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.
Malachi 3:10, The Bible
This morning, I attended church (like I do on some Sundays) and was greeted with an interesting message. The title of the message was Storehouse. In summary, the pastor was advising us to tithe regularly.
In this blog post, I would like to prove to you that tithing is not a Christian practice.
The origin of tithing
Tithing is giving 10% of whatever you make to God, or more specifically, the church.
The first time tithing was mentioned in the Bible was in the book of Genesis when Abraham gave tithes of everything he recovered in war to the priest Melchizedek:
And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Genesis 14:20, The Bible
Abraham gave willingly at the time in gratitude for God delivering his cousin Lot back into his hands after he was kidnapped by some kings.
It became a law to the children of Israel when Moses brought the law from God to the people in Leviticus:
And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.
Leviticus 27:30, The Bible
From this, we can establish that tithing is under the Mosaic Law.
Christians are not under the law
What does Paul say about the law?
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Romans 10:4, The Bible
Christ fulfilled the law, which means we are no longer under the law, as he said in the book of Matthew:
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Matthew 5:17, The Bible
Paul also says this:
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:14, The Bible
The law was never for the Gentiles i.e. the Christians; it was only for the Jews.
Christians are under God's grace through Christ. Our work as Christians is to believe Christ, Jesus said it himself:
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
John 6:28-29, The Bible
Even Leo, the Brave browser's AI assistant says:
In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles did not explicitly command Christians to tithe, but they did emphasize the importance of giving and stewardship.
The practice of tithing is not explicitly required for Christians, but the principle of giving generously and joyfully is strongly encouraged.
Leo, the Brave browser's AI assistant
Other points against tithing
There were multiple tithes to be paid, making it more than 10%
The children of Israel were required to bring a second tithe to Jerusalem for celebration (Deuteronomy 14:22-27) and a third tithe for the poor and needy (Deuteronomy 14:28-29 and Deuteronomy 26:12).
If Christians were to pay tithes, which tithe should we pay?
Tithes were never paid with money
Tithes were a requirement for farmers and herdsmen. The Bible specifies that tithe should be given from agricultural produce and livestock, such as corn, oil, and oxen (see Leviticus 27:30-32). People from other vocations, such as carpenters, fishermen, tax collectors, and craftsmen, were not required to tithe.
The children of Israel were never told to pay tithes with cash.
So never give to the church?
Of course you can, if you want. God loves a cheerful giver.
The only giving in the church that falls under willful giving is offering:
Every 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 9:7, The Bible
If you want to take it a step up, you can lend to God instead:
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
Proverbs 19:17, The Bible
Rebuttals for the pastor
These are all paraphrased quotes from the pastor and my responses.
"We the church don't need your tithes!"
Yes, you do. Stop lying on the pulpit! Actions deafen, words whisper. In other words, if you didn't need it, you wouldn't ask for it.
The book of Proverbs says you shouldn't give to the rich, so don't give to any church that says this.
He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.
Proverbs 22:16, The Bible
"It shows you trust God with your finances!"
There is no biblical backing for this statement. Just believe in Christ and rest.
"Tithing is returning to God, the first of whatever He's blessed me with."
Once again, there is no biblical backing for this statement.
"You are not giving out of law, you are giving out of love."
No, giving out of love is offering. Tithing is lawful giving.
"God would never need my money."
That's correct! So keep your money in your pocket or give to the poor instead.
"It's testing humanity's faithfulness to him."
No, it's not. Humans are not faithful, God is! That is why Christ had to come and die for our sins.
"He's testing you, not tempting you. The enemy is tempting you to not pay tithes."
Once again, there is no biblical backing for this statement.
"When we don't give tithes, we are telling God we don't appreciate him giving to us."
No biblical backing!
"If you don't tithe, you are robbing God of the opportunity to bless you."
No, you are not. The opposite is true because you are not operating under grace, you are under the law. If you are under the law, you will be judged by the law:
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Romans 2:12, The Bible
"Grace has a greater demand than the law."
False. That is the antithesis of grace. The law tells us to do; grace reminds us of what God has done so we don't have to do anything ourselves.
"I'm not giving out of routine, I'm giving out of response."
No, you are not. If you are responding, you are responding under the law. Unless it is willful, which would make it an offering. Tithing is not willful, it is lawful.
"He doesn't need it, we need it."
Freudian slip — the church does need it.
The bottom line
Give your money to the poor. Give offering to the church (if you like). Don't give tithes.
But in the end, you can do whatever you want. 🤷♂️