Tithing under the Gospel

Malachi 3:8–12 promises a curse upon those who fail to tithe. To preach the tithe to Christians today is to preach the possibility that even after all of their sins are wiped and all of Christ’s righteousness is imputed to their account, they can somehow still be accursed because of their failure to tithe. So much for grace. Preaching the tithe to Christians is a rejection of the Gospel. There, I said it.

6 thoughts on “Tithing under the Gospel”

  1. Keith Whitfield

    I had this very discussion this past weekend. You are correct. NO WHERE in the New Testament does Jesus or any of the writers mandate a tithe for Christians. My “opponent” attempted to use Matt 23:23 to support his position.

  2. It’s ironic that the early Christians gave 100% of what they had to minister to the needs of others while many today seem to be looking for every excuse not to give 10% of their increase to do the same (Acts 2:44-47).

    Granted, there are people/organizations who, out of selfish gain, abuse the principle of tithing, but that doesn’t mean all are corrupt. Personally, I think tithing is a good thing. It’s not a matter of paying for your salvation either; rather, it’s a matter of expressing love for God by helping the needy and providing aid to those who are gospel workers.

    As for the matter concerning Malachi, the people weren’t cursed simply because they didn’t give God 10% of their increase, they were cursed because they were self-centered. Identifying motive is most important here.

    I think that rather than focusing on the idea that it is not mandatory to tithe, it would be better to answer the question of what would constitute the ‘Storehouse’ for today. I believe Jesus answered this question: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21 KJV).

  3. Tithing is a form of spiritual extortion that wrongly informed pastors use for both legitimate and corrupt purposes. Whatever the reason tithing is preached, it is mainly done so out of major ignorance in light of a honest panoramic look at the whole word of God. Those that would hope to serve God by giving are often left with the guilt of not meeting their tithing “obligation” or not meeting their needs to provide for their families. Pastors use many different manipulative methods to gain tithing percentages. You know how the operate, so does God.

  4. Tithing allows the church to help others who are less fortunate, to help other churches around the world, to help their own congregation and the community they serve. It helps to keep the church to keep the lights on so when you walk in the door you can see, keep the heat and air on so you can worship in comfort, it helps to buy needed supplies for bible classes…I could go on, and on. I guess it is okay for them to use their 10% and more on unnecessary things, such as alcohol, trying to keep up with the Jones, new clothes for every occasion…anything wasteful, and then on Sunday morning they put nothing in the offering plate. They come and reap the benefits of others who are faithful in tithing and giving to God. Maybe you dont always have 10%, but you give what you can to God because he has blessed you and kept you, and so, so many other things. You can say whatever you want against tithing, but if I am in a position to give 10% to God and I dont because I dont want to…shame on me.

  5. Problem with that Deborah is that biblical churches weren’t their own buildings; churches didn’t have bills (or payrolls) and therefore didn’t really need the money. Likewise, doing good in the community was an individual mandate, not one of the church, which had the mandate to come together in prayer, teaching, admonishment, correction, and eating, among a few other specific things.

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