TO TITHE OR NOT TO TITHE UNDER THE NEW COVENANT
Tithing is mentioned only three or four times in the New Testament. Jesus acknowledged that the Pharisees were very careful about tithing (Luke 18:12), and he said that they should not leave it undone (Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42). Tithing, like other Old Covenant rules and rituals, was a law at the time Jesus spoke. Jesus criticized the Pharisees not for tithing, but for treating tithing as more important than MERCY, LOVE, JUSTICE & FAITHFULNESS. When Jesus was saying this, the Old Covenant was still in place; it was still operational. It ended on the Cross and the New Covenant Began on the Day of Pentecost; when the CHURCH was born.
The only other New Testament mention of tithing is in Hebrews. The fact that Abraham was blessed by and gave tithes to Melchizedek illustrates the superiority of Melchizedek and Jesus Christ over the Levitical priesthood (Hebrews 7:1-10). The passage then goes on to note that “WHEN THE PRIESTHOOD IS CHANGED, THE LAW MUST BE CHANGED ALSO” (verse 12). There was a change of the priesthood from the Levites to Jesus Christ, and this implies a change in the law that assigned the Levites to be priests. How much has been changed? Hebrews says that the old covenant is obsolete. The package of laws that commanded tithes to be given to the Levites is obsolete.
Under the Old Covenant, God DEMANDED TITHES...AND NOT ONLY TITHES, BUT OFFERINGS AS WELL BECAUSE HE SAID THE PRIESTS & THE PEOPLE WERE ROBBING HIM OF TITHES & OFFERINGS. READ IT CAREFULLY.....'' “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.'' Malachi 3:8......SO IT WASN'T ONLY ABOUT TITHES, BUT OFFERINGS AS WELL. NOW ASK YOURSELF, WHY HAVE CHURCH LEADERS SINGLED OUT TITHE? WHY DO THEY SAY IT IS ONLY REFUSAL TO PAY TITHE THAT AMOUNTS TO ROBBING GOD, WHICH WOULD LET GOD CURSE HIS PEOPLE? IF GOD WAS GOIN' TO CURSE PEOPLE, THEN IT SHOULDN'T BE THOSE WHO DON'T PAY TITHE ONLY; BUT THOSE WHO DON' PAY OFFERING AS WELL! AGAIN, READ CAREFULLY, IT WAS NOT TITHE (AS IN ONE TITHE) AND OFFERING (AS IN ONE OFFERING...RATHER, TITHES (PLURAL...MORE THAN ONE) & OFFERINGS (PLURAL...MORE THAN ONE). LETTER ''S'' IS ADDED TO BOTH TITHE & OFFERING TO BE TITHES & OFFERINGS. GOD WAS TALKING OF PLURALITY...SOMETHING MORE THAN ONE. WHY? BECAUSE, UNDER THE OLD COVENANT, THERE WASN'T ONLY ONE TITHE OR ONE OFFERING.
They had at least 3types of Tithes, namely
1. The Levitical, or sacred tithe (Num. 18: 21, 24).
2. The tithe of the feasts (Deut. 14:22-27).
3. The tithe for the poor (Deut. 14:28, 29).
And they had 5Types of Offerings, namely
1. The Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1)
2. The Meat Offering (Leviticus 2)
3. The Peace Offering (Leviticus 3)
4. The Sin Offering (Leviticus 4)
5. The Trespass Offering (Leviticus 5)
SO I AM ASKING DEFENDERS OF TITHE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. DO U PAY ALL THE 3 TYPES OF TITHES?
2. DO U PAY ALL THE 5TYPES OF OFFERINGS?
THERE WERE SEVERAL TITHES & OFFERINGS AND GOD EXPECTED THE LEVITICAL PRIESTS & THE NATION OF ISRAEL TO HONOUR ALL, BUT THEY FAILED. NOT ONLY THE PEOPLE, BUT THE PRIESTS AS WELL. THAT WAS WHY GOD SAID HE WOULD CURSE THEM IF THEY KEPT ON ROBBING IN. SO THE NEXT TIME YOUR PASTOR TELLS YOU THAT YOU ARE ROBBING GOD BECAUSE YOU DON'T TITHE, ASKING HIM; ''PASTOR, WHAT ABOUT THE OFFERINGS?''
Now, whenever you say we're not supposed to TITHE under the New Covenant, people think you are against GIVING in general. So, let me take this opportunity to address this issue.
HOW DO WE GIVE TO GOD (Supporting His Work, the poor, Widows, orphans, Resident Aliens/Sojourners, etc) UNDER THE NEW COVENANT?
Under the NEW COVENANT, WE ARE COMMANDED TO PRESENT OUR BODIES AS LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY & ACCEPTABLE BEFORE GOD (Romans 12:1-). After doing this, WE MUST GIVE TOWARDS THE WORK OF GOD BUT IT MUST BE DONE GENEROUSLY WITH A CHEERFUL, UNRELUCTANT HEART; WITHOUT BEING FORCED (pp 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7a). WHY SHOULD GIVING UNDER THE NEW COVENANT BE DONE IN THESE WAYS (WITHOUT ANY COMPULSORY 10%)? THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE: FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER (2 CORINTHIANS 9:7b). Am I therefore saying we shouldn't give or we should give but something little to God? Not at all. Those who understand New Covenant way of Life, First Give Their Bodies to God. Second, they believe that if their Bodies and for that matter their Temple belongs to God, anything they have belongs to God. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit directs them to GIVE, it si not difficult for them at all. But if they have not given their bodies to God first, they cannot give what they have in terms of material stuffs to God. Churches that understand New Covenant Giving will not force people to Tithe just to buy private jets/airport, mansions etc for the Pastor and the Church leaders at the expense of the Church members, of whom most could be poor. Such Churches will obviously Give generously to the poor (the needy) and NOT GREEDY FALSE PASTORS/APOSTLES/PROPHETS/LEADERS.
In giving, we must discern. THE HOLY SPIRIT MUST BE OUR GUIDE. WE DON'T OFFER THE FIVE OFFERINGS ANYMORE UNDER THE NEW COVENANT BECAUSE THEY WERE POINTING TO CHRIST WHO WAS TO COME. AND WE DON' TITHE UNDER THE NEW COVENANT BECAUSE THERE IS NO LEVITICAL PRIEST BUT CHRIST JESUS, WHO IS OUR HIGH PRIEST, DEMANDS ALL OUR BODIES (100% OF OUR TEMPLE) FIRST, AND THEN DEMANDS THAT WE GIVE ANY MATERIAL THING (BE IT MONEY, CLOTH, FOOD, ETC) TO THE NEEDY/POOR OR TOWARDS HIS WORK AS WE HAVE DECIDED IN OUR HEART TO GIVE, UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, NOT UNDER ANY COMPULSION. NO PERCENTAGE IS REQUIRED. IT COULD BE 1% OR 100%, IF ONLY THE HOLY SPIRITS DIRECTS U AND IT IS FROM A SINCERE/PURE UNRELUCTANT HEART.
The Old Covenant gave us condemnation; the new covenant gives us justification and peace with God. How much more should we be willing to give freely and generously so God’s work can be done in the world — to proclaim the gospel, to declare the new covenant ministry that gives us true life, and gives that message of life to others?
The Old Covenant gave us condemnation; the new covenant gives us justification and peace with God. How much more should we be willing to give freely and generously so God’s work can be done in the world — to proclaim the gospel, to declare the new covenant ministry that gives us true life, and gives that message of life to others?
Some people act as if Christ liberates us from the law so that we can keep more physical blessings for ourselves. That is false — Christ liberates us so that we can be free to serve him more, as loving children and not merely as slaves. He frees us so we can have faith instead of selfishness. When it comes to money, the real question is, Is our heart in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we putting our money where our heart is? We can tell where our heart is by seeing where we are putting our money. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Jesus said (Matthew 6:21). In the NEW COVENANT church, there are financial needs — to support the poor, and to support the gospel by supporting those who preach it. Christians are obligated to give financial support for these needs. Let’s see how Paul explained this obligation in his second letter to the Corinthians.
Paul describes himself as a minister of the NEW COVENANT (2 Corinthians 3:6), which has much greater glory than the OLD (verse 8). Because of what Christ did for him in the NEW COVENANT, Christ’s love compelled Paul to preach the gospel, the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). Paul exhorted the Corinthians “not to receive God’s grace in vain” (6:1). How were they in danger of doing this? Paul had gone out of his way to serve them, but they were withholding their affections from him (6:3-12). He asked them for a fair exchange, for them to open their hearts to him (6:13). Paul told the Corinthians that they had a duty to give something in response to what they had been given. This response comes in terms of morality (6:14-7:1), which the Corinthians had done (7:8-13), and in terms of affection, which the Corinthians had also done (7:2-7), and in financial generosity, which Paul addresses in chapter 8. This is the way in which the Corinthians had closed their hearts to Paul and withheld their affections.
Paul cited the example of the Macedonian churches, who had given generously, even to the point of self-sacrifice (8:1-5). The example is powerful; the implications are strong that the Corinthians needed to respond to Paul’s sacrifices by making sacrifices themselves. But Paul DID NOT make a command (8:8). Instead, he asked first for a turning of the heart. He wanted the Corinthians to give themselves to the Lord first, and then to support Paul. He wanted their gift to be done in sincere love, not from compulsion (8:5, 8). Paul reminded them that Christ had become poor for their sakes; the implication is that the Corinthians should make financial sacrifices in return.
But then Paul reminded the Corinthians that they could not give more than they had (8:12). Nor did they have to impoverish themselves to enrich others (as so many money-loving preachers request from the poor church members today); Paul was only aiming for equity (8:13-14). Paul again expressed confidence in their willingness to give, and added the peer pressure of the Macedonian example and the boasting he had done in Macedonia about the generosity of the Corinthians (8:24-9:5).
Paul again noted that the offering must be done willingly, not from compulsion or given grudgingly (9:5, 7). He reminded them that God rewards generosity (9:6-11) and that a good example causes people to praise God and puts the gospel in a favorable setting (9:12-14).
Don't forget, the financial request that Paul made was not to enrich himself; again, it was not to put up huge mansions; IT WAS NOT TITHE; IT WAS A FREEWILL COLLECTION FOR THE POOR IN JUDEA. He said nothing about tithing. Rather, he appealed to the NEW COVENANT environment: Christ had made many sacrifices for them, so they ought to be willing to make a few sacrifices to help one another, especially the needy/poor, widows, orphans, resident aliens (and Not only the Pastor, who is seen as demi-god, as many churches are doing today).
In asking for this free giving, Paul was also making a financial sacrifice. He had a right to receive financial support himself, but instead of that, he was asking that the it be given to others. Paul had not asked for any financial support from Corinth (11:7-11; 12:13-16). Instead, he had been supported by Macedonians (11:9). Could same be said of today preachers/pastors?
Paul had a right to be supported by the Corinthians, but he did not use it (1 Corinthians 9:3-15). This passage tells us more about our Christian duty to give financial support to the gospel. Workers should be able to receive benefits of their work (9:7). The Old Covenant even made provision for oxen to be given benefits of their work (9:9).
Throughout his appeal, Paul does not cite any laws of tithing. He says that priests received benefits from their work in the temple (9:13), but he does not cite any percentage. Their example is cited in the same way as the example of soldiers, vineyard workers, herdsmen, oxen, plowers and threshers. It is simply a general principle. As Jesus said, “The worker deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7). Paul cited the oxen and wages scriptures again in 1 Timothy 5:17-18. Elders, especially those who preach and teach, should be honored financially as well as with respect.
Jesus also commanded, “those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). This implies that, UNDER THE NEW COVENANT those who believe should GIVE (FINANCE, SERVICE, TIME, ETC) FROM A PURE AND UNRELUCTANT HEART TO SUPPORT THE WORK OF GOD, THE POOR, THE NEEDY, WIDOWS, ORPHANS, RESIDENT ALIENS/SOJOURNERS, AS LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT---NOT UNDER ANY COMPULSION OR BY A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE. IT CAN BE LESS OR MORE THAN 10% AS THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADS. EVEN THOUGH GIVING UNDER THE NEW COVENANT COMES WITH REWARD; THE REWARD MAY NOT BE NECESSARILY PHYSICAL (HEALTH) OR FINANCIAL (WEALTH). That is why GIVING under the NEW COVENANT is different from that of the Old Covenant.
MAY GOD TEACH US MORE ON THIS TOPIC. WE GIVE ALL THE GLORY TO GOD. YOU CAN FIND OUT MORE BY VISITING THE FOLLOWING LINKS..........
Samuel Kwasi Forkuo
Warning: Church, Get Prepared - WCGP
Samuel Kwasi Forkuo
Warning: Church, Get Prepared - WCGP
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ3gP00_hdM
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wy0Wv-Aw4U
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsDNxZcOa8
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JIhCyYIMTU
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8-V1gvyb_c
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPJcddnaR8A
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3zSj6S00UY
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhJyJ6MoorQ
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtv4_u_7Vp4
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfeDi5E16P0
11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3WrfYjZ-RI
12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yxg3YbglHM
