Tithing is Not Taught in the New Testament.

[Mark H. Stevens, Th.D]

The false teaching is that Jesus taught tithing in Matthew 23:23 which, they say, is clearly in the New Testament.
The problem here is the arbitrary division of our Bible. The New Covenant did not begin at the birth of Jesus, but at his death. Tithing is not taught to the church after Calvary! When Jesus discussed tithing in Matthew 23:23, he was only commanding obedience to the Old Covenant Law which he endorsed and supported until Calvary. In Matthew 23:2, 3 Jesus told his followers to obey the scribes and Pharisees "because they sit in Moses’ seat." There is not a single New Testament Bible text which teaches tithing after Calvary – period!

[Zealot X]

Mark, I would like to say "well done" to you for standing up for this truth. This can be a hard thing for Christian pastors to see or admit to because they want to benefit from this guaranteed income that tithing represents to the corporate machine that so often is "the church".

Well have you spoken the truth because Tithe was a national TAX for the nation of Yisra'el. With the TAX money they were able to take care of those who did not have husbands and fathers and also those who did not have a natural inheritance of land; the priesthood.

I am no republican but I can understand this republican argument that says, "don't tax me and take my money even to do good because I can spend it to do good better than you. " I understand this. If I'm giving you my money to do good but you are not a good steward why should I give you money? Why can't I choose who gets to benefit from my increase on my own? And many of us don't even have an "increase" because of the amount of taxes we pay. With the amount of taxes we're told to pay the church we are paying about the same as Canadians who have free education and free health care. Is the church providing these or equivalent services? In fact many church schools are far more expensive than state run schools.

And does the church take care of the fatherless and the widows? How many single parents are asked to pay tithe rather than being the ones who receive it? If churches gave 10% of each working member they could have 10% needy amoung them who get a full check from the church. 10 people giving a tenth is 100% of the average salary. For every 10 people, one extra person could live just as if they were working themselves or had a working spouse. Whose church is doing this?

How can one use tithes, a national tax, for their own purposes other than what has been established by YHWH? That's like stealing his money and going shopping with it. And people have the nerve to use the text "will a man rob G-d?" while collecting this money to guilt members into doing something they don't have to do in the first place. Yeshua discussed it like he did the rest of the law because he was a teacher of Torah; a Living Torah. How is it that ministers claim they don't have to keep the law because they're not Israelites but suddenly when it comes to "gettin' dat dough" you can guilt people into paying an Israelite tax. The disciples never collected tithe because it wasn't a "church" thing. It was a national thing. And what Yeshua wanted was for everyone to share everything with each other. Of course this isn't what we have today either. We have a robinhood system of robbing the poor, middle class, and rich and giving to the pastor, church building, and perhaps a few other programs where people cannot decide what to do with their own money and support what they want to support.


shalom

[Zealot X]

Question 1) do you get back more than you lose?
Question 2) do you think it would not be the same if you supported charities you selected with the same amount?

[Mark H. Stevens, Th.D]

Sister I am not telling people how to give, give as YOU feel lead. My beef is with churches that teach 1. You are cursed if you don't pay tithes 2. DEMAND members pay tithes or they cannot serve in the church 3. If they take tithe they don't use them to help the poor....even the OT tithe was used PRIMARILY to help the widows and the fatherless. Churches are NOT teaching this and it is WRONG!

[Chaplain Pat Harris]

I concur Bro. Mark, and to think I am a member of a Baptist Church so you KNOW I can't take this teaching to my pastor.

However, as long as I continue in love to sow, be it finances, time or talents, I will continue to reap that which I have sown. I have no problem giving an "offering" to my church; they can call it what they will.

[Chaplain Pat Harris]

Tithing is an Old Testament concept. The tithe was a requirement of the law in which all Israelite were to give 10 percent of everything they earned and grew to the Tabernacle/Temple (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:26; Deuteronomy 14:24; 2 Chronicles 31:5). In fact, the Old Testament Law required multiple tithes, which would have pushed the total to around 23.3 percent, not the 10 percent that is generally considered the tithe amount today. Some understand the Old Testament tithe as a method of taxation to provide for the needs of the priests and Levites in the sacrificial system. The New Testament nowhere commands, or even recommends, that Christians submit to a legalistic tithe system. Paul states that believers should set aside a portion of their income in order to support the church (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).

The New Testament nowhere designates a percentage of income a person should set aside, but only says it is to be “in keeping with income” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Some in the Christian church have taken the 10 percent figure from the Old Testament tithe and applied it as a “recommended minimum” for Christians in their giving. The New Testament talks about the importance and benefits of giving. We are to give as we are able. Sometimes that means giving more than 10 percent; sometimes that may mean giving less. It all depends on the ability of the Christian and the needs of the church. Every Christian should diligently pray and seek God’s wisdom in the matter of participating in tithing and/or how much to give (James 1:5). Above all, all tithes and offerings should be given with pure motives and an attitude of worship to God and service to the body of Christ. “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

[James Pierce]

Pepper,

Sunday was never set apart as a holy day. The first day of the week in our calendar is Sunday, while Saturday is the 7th. You must set apart the 7th day as Yah commanded. THAT day is the day He set apart. Gal 3:28 has nothing to do with keeping Torah just like the Messiah you claim to follow.

[Caral]

O foolish Biblical Judaism Practitioners!

Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?

This only I want to learn from you:

Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Are you so foolish?

Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

[James Pierce]

Carl,

The law keepers of Galatians believed that through the works of Torah, salvation comes. That is not true. I do not believe it, and neither did Yahushua and Paul. So Carl, it is better to stop bearing false witness.

[Caral]

Jimbo

Those scriptures are just for you. you started in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, you were a Christian, and now you follow NOT Christ, not Yeshua, just law. You live by the Law, and you will be judged by.

You speak of love to Pepper, Love God, and your neighbour, and yet you do not know love, you have never shown love, except the love of your prideful spirit and your eisegesis.

You speak of false witness, that is exactly what you do, against the Lord's annointed, did you now that you are poking HIM in the eye. You are led by another spirit. You speak another gospel, another Jesus.

May GOD forgive you and help you. But when you trample the Lord under foot, is there any return??

[James Pierce]

Carl,

Now you're attacking me. Why? Because you cannot attack the message. I stated that the law keepers of Galatians believed that through the works of Torah, salvation comes. That is not true. I do not believe it, and neither did Yahushua and Paul. I guess you do not want to hear that truth.

You said that I do not know love? Well according to Deut 6 & 1 John 5:3, love is keeping the Torah of Yah. Are you doing this?

[Caral]

Jimbo

I speak Truth to you. And you do not want to hear the truth.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Are you doing this, NO. Do you know why because you are not a part of the one and another you are NOT a disciple of Christ.

Continue to trample the Lord and His annointed servants under foot to your peril.

[Archbishop Trevor 'Elihu' Greene]

1) Did she just say Jimbo?!? LOL

2) She holds a good point. Discipleship in Christ JESUS is not known by Sabbath keeping, nor circumcision. I don't care what day you worship Him so long as you worship Him. In fact, I could care less what day you claim to worship Him if you're a hateful loser!! And I REALLY don't care if you were circumcised or not!! How would I look walking up to you saying: "Are you a disciple of Christ? Prove it and pull down your pants! Let me see the proof!" YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!

It is in the manner that you Minister, and what you say according to your doctrine that matters. Days of worship are technical problems easily corrected. WHO you worship is not!

The truth about Sunday that you are stuck on is that Sunday is not regarded as a Sabbath to us Christians. We are not commissioned to rest on Sunday, but go forth to worship, the go out right after it to do GOD's work. Sunday is a work day for us. Immediately before Church, saints should be looking to bring someone to CHRIST, and after Church, the saints should be doing the same. The Jews were never taught to do such on the Sabbath, and neither were we. Therefore, it is more holy to draw souls to the Kingdom, than to worry about rest days. Do you realize that amongst "the three children of Abraham" (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) that the Jews are the LEAST active in Evangelism for their faith? This is due to their lazed Sabbatical mindset. Their entire lives spiritually is built around a rest, while we Christians build our lives around the Great Commission and the building of the Kingdom of GOD (Matthew 9:35-38). This is no time for rest!