That tithes are to be rendered from your income, was foreign to the NT congregation. It was hundreds of years later that the Roman Catholic Church in an edict forever changed tithes to be charged on your income:
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is a repeat of an article posted about the Council of Macon:
In the fourth century, the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. Prior to Constantine’s conversion, Christianity was illegal and, as discussed above, churches met secretly in homes with part-time leaders who had other sources of income. After his conversion, Constantine made Christianity both legal and a status symbol causing the Church to expand rapidly. The Church moved out of homes and into buildings and employed full-time ministers, thus creating a much greater need for income. The New Catholic Encyclopedia's article on tithing nicely summarizes this situation and what happened next:
"The early Church had no tithing system. The tithes of the Old Testament were regarded as abrogated by the law of Christ…..As the Church expanded, however, and its material needs grew more numerous and complex, it became necessary to adopt a definite rule to which people could be held either by a sense of moral obligation or by a precept of positive law. The tithing of the Old Law provided an obvious model and it began to be taught—more commonly in the West, however, than in the East—that the faithful should give tithes of their income. When the view began to get sufficient support, it found legislative expression. ***The Council of Macon in 585 ordered payment of tithes and threatened excommunication to those who refused to comply***."
Tags: