and Christians should be clearly taught they are to give freely. Instead of using fear or greed to motivate God's people into giving, I challenge the local church to accurately teach the motive of love. I challenge all Christians to show this love in their giving. The promises that are associated with our Christian giving are depended on our giving in love. They are depended on us knowing that there is no penalty for not giving yet we choose to give anyway. To put Christians under the bondage of the law may indeed result in nice buildings to assemble, but it tears down the spiritual blessings that Christians hope to build.