Malachi 3:7 (KJV) “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ORDINANCES, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?”

Colossians 2:14 (KJV) “Blotting out the handwriting of ORDINANCES that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

Therefore, tithing was nailed to the cross along with Jesus.

For those who wish to continue observing the Old Testament laws, please consider:

1 Timothy 1:8-10 (KJV)
8But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
9Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;

Galatians 5:18 (KJV) - But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Goshen360: I think it would be better renders as follows:

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and PASTORS, you hypocrites! You are collecting tithes. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Actually, it would be best if it read:

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and PASTORS, you hypocrites! You are collecting tithes. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without practicing the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

funmi4: Matthew 23 :23 gives a clearer knowledge of tithing from CHRIST himself

In Matthew 23:23 Jesus refers to tithing as MATTERS OF THE LAW. Jesus affirmed the tithing as prescribed by the law - a tenth of crops and animals, not money, and not from anyone's income. Jesus did NOT tell the Pharisees and scribes that they should have been tithing from their income from their professions as lawyers and teachers.

Furthermore, Jesus was born, lived, and died during the Old Testament. The New Testament doesn't begin until after Jesus died on the cross.

Proverbs 3:9 (KJV) “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:”

The verse reads HONOUR the Lord with thy substance (wealth), not give to the Lord your wealth. The verse does not say honour the Lord with a tenth of your wealth, or give to the Lord a tenth of your wealth.

How does one honor the Lord with their wealth? I believe the best way I can honor the Lord with my wealth is to be a good steward of that wealth and use it to glorify the Lord the best I can.

The verse reads AND with the firstfruits of all thine increase. In other words, HONOUR the Lord with the firstfruits of all your produce, or crops (Hebrew word definition). Doesn’t say give to the Lord the firstfruits of your produce, or crops. That comes later in the Word.

For those who say that all thine increase can also mean all your income, read the next verse:

Proverbs 3:10 (KJV) “So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

Verse 10 makes it clear that increase in verse 9 is referring to the crops and not income.

Leviticus 23:10 (KJV) “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:”

The above verse tells us that the Children of Israel were commanded to take the firstfruits of their harvest to the priests.

Numbers 18:21 (KJV) “And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.”

The above verse tells us that the Children of Israel were commanded to take the tithe to the Levites.

Nehemiah 10:37 (KJV) “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.”

Nehemiah 10:37 confirms that the firstfruits were taken to the Temple for the priests, and the tithe was taken to the Levites who lived in the Levitical cities.

Image123: ^
unimportant. You're only introducing more semantics and word jangle to confuse and impress. As is your custom, you refused to address all that was said. I'll wait for debo.

You obviously don't have a clue as to what the Biblical tithe was all about.

Image123: A true Christian owes all his labor to God, infact, all his life. Without God , he can do or acheive nothing.

Agree, as long as you understand:

Deuteronomy 8:18 (KJV) But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

And from the New International Version:
Deuteronomy 8:18 (NIV) But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.

God gives us the power, or ability, to get or produce wealth. In other words, God gives us the ability to work and earn a living. God gives us the ability to work - to labor. When we work, it is our labor doing the work, not God's labor. He gave us the ability to do the work ourselves.

It is important in our bible studies to understand the distinction between God's labor and
man's labor. Man cannot make the crops. Man can plant the seed, cultivate the land, water the seed, but man's labor does not make the increase (fruit) on the vines or trees.
Man cannot make olive oil. God makes the olives from His labor. Man can press the oil
from the olives with man's labor, but man does not make the olive oil.

God NEVER commanded anyone to tithe from other than His increase.

The ignorance being shown by some is overwhelming.

Some here just can't understand the difference between what comes from God's labor and what comes from man's labor.

Some here just can't understand that God commanded a tithe from HIS increase, not man's income.

Some here believe a tenth of EVERYTHING belongs to God as His tithe, yet THEY LIMITED the tenth to certain items. They don't give a tenth of their family to God. They don't give a tenth of their car to God. They don't give a tenth of their trash to God. etc. etc. etc.

The scriptures make it very clear that God commanded three tithes, ALL OF WHICH WERE TO BE EATEN.

Real life implications of tithing:

Being a Money & Finance Minister dealing with this area of the scriptures 7 days a week, let me give some real life implications of what happens when one is taught that tithing is still required, or that blessings are dependent on tithing, or that you will be cursed if you don't tithe.

1 - I am familiar with a woman who admits that her children have to go without one meal per week so that she will have enough money to pay her tithe.

2 - I am familiar with a woman who told me she is living in fear, just waiting for God to curse her by way of an accident or illness, because she cannot afford to tithe.

3 - I am familiar with many who have guilt feelings when they don't have enough funds left to pay a tithe from their income.

4 - I am familiar with many who have tithed all their lives and are still living paycheck to paycheck, still trusting the blessings are coming.

5 - I am familiar with and personally know pastors who know they are teaching a false doctrine of tithing, but tell me they do it because they don't think the congregation would give enough to keep the church doors open if they didn't believe they are robbing God if they don't give the tenth to the church.

Those are just the beginning, but any one of those is enough to see the negative implications of teaching that tithing is a requirement of God.

Those teaching that tithing is required today, or that blessings are dependent on tithing, or that they will be cursed if they don't tithe, obviously don't fear the consequences of their actions.

The tithes the levites received was not only agricultural produce but MAINLY agricultural produce. We've talked on this before,
Lev 27:31 And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
And there is no where it is stated in scriptures that Jesus endorsed one kind of tithing and didn't endorse one kind.

Wrong. The TITHES the Levites received was ONLY agricultural produce plus the animals specified in Leviticus 27:32.

You obviously don't understand Leviticus 27:31. Redeem means BUY BACK. You have to have the agricultural tithe to begin with in order to buy it back. The tithe was the produce, not the money. The tithe was SOLD for money in Leviticus 27:31.

Jesus endorsed tithing "AS MATTERS OF THE LAW" which included the herbs being tithed by the scribes and Pharisees. You will find no endorsement of any other type of tithe by Jesus in the scriptures.

This foolishness really needs to stop. Those teaching this false tithing doctrine obviously don't fear the consequences.

Image123: We would rather be sheep and allow to be defrauded by our fellow brethren

Exactly what you are doing. The Spirit has shown me the fraud. I'm am no longer being led by the blind.

@image123 - Have you read nothing that has been written, or is it that you just don't understand what has been written?

You say tithe means a tenth - any tenth. Says you, NOT God. God didn't claim a tenth of fish to be a Holy tithe. God didn't claim a tenth of the land to be His. God was specific, and you take that and generalize it. God said DON'T ADD TO HIS WORD. You add and add and add and add and don't even know it.

What does Leviticus 27:34 say? FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Not for the children of the world. Not for the born-again believer.

You criticize using "Levitical tithe" because that term is not in the scriptures. Yet the term "Levitical tithe" is used to distinguish it from the tithes in Deut. 14:22-29. Simple as that.

You won't find even ONE instance in the scriptures where the tithe came from anyone's income. Not even one. The tithe always came from assets, not income.

You obviously, like so many here, have absolutely NO clue, NONE whatsoever, as to what the tithe was, or how tithing worked in the Old Testament. You are catering to a man-made tithing doctrine invented by church leaders in 1870. The history of tithing in the Christian Church proves that, but either you don't care to check it out, or you are just too lazy to check it out, or you just don't want to admit you have been wrong all this time.

I suggest you do some real study on the matter rather than keep pushing your money-hungry agenda.

To the tithers:

If tithe merely means a tenth and nothing else, then if I go to church with ten pennies in my pocket, and I give one penny, would you agree that I am a tither? Can I give a tenth of whatever I please and satisfy your definition of tithing?

Which of the three tithes was Jesus referring to in Matthew 23:23? This is very important to know. If it was all three tithes, they why don't you also honor all three tithes? Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees PAY tithe (KJV). The Leviticus tithe wasn't paid. It was taken. The second tithe, or festival tithe, was taken and eaten. Only the third tithe, the 3-year tithe, which went to the poor and was kept within the cities, could be considered paid. So it wasn't the tithe that supported the priesthood that Jesus was referring to unless He was referring to ALL THREE tithes. If I am wrong, please show me which tithe(s) Jesus was referring to, and back it up with scripture. If you can't back it up, then you don't know. And if you don't know, then you can't use Matthew 23:23 to say that Jesus confirmed the tithe to the priesthood.

This is getting sadder every day.

There is only ONE tithe that God said belong to Him. God defined His tithe in Leviticus 27:30-33. Then he gave His ordinances for this tithe in Numbers 18.

Did God endorse Abram's tithe of war spoils? If He did, He CHANGED it under the law in Numbers 31, where He did NOT want a tithe from the spoils.

Abram "gave" a tenth BEFORE God gave His definition of His tithe. God NEVER commanded anyone "give" or "pay" a tenth to Him. He owned a tenth of the crops and animals, and instructed the Israelites to TAKE His tithe to the Levites.

Only TWO classes of people were involved in the Lord's tithe:

1 - The Children of Israel who INHERITED THE LAND were to take the tithe to the Levites.
2 - The Children of Israel who did NOT inherited the land, the Levites, were to receive the tithe.
3 - The gentiles were not involved.

My how the tithe lie just goes on and on by those who seem to have no clue as to how it worked in the Old Testament.

Alwaystrue:

Oh really? When scripture is quoted, they say all quoted are just scriptures, when explained, it is pastors understanding.

Yet your fellow antitither can say bestiality is a 'sin such as these' even with nothing showing so yet he can go ahead to say 'sleeping together by unmarried people who consent to do the act' is very right and not against scripture. Ofcourse no one will raise it with him, I will be glad to be proved wrong on this though.

Anyone who can stand on his worth and be objective and confirm if Goshen is right or wrong in this regard of what I pasted up there should take the challenge else all is eye service to man.

My expertise is tithing and giving, and I will limit my comments accordingly.

1 Corinthians 9:13-14 are two verses that many preachers like to use in their pulpits to teach their congregation that God requires a monetary tithe. After all, the verses first reveal that the Levites lived off of the tithe, and in the same manner those who preach the Gospel should also receive tithe for their support.

But is that what the verses are saying? Let’s have a look at them in context, shall we?…

Now, in order to see them in their proper context, we must look at surrounding verses in the Chapter, and even look into that which the priest’s ate at the altar.

1 Corinthians 9:7-15 (KJV)
7 Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?
8 Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?
10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
15 But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void.

Now, it is clear that the minister of God is to be supported. The leading verses above clearly show this to be true. But who was Paul referencing in this Chapter of his first epistle to the saints at Corinth? Verse 15 reveals that he was referencing himself when he says, “But I have used none of these things…” Context shows Paul was speaking of himself in this passage of Scripture.

What kind of support was Paul speaking of? Was it tithes as the modern preacher claims? To find out, we must go to the Old Testament to see what it says.

There are only three verses in the entire Old Testament that give a clue as to what was eaten at the altar (they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar)

Leviticus 10:12 (KJV) And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy:

Deuteronomy 12:27 (KJV) And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.

Numbers 18:30 (KJV) Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress.
31 And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation.
32 And ye shall bear no sin by reason of it, when ye have heaved from it the best of it: neither shall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Israel, lest ye die.

In the above verses, we see that the only things the priest partook of at the altar were the flesh from the burnt offering and the meat offering . The Levites tithe to the priest was heaved before the altar and the best part of the heave offering was given back to the Levites to eat anywhere they chose to eat it. There is no mention in the Word of God of the Priests eating of the tithe at the altar, only of offerings.

The Levites kept 90% of the tithe that they received in their Levitic cites. They took 10% of the tithe that they received to the Tabernacle/Temple and the Priest, after heaving the tithe that the Levites brought gave the best portion of that heave offering back to the Levites so they could take it and eat it where they desired.

After studying what was eaten at the altar and in the Temple, it is evident that 1 Corinthians 9:13 is not speaking of a monetary tithe, nor was it speaking of the Israelites crop, fruit and livestock tithe. It was speaking of offerings.

And the Apostle Paul said, “Even so, ..those who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.” The Apostle was encouraging the giving of offerings to the preacher of the Gospel… not tithes.

If pastors would rightly divide the Word of Truth when preparing their sermons, they would not be guilty of mishandling the Word of God as they do when teaching 1 Corinthians 9:12-14 is endorsing a monetary tithe. There was no monetary tithe when the Apostle penned his first epistle to the Church at Corinth, the tithe consisted of crops, flocks and herds as recorded in Leviticus 27:30-34.

Alwaystrue:
I took the time to explain tithe as it should and the only reason why they reject it is because it comes from someone who tithes.

Explanations are not need. Scripture is needed. I've given the scripture, and will give it again. The scriptures do all the explaining necessary. Tithers take the scriptures and read into them that which is not there.

God DEFINED His tithe in Leviticus 27:30-33. NOTHING ELSE QUALIFIES. Period. Simple as that. You find NO examples in the scriptures where wage earners tithed. You find NO examples in the scriptures where one's income was tithed from. You find NO examples in the scriptures where God's tithe was money. Is that so hard to understand?

The tithe didn't come from man's hand. It came from God's miraculous increase.

You tithers insult God when you claim His tithe to be a tenth of YOUR income.

For tithers, it's all about themselves. THEY tithe from THEIR income. Makes them feel good to say they tithe, as those what they do follows scripture.

The Biblical tithe was ALL ABOUT GOD. Man had NOTHING to do with it other than transport it.

Very sad to see all the false teaching which started, right here, where I am, in the United States, and now has spread world wide.

Alwaystrue:
Pity and that is why Jesus gave the perfect answer:

Matthew 23:23
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Have mercy first but still remember that you should give to support the ministry. It was as simple as that. You keep picking the letter of the law, touch not, don't do this etc?

Where do the scriptures ever say that the FIRST tithe, the one in Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18, was PAID? That tithe, the one that supported the priesthood, was NOT paid. It was TAKEN. Only the 3-year tithe (Deut. 14:28-29) can be considered paid.

Notice Jesus related the tithe to "matters of the law." Just what did the scribes and Pharisees tithe from? THE INCREASE OF THE SEED. Their HERBS. Did Jesus tell them they should have tithed FROM THEIR INCOME as lawyers and teachers?

You tithers keep adding to the scriptures. The tithe NEVER came from income or earnings. Period.

Alwaystrue:
I said Jesus endorsed tithe and you accepted that, so that is where you said it, I had a vague idea you said that before I posted my comment.

Jesus "endorsed" ALL of the laws in effect during his lifetime. Jesus was born, lived, and died DURING THE TIME OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Bidam: Point of correction tithing is more or less a burden to the rich NOT to the poor..If i earn 100 million bucks as a smart business man i'd rather engage my one million to make more than give it to the Church..that's the way Babylonian systems works..but a poor man who earns 10,000 giving GOD 1000 IS easy AND NEVER A BURDEN.

Where is the common sense here?

If someone barely makes enough to feed his family, giving a tenth means there won't be enough left to feed his family. Common sense.

A rich person who gives a tenth still have more than enough left to feed and take care of his family. Common sense.

Bidam: What about the widow of zarepath and the widows mite don't you realize it is a burden to them? GIVINGS ARE MOST TIMES COSTLY TO BELIEVERS WHO ARE CONSISTENT IN THEIR WALK WITH JESUS...I KNOW RESILIENT CHRISTIANS WHO GAVE TILl THEY GO BROKE..THEY NEVER BACKSLIDDED IN THEIR GIVINGS AND I BELIEVE GOD SEES AND HONOURS THEIR GIVINGS...EXAMPLES ABOUND IN SCRIPTURES ABOUT THE PHILIPPIANS AND MACEDONIANS WHO PARTNERED WITH PAUL TILL THEY GO BROKE...Spare us your hypocritical sermons..you can fool the rest not me.

Read Deut. 14:28-29. The tithe WENT TO THE WIDOWS. Widows did not tithe.

Does the New Testament teach that Christians should give until they go broke? What did Paul say? 2 Corinthians 8:13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.

There is no equality when the poor give to make someone else richer than they are. That goes AGAINST New Testament teaching.

Why do pastors say you should tithe from your gross income when the Bible shows the Israelites tithed on the NET crops, not the gross. The Bible shows that Abram tithed from the NET spoils, not the gross spoils. Is it just plain greed on the pastors part? Is it their love of money? Or what? Do they not study the scriptures to where they understand how the tithe worked?

Here's what the scriptures tell us:

Abram’s tithe:
Genesis 14:20 (KJV) And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Hebrews 7:4 (KJV) Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Genesis 14:24 (KJV) Save only that which the young men have eaten….

Abram gave to King Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils THAT WERE LEFT after subtracting out the food that had already be eaten from the spoils. Therefore, Abram gave a tenth from the NET spoils, not the gross spoils.

The Levitical tithe:
Leviticus 27:30 (KJV) And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.
Leviticus 23:22 (KJV) And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
Nehemiah 10:37 (KJV) 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.

We start with the gross (total) crops, subtract the amount left at the corners and any gleaning of the harvest, and also subtract the firstfruits that were taken to the priests, and then tithe from the net amount.

Leviticus 27:32 (KJV) And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.
Deuteronomy 14:23 (KJV) And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

We start with the gross, or total number of new born animals during the year, remove the firstlings that were to be eaten at the festival, and tithe from the net by tithing the last one out of every ten counted under the rod.

So where does this tithing from "gross income" come from? Where does tithing from "income" come from?

Study the history of tithing in the Christian Church, and you will find the answer.

This blog is really amazing. It is hard to understand how so many are so ignorant of the scriptures. You can show them the scriptures all day long, but their mind is stuck in neutral. They are blinded by God's own words.

Since tithers don't like God's definition for His tithe, they change it to make them happy. Since they aren't farmers, they change it to fit their own circumstances. They think their definition of the tithe is better than God's. Wow!

Copied from page 13 of my book - from Leviticus Chapter 27:

30And 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.

The grain from the soil or fruit from the trees would be classified as assets. The sale or
exchange of these items would result in income.

32And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under
the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

The animals tithed are also classified as assets. The sale or exchange of the animals
would result in income.

Therefore, it is plain to see, by definition, not interpretation, God’s command to tithe was on assets, not income. Notice also that those assets came from God’s labor, not man’s
labor. I have already shown that they had money, income, and markets to buy and sell.

Alwaystrue:
Garyarnold says he gives between 30-50% and that includes church. He is giving in percentages based on his understanding however many who are hailing you about not tithing call tithe a burden. If 10% is a burden and they are telling you they give more, what are they saying? That is the hypocrisy of the antither.

You are mistaken. I do NOT give in percentages. I was recently asked in another blog how much I give, so I went back over the past several months and worked out the percentage. I don't think percentages when I give. The Spirit leads my giving. Period. How can anyone possibly know if they are giving what God wants them to give if they don't let His Spirit lead them?

For me to give 10% would be easy, not a burden. But I know many who would be burdened even giving 1%. That's why tithing should NEVER be taught to Christians. It is a burden to the poor, and gives the well-to-do a false sense they are giving the proper amount when just maybe the Spirit would have lead them to give two or three times as much.

Show me where tithing, in the scriptures, ever came from anyone's income or earnings.

Show me who, in the New Testament, God has designated to receive His tithe.

Show me who, in the New Testament, is to take, give, or pay a tithe.

Show me where the scriptures ever authorize a building fund.

The Old Testament first tithe went to the Levites who were servants to the priests. They included the singers, musicians, Temple workers, etc. etc. To follow the tithing scriptures, the tithe should be given to the singers, musicians, ushers, janitors, etc. etc. and then they should give a tenth of what they receive to the priest.

Tithing today is nothing but a man-made doctrine, invented by man around 1870. Just do a research of tithing in the Christian Church and you will find, as I have, that tithing from one's income started around 1870, was taught differently by different churches, and there was no consistency between churches/denominations, etc. until recent years.

Blessings pour out to those who tithe from their income and to those who do not tithe. One does not get blessed because they "tithe."

If you had to "tithe" in order for blessings to pour out, why do non-tithers get the same blessings as so-called "tithers?" What about all the so-called "tithers" who can barely make it from paycheck to paycheck? Or those so-called "tithers" who are deeply in debt?

My personal experience has been that non-tithers are more generous that "tithers." So-called "tithers" think that ten percent belongs to God and the other 90% is theirs to do as they please. That's not New Testament teaching at all.

I have never tithed in my life, yet I have been blessed with a house that I paid cash for, a luxury SUV that I paid cash for, absolutely NO debts, money in the bank, and excellent health, and was able to retire 19 years ago at the age of 50 with NO DEBT. Being SPIRIT LED instead of 10% led, I find myself giving between 30% and 50% and sometimes even more, consistently from month to month.

Don't try to tell me that those who tithe get more blessings than those who don't. I know too many church goers that have tithed all their lives and have little to show for it.

Hebrews 7:7 (KJV) “And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.”

Abram, the lesser, was blessed by the King-Priest Melchisedek, the better.

Abram gave the tenth to the better.

1 Peter 2:5 (KJV) “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 2:9 (KJV) “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

1 - According to the scriptures, priests do not tithe (Numbers 18).
2 - As priests, all born-again believers are equal. There is no better or lesser among us. God has not designated any born-again believers to collect His tithe.
3 - To try and “tithe” today is denying that you are a part of a Royal Priesthood.

Preacher: You tithe on the first ten percent of your income.

God’s Word: You tithe on crops, and every tenth animal that passes under the rod. NOT the first, but the tenth. See Leviticus 27:30-33. Preachers are mixing firstfruits with the tithe and they are NOT the same. In Nehemiah 10:37-38 we learn that the firstfruits were taken to the temple for the priests, and the tithe was taken to the Levites to go into their cities.

Preacher: The Levites worked full-time at The Temple.

God’s Word: The Levities and priests were divided into “24 courses” and they rotated working at The Temple one week out of every 24 weeks. Therefore, the priests and Levites actually worked at The Temple about two weeks a year. The rest of the time they had regular jobs. See First Chronicles 24 for the priests and chapters 25 and 26 for the Levites.

Preacher: You tithe the BEST to God.

God’s Word: You tithe every tenth animal whether that animal be good OR BAD. See Leviticus 27:30-33.

Preacher: The firstfruits of your income belong to God.

God’s Word: In the Old Testament, every time a firstfruits offering is mentioned it is referring to the first of the crop, assets that came from God’s hand, not man’s labor. Firstfruits offerings has nothing to do with income.

Preacher: The tithe was taken to The Temple.

God’s Word: The tithe was taken to the Levites to go into their cities. See Nehemiah 10:37-38.

Preacher: Malachi 3:10 Take all the tithes to the storehouse.

God’s Word: The Levites received the tithe, and they were required to take a tenth of the tithe to the priests. ONLY that tithe went to the storehouse, NOT the tithe from the people. Again, see Nehemiah 10:37-38.

Preacher: You are robbing God if you don’t bring your tithe to the church. Malachi 3:8-10.

God’s Word: The priests were robbing God, not the people. The priests robbed God of the tithe by stealing the Levites portion (Nehemiah 13). The priests robbed God of the offerings by giving the worst and keeping the best (Malachi 1).

God defined His tithe in Leviticus 27:30-33 as HOLY. How can anyone change God’s definition and then call a tenth of their income a HOLY tithe!

Let’s look at Malachi 3. First, who is God speaking to – the priests or the people?
We need to study the entire Book of Malachi rather than take a few verses out of context.

By the time we get to verse 6 in chapter 1, we see it is the priests that are being addressed at that point.

In both chapters 1 and 2 of Malachi there is a conversation going on between God and the priests. Every time the word "you" is used, it is referring to the priests. Chapter 3 continues with this conversation. In verse 5 God says "And I will come near to you to judgment….." In the Old Testament, during this period of time and generally speaking, only the priests could get near to God. It is only in the New Testament that born again believers, you and I, can get close to God. So up to chapter 3 verse 5, God is speaking to the priests. The word "you" is still referring to the priests. There is nothing in the scripture to indicate this changes when you get to verse 8. But that's not all.

Read Numbers 18:29-30 and then read Malachi 1:14. Those verses explain robbing God of the offerings. The PRIESTS, not the people, robbed God of the offering by giving to God the worst instead of the best.

In Nehemiah 13 we are told that the priests stole the Levites portion of the tithe; therefore, they had no food to eat at the temple, and they went back to their own fields.

Therefore, taking the Levites portion of the tithe is the robbing God of the tithe. Or to put it another way, THE LEVITES WERE ROBBED. God said He was robbed because the tithe was taken from the Levites.

Next, in Malachi 3:10 God says to bring all the tithes to the storehouse. The people took the tithes to the Levites who lived in the Levitical cities, not to the temple. The Levites took the required tithe of the tithe to the temple. (See Nehemiah 10:37-38) Only those tithes ever made it to the temple. The priests then took those tithes to the storehouse. It only makes sense if God is speaking to the priests in this verse.

Since in Numbers 18 God makes it perfectly clear that the tithe belongs to Him, and He gave it to the Levites, anyone who takes God’s tithe to their local church must also be robbing God since the Levites are not the ones getting it.

I see no way around this. Either the tithe ended per Hebrews 7:18, OR those who take God’s tithe to their local church must be robbing God since God gave clear instructions where to take His tithe. There is nothing in God’s Word to show that God ever changed those instructions. Therefore, the only conclusion I can reach is that taking a tithe to your local church is NOT paying the tithe to God. It is giving it to man. Nowhere in God’s Word does He give permission for the Christian Church to receive His tithe.

What a shame. All this so-called study leading to little or no understanding.

THE FIRST TITHE
Leviticus 27:30-33 defines this tithe as a tenth of crops and animals in herds and flocks.
Numbers 18 gives the ordinances, or instructions, for this tithe, and commands this tithe be taken to the Levites.
Purpose of this tithe: to support the Levitical Priesthood.

SECOND TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take to the yearly feasts.
Purpose of this tithe: “that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always”

THIRD TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Purpose of this tithe: to feed the poor.

Only ONE of those tithes did God claim to be His, and He gave it to the Levites. That is the first tithe.

The first tithe was not paid. The first tithe was not given (as in gift). The first tithe was TAKEN.

When God gave the Israelites the promised land, He RESERVED, for Himself, a tenth of the crops and every tenth animal. They NEVER did belong to the Israelites. In other words, the tithe was from God's increase of FOOD, not from man's income. It was a way to distribute FOOD to the Levites and priests who did NOT inherit any land.

No one, not even the farmers, tithed from their income.

The farmers made their income by SELLING and/or barter-exchanging their crops and animals but did NOT tithe on that income.

God's tithe was never money. God's tithe never came from anyone's income.

And then Abram's tenth. Read Genesis 14. Abram gave it all away. He kept nothing for himself. No example in scripture of Abraham ever giving, paying, or taking a tenth from his income or property. Just the one example of giving, not paying or taking, a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek. To say Abram did this out of faith is adding to the scriptures. To give a tenth of your income to the church and say you are following Abraham's example is just plain dishonest.

Today, ALL born-again believers are priests. ALL of us are called to be disciples of the Lord. No one of us is greater than another. Our bodies are the Temple where the Spirit dwells. According to the scriptures, priests do not tithe.

Zodiac61:
(scratching bald head wondering why)

Scratching isn't going to help. But a wig might!

ONE OF THE WORST CRIMES OF ALL TIME:
1 - It is done by pastors who are trusted to be honest and right, and done in the name of Jesus.
2 - It is legal only because the government (in the US) can't interfere with religious beliefs, and the pastor only need claim he is teaching his beliefs.
3 - It has spread world-wide and this crime has more victims than any other that I know of.
4 - Those who have been scammed almost always take sides with the scammer.
5 - It's a crime where the victim thinks he/she is the beneficiary, not the victim.
6 - The crime is so carefully crafted and executed that the victim falls for the same scam every week, week after week, month after month, year after year, and never even questions the scammer.
7 - The crime is so carefully crafted and executed that most church goers will yell AMEN!
8 - The crime is so carefully crafted and executed that most church goers believe their pastor is the best pastor around. Their pastor really knows the truth. They trust and believe everything he says.
9 - The crime is so carefully crafted and executed that the victims convince others to join in and be a victim like they are, all the time thinking they are the beneficiary.
10 - The crime is so carefully crafted and executed that the victim thinks they are robbing God if they don't comply with the scam.
11 - The crime is so carefully crafted and executed it is very difficult to convince the victim that they have been a victim.

The crime? Pastors teaching that God requires Christians to tithe to the church. With tithing, the victim is so ignorant of the truth, they have no clue they've been a victim. And if and when the tithing scam victims realize they are victims, there is really nothing they can do about it. The scammer keeps the money.

1. To Honor the Creator.
"Render… unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21).

Everything belongs to God. Not a tenth.

2. To Acknowledge My Heritage.
"And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29).

Abram gave a tenth of war spoils, a ONE-TIME recorded event. There is no scripture telling us that Abraham ever tithed from his income.

3. To Fulfill the Covenant.

God never had a covenant with His Church to tithe.

4. To Show My Love.

Jesus died on the cross. He already paid the entire price. Is doing what Jesus ended showing your love? According to the scriptures, WE are all a part of a Royal Priesthood. According to the scriptures, priests do NOT tithe.

5. To Fulfill an Obligation.

Jesus already fulfilled the obligation. Are you an Old Testament Jew or a New Testament believer? Obviously if you think you need to fulfill an obligation, you have fully accepted Christ.

6. To Escape Condemnation.

Makes me wonder if you have ever opened your Bible. Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…”

7. To Spread the Gospel.

You are spreading a false gospel, NOT the gospel of Jesus Christ.

8. To Avoid a Curse.

Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…”

9. To Enjoy God's Blessing.

WE ARE ALREADY BLESSED WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS
Ephesians 1:3 (KJV) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:”

10. To Be Consistent.

I have no problem with someone being consistent in their giving as long as their finances do not suffer as a result. However, Abram/Abraham wasn't consistent - we know of only ONE time he tithed.

Malachi 3:7 (KJV) “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ORDINANCES, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?”

ORDINANCES NAILED TO THE CROSS:
Colossians 2:14 (KJV) “Blotting out the handwriting of ORDINANCES that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”

NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today.

THE FIRST TITHE
Leviticus 27:30-33 defines this tithe as a tenth of crops and animals in herds and flocks.
Numbers 18 gives the ordinances, or instructions, for this tithe, and commands this tithe be taken to the Levites.
Purpose of this tithe: to support the Levitical Priesthood.

SECOND TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.
Purpose of this tithe: “that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always”

THIRD TITHE
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Purpose of this tithe: to feed the poor.

Now, tell me. Which of the above three tithes commanded by God does anyone follow today?

The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus did not tithe as a carpenter. Paul did not tithe as a tent maker. Peter did not tithe as a fisherman.

Pastors never seem to explain the truth about the Biblical tithe.

First, ONLY those who inherited the promised land with everything on it were commanded to tithe. In other words, God GAVE to them their land and all buildings already on that land, including houses, barns, etc. No mortgage payment. No rent payment. Free and clear. Then God said He reserved a tenth of the crops and animals that HE would increase. He gave them the land and buildings, and then the crops and animals, but reserved, for Himself, a tenth of the crops and animals. He gave them their home and their job! He never asked them to pay Him a tenth of any money they earned; i.e. from selling the food from the crops and animals, or from bartering the crops and animals, or from any other income or earnings.

He then gave His tenth to the Levites as their inheritance, instead of land ownership, and the Levites were to work at the Temple. They actually worked at the Temple about two weeks per year on a rotational basis.

Now, wouldn't it be nice if today God gave each of us a piece of land with a house on it, free and clear, and only required us to pay Him a tenth of what we earn? That would be a great deal for most of us.

What tithing was in Biblical times and how the church teaches tithing today is like comparing apples to automobiles. It is like comparing a gift to a debt. There is nothing common between the two other than tenth.