Why You Dont Need to Tithe

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It’s Sunday…don’t forget to tithe 10% of your gross income for the week and give it to the Church! Wait…why exactly do I have to do this?

“You need to give 10% of your gross income! You’re robbing God if you don’t!”

Oh, really? Where does this idea of “robbing God” come from? It comes from the last book of the OT, Malachi. Let’s take a look at the verse in question.

“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows” (Mal 3:8-10, NASB, underline mine).

Well, seems pretty clear to me that if you’re not giving 10% of your finances, you are “robbing God!” But, hold on! Everything must be seen in context. First, notice who is being addressed here. In the very first chapter of Malachi, it reads,

““‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7 You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is to be despised.’ 8 But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts” (Mal 1:6-8, NASB, bold mine).

So, it was the priests (the equivalent of preachers today) that were robbing God, not the people of Israel! Talk about blame-shifting and gaslighting! What were they doing? They were presenting flawed, lame animals for the sacrifice, and keeping the “good” animals for themselves. They did this despite it being written in the Torah over and over again that their burnt and sin sacrifices must be an unblemished (or without defect) lamb or other animal, just a few references would be Ex 12:5 and Num 6:14, among others. The point is, every sacrifice made to God had to be without blemish, whether it be bull, lamb, or doves. Anything less was completely unacceptable, and an insult to the Most High! It was a requirement, because it foreshadowed the perfect Ultimate Sacrifice of the Messiah, Who is Perfect. Amen!

For another thing, this was written in Old Testament times – before the New Covenant ratified by the Blood of Christ took affect. Do we, as New Testament Gentile believers in Christ Jesus follow the Old Testament Mosaic Law…? I can tell you that we don’t, and any pastor that says differently, I would stay away from. Several times the Apostle Paul stated that we are justified apart from works and apart from the Law. In one of those, he actually said that “the Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20, NASB, italics mine). But, that’s a topic for another time. Anyway, my point is that, if you tell me I have to tithe, the burden of proof is on you to tell me where it was at. And, it had to be in the Mosaic Law, because the Law of Moses is where God’s commands for tithing were found! And it never had to do with money! No commands of tithing was found in the New Testament – not by Jesus, not by Paul, Peter or any other writer! Now, let’s get back to the subject at hand. Taken from a book,

“Now let’s apply that to the most popularly preached “tithing” verse, Malachi 3:10. In this verse, God was rebuking the Israelites for neglecting to do something He had told them to do in the Old Testament Law of Moses (see verse 7). What command of God in the Law of Moses had the Israelites neglected? They had neglected to “bring the tithe”. The key here is to understand what “bring the tithe” means according to the Bible. Who was supposed to “bring the tithe”? Was it every Israelite? (Sneak preview: The answer is no.) And for those who were supposed to bring the tithe, what were they supposed to bring? Was it money? (Sneak preview: The answer is no. And yes, the Bible makes it clear the Israelites did have money – but God didn’t ask for ten percent of it.) Again, nowhere in the entire Bible will you find God asking anyone to bring ten percent of their money to Him or to the church. With Malachi 3:10, many preachers are just making a common mistake that many people make when interpreting the Bible, which is reading one verse and taking it completely out of context, making it mean whatever you want it to mean without defining the terms Biblically. So what does the word “tithe” mean in Malachi 3:10 – according to the Bible? The short answer is this: As part of the Law of Moses system in the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelite farmers and ranchers to bring the tenth portion of their crops and livestock to where the Levites lived. So the word “tithe” does mean “ten percent”, but it does not mean “ten percent of every paycheck every modern Christian receives”. It means “the 10th portion of every ancient Israelite farmer or rancher’s crops and livestock”.

By the way, under the Law of Moses system, if you only had nine sheep, you didn’t tithe. The tithe was the tenth portion of the livestock, not the first.

It’s amazing how many misconceptions have come into this “tithing” doctrine that has been invented by men.

The key thing to understand here is that the tithe had nothing to do with money. God’s people back then had money, but God didn’t ask for it.

(Source: “Why You Don’t Have to Tithe” by John Lilley)

This was an “agricultural” tithe. What was the Lord so angry about? Mal 3:7 says that “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them” (NASB). Let’s look at this specific statute in the Law, “For every tenth part of herd or flock, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord” (Lev 27:32, NASB). Um, do you see the word “money” or “gold/silver” or “coins” mentioned anywhere in these verses? Neither do I. From the same book mentioned earlier, it continues,

“…most Christians don’t realize that even in the Old Testament Law

of Moses God never asked His people for their money. If you were a basketweaver

in those days, you had money, but you didn’t tithe. If you were a

blacksmith, you had money, but you didn’t tithe. If you were a carpenter,

you had money, but you didn’t tithe. For example, Jesus grew up an Israelite

while the Israelites were still trying to obey the Law of Moses, but He never

tithed because He was from a carpenter’s household, he was not a farmer or

rancher. The Israelites had and earned money, but they never gave ten

percent of it to God or the Levites or the church.

Why? Because even though God’s people (from at least Abraham

onwards) have always had money, the tithe has never had anything to do

with money. (Abraham didn’t tithe on his money either – more on that later.)

So the astounding fact is, the ancient Israelites never gave ten

percent of their money to God. And not every Israelite tithed crops and

livestock, because not every Israelite was a farmer or rancher.

Again, why should we be put under a burden to do something not even

the ancient Israelites did?

Folks, if you read through the entire Bible you will find that the only

tithing commandments in Scripture were contained in the Law of Moses.

(Jesus commended the Pharisees – who were Israelites living under the Law

of Moses – for tithing “mint and cumin and rue”, their backyard spices, in

strict obedience to agricultural tithing requirements of the Law of Moses.

The Pharisees had money but didn’t tithe it, and Jesus did not command

them to tithe money instead of their spices. More on that later.) Not every

Israelite had to obey the tithing requirements of the Law of Moses because

those tithing commands did not apply to every Israelite – only the farmers

and ranchers. Plus, those tithing commands had nothing to do with money,

even though the Israelites had money…You can look all through the Bible

and find every place where the word “tithe” is used, and not once will you

find God asking for or commanding anyone to give Him ten percent of their

money. All this “You must give ten percent of every paycheck, before taxes!”

stuff has simply been invented by men.”

(Source: “Why You Don’t Have to Tithe” by John Lilley)

So, not all Israelites tithed, just those with land to grow their crops and feed their livestock with. Not even Jesus tithed, being the son of a carpenter! Also, and I’ll let you look this up yourself, God actually said – no, not said – commanded that the Israelites eat their own tithes! This proves that it was never about money – how are you going to eat money?? That would be ridiculous (and would give a new meaning to “putting your money where your mouth is” LOL)! If we are really going to be super legalistic with this thing, then preachers and pastors can’t own property. Why? Because the Levitical priests in the OT couldn’t either. They lived, ate, and slept in the Temple. So, pastor, are you willing to sell your big house to go live at the church with your family? No? Why not? That’s only scriptural, after all. See, the problem with most pastors is that they don’t know how to “rightly divide” the Word of God – that is, they don’t seem to know how to take a particular Scripture in context, and so, how it applies to them. Everything in Scripture must be in context, because if we don’t do that, we may end up building an Ark when God didn’t want us to. That’s one rather extreme example of a passage that was written for us, but not to us!

“But, Abraham tithed! So should we!”

If you want to give your money away – fine! But even Abraham only tithed once, and not because it was a command from the Almighty! And here’s a fascinating fact: Jesus never asked for tithes! Neither did the Apostles, for that matter. Did you know how the Apostle Paul supported himself? By making and selling tents! Look in Acts 18:3. When was the last time you’ve seen a pastor have a part-time or full-time job apart from “ministry” work? If you’ve never seen it, question why not! Challenge them and see what they tell you. If they tell you that you have to or you will be kicked out of that church, my strong recommendation is to shove it back in their face and quit that church on the spot! They need to give a better explanation for the tithe other than, “You have to, because it’s in the Bible.” Ask where exactly it was and in what context was God talking about.

Now, I will say that I’ve personally financially supported one of my pastors in the past, and I have no qualms about it. This particular preacher, who was a hard-core Baptist, was a kind man, and we sat down after service because I wanted to make it clear that I intended to give money to him. He said that was fine and that he appreciated whatever I wanted to give. He didn’t push the whole “give 10% of your gross” baloney on me. He was real. In fact, I told him that I disagreed with the way that most pastors were misusing Mal 3 that said that supposedly, I’m robbing God. I told him that that was in the Old Testament and didn’t apply to NT believers, and that it had to do with food, not money. He agreed and said, “Yup, you know your Bible.” I also told him, however, that I know that, because we live in the modern age, and he has to not only pay for his mortgage, but also the rental of the church building, that I had no problem paying him for his services. Also, I told him that I personally didn’t ascribe to the whole 10% thing, that it was strictly voluntary (heh, that’s an oxymoron!), but that 10% was a good starting point. He 100% agreed with me. I miss that guy, at times. Other pastors that I had in the past, not so much.

I also encourage those that are interested to read the book by Mr John Lilley and/or to read for free this book by Matthew Narramore, entitled “Tithing: Low Realm, Obsolete & Defunct.” It can be found here: http://www.tekoapublishing.com/books/tithing/index.html. *Disclaimer: I am not associated with either of these products, I just think they are excellent sources of information on the topic!

“But the Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver!”

I wholeheartedly agree! He does! “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2Cor 9:7)! As believers, we have been blessed beyond our wildest imaginations! Why, if we have the means for luxuries, should we not also give generously to those around us that need it, without needing to be repaid? Did not our Lord say to those around Him, “…when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:3-4, NASB). And again, “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men” (Lk 6:34-35, NASB, italics mine).

“Well, how are you going to keep the lights on if no one gives?”

I’ve personally known of a decade-old ministry that never took an offering, never passed around a collection plate, never required its flock to put in anything, but yet had money to give to those in need. Tell me, how is this possible? If God wants a ministry there, it will be there – regardless of the obstacles! Remember that He spoke the universe into existence! Nothing is too hard for Him! (Jer 32:27) Look at Carlton Pearson. He became very unpopular with his (it wasn’t even his – it was God’s) message of Inclusion. People stopped going and paying their tithes and he had to exit the ministry. That was years ago. After everything calmed down and after he weathered the storm, God blessed him with a new ministry and calling, and he now leads a new church, has a Netflix movie about his life, called “Come Sunday1,” and has several videos on YouTube.

“Money is the root of all evil!”

You mean it’s been misquoted that money is the root of all evil. The correct way of saying this verse is, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1Tim 6:10, NASB, italics mine). Those words added in there make a world of difference, don’t they? Paul is not saying that money is evil, but greed – the love of money, is what is evil! There’s more than one root of evil, as well. It says that greed is a root of all sorts (kinds) of evil. This is one of the things that Jesus was hammering the Pharisees for, who dearly loved their money. Jesus said, “Now no one can be slaving for two lords, for either he will be hating the one and loving the other, or will be upholding one and despising the other. You can not be slaving for God and mammon” (Mt 6:24, CLT). Even if Paul said that “money is the root of all evil,” then why do churches keep demanding it?? Does it become “consecrated and holy” because it went into the collection plate? Here’s where things go off the rails with the…

Prosperity Gospel (AKA “name it and claim it”)

Christianity, Inc has produced some wickedness, and one of the most depraved is this unbiblical doctrine that what God focuses on, and should be top priority for the people of God, is for them to have “health and wealth!” Ask Him for money and possessions – that’s what life’s about! Really, is it now? Why then is this account recorded,

“Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Lk 12:13-21, NASB, italics and underline mine).

Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hynn, Joyce Meyer, alongside many others, teach this heinous doctrine! And look at that – these charlatans – er, I mean – humble preachers, rake in millions of dollars every year, some have their own luxury airplanes, so that they can go “evangelize” in style. You know who “grandfathered” all of this? Oral Roberts, who recently just passed away, and an article about him says,

“Many great evangelical luminaries will pay tribute to Roberts this week as the father of the charismatic movement, which embraces ecstatic religious experience. More secular commentators will remember him as a thief for Jesus, inventor of the “blatant money hustling so necessary to stay on prime time,” as Martin Gardner wrote about him in a New York Review of Books essay in 1987. It was Oral Roberts who perfected the screaming and begging for money onstage and paved the way for the televangelist hustlers of the ‘90s: Jimmy and Tammy Faye Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, Benny Hinn…Few churches use “prosperity” in their name, although many still teach the concept of “seed-faith” and demand faithful tithing, which pastors promise will reap a healthy return. The euphemism, these days, is “abundant,” as in “Every day, you’re going to live that abundant life!” as Osteen likes to say.”

(Source: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/12/oral-roberts-launched-the-prosperity-gospel.html)

Oral, by the way, had a mansion and a private jet, while his wife and children used funds from tithing to fund their own expensive lifestyles. It really makes me angry and indignant that these "shepherds" are all too eager to fleece the sheep for their own personal material gain! They show themselves to really be hired hands. Now, what about these “miracle healings?” Psssst. Here’s a secret: they don’t really work!! Most of these people fall down, not because they are getting hit “with the Holy Spirit” with the palm of someone’s hand or by their jacket or whatever. It all has to do with mass hypnosis. All of the lights, the music, all of the energy from the crowds gets people “ready” to accept the con-artist – er, I mean – pastor’s spiritual…thingamajig2.

Some pastors will “bribe” you to give (oxymoronic, but hear me out). They will tell you that if you tithe, God will bless your family, your house, your job, your business, etc. Why does this sound like a mafia-style “protection racket?” Are you sure you are giving to “Father God” and not to the “godfather??” Do you really think by giving money that He would then “protect” your property? Is that your view of God?? Or, are you giving money as a way to pay the premium on your “fire insurance policy” with Him, hoping that if you pay him enough, it will “kick in” and perhaps it will stay His Hand for a bit longer so He won’t cast you down into the abyss? If either of this is you, you got scammed! Not only does neither of these situations honor our Elohim, but these things are found nowhere in the Bible! Seriously, where do these people get this crap from??

At the church that I used to go to, they would track your tithe. If you didn't give your share, or if you were even a few dollars short, and they found out, they would come to your house to collect! Oh, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. They would have what they called annual "Special Missions Contributions." Basically, that was a fancy term for "give us more of your hard-earned cash!" They claimed it was to go towards supporting missionary work in other countries and you were highly encouraged (read: required) to participate. Non-participation was looked down upon and considered "unspiritual," and was grounds for discipline with your "discipler," who was a member of the church that was above you. They forced us have accountability partners. You can see how legalistic this "church" was. Later, after I left, I did some digging around and found out that their critics were right all along. It was a cult3! I'm SO glad I'm not there, anymore!

Now, am I saying that you shouldn’t invest your money? No! It’s wise to invest it – it’s not greedy to want to be prepared for the future. Just because I said to guard against greed, doesn’t mean you spend money foolishly, either. There needs to a balance in the life of every believer. I pray that we all will make wise choices! Be blessed!

 

 

1 https://youtu.be/pVQFWvm_fbU

2 To see these scams in action, watch this: https://youtu.be/hTfKpAWkgJY

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