I just saw this on the net:

Tithing is Unscriptural Under the New Covenant
[A Scriptural Exposition on the Fraudulent Fleecing of the Flock]
Since first posting this tithing paper on bible-truths.com, we have had hundreds of
thousands of visitors seeking information on this topic. Many have written me
personally thanking me for freeing them from this illegal and abusive practice of the
Church. I have also received emails from some who are sure that tithing is a
bonafide legal obligation for members of the New Testament Christian Church.
Objections to my paper range from simply quoting the prophet Malachi sent to the
priests and nation of Israel: "Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and
offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse…." While others who can find absolutely no
Scriptural authority for Christians to tithe, invent clever little doctrines like this:
"Tithing was a form of worship to God, and since we still worship God, we must still
tithe."
I will answer this one in one sentence: Since burnt offerings were a form of
worshiping God, and since we still worship God, must we still offerburnt offerings to
God? ... Ridiculous.
Part II of this paper covers the Malachi prophecy more thoroughly as it concerns the
subject of tithing.
PART I
"Will a man ROB God?" How many untold tens of thousands of men will
give account one day for teaching this verse in Malachi 3:8 totally out of context for
their own sordid gain. I couldn’t count the times I have heard self-appointed ministers
of the gospel berate their congregations and listeners for "robbing God" in tithes and
offerings. This verse in Malachi certainly means what it says.
Someone was defrauding God of tithes and offerings, but wait until you find
out who it is that God blames for this act.
On any given Sunday morning there will be numerous men-of-the-cloth who will be
bellowing out over the air waves that people are being "cursed with a curse" because
they have failed to pay God ten percent of their paychecks. And should such a
gullible listener decide to repent and give God ten percent of his salary, just how
would he do that? Just keep reading. These men of the cloth who often have
unquenchable worldly desires of the flesh, will be sure to give you an address where
you can send them (or, ah, rather God) your tithe. And do they have a right to quote
these Scriptures in this manner? No they do not, and furthermore they themselves
know better.
SOME SHOCKING TRUTHS ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN TITHING DOCTRINE
1. Abraham never tithed on his own personal property or livestock.
2. Jacob wouldn’t tithe until God blessed him first.
3. Only Levite priests could collect tithes, and there are no Levite priests today.
4. Only food products from the land were tithable.
5. Money was never a tithable commodity.
6. Christian converts were never asked to tithe anything to the Church.
7. Tithing in the Church first appears centuries after completion of the Bible.
ALL SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES TO TITHING
We will now go through all the Scriptural references in the Bible on tithe, tithes, and
tithing:
[1] Gen. 14:20, "And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine
enemies into thy hand. And he [Abram]gave him [Melchizedek king of Salem, the
priest of the most high God, Ver. 18] TITHES of all [all the goods of war, Ver. 16]."
We read again of this same event in the book of Hebrews:
[2] Heb. 7:1-10, "For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High,
who meets with Abraham returning from the combat with the kings and
blesses him, to whom Abraham parts a TITHE also, from all... Now, behold how
eminent this one is to whom the patriarch Abraham gives a TITHE also of the
best of the booty. And, indeed, those of the sons of Levi who obtain the
priestly office have a direction to take TITHES from the people according to the
law... And here, indeed, dying men are obtaining TITHES... And so, to say,
through Abraham, Levi also, who is obtaining the TITHES, has been TITHED,
for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek meets with him."
There are a number of things we can learn concerning tithing from this section of
Scriptures. In this, the first mention of tithing in the Bible, Abram gives to
Melchizedek (a priest of God who was also the king of the city of Salem) a tithe of
the best of the booty taken in war. Notice that this wasnot wheat, corn, wine, oil, or
cattle from Abram’s personal possessions, but rather booty taken from conquered
nations.
There is nothing stated here that would cause us to conclude that Abram (later
changed to Abraham) ever tithed on a regular basis on his own person possessions.
Although Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of the booty of war, he told the king of
Sodom that he would take none of it for himself.
In this same account recorded in the seventh chapter of Hebrews, we learn that the
priests of Levi, from the family of Aaron (although far inferior to the priestly order of
Melchizedek) also receive tithes from the people according to the law. This tells us
little more about the actual tithes other than they received tithes.
Christian scholars claim that Abraham’s tithing of the spoils of war predated the Law
of Moses, and therefore even if the Law of Moses is done away with, tithing is still
binding on Christians because Abraham predated the Law of Moses. Is this true?
And Christendom teaches that this Scripture is the first proof from the Word of God
that Christians are to tithe ten percent of their salaries to the church. But what have
we really learned from these Scriptures?:
Abraham went to war on behalf of Sodom (SODOM, mind you), to rescue his
nephew, Lot. He then gave 10% of these spoils of war to Melchizedek, and allowed
Sodom to keep 90%, while he himself kept NOTHING!
Now then, is there a Scholar alive anywhere on earth that can explain to us how this
one single unparalleled and never-again-to-be-duplicated event is Scriptural proof
that Christians should give 10% of their annual salaries (not the spoils of war, but
their money, their salaries), not once, but year after year after year, not to
Melchizedek, but to Clergymen who claim to be ministers of Jesus Christ? If anyone
can see a similarity here, I will show him the similarity between an elephant and a
fruit fly.
Next we will observe a Scripture that you will probably never hear a sermon on. No
tithe-preaching clergyman would use the example of how Jacob tithed. Remember,
Jacob is the grandson of Abraham, the father of the faithful, whom God also blessed
tremendously. Not only did Godapprove of Jacob’s tithing proposal, but, He made it
the foundational principle upon which all future tithing would be based. Here it is.
[3] Gen. 28:20-22, "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, IF God will be with me,
and [if God] will keep me in this way that I go, and [if God] will give me bread to
eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in
peace; THENshall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a
pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shall GIVE ME I will surely give
the TENTH unto thee."
Wow! This one Scripture pretty much contradicts 99% of all sermons I have ever
heard on the subject of tithing! This is the very first Scripture in the Bible that gives
an account of someone giving a tenth or tithe of his personal possessions back to
God. But, oh how different it is from the teachings of most Christian Churches.
First Jacob truly recognizes God as God. He then begins to proposition God. He
states that "IF" God will do this and "IF’ God will do the other things, "THEN" Jacob
says, "shall the Lord be my God." Jacob concludes his proposition to God, should
God meet all of his requirements, by saying that of all the things that God will first
give to Jacob, Jacob will give God back a tenth. Now don’t laugh. God honored
Jacob’s proposition, and furthermore, God continued to honor this same principle of
tithing all through Israel’s history. As Paul said, "Now what have you which you
did not obtain?" (I Cor. 4:7) All that we possess comes from God.
And so, once more, we learn that Israel was not to tithe on what they did not first
possess, unlike those today who teach that it is required to tithe on that which one
does not already possess.
God is not partial and God is not a hypocrite. This example of Jacob proves that God
doesn’t expect a tithe until He blessed the tithe payer first. Everyone should put
down this paper, call his minister, and tell him you want to hear a sermon Sunday
morning on how Jacob paid tithes to God.Now hold your breath.
Let’s ask ourselves a reasonable question: Just how did Jacob actually give a tithe to
God? Did he personally hand it to God? No, no one has ever even seen God. Did
Jacob tithe to an angel? No, angels do not need and can’t use tithes. Did Jacob send
his tithe to Heaven by Celestial Express? No. Did he take it to the local church? No,
there was no local church. Did he take it to the Temple? No, there was no temple.
Did he give it directly to one of the Levitic priests? No, there were no Levites as yet.
Well how then did Jacob tithe to God? Was it even possible? Yes, there were
actually two different ways that Jacob could tithe to God:
1. "And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and
your TITHES, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and
your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your
flocks: And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall
rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, YE and YOUR HOUSEHOLDS,
wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee" (Deut. 12:6-7).
2. "And even though there were no Levites in Jacob’s day, nonetheless,
there were "...the STRANGER, and the FATHERLESS, and the WIDOW,
which are within thy gates, shall come, and SHALL EAT AND BE
SATISFIED; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thin
hand which thou doest" (Deut. 14:29).
That’s how God acknowledged a tithe from Jacob: By partaking of a portion himself
and his family in communion and thanksgiving to God, and by sharing his fortune
with those who were unfortunate, poor, strangers, etc.
[4] Leviticus 27:30-33, "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. And
if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part
thereof. And concerning the TITHE of the HERD, or of the FLOCK, even of
whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenthshall be holy unto the Lord. He
shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it..."
We learn a great deal about tithing in this section of Scripture:
1. The tithe comes from the "land," not the air or the sea. Fishermen
were not required to tithe fish.
2. It was the "seed" or agricultural products from the fields that was holy to God
and tithable.
3. Products from "trees" were to be tithed. This not only included the fruit, but
oils, etc.
4. Of "herds or flocks" it was the "tenth" that passed under the rod that was holy
and dedicated to God.
Here is exposed another lie of modern clergymen. It was not the first tenth, but rather
the tenth tenth that belonged to God, contrary to every minister I have ever heard,
who insists that the first tenth always belongs to God. Unscriptural. Untrue. Read
your bible--it’s the tenth one of a herd that belongs to God.
Another interesting point is this. If a herdsman had but nine cattle, he didn’t tithe his
cattle at all! Also notice that God did not even require thebest of the cattle, just the
tenth one to pass under the rod even if it was the runtiest of them all. Remember, we
are talking about tithing and not sacrificing (animals for sacrifice always had to be
without blemish.)
Did you notice that this summary at the very end of the book of Leviticus does not
mention the tithing of money? Interesting. But just maybe we will find the tithing of
money in some other Scripture?
[5] Numbers 18:24-28, "But the TITHES of the children of Israel, which they offer
as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit:
therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have
no inheritance.
And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Thus speak unto the Levites, and say
unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the TITHES which I have
given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave
offering of it for the Lord, even a TENTH part of the TITHE. And this your heave
offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the
threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. Thus ye also shall offer
an heave offering unto the Lord of all your TITHES, which ye receive of the
children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the Lord’s heave offering to Aaron
the priest."
According to the above Scriptures, could just anyone claim to be a representative of
God and therefore have Israel pay tithes to him? Let’s read it again, "But the
TITHES of the children of Israel ... I have given to the Levites to inherit." Now in
order to be a priest one not only had to be of the tribe of Levi, but he also had to be
of the family of Aaron. In fact, if one could not trace his genealogy back to the family
of Aaron, he could not be a priest of God. This is the whole point of Hebrews seven.
Jesus Christ is a priest for the eons of the rank of Melchizedek because Melchizedek
predated the law which stated that only sons of Aaron could be priests. Therefore
Melchizedek’s genealogy is not given in the Scriptures, and Christ, who according to
the flesh is of the line of Judah, can and will be God’s High Priest in the Kingdom of
God.
A warning to all charlatans and would-be tithe extractors and collectors: There is NO
temple of God being officiated in Jerusalem today. There is NO Levitic priesthood to
officiate at such a temple. There is NO NEED for such a temple or priesthood at this
time. Only Levites could collect tithes at the temple. Therefore, EVERYONE
collecting tithes today is a charlatan and a fake. If one cannot historically trace back
his genealogy generation by generation with no lapses to the family of Aaron, he IS
NOT and CANNOT be a priest authorized of God at this time to collect tithes for the
temple services and sacrifices. (Of course Jesus IS our Sacrifice, and therefore that
whole system funded by the tithes of the law is no longer applicable.)
Yet today we have tithe collecting preachers like James Kennedy and John Hagee,
with whom I am a little familiar, collecting tithe monies by the millions and millions of
dollars annually. Yet by year's end I heard them begging for more multiple millions of
dollars to get them out of all the financial debt they had accumulated during the year.
And then, (so help me, if I’m lying, I’m dying), John Hagee has the unmitigated gall to
offer his followers (excuse me, sell to his followers--three video tapes, $60 US/$87
CAN) entitled The POWER to get WEALTH, by which Mr. Hagee assures us that we
can learn to "STAY OUT OF DEBT"! Can you believe it? Would the word "hypocrite"
be too strong or out of place here?
The whole system changed under the New Covenant. Notice what happened:
1. Jesus said the temple would be utterly destroyed
"And, coming out, Jesus sent from the sanctuary. And His disciples
approached to exhibit to Him the buildings of the sanctuary. Yet He,
answering, said to them, 'Are you not observing all these? Verily, I am
saying to you, Under no circumstances may a stone here be left on a
stone, which shall not be DEMOLISHED.’" (Matt. 24:1-2).
2. Under the New Covenant, God does not dwell in temples made with hands,
"The God Who makes the world and all that is in it, He, the Lord inherent
of heaven and earth, is NOT dwelling in temples made by hands..." (Acts
17:24).
3. The true believers under the New Covenant are now God’s temple,
"For YOU ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD, according as God
said, that I will be making My home and will be walking in them, and I
will be their God, and they shall be My people" (II Cor. 6:16).
See also, (I Cor. 3:15 and I Cor. 1:19).
4. All theologians know that when the temple ceased, the priesthood officiating
at the temple CEASED!
5. Each individual believer under the New Covenant forms a NEW priesthood,
"Yet you are a chosen race, a ‘ROYAL PRIESTHOOD’..." (I Peter 2:9).
How then, under the New Covenant, does a believer give a tenth, when he is
supposed to give his all (Rom. 12:1), to a priesthood that does not exist, but now he
himself is part of a priesthood (I Peter 2:9), at a temple that does not exist (Mat.
24:1-2), but rather he himself is the temple wherein God dwells? No longer do we
have priests with spiritual infirmities interceding for us, but rather we have Christ
Jesus as our perfect intercessor and High Priest seated at the right hand of the
Majesty in the heavens (Heb. 7:28-8:1).
At this time in history, Israel owes no tithe to anyone. And, of course, we Gentiles
(who are a new creation and the true Israel of God--Gal. 6:16) were never instructed
to tithe in the first place. Read all thirteen books of the apostle Paul to the gentiles
and find one verse where he instructed Gentiles to pay one cent of tithe money to
anyone.
[6] Deut. 12:6, 7, 11, 12, 17, 18, "And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings,
and your sacrifices, and your TITHES, and heave offerings of your hand, and
your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of
your flock.
And there, ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that
ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God
hath blessed thee.
Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his
name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt
offerings, and your sacrifices, your TITHES, and the heave offering of your
hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord.
And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, YE, and your SONS and your
DAUGHTERS, and your MENSERVANTS, and your MAIDSERVANTS, and the
LEVITE that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance
with you.
You may not eat within thy gates the TITHE of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy
oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of the flocks, nor any of thy vows which
thou vow, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of your hand: But YOU
MUST EAT THEM before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God
shall choose..."
Let us learn. Who was to partake of all these tithes and good things of the herd and
of the land and of the trees? Everyone (yes, the Levite was also included) was to
rejoice before the Lord. Did anyone see "money" in the list of things they were to
bring before the Lord to rejoice? Was it just the ministers (the Levites) who were the
recipients of these tithes and offerings, or was not everyone to partake of these
things? Rejoicing and eating one’s own tithe before the Lord, was a very personal
and reverent act of worship and communion with God. Not unlike prayer. Others may
share and profit from our prayers, but we offer them to God, not to men.
The following verses deal with a practice initiated by God Himself to accommodate
those traveling long distances to the Festival Sites where they were to eat and
rejoice before the Lord to learn to fear Him. They could sell their tithes of the land for
MONEY, and carry that amount of money rather than the bulky and heavy tithes
themselves, to the Festival Site. There they were to purchase whatever their hearts
desired and to share it with the Levites and the less fortunate. These verses will be
further explained in Part II of this paper
[7] Deut. 14:22-29, "Thou shall truly TITHE all the INCREASE of thy SEED, that
the field brings forth year by year."
"And you shall eat before the lord your God, in the place which He shall
choose to place His name there, the TITHE of thy CORN, of thy WINE, and of
your OIL, and the FIRSTLINGS OF THY HERDS and of thy FLOCKS: that thou
may learn to fear the Lord thy God always.
And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the
place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set His
name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:
Then shall thou turn it into MONEY, and bind up the MONEY in your hand, and
shall go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose:
And thou shall BESTOW THAT MONEY FOR WHATSOEVER YOUR SOUL
LUSTETH AFTER, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for
WHATSOEVER YOUR SOUL DESIRES: and YOU shall eat there before the Lord
thy God, and THOU shall rejoice, THOU, AND THINE HOUSEHOLD.
And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shall not forsake him; for he has
no part, nor inheritance with thee.
At the end of three years thou shall bring forth all the TITHE of thine
INCREASE the same year, and shall lay it up within thy gates:
And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the
STRANGER, and the FATHERLESS, and the WIDOW, which are within thy
gates, shall come, and SHALL EAT AND BE SATISFIED; that the Lord thy God
may bless thee in all the work of your hand which thou doest."
This third year of tithing is mentioned again:
[8] Deut. 26:12, "When thou hast made an end of TITHING all the TITHES of
your INCREASE the third year, which is the year of TITHING, and has given it
unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat
within thy gates, and be filled."
Again we notice that Israel never tithed from their poverty, but on their INCREASE.
Contrary to all the deceiving "Shambachs" in the world, God never intended for
people to tithe on what they didn’t have, but only on the increase of what God gave
them.
For those who don’t know, Mr. Shambach is a character on TBN who told everyone
on international television, via 25 communication satellites and reaching about
50,000 major cities around the world, that God personally told him to tell everyone
that in order for them to get out of debt and be blessed of God, everyone needed to
send Paul Crouch $2000 each, even if they didn’t have the money! He said God
would bless them even if they had to pay the $2000 in smaller monthly increments.
Unbelievable!
TBN's teachings on tithing are totally unscriptural even if Christians were to tithe.
Time and again God told Israel that they were to tithe on their increase from their
abundance, not on their decrease or their lack.
Paul never taught the Gentiles to tithe, but he did teach them to give freely from what
they had, not from what they didn’t have:
"I want to suggest that you finish what you started to do a year ago, for you
were not only the first to propose this idea, but the first to begin doing
something about it. Having started the ball rolling so enthusiastically, you
should carry this project through to completion just as gladly, GIVING
WHATEVER YOU CAN OUT OF WHATEVER YOU HAVE. Let your enthusiastic
idea at the start be equaled by your realistic action now. If you are really
EAGER TO GIVE, then it isn't important HOW MUCH YOU HAVE TO GIVE. God
wants you to give WHAT YOU HAVE, NOT WHAT YOU HAVEN'T" (II Cor. 8:10-
12, The Living Bible).
Oh, let met give you one more prosperity example while I’m at it. Some time ago I
critiqued two sermons by Dr. Kennedy and Dr. Hagee. As I sent for one of Hagee’s
cassette tapes so as to quote him correctly, I got put on his mailing list. In August of
1999 I got a magazine in which he announced a proposed celebration. It appears
that he needed seven or eight million dollars in new video equipment and facilities of
which he still owed 3.5 million on this debt. Anyway, to commemorate this huge debt
and a proposal to get someone else to pay it off for him, he announced "Millennium
Miracle 2000 by 2000"! "What in the world is that?" you ask. Well, since you asked,
I’ll tell you.
To commemorate this huge debt and Mr. Hagee’s plan to get other people to pay it
off for him, he came up with a plan to mint a one ounce sterling silver coin which
would then have printed on one side: "Millennium Miracle 2000 by 2000," and on the
other side: Your Name!
The plan was for 2000 people to send John Hagee $2000 dollars each for the next
few months so that by the year 2000 Mr. Hagee would be DEBT FREE! Why it’s a
"Millennium Miracle"! (Wait a minute, isn’t 2000 people times $2000 each
$4,000,000, not $3.5 million dollars? Oh well, a $500,000 error in John’s favor should
come in handy for something.)
Each contributor of $2000 would then get a coin commemorating his contribution:
"What a precious heirloom that can be passed from one generation to the
next honoring your commitment to the Lord" (Emphasis mine.) WHAT A PRECIOUS
CROCK...! Do you think the word "hypocrite" would be appropriate one more time?
How stupid do they think the American people are? These are full-grown men. Some
of them highly educated people. And yet they shamelessly hawk and huckster their
ridiculous religious doctrines, trinkets, and wares over the air waves, like
PEDDLERS, in the name of God!
Now don’t think I take credit for coming up with that word "peddler." The apostle Paul
told the Corinthians (and now it’s in our Bibles for the whole world to see) that:
"For we are not as the MAJORITY, who are PEDDLING THE WORD GOD..." (II
Cor. 2:17, Concordant Version).
The word translated here "peddling" in the Concordant New Testament comes from
the word "kapeleuo" which the spirit of God inspired to be used in the original Greek
text of this verse of Scripture.
Here is the meaning of the Greek word "kapeleuo" translated "peddler." "To sell at
retail, with the insinuation of improper profit, either by overcharging or adulterating"
(Greek-English Keyword Concordance, page 220).
And notice please that it is not just a few who "peddle" the Word of God, but Paul
says, "...the MAJORITY..." are peddling the word of God! Contrast this insincere
merchandising of the word of God with Paul’s motive:
"For we ARE NOT as the majority, who are peddling the word of God, but as
OF SINCERITY, but as OF GOD, in the sight of God IN CHRIST, are we
speaking."
Just a few chapters later Paul informs us that one day we all will stand before the
judgment seat of Christ and give an account of our lives, (II Cor. 5:10).
This next section in Chronicles tells us the same things we have already learned
concerning what products were to be tithed.
[9] II Chronicles 31:5, 6, 12, "And as soon as the commandment came abroad,
the children of Israel brought in ABUNDANCE the firstfruits of CORN, WINE,
and OIL, and HONEY, and of all the INCREASE of the field; and the TITHE of all
things brought they in abundantly.
And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of
Judah, they also brought in the TITHE of OXEN and SHEEP, and the TITHE of
holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and laid them by
heaps.
And brought in the offerings and the TITHES ..."
This next section of Scriptures deals with a special tithe and offering given to NEW
priests and Levites set up by Hezekiah after cleaning house in the cities of Judah by
destroying the idols and altars to pagan gods.
[10] Nehemiah 10:37-38, "And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough,
and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto
the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God and the TITHES of our
ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the TITHES in all
the cities of our tillage.
And the priest the son of Aaron shall be the Levites, when the Levites take
TITHES: and the Levites shall bring up the TITHE of the TITHES unto the house
of our God, to the chambers into the treasure house."
Again, no mention of money, only agricultural products of the fields, and only the
Levites and priests could have access to these tithes and offerings in the house of
God.
[11] Nehemiah 12:44, "And at that time were some appointed over the chambers
for the treasures, for the offerings, for the fruitfruits, and for the TITHES, to
gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for
the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites
that waited."
Nothing new in this verse that, we have not already discussed.
[12] Nehemiah 13:5, 12 "And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where
aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and
the TITHES of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be
given to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the
priests."
"Then brought all Judah the TITHE of the corn and the new wine and the oil
unto the treasuries."
Same story: ONLY agricultural products, and ONLY to the Levites and priests.
[13] Amos 4:4, "Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply
transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your TITHES after
three years."
[14] Malachi 3:8-10, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say,
Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings…"
This Malachi Prophecy is covered in much greater detail in Part II of this paper, and
so I will give just one more Scripture to help us understand how the priests of
Malachi’s prophecy may have been living so as to bring upon them the
condemnation of God’s judgments:
"And the priest’s custom with the people was, that, when any man offered
sacrifice, the PRIEST’S servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a
flesh hook of three teeth in the hand;
And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the flesh
hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the
Israelites that came thither.
Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man
that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the PRIEST; for he will not have sodden
flesh of thee, but raw.
And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and
then take as much as thy soul desires; then he would answer him, Nay, but
thou shall give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for MEN
ABHORRED the offering of the Lord." (I Sam. 2:13:17).
Don’t these verses sound as if they came right out of the book of Malachi?
[15] Matt. 23:23 and Luke 11:42 are discussed in greater detail in Part II of this
paper.
CONCLUSION
Now I’m going to preach at you for just a few minutes, and then I’ll let you go. Turn to
Gal. 6:14-16:
"Now may it not be mine to be boasting, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, through which the world has beencrucified to me, and I to the world.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything, but a
NEW CREATION. And whoever shall observe the elements by this rule, peace
be on them, and mercy, also on the Israel of God."
What is "...this rule...?"We are no longer doing things according to the flesh.
Circumcision was the single most important ritual for a man in Israel to do. Yet
circumcision is physical (of the letter and of the flesh,) even water baptism is physical
(of the letter and of the flesh,) sacrificing animals is physical (of the letter and of the
flesh), tithing is physical (of the letter and of the flesh,) etc., etc., etc.
"...God, Who also makes us competent dispensers of a NEW covenant, not of
the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter is killing, yet the spirit is
vivifying [giving life]" (II Cor. 3:6).
The physical is but a tiny microcosm of the spiritual macrocosm. Cutting a few
centimeters of skin from a boy’s penis does not make him a spiritual man! But all of
these rituals and ceremonies of the Old Covenant pointed to a future SPIRITUAL
reality. True circumcision is not of the flesh, but of the heart, mind, soul, and spirit—it
virtually has nothing to do with a few centimeters of physical skin.
"For not that which is apparent is the Jew, nor yet that which is apparent in
flesh is circumcision; but that which is hidden IS the Jew, and circumcision is
of the heart, in spirit, not in letter, whose applause is not of men, but of
God"(Rom. 2:29).
Jesus Christ is not interested in the letter, in the physical, in the flesh.
"Now those who are in the flesh are not able to please God" (Rom. 8:.
Even baptism is of the heart. The thief on the cross was not baptized in water, yet
Jesus said he would be with Him when He comes in His kingdom. "...whoever are
baptized into Christ Jesus, are baptized into His DEATH." "His death," not water.
"We, then, were entombed together with Him through baptism into death, that,
even as Christ was roused from among the dead through the glory of the
Father, thus we also should be walking in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4).
It’s all about the SPIRIT--not water, foreskins, and money!
God doesn’t need or want ten percent of anything we have. God wants one hundred
percent. Christ died for ALL OF YOU, and He wants ALL OF YOU, not just a
percentage! God doesn’t want your money; He wants YOU!
You are already bought and paid for in full by Christ Jesus -- don’t try to add your two
cents. We are now to live on a standard far above what we ever knew before Christ
called us to become new creatures in the spirit. This can only be done through the
power of God’s spirit. Our flesh is profiting NOTHING.
"Yet you are not in flesh, but IN SPIRIT, if so be that God’s spirit is making its
home in you" (Rom. 8:9).
One living in the spirit is not all concerned about physical things of the letter and of
the flesh. The apostle Paul wasn’t called to "baptize," "circumcise," or "collect tithes."
The kingdom of God is not food and drink. Paul’s whole ministry was proof of that--
see my paper, "Paul’s Splinter in the Flesh."
If people feel they need to give something to God, something physical, something
they can see and feel good about, then try this:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that ye may prove that is that good and acceptable and perfect, will
of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).
The Apostle Paul said:
"Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give, not
grudgingly, or of NECESSITY: for GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER." (II Cor..
9:7).
I would not give another penny to televangelists who peddle the word of God like
some cheap merchandise for money. And the amount of money they extort from the
public is colossal. What in the world do they do with all that money?
Never have SO MANY… accomplished SO LITTLE … with SO MUCH!
The real missionaries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have not flown first class to
cushy hotels in exotic lands to teach the natives while dressed in their $3000 suits!
The real missionaries were often down in the trenches with few if any luxuries. And
there are still to be found such dedicated dispensers of God’s Word. These are the
ones that are in need of financial support, for sure. These are those who truly are
"worthy of their hire."
HELP THE NEEDY, NOT THE GREEDY
Give to the fatherless, the orphans, the strangers, the widows, the poor, and the
needy, the homeless, and the beggar on the street, as God gives to you, the
wherewithal. Give to reputable charities if you have extra. Give to your family
members and relatives in need—don’t humiliate them by making them ask you first.
Give to a neighbor in financial distress. Even when tipping someone, let it be a
reflection of the One that you are representing in your Christian walk. Our God is a
generous God—may you become generous also. Develop a "love for giving." Paul
tells us in Acts 20:35b to:
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, "IT IS MORE BLESSED TO
GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE."

Part II
Scriptural Proof that Christian Tithing is a Hoax
and
The Malachi Prophecy
I marvel that more people are not totally embarrassed by the way the world of
Christendom exacts money from the poor and peddles the Word of God like so much
merchandise for sordid gain. It is an international disgrace. I will not mince words, so
get ready for some startling revelations.
WHAT WE WILL LEARN
What is the real message of Malachi’s prophecy for believers today?
Did Paul finance his international ministry through the tithing system?
Is there even one example of Christians paying tithes in the Bible?
Why did Jesus not pay tithes or the Temple tax commanded by the Law of Moses?
Will you or anyone be "cursed with a curse" for not tithing?
THE SCRIPTURES KNOW NOTHING OF "CHRISTIAN TITHING"
Jesus Christ’s followers did not pay tithe to Him from farm products or herds; neither
did His followers pay Him ten percent of their salaries from other sources of income.
"Christian tithing" is an oxymoron—it is a contradiction of words. Nay, it is more: it is,
in fact, a Christian hoax! "Christian tithing" is about as Scriptural as "Christian burnt
offerings," "Christian stonings," or "Christian synagogues." The leaders of
Christendom have bamboozled millions (billions) of unsuspecting laity into believing
that "Christian tithing" is a Scriptural command from God Himself, and can easily be
found and supported in the pages of Divine Scripture. Oh really?
Of the 613 laws contained in the first five books of the Bible written by Moses, why is
it that aside from the ten commandments, "tithing" is virtually the only other law that
the modern Church tries to retain? They retain it in name only, however, since there
is nothing similar between Moses "law of tithing" and "Christian tithing" except the
aspect of ten percent. Christian tithing is an extra-biblical concept and doctrine—
aside from the ten percent it has nothing in common with the tithing law of Moses,
and was never practiced by the New Testament Church.
Not only is Christian tithing taught to be needful, it is taught as if it were a divine,
binding LAW. But there is no such thing as a "Christian tithing law" in the New
Testament Scriptures. It is a heresy, used by the Church, independent cults, and
charlatans of every description, as a club to beat and threaten parishioners into
surrendering ten percent of their salaries in obedience to this phantom law. All are
forewarned that failure to pay this 10% Church tax will cause them to be "cursed
with a CURSE!" There is indeed "a curse," but it is not God Who pronounces it.
NO TITHING IN THE CHURCH OF THE APOSTLES
We have Scriptural proof that no such law or custom as Christian tithing was taught
or practiced in the Church by the early apostles. Their epistles are totally devoid of
any such tithing custom or law. Gentile converts were never taught to tithe to
anyone. Although the temple and priesthood in Jerusalem remained until 70 AD, not
even Jewish converts were taught to give their tithes to the Apostles rather than to
the temple priests.
In the Acts 15 Jerusalem Conference we find outlined what the apostles all agreed
was necessary for the newly converted Gentiles to practice, and by inspiration of the
Holy Spirit of God, tithing is conspicuously missing. Some believing
Pharisees wanted the apostles to teach the Gentiles to keep the Law of Moses
(which certainly contained the law of tithing, Acts 15:5), but the apostles headed by
Peter, James, and Paul would not hear of it (Acts 15:28-29)! Yet, what is one of the
very first legislated duties taught to Gentile converts by the Church today? It is that
they must tithe their annual salaries to the Church. Where did this unscriptural law of
Christian tithing come from?
Notice this telling bit of history from the Encyclopedia Britannica, "Tithes in
Christendom—The earliest authentic example of anything like a law of the State
enforcing payment appears to occur in the capitularies [ecclesiasticals] of
Charlemagne at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century. Tithes were by that
enactment to be applied to the maintenance of the bishop, clergy, the poor, and
the fabric of the church. In the course of time the principle of payment of tithes was
extended FAR BEYOND its original intention. Thus they became transferable to
laymen and saleable like ordinary property, in spite of the injunctions of the third
Lateran Council; and they became payable OUT OF SOURCES OF INCOME [not
just farming and herding, but other trades and occupations and salaries paid in the
form of money] NOT ORIGINALLY TITHABLE." (1963, volume 22, page 253,
‘TITHES’).
The Catholic Church knows its own history. Here is how tithing got back into the
Church after being absent for nearly five centuries:
"As the Church expanded and various institutions arose, it became necessary to
make laws which would insure the proper and permanent support of the clergy. The
payment of tithes was adopted from the Old Law... The earliest positive legislation on
the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in
567 and the [canons] of the Council of Macon in 585."—The Catholic Encyclopedia.
They "extended" their base of tithe collecting to eventually include all forms of
income. All Christian scholars know that although money was in wide use in ancient
Israel, it was never a titheable commodity. But modern Christian pastors of God’s
sheep don’t want tithes of goats or oil or corn—they want money—cold hard cash.
God has a word to the "shepherds of the sheep," and it is the very same message
that He had for the Levites in the book of Malachi. And it is this:
"My people have been lost sheep [Why? How did they get that
way?] their SHEPHERDS have caused them to go astray"(Jer. 50:6).
Was Israel consciously aware of the fact that they were being led astray by their
spiritual leaders? Not most, and neither is the world of Christendom today aware that
they are being lead astray by their spiritual leaders.
THE MYSTERY OF MALACHI REVEALED
It is the book of Malachi that today’s clergy uses as their main authority for
promulgating the doctrine of "Christian tithing." Christian tithing means that everyone
must give 10% of their gross income (which is in the form of MONEY, 99%+ of the
time), or they will be "cursed with a curse." It will be well worth your time to read
the real meaning of Malachi’s prophecy.
Mostly one will hear only three verses of Malachi quoted by those attempting to
wrest a doctrine of Christian tithing from this prophecy.
Here are the "cursing" verses:
"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we
robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have
robbed Me, even this whole nation" (Malachi 3:8-9).
Here is the "blessing" verse:
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat [bread] in
Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, says 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).
Their interpretation of these proof texts are as follows: Rob God of His ten percent of
your salary and be CURSED, or pay God ten percent of your salary and be
BLESSED.
Before we go any further, just who is cursing whom in this Malachi prophecy? Does
God, indeed, say, "You are CURSED with a curse" (Mal. 3:9)? This definitely
sounds as if it is GOD Who is doing the cursing, doesn’t it? But say, did you notice
that the word "are" in your Bible is initalics? That means that the word was supplied
by the translators and was not in the original manuscripts. Remove it, and the verse
says: "Youcursed…" rather than "You are cursed…"
Is it God, or Israel, who is doing the cursing in this verse?
The Sopherim (Jewish Scribes) understood this verse to say that it was Israel
"cursing God" rather than "God cursing Israel." I have a few translations that make
this correction:
"With the curse YOU are cursing [me], and me YOU are robbing—the nation in
its entirety."
And:
"With a curse you curse Me, and Me you are defrauding—the nation, all of
it" (Mal. 3:9, Concordant Version of The Old Testament).
We must always keep in mind that when the Bible says "tithes" it means products
from the land—as grains and cattle. But when the Priests of Christendom say
"tithes," it always means money. Because the clergy prefers to be paid in money, it
therefore, became necessary to change the Biblical use of the word "tithes" to now
include money. And if "money" can now be shown to be a tithable commodity, guess
what? Abracadabra, hocus-pocus, open sesame—every believer, of every
occupation in the whole world (not just the farmers as in the Law of Moses), now is
required to pay ten percent of his income to the Church. They increased their base of
productivity a hundred fold.
What then is the 21st Century application of this Malachi Prophecy? Are we now to
tithe money? Let’s read Malachi 3:10 very carefully:
1. WHAT were they robbing God of? "tithes AND offerings." Tithes of what?
Products from the land—grains and cattle.
2. WHERE were they to bring the tithes? To
the "storehouse" [Hebrew: ‘garner’-- a granary for grain].
3. WHY did God want these tithes of the land brought to the "storehouse" (the
granary)? "That there may be meat [bread] in Mine house[God’s house, Not
the granary]."
If there is no spiritual application of these statements and we rather take them
literally, there appears to be a contradiction here. Why should the people bring the
tithes to the "storehouse" (a granary for storing grain) when what God wanted
was "bread in His house," (the tabernacle/Temple, and not the "storehouse"? The
only food in God’s house—the tabernacle, was a dozen loaves of bread. And that
bread was for the Priests only, not for the tribe of Levi. Since there were only twelve
loaves of bread in the Tabernacle/Temple of God, are we to believe that the whole
nation of Israel did not bring enough grain to the storehouse to make even twelve
loaves of bread?
God does not contradict Himself, there needs to be something other than a need for
enough grain from the whole nation of Israel to make twelve loaves of bread! Just
what does God mean, "that there may be meat [bread] in Mine house?" Is God
really reprimanding Christians of the 21st Century through Malachi’s prophecy to
bring our checkbooks to church, "that there may be money in Mine house?" Yet
this is the teaching of the Church regarding Malachi’s message. What is the Truth?
Does God ask Israel to bring all the tithes and offerings into the storehouse, or
treasury, or granary, so that there will be "tithes and offerings in Mine house?" No.
God says so, "that there may be meat in Mine house?" We know that they did not
bring the tithes and offerings into the holy place of the tabernacle. Only bread was
kept in the holy place. The "bread" in the holy place was a type of something future,
just as everything that happened to Israel and all of their offerings and ceremonies
were a type of something future (I Cor. 10:11). He must indeed be spiritual blind who
cannot see that the "bread" in the holy place foreshadows "The True Bread of
Life—Jesus Christ."
If God wanted more money in His house, why did Jesus do what He did in the House
of God?
"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and
bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the MONEY changers… and
said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but
ye have made it a den of thieves" (Matt. 21:12-13).
THE CHRISTIAN INTERPRETATION OF BRINGING IN THE TITHE
The Christian interpretation of Malachi 3:10 is this: "Bring ye all the tithe MONEY and
extra offerings of money to the church bank, that there may be money in the
Church." Granted, they might not enunciate it that crudely, but that is what they
teach. Ask virtually any pastor of any church, "How do I, starting today, actually obey
this prophecy of Malachi to stop "robbing God of His tithes and offerings?" and
he will tell you to write out a check in the name of his church, for 10% of your salary
(plus an offering), and that check will then be deposited into the church bank
account.
Then ask these same pastors what kind of blessings you will receive for obeying this
procedure, and they will probably tell you stories where people received huge
amounts of material goods and even huge amounts of more money. This is their
interpretation of God "opening the windows of heaven and pouring
out a blessing." And there are ministers by the tens of thousands at this very
moment preparing more stories and more yarns on how blessed one will become in
every imaginable physical, earthly, and material things for giving them (they would
say, giving God) your money.
Is this really how God wants us of the 21st Century to apply Malachi’s prophecy to
our lives? I speak as a fool.
This prophecy has absolutely nothing to do with tithing money to the Church.
Does God suggest somewhere in this prophecy that there isn’t enough "money in His
house?" Is Jesus Christ coming back to this earth to judge these "priests" because
the "people" failed to bring enough money to the storehouse so that there would be
money in God’s house? Is it a lack of money that concerns God in this prophecy?
No, it is both the people and the priests who have corrupted themselves according to
this prophecy. But like always, God holds the priests to a much higher standard and
therefore they receive the greater condemnation. There are two groups of judgments
in this prophecy:
[1] "Behold I will send My Messenger… But who may abide the day of His
coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire,
and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He
shall PURIFY the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they
may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness" (Mal. 3:1-3).
[2] "And I will come near to you to judgment [not just the priests, but many of the
people as well]; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against
the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the
hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the
stranger from his right, and fear not Me, says the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 3:5).
It is amazing how the clergy make most people think that the only thing of value in
the book of Malachi are these three verses on "robbing God" and "receiving a
blessing." There are four whole chapters in this book, and maybe it should behoove
us to see what the rest of this book has to say. Here are just a few more things
contained in Malachi:
"You offer polluted bread upon My altar… if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it
not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil…" (1:7-.
"And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you… I will curse your
blessings… Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your
face…" (2:1-3).
"But you have departed out of the way… ye have corrupted the covenant of
Levi… therefore I have also made you contemptible and base before all the
people…" (2:8-9).
"Behold, I will send my Messenger… But who may abide the day of His
coming… He is like a refiner’s fire [like the lake of fire] …And He shall sit as a
refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi… that they
may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness" (3:13—See Isa. 6:29).
"Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another: and the Lord
hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him
for them… And they shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in that day when I
made up my jewels; and I will spare them… Then shall ye return, and discern
between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him
that serves Him not [‘Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world?’ I
Cor. 6:2)]"(3:16-18).
"And He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the
children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" (4:6)
MALACHI AND THE BREAD OF LIFE
Malachi contains a prophecy and information "for OUR admonition upon whom
the ends of the world are come" (I Cor. 10:11). There is no tabernacle/temple
administered by the priests of Levi today, nor has there been for two thousand years.
Malachi is not speaking to Christians about tithing money to the church. The literal
physical circumstances extant in the Church in Malachi’s day is but a type, a
shadow, of a spiritual reality for our day and for all those called since the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was from the tithes that the Priests of Levi selected
the "sacrifices." There lies the problem for ancient Israel and the problem for the
Church today.
Let me explain the problem with Israel and her priests in a nutshell:
God says: "I have LOVED you…"
Israel asks: "wherein have you loved us?" (Mal. 1:2).
God said: "If then I be a Father, where is mine honour? My fear? O priests, that
despise My name."
The priests ask: "Wherein have we despised Thy name? (1:6).
God says: "Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine alter…"
The priests ask: "Wherein have we polluted Thee?" (1:7).
God says: "And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? ,..the sick and
the lame… is it not evil?" (1:.
God says: "I have no pleasure in you… NEITHER WILL I ACCEPT AN
OFFERING AT YOUR HAND" (1:10).
Let’s stop here a minute and consider what we have read. The
Priests despise God’s name, and their sacrifices are blind, sick and lame. And so
God says He will not even accept their offering. So really, the people were tithing.
But the quality of their tithes (from which they selected the sacrifices) was of an
unacceptable quality. But was it this poor quality of sacrifices that really angered
God? Not really. The sick and lame sacrifices were but a symptom of a much larger
problem. God used their polluted sacrifices only as a physical, visual illustration to
show them their sins and polluted hearts. For much of the remainder of this book,
God unfolds to them their many sins and weaknesses.
God says: "Ye are gone away from Mine ordinance, and have not kept them.
Return unto Me, and I will return unto you…"(3:7).
The priests ask: "Wherein shall we return?" (3:7).
God says: "In tithes and offering" (3:.
God uses "tithes and offerings" to illustrate their attitude of mind and heart behind
their giving. Tithes and offerings were all that God asked of the people to give Him.
Everything else they could keep for themselves. But how much did they love God?
How much did they appreciate God and all His goodness to them? What was their
attitude of heart and mind toward God? Their "tithes and offerings" say it all: "You
offerPOLLUTED BREAD UPON MINE ALTAR" (1:7).
All that was included in their "tithes and offerings"—firstfruits, tithes of the land, tithes
of the herds, and altar offerings of every sort, were to God:"polluted bread upon
Mine altar." They gave offerings (they WERE TITHING,) but they were totally
unacceptable. "…NEITHER will I accept an offering at your hand" (1:10).
THE TYPE AND SHADOW IS FAR INFERIOR TO THE REALITY
Malachi was a "prophet." Moses was also a prophet, "And there arose not a
prophet since in Israel like unto Moses" (Deut. 34:10). And Jesus Christ did not
come to destroy the "prophets," but rather to "fulfill [the prophets]" (Matt. 5:17).
Under the Prophet Moses, God fed the nation of Israel bread in the wilderness.
"Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave
them bread from heaven to eat" (John 6:31).
Under the Prophet Malachi God said they should bring the tithes into the storehouse
so that there would be
"…meat in My house, and prove me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I
will not open you the windows of HEAVEN, and pour you out A [keep in mind
that this blessing is singular—a blessing] blessing that there shall not be room
enough to receive IT [again, singular]" (Mal. 3:10).
This may well be one of the most misunderstood and wrongly preached verses in the
Bible.
The word "meat" in this verse comes from a Hebrew word taraph, and means "to
pluck off or pull to pieces; to supply with food (as in morsels)" (Strong’s Hebrew
Dictionary, p. 105, #2963).
From this pulling to pieces, plucking off, and morsels, comes the phrase "breaking
bread." There undoubtedly was, more grain in the storehouse (to bake bread,) than
any other food commodity. Now then, listen and learn what I have to show you next,
and you will know and understand more about the Old Testament Prophets than do
most theologians. What did Jesus have to say to the Jews about the "bread from
heaven" which they said their fathers ate in the desert?
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, [truly, truly], I say unto you, Moses
gave you NOT THAT BREAD FROM HEAVEN; but My Father gives you
the TRUE BREAD from heaven. For the bread of God is HE which comes down
from heaven and gives life unto the world" (John 6:32-33)!
What? How can Jesus say that?
The Jews said that their fathers ate "bread from heaven."
Moses said that, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat."
But Jesus said, "Moses gave you NOT that bread from heaven; but My Father
gives you the TRUE bread from heaven.
Is Jesus contradicting the very Word of God? No, a thousand times No: He is
fulfilling the words of the prophets just as He said in Matt. 5:17.
The bread in the desert was only the type of bread from heaven, which in reality, and
in fulfillment, pointed to Jesus Christ, the "TRUE bread from heaven." The same is
true for Malachi. The "polluted bread" of Malachi is but the type of the unpolluted,
pure, "TRUE bread from heaven,’ which is Jesus Christ. But to receive
this "blessing from heaven," we must bring all our tithes, all that we have to offer
God, into the storehouse so that there will be "meat [unpolluted bread] in Mine
house."
Now then, does God want unpolluted animals? No. Does God want unpolluted
produce from the land? No. Does God want unpolluted money? No. Well what kind
of sacrifice does He want then? God wants you! All of you! You, yourself, are the
sacrifice that God wants.
"I beseech [invitation, invocation, imploration, exhortation] you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy [not
polluted], acceptable [not like in Malachi where God says, ‘neither will I accept an
offering at your hand’], unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Rom.
12:1).
As it is our ‘bodies’ that house our mind, heart, and spirit, we will also cover those
attributes which are necessary in order for our "living sacrifice" to be acceptable unto
the Lord.
Seriously, dear readers, of what value are physical material offerings to God if the
ones making the offerings are themselves, "polluted bread?" Does God really
desire physical things? God has already created BILLIONS OF GALAXIES full of
"physical things." Billions of galaxies do not fulfill God’s desire for the love,
obedience, and admiration of children. God wants children. God wants children—
Sons and Daughters in His Own image. But God will not accept children whose
character is likened to "polluted bread."
We will cover the quality traits of spiritual character that God desires of all His
sacrifices.
FIRST THE PHYSICAL AND THEN THE SPIRITUAL
"Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural;
and afterward that which is SPIRITUAL" (I Cor. 15:46).
Now then, was that bread that the fathers ate in the desert the "TRUE bread from
heaven?" No, it clearly was not, Jesus said it was not! And so, can we not see, can
we not believe, can we not understand, that Jesus Christ IS
"…the TRUE bread from heaven. For the bread of God IS HE which comes
down FROM HEAVEN and gives life unto the world" (John 6:32b-33).
Hold this thought ……
And now back to Malachi again:
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be
meat [bread] in Mine house, and prove me now herewith, says 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).
This is vital to understand: God does not berate the people or the priests for the lack
of quantity in their tithes and offerings and sacrifices, but rather a lack of quality.
Here is absolute Scriptural proof of what I say. They brought offerings, but why
would God not accept their offerings? Because they offered "blind, lame and sick
sacrifices." And why did they do that? Because they themselves were spiritually
blind, lame and sick. There was quantity to their offerings, but not quality.
"And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame
and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto your governor; will he be pleased with
you, or accept your person? Says the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 1:.
FINE FLOUR AND PURE FRANKINCENSE VS. POLLUTED BREAD
And how is it that God views these evil sacrifices:
"Ye [all of you] offer polluted bread upon mine altar…" (Ver. 7).
There is the whole ball of wax! And so it is in today’s Church. The problem is not a
lack of money, but offering polluted bread upon the altar of God. God wants "Pure
and Fine Bread":
"And you shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes… And you shall
put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread… And it
shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; [the priests] and they shall eat it in the holy
place…" (Lev. 24:5-9).
Remember: first is the natural, the physical, and then comes the spiritual.
And so the children of Israel ate the "bread from heaven" in the wilderness. There
was sufficient quantity, but it lacked quality. It did not possess the quality of True
LIFE—they all DIED in the desert except for Caleb and Joshua in that generation.
The spiritual fulfillment of this type of physical bread in the desert is that Jesus Christ
is "The True Bread of LIFE." Likewise, the quantity of bread being offering by the
priests on the altar of God was not the problem, but rather the quality of those
offerings.
The spiritual bread (the spiritual food for the people) being offering in the Church
today is not lacking in quantity, but rather quality. There is "bread," yes, but it
is "polluted bread." The opposite of "polluted" is "pure." God’s religion is PURE:
"PURE religion and UNDEFILED before God and the Facher is this, To visit the
fatherless and widows IN THEIR AFFLICTION, and to keep himself
UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD" (James 1:27).
This verse does not say: "Take ten percent of the Social Security checks and welfare
checks of the "fatherless and widows IN THEIR AFFLICTION," and then take that
money and spend it for all the "spotted materialism of this world." Yet that is
exactly what all too many of today’s priests and ministers are doing. And
furthermore, they shamelessly boast about their material possessions! They "love
the world and the things that are in the world." And, therefore, is it little wonder
that, "the love of the Father is not in them" (I John 2:15)? Neither do they have
a "love of the Truth" (II Thes. 2:10).
God used a physical, outward, visible, type of sick, lame, and blind sacrifices, which
He then calls polluted bread to show Israel and their priests what He was really
angry with, namely, their "polluted" hearts, minds, and spirits! Malachi’s prophecy is
about the sin WITHIN, not sacrifices WITHOUT!
THE ENDTIME CHURCH AS PETER SAW IT
Peter describes the church in the latter days:
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily[secretly] shall bring in
damnable [destructive, fatal, disastrous, ruinous] heresies, even denying the Lord
that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And MANY
shall follow their pernicious [lascivious, licentious, wanton] ways; by reason of
whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. And through
covetousness [greed, lust] shall they with feigned words MAKE MERCHANDISE
OF YOU" (II Pet. 2:1-3). Other renderings:
"Motivated by greed, they will exploit you with their counterfeit
arguments" (Berkely Version).
"…in their lust they will exploit you with cunning arguments" (Moffatt
Translation).
"In their greed for MONEY they will trade on your credulity with sheer
fabrications"`(The New English Bible).
ALL PHYSICAL TYPES FORESHADOW SPIRITUAL REALITIES
Everything that happened in the Old Testament was a TYPE of future, spiritual
things.
"Now ALL these things happened unto THEM for examples: and they were
written for OUR admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come" (I
Cor. 10:11).
And Malachi is no different. The people of Israel tithed sick, lame, and diseased
animals to Levi. The Priests took those evil beasts and offered them as sacrifices to
God. The reason that the people and the priests offered sick (polluted) sacrifices is
because they themselves were sick and polluted with sins. Isaiah describes them
well:
"Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children
that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy
One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be
stricken any more? Ye will revolt more and more, THE WHOLE HEAD IS SICK
and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head
THERE IS NO SOUNDNESS IN IT…" (Isa. 1:4-5).
Much of what the clergy disseminates from the pulpit as "wholesome spiritual food,"
God calls "polluted bread." And just WHY do they offered polluted bread?
Because:
"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of
the ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART, the MOUTH SPEAKS" (Matt. 12:34).
There it is! There is the message of Malachi! That is why Israel brought sick and
blind sacrifices and that is why the priests did not correct them, but went ahead and
offered them to God. Both the people and the priests were polluted in their hearts,
and it is of the abundance of the heart that determines men’s actions.
Today’s "polluted bread" is served up in such doctrines as exact ten per cent of the
parishioner’s salaries in the form of a church tax calledtithing. And the threat of
eternal torture in fire if one does not follow the dictates of a specific denomination or
religious teaching that is deemed necessary to avoid this eternal hellhole of
terrorism.
The type and shadow of Jesus Christ, the True Bread of life, was the physical bread
that Israel ate in the desert. The desert doesn’t produce enough food to sustain an
army of people—it had to be supernaturally supplied by God. The desert and
wilderness of our carnal nature does not produce enough spiritual food to sustain us
either. Only the True Bread of LIFE from Heaven in the person of Jesus
Christ can supply our spiritual needs. We must eat this spiritual bread in order to
have spiritual life.
The sacrifices spoken of in Malachi were not suitable for God’s house. They offered
"POLLUTED BREAD" and we saw some of the many sins that constituted this
polluted bread. Here are the only sacrifices that are fit for God’s storehouse:
"The sacrifices of God are A BROKEN SPIRIT: a broken a CONTRITE
HEART…" (Psalm 51:17).
And in Psalm 34:18 David reverses the order:
"The lord is nigh unto them that are of a BROKEN HEART; and saves such as
be of a CONTRITE SPIRIT."
It is all about attitude: REPENT, HUMBLE YOURSELF, and OBEY! Then follows
the Blessing:
People always want to do physical things to prove their spirituality. But God doesn’t
want your physical things. God wants a broken heart and a contrite spirit and a
willingness to OBEY:
"Behold, to OBEY is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of
rams" (I Sam. 15:22).
The sacrifices of a broken heart, a contrite spirit, and a willingness to always obey
are always acceptable to God.

BRINGING GOD YOUR SPIRITUAL TITHES
WILL REAP A SPIRITUAL BLESSING
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat [bread—
pure and fine bread—not polluted bread of a carnal mind filled with evil deeds and
doctrines], and prove Me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open
you the windows of HEAVEN [‘For the bread of God is He which come down
from heaven… For I came down from heaven… I am the bread which came
down from heaven… John 6:33, 38, 41] and pour you out a blessing [Jesus
Christ, The Bread of Life is this blessing], that there shall not be room [‘Now unto
Him that is able to do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY {Gk:SUPEREXCESSIVELY—
superabundantly, superexceedingly, superaboundingly} ABOVE ALL THAT WE
ASK OR THINK’Eph. 3:20] to receive it" (Mal. 3:10).
God is saying to us: "Give Me your pure bread offerings of a "broken heart, contrite
spirit, and attitude of obedience," and I will give you,"The TRUE
BREAD OF LIFE from HEAVEN."
Now there, dear reader, is a blessing beyond our ability to make "room to receive
it." Jesus Christ is the True Bread in God’s house. Jesus Christ is the personification
of LOVE, LIGHT AND LIFE. Jesus is the ultimate, the apex, the primer, the zenith,
the HIGHEST OF EVERYTHING! Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life, The Hope of
Glory, The Saviour of the World—all that we and the entirety of the universe will
ever need for all eternity is found in Him! But God demands purity. All the polluted
bread has got to go:
"Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the SONS OF GOD: therefore the world knows us not,
because it knew Him not.
Beloved, now are we the SONS of God, and it does not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we
shall see Him as He is.
And every man that has this hope in him PURIFIES HIMSELF, even as
He [Jesus] IS PURE" (I John 3:1-3).
And the priests of Christendom would have us believe that God’s message through
Malachi is a quest for MORE MONEY! Unbelievable!
THE LESSON OF MALACHI FOR THE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST
Obedience to the Law of Moses, the Sacrifices and the many Ordinances was to
bring physical prosperity, safety from enemies, healthy children, and a long life in the
land, followed by DEATH. Malachi brings us from obedience to physical laws in the
land, all the way down to the return of Messiah in fiery judgment upon mankind. God
never really did want animal sacrifices, but the sacrifices of a "broken and contrite
heart and spirit."
God tells us through Malachi that we should bring all our tithes (spiritual tithes and
offerings) to Him and He will bless us with a blessing that cannot be contained.
The physical tithes that were brought to the storehouse from which portions were
sacrificed to God, brought temporary, physical blessings on Earth. For all those who
will bring all their spiritual tithes and offering to God’s house, God promises One
permanent, SPIRITUAL Blessing from heaven. Jesus Christ is that One and
only True Bread of never-ending life.
WE OBEY A SPIRITUAL LAW AND OUR SACRIFICES ARE SPIRITUAL
As Christians are not under the Law of Moses in this New Testament dispensation,
accordingly, the end-time fulfillment of Malachi does not pertain to the Law of Moses,
which is the oldness of the letter rather the newness of the spirit. Just as there is no
more sacrificing of animals at the Temple, likewise there is no tithing of animals at
the Temple—nor is there tithing of any kind. Christians are not under the Law of
Moses, nor a twisted, modified version of it.
"For the law of the SPIRIT of LIFE in Christ Jesus [this is not the Law of
Moses] has made me FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH" (Rom. 8:2).
The law of the letter "engraven in stone tablets" assuredly was a "dispensation
of death and condemnation" (II Cor. 3:4-11). Here are but a few more sacrifices of
the spirit which are always acceptable in God’s presence:
"…therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of JOY…" (Ps. 26:6).
"Offer the sacrifices of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and put your trust in the Lord" (Ps.
4:5).
"And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of THANKSGIVING, and declare His
works with REJOICING" (Ps. 107:22).
Yes, these are the sacrifices, these are the offerings, these are the tithes of a broken
heart and a contrite spirit.
O what a clever piece of legislation the Church enacted when they changed a law
regarding the tithing of farm products for the Levites only to a law that exacts ten per
cent of EVERYTHING FROM EVERYBODY.
LOVE NOT THE WORLD NEITHER THE THINGS IN THE WORLD
Instead of following the Apostle Paul’s example of humility and service, all too many
priests of Christendom have become the very personification of materialistic
exhibitionism.
Once content with a good quality $200 watch, now they need a $2000 Rolex. Once
happy with $300 suits, now they need $3000 suits. Once content with a brand new
$30,000 car every year, now they need an $80,000 top-of-the-line luxury car. Once
happy with a beautiful and roomy $150,000 home, now they need a $1,500,000
mansion on the hill. Once happy that the $500,000 mortgage on their church building
got paid, now they need a $5,000,000 cathedral with gold-gilded everything. Once
happy to fly first class everywhere they traveled, now they need their own private
$10,000,000 executive jet. Just look at how many men of the cloth are building their
own kingdoms on earth. And it seems like the next generation coming behind them
have even greater appetites.
Granted, there are tens of thousands who do not believe it possible to aspire to such
dizzying heights of materialism and are content to have sizably smaller kingdoms,
but it is still the same foul spirit of lust, power, and worldly materialism at work in
many of their lives. Teaching God’s people that it is God’s law that they must tithe
ten percent of their salaries to the Church or God will curse them is not only
unscriptural, it is a SIN!
Have you ever heard one of these prosperity ministers give a powerful sermon on I
John 2:15:
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world."
MONEY AND THE BELIEVER
There is not one example of anyone tithing MONEY to anyone in the entirety of the
Bible! The only reference to "money" with regards to tithing has absolutely nothing to
do with paying tithes ON money. It is found in Deut. 14:24-26, which we shall now
read in its entirety:
"And if the way be too long for thee [to the place where God placed His name to
be worshipped, especially during the fall feast harvest of tabernacles] so that you
are not able to carry it [the tithe of their farm produce] or if the place be too far
from you, which the Lord your God shall choose to set His name there, when
the Lord your God has blessed you: Then shall you turn it [the tithe of their farm
produce] into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall go unto
the place which the Lord your God shall choose: And you shall bestow
that money [to the preachers? to the church? NO…] …for whatsoever thy soul
lusts after [Heb: ‘for whatsoever your heart desires’], for oxen, or for sheep, or
for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever your soul desires:
and you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you,
and your household."
Farm products could be sold and turned into money when long travel was necessary.
But at the destination where God placed His name, the money was spent on food for
the Levite, stranger, fatherless, poor, etc. It was not presented to the Levites as a
monetary gift.
Here is an easy to understand Scripture explaining what the purpose of the tithe
was:
"And the Levite, (because he has no part nor inheritance with you), and the
stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within your gates, shall
come, and shall EAT [food from the land] and be satisfied; that the Lord your
God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do" (Deut. 14:29).
The Church would prefer you not know the following:
· The tradesmen who made the baskets for harvesting, did not tithe.
· The cobblers, who made the shoes for the servants of the field, did not tithe.
· The carpenters, who made the wagons used for harvesting the fields, did not
tithe.
· The potters, who made the jugs for carrying water to the servants in the fields,
did not tithe.
· The women, who made the garments for the field-workers, did not tithe.
· And certainly, the servants who worked in the fields for wages, did not tithe.
Here are the simple facts regarding the Biblical teaching of tithing:
ONLY LANDOWNERS TITHED
ONLY PRODUCTS OF THE LAND WERE TITHED
ONLY LEVITES COULD RECEIVE THE TITHES
TITHING WAS A LAW OF MOSES
CHRISTIANS ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES!
Does anyone have a Scripture that contradicts what I have just said?
By the way, Jesus Christ was a carpenter by trade, and as such, JESUS DID NOT
TITHE!
JESUS CAME TO FULFILL THE LAW, NOT TO RELIVE THE LAW
Christians believe that Jesus came to FULFILL the Law of Moses by RELIVING the
law of Moses in His own personal life. He assuredly did not. This is an entire study of
itself; however, I want to prove to you from the Scriptures that Jesus did not concern
Himself with Tithes and Taxes, and restrictions of the Law of Moses.
THE TEMPLE TAX
Not only did Jesus not tithe, because He was a carpenter and carpenters were not
obligated to tithe, but neither did He pay the Temple tax, which was commanded by
the Law of Moses for all men in Israel to pay annually. Of the 613 laws of Moses, this
is Law # 404:
"This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are numbered,
half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs): an
half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord.
Every one that passes among them that are numbered, from twenty years old
and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord.
The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a
shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an atonement for
your souls.
And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel and shall
appoint it for the service of the tabernacle [in Jesus’ time, to the Temple] of the
congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the
Lord, to make an atonement for your souls" (Exodus 30:13-16).
Jesus Christ did not pay this yearly tax to the Temple, for the same reason that
Jesus did not keep the Sabbath day commandment. Jesus Christ is Lord of the
Sabbath, (Matt. 12:. And likewise, Jesus is not only Lord of the Temple, Jesus is
the Temple,
(John 2:19). And, furthermore, Jesus was the Lord to Whom Israel gave the half
shekel as an offering. Jesus does not need an atonement for His soul; Jesus Christ
is the Atonement, (Rom. 5:9-11).
Notice this remarkable story of the only time the temple tax came up in the ministry
of Jesus. Most Christians will never hear an explanation of these verses as long as
they live! These verses are highly incriminating to those who teach the tithing of
money to the Church:
"And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money
came to Peter, and said, Does not your master pay tribute [Greek: ‘pay the
double drachma’ which was the exact amount of the annual Temple tax]?
He says, Yes [Peter was embarrassed and apparently not honest with his
answer]. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him [Greek:
‘prophthano,’—‘to get an earlier start of,’ ‘forestalls’ or ‘anticipated him’], saying,
What do you think, Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or
tribute [taxes]? Of their own children [sons] or of strangers?
Peter said unto Him, of strangers. Jesus said unto him, THEN ARE THE
CHILDREN FREE.
Notwithstanding, LEST WE SHOULD OFFEND THEM, go thou to the sea, and
cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up; and when you have
opened his mouth, thou shall find a piece of money [Gk: ‘statar’ –the exact
temple tax for two]: that take and give unto them for Me and thee" (Matt. 17:24-
27).
What an amazing story! What a telling teaching truth from Scriptures we have here!
No wonder most Christians have never heard this Scripture explained in Church.
The reason Peter said "yes" to the tribute collector is because it was embarrassing to
Him to say, "NO, my master does NOT pay temple tax." It was such a small amount
of money (less than a dollar.) But now Peter has to go into the house and give Jesus
an appraisal of what just happened. Jesus, being merciful to Peter, does not
reprimand him for not being honest with the tribute collector, but rather, cuts him off
[forestalls him] before he can speak and saves Peter the embarrassment.
The point is this: Jesus did not pay temple tax because Jesus is the King of the
kingdom. And if the children are free, certainly the King Himself is free.
Might I add that, neither did Jesus stone or condone others to stone, the woman
caught in the very act of adultery even though the Law of Moses demanded it:
"And the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he that
commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer AND THE
ADULTERESS SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH" (Lev. 20:10).
Now then, did Jesus come to "fulfill" this Law of Moses by living, teaching and
carrying out that law? He surely did not. He rather said, "He that is without sin
among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (John 8:7). If we are to believe
that "fulfilling the law" of Moses can only be accomplished by living, teaching and
enforcing the law of Moses, then something is wrong with that theory because Jesus
obviously did NOT carry out many commands of the law of Moses in His own life!
The theologians have debased the New Covenant as being nothing more than
the Old Covenant, with a few added twists. Jesus "fulfilled the law" not by adding
a few spiritual twists to it, but by keeping a MUCH HIGHER SPIRITUAL LAW that
actually contradicted much of the letter of Moses’ Law.
One doesn’t need a physical law of the letter chiseled in stone, to "keep the
sabbath" when he has entered into "God’s SPIRITUAL REST" in his heart.
One doesn’t need a physical law of the letter to "swear by His name" when in his
heart his desire is to "swear NOT at all."
One doesn’t need a physical law chiseled in stone telling him "thou shalt not
commit adultery" when in his heart he no longer"even looks on a woman to lust
after her."
One doesn’t need a physical law telling him to "HATE his enemies" when now in
his very heart, he "LOVES his enemies."
For you newcomers to the world of theology, LOVE is a lot different than just putting
a spiritual twist on HATE. Not swearing at all is more than putting a spiritual twist on
the commandment TO SWEAR. Am I going too fast for anyone?
And neither did Jesus take the commandment to "bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse" and spiritually twist it into "bring ye all the money into the pastor’s
bank account."
And so what is it that Jesus is teaching us with regards to money? Simple, neither
the king nor his children pay tax—any tax (including even Temple tax)! "…then are
the children FREE." Need I remind anyone that we are the children of God’s
kingdom? And neither our King, nor we, pay taxes or tithes to our own kingdom.
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgment: because as He [Jesus] IS, SO ARE WE in this world" (I John 1:17).
And so the reason… the only reason, that Jesus paid this tax was, "…lest we
should offend them." Not because it was a LAW OF MOSES and Jesus had to
keep the law of Moses, but only because, "…lest we should offend them."
Furthermore, where did Jesus get the money (the very small amount of money) to
pay this temple tax so as to not offend them? From His own pocket? From the
treasury held by Judas? From Peter’s house? No. He had God provide for it in a fish
from the sea. Jesus did not even deign to pay this tax from His own money. And say,
did you notice that Jesus paid for Himself and Peter only? He did not even pay for
the other eleven.
Do you suppose we are sinning if we follow His steps by not tithing? Should we
follow His steps, or commandments of the clergymen?
"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God
rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving
us an example, that we should follow His steps" (I Pet. 2:21).
GIVING IS VOLUNTARY
The New Testament teachings on giving are unpretentiously simplistic involving the
heart and not some law:
"…freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8b).
"Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you turn not
thou away" (Matt. 5:42).
"The churches in Macedonia and Achaia, you see, have thought it a good thing
to make a contribution towards the poor Christians in Jerusalem. They have
decided to do this, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the gentiles have had
a share in the Jews’ spiritual good things it is only fair that they should look
after the Jews as far as the good things of this world are concerned" (Rom.
15:26-27, J. B. Phillips Translation).
"Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and
shaken together, and running over…" (Luke 6:38).
"I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the
weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more
blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).
"But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he
which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he
purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity [Gk:
‘compulsion’ as in a commanded law]: for God loves a cheerful giver" (II Cor. 9:6-
7).
Follow these admonitions on giving and you will be blessed of God.
There is one more very important Scripture that should go in this group and that is I
Tim. 5:8,
"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own
household, he has denied the faith, and worse than an infidel."
Now I have emails and letters from elderly and disabled people who were told by
their pastor that they are expected to tithe on their meager income regardless as to
whether there is sufficient left over to care for the family. This is disgraceful beyond
comprehension. And this is one of the main reasons that I write the material that I do
for our bible-truths web site.
Numerous times I have heard ministers intimidating TBN viewers to contribute
money that they did not have. Even if they owed more money to creditors in monthly
payments than their salaries could possibly pay, they were still asked to make huge
donations to TBN. Some contend that the more money one needs to meet his
already staggering obligations, the more money he needs to send in. They are even
told to pledge huge amounts (TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS was the asking pledge
when last I saw this reprehensible carnival sideshow chicanery) of money that they
did not have, and then to send in ten percent of the pledge and pay the rest off in
installments. Have they no shame?
"HOW ARE WE TO PAY THE CHURCH BILLS
IF THE PEOPLE DON’T TITHE?"
I get asked that question regularly. I tell them all the same thing: "Pay your church
bills the same way I pay my living expenses—with a check." Here’s the thing: You
don’t need to lie and deceive and pervert the word of God in order to pay church
expenses.
Why doesn’t your pastor just ask the people to contribute toward paying the church
expenses? I can tell you why. A few do, but most don’t. And why is that? It is
because those who teach false doctrines to exact money illegally from their
congregation don’t have faith to trust their people to contribute voluntarily out of love.
They only know how to teach the Old Testament laws, which are carnal, and
therefore don’t know how to teach the New Testaments laws, which are SPIRITUAL.
Most pastors see two options:
1. Teach that people will be cursed if they don’t tithe ten percent of their annual
salaries,
2. Trust God in faith to provide the money from voluntary gifts given from the
heart.
If, in reality, trusting would bring in more money than pronouncing curses, no one
would ever hear a sermon on tithing again, anywhere on earth. And if anyone
suggested to any of these same pastors that tithing is an Old Testament law that
Christians must keep or be cursed, those same pastors would ridicule you to scorn
for ever suggesting such an obvious unscriptural doctrine that is not binding on New
Testament Christians.
They will do whatever brings in the most money. And it is a proven fact; unscriptural
threats of curses for no tithing, and blessings for tithing brings in more money than
trusting the people, in faith, to supply the needs of the Church.
It is our hope and intention here at bible-truths to free as many as possible from the
unscriptural hypnotic tactics of these TV auctioneers who peddle the Word of God
like so much merchandise for sordid gain. But what about those small congregations
that don’t even want huge cathedrals and the pastor doesn’t want to be rich or drive
a $80,000 Mercedes. All they want is to preach the gospel and care for a local
congregation and all that that involves. Surely it is not wrong for them to teach their
congregation to tithe their salaries to the church, is it? Of course that is wrong. That’s
like saying, I don’t want to rob a bank: I just want to take a few small things from the
super market without paying for them! IT’S THE SAME CRIME, with the only
difference being the amount stolen.
GIVING VERSUS TITHING
Do any of these Scripture references quoted above regarding voluntary giving, have
anything to do with "tithing?" Absolutely not. Notice what the definition of Christian
tithing is:
"tithe (tith) n. 1a. A tenth part of one’s annual income contributed voluntarily or due
as a tax, esp. for the support of the clergy or church." (The American Heritage
College Dictionary, p. 1444).
Tithing was commanded by the LAW.
Giving is voluntary from the HEART.
THE APOSTLE PAUL VERSUS CHRISTIAN TITHING
The Apostle Paul never tithed, never taught Gentiles to tithe, never collected tithes,
and never accepted tithes. Can anyone imagine what Paul would have said had
someone come up to him and offered him $100 saying: "Here Paul, here is my
payment according to the tithing law with regards to my thousand-dollar paycheck." I
don’t know what his exact words would be, but I have studied the writings of Paul,
and I can tell you what he would have said in principle:
"Sir, MONEY is not a tithable commodity. Furthermore, tithes can be paid to the
Levitic priests only, and I am not a Levite, I am from the Tribe of Benjamin.
Furthermore, as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are also freed from the law of Moses.
Jesus Christ has taught us that, ‘FREELY you have received, FREELY give." One
cannot give ‘freely’ that which is demanded by law. I am sorry, but I cannot accept
money that is given out of obligation to a law. Jesus has freed us from carnal
ordinances, and whom Jesus has freed, ‘is FREE indeed.’"
Now then, give that same $100 to any number of priests of Christendom, and one
might receive this retort: "Well, if this $100 is your tithe, where is your offering? Don’t
you know that the tithe is commanded and demanded by law? You have only given
me what is commanded by law of you to give. You have not really given me anything
until you give me money in excess of your tithes"
Well, what more can I say about that?
CHRIST’S ONLY TWO EXAMPLES OF TITHERS
Paul was inspired by God's Holy Spirit to declare that "God loves a cheerful giver" (II
Cor.9:7). Why was not Paul inspired by God’s Holy Spirit to declare that,
"God loves a cheerful tithe-payer?" In fact, why does not Paul mention the
words tithe, tithes, or tithing in any of His thirteen epistles—not once? (Paul did not
write the book of Hebrews, II Thes. 3:17). Why does not Peter, James, John, or Jude
mention tithing in any of their epistles? Why didn’t the early Christian Fathers
mention tithing as a doctrine of the New Testament Church? Therefore, why are
innumerable thousands of evangelists, theologians, teachers, preachers, and
clergymen teaching the world that if they don’t tithe ten percent of their salaries, that
God will curse them with a curse?
The only two times in the New Testament that Jesus mentions tithing is in
condemnation of the Pharisees. At the time of Jesus’ ministry there was a temple
and there was a Levitic Priesthood, hence tithing was still in effect for the Jews. Hear
now the only words ever recorded of Jesus mentioning tithes:
1. "But WOE [deep distress, misery, grief, misfortune, calamity, sorrow,
dismay] unto you Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of
herbs [some had farms; some had gardens], and pass over JUDGMENT
and the LOVE OF GOD: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other undone" (Luke 11:42).
And just what kind of a blessing did Jesus pronounce on these Pharisees for
their "tithe of the mint and herbs"? No blessing, just a startling "WOE"!
2. "And the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God… I fast
twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess" (Luke 18:12).
And just what kind of a blessing did Jesus pronounced on this Pharisee for
his "tithe"?
No blessing, no justification, just a promise that people like him will
be "abased" (Ver. 14).
What does being an utter hypocrite and passing over "Judgment and the Love of
God" have to do with "tithing?" That’s the whole point. These gross sins have
virtually nothing to do with tithing!
Tithing to Jesus was so absolutely insignificant to the gross sins of failing to properly
Judge the widows and orphans and fatherless and poor, and to not show any Love
of God toward them. Tithing was the smallest most inconsequential thing Christ
could think of to show the utter hypocrisy of this Pharisees. They were very
meticulous about tithing (a law of virtually no spiritual consequence whatsoever,) and
yet… and YET they would do the tithe thing and neglect judgment, love and mercy.
Now please don’t all write me at once telling me that I have missed the whole point
of these two sets of Scripture by not realizing that it was their very gross sins that will
bring "woes’ and "abasements" on them, and not that they are being condemned for
what they did do correctly, namely "tithe." That is quite true. However, it appears that
most have missed the very reason why Jesus gives two examples of two Phariees,
who were gross sinners deserving the worst possible chastisements, and then says
that they were both tithe-payers.
Christ’s attention to the fact that they were both meticulous tithe-payers proved the
hypocrisy of these two Pharisees. They would pay strict attention to very minor
details of a law, and yet totally abandon the very reason and purpose for the whole
existence of the law—LOVE, MERCY, JUDGMENT.
The Law of Moses regarding tithing produce from the land was still in effect during
Christ’s ministry, and therefore, all of the nation of Israel who had land were to tithe
from their land and give it to the Priests and Levites, strangers, fatherless, widows,
poor, and even consume some of it themselves at God’s annual festivals. However,
this system with its laws and temple were all part of the original church of God in the
wilderness. Jesus, however, did not tithe. Likewise, His apostles, did not tithe.
Furthermore, neither Jesus, nor His Apostles, nor Paul, ever taught new Christian
converts to the newly established Church of Christ, to tithe to this new church!
Here then is the bottom line: Neither Jesus nor His apostles tithed themselves or
taught tithing to others. And within a generation God pronounced to the entire world
by the total destruction of both the nation of Judah, and their city of Jerusalem with
its temple, that the church established in the wilderness, was now superseded by the
Church of Christ. The nation of Israel was gone, the temple was gone, the priests
were gone, the Levites were gone, and concerning the very Law of Moses containing
the law of tithing, we read this:
"In that he says, A NEW covenant, He has made the first OLD. Now that which
DECAYS and waxes OLD is ready to VANISH AWAY" (Heb. 8:13).
But the Church today doesn’t want the New Covenant to replace the Old. They want
to put the New Wine (of the New Covenant.) in the Old Bottles (of the Old
Covenant.) And they want to put the New Cloth (of the New Covenant), on the Old
Cloth (of the Old Covenant.) And what did Jesus tell us would be the result of such
an unharmonious and unequal yoking?
"And no man puts new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the
bottles, and be spilled and the bottles shall perish."
However, in two thousand years, the church is still trying put the Old and the New
together as One, and the results are always disastrous.
Just why is it that they like the Old covenant better than the New? Here’s the answer
from the lips of our Master Himself: "No man also having drunk old wine [lived by
the Old Covenant] straightway desires new [the spiritual New Covenant]: for he
says, The old is better" (Luke 5:39).
But not only is the Church blinded by the new wine, they are also intoxicated from
the old wine to the point that they have no idea what its purpose was in the first
place. Jesus said, "You blind guides, which STRAIN OUT A GNAT [are attentive
to TINY insignificant things like paying tithes on mint and pepper pods], and
SWALLOW A CAMEL [totally neglect the weightier matters of the law which are of
HUGE consequence, like judgment, faith, mercy, and the love of God]" (Matt. 23:24).
How many millions of sermons are geared toward "straining out gnats" on Sunday
morning, so that the Pastors can "swallow camels" all week long?
HOW THE APOSTLE PAUL FINANCED HIS INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY
Worldliness in the Church today is not looked upon as shameful, but rather as being
chic. Power, wealth, and notoriety are not things to be repented of, but are rather to
be lusted after and pursued with great vigor. Young aspiring ministers are not
thought to be vain or ambitious when seeking worldliness, but are rather thought of
as being enthusiastic for the work of the Lord. Let’s see how Paul did things.
"For yourselves know how you ought to follow us: for we behaved not
ourselves disorderly among you: Neither did we eat any man’s bread for
naught; but wrought with labor and travail NIGHT AND DAY, that we might not
be chargeable to any man. Not because we have not power, but to MAKE
OURSELVES AN EXAMPLE UNTO YOU TO FOLLOW US" (II Thes. 3:7-9).
But how many truly follow Paul’s example? You be the judge.
"For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for LABOURING NIGHT
AND DAY, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached
unto you the Gospel of God" (I Thes. 2:9).
Imagine that: Paul could not only walk and chew gum at the same time, but he could
work "night and day" and "preach the Gospel of God" at the same time! Just
maybe there is a lesson in there somewhere. Paul travels to Corinth:
"And because he was of the same craft [trade], he abode with them, and
wrought [worked]: for by their occupation they were tentmakers" (Acts 18:3).
"I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye [all of
you] yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities,
and to them that were with me. I have showed you all things how that so
labouring ye ought to support the weak, and remember the words of the Lord
Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:33-31).
Don’t kid yourself, there’s a whole army of men of the cloth out there coveting your
gold and your silver. Many television ministries are little more than highly
sophisticated Hollywood-produced, tithe-collecting infomercials. They make me ill
watching them.
One final example of how Paul ministered and financed his ministry:
"For I think that God has set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to
death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye
are strong; ye are honorable, but we are despised.
Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are
buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
And labor, working with our own hands; being reviled, we bless; being
persecuted, we suffer it:
Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the
offscouring of all things unto this day.
I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.
For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many
fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
Therefore I beseech you, BE YE FOLLOWERS OF ME" (I Cor. 4:9-16)!
Cheerfully giving from the heart is a virtue. However, fraudulently fleecing the flock
by exacting ten percent of parishioner's paychecks under fear of breaking an Old
Testament law of tithing is a sin!
It is far past time that we offer a little comfort to the millions of people in our nation
and around the world who are chafing under the constant burden of supporting
ministers and televangelists who live lifestyles so materialistic and worldly that even
Hugh Heffner would be envious. I’m not trying to be humorous about these
characters; I’m dead serious.
Well, I certainly don’t begrudge any minister an honest living. However, I do believe
that when many of these modern televangelists (and others) feel the need to have
everything they own gold gilded, just maybe their greed and vanity starts to destroy
their effectiveness as dispensers of God’s Truths.
There is no need for people to feel guilty over any religious doctrine. It is time we rid
ourselves of guilty consciences. Hopefully, by the time you have finished reading this
paper your guilt over tithing or non-tithing will be gone forever!
It is our sincere desire that all who have been chafing under the unscriptural burden
of Christian tithing will feel free at last to follow their heart in giving to whomever they
desire as God prospers them. John 8:32 tells us that Truth is Freedom:
"And ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you FREE."
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