₦airaland Forum

Abraham didn't pay to levite ,Abrahams tithe was not on animals and crops only

We are not paying tithe because law say so. We are not under the law.Tithing is based on faith revelation which receded the law

You are confusing tithing with giving.

Abraham gave a tenth of war spoils and kept nothing for himself. A one-time recorded event. Anyone here follow Abraham's example?

No one pays the Biblical tithe today - crops and animals raised on the Holy land.

Those who wish to give a tenth of their income should do so, but don't confuse that with the Biblical tithe. That would be comparing apples to oranges.

If GOD said do this, we must do it or otherwise it is a disobedience before GOD.

And God told you to take His tithe to the Levites. Otherwise, you are disobedient before God.

And God told you His tithe was a tenth of crops and animals. To change what God say is being disobedient.

And God said to kill disobedient children. You must do it or otherwise you are being disobedient before God.

God said many things to many different people. God never told Christians to tithe.

@Image123,

I can't understand how YOU can't understand the simple concept of income.

Without the carpenters LABOR, there would be no house.  Many times a products cost is mostly from the LABOR and not the materials.  But there is no INCOME from that LABOR until the product is sold.

You can receive goods instead of money from an investment.  A good example is the following:

During the 1980s many banks were "paying" interest on a Certificate of Deposit by giving the investor a choice of money OR a TV or other merchandise.

If YOU are a plumber and your neighbor is a dentist, and you exchange services, you both have income.  YOUR income would be the value of the service received from the dentist, and the neighbors income would be the value of the services he received from you (a barter exchange).

Tithing was NEVER on income.  I have proven that by DEFINITION and not by interpretation.  Since the word income does not appear in the KJV of the Bible, but the term is being used today with tithing, we have to use the current definition of income.  When we apply this definition to the scriptures, we find that tithing was NEVER on income.

You absolutely refuse to accept the proper definition of income.

Since the word INCOME is an accounting term (and even more so the term "gross income", you can't ignore the accounting use.  There is no other use of the word.

Lucky for you, your employer (if you work for an employer) tells you what figure you must report on your income tax return.  Otherwise, I have absolutely no idea how you would work out your income for tax purposes.  You make up your own definitions!

The opposite of income is expenditure (right from Webster's Dictionary).

Stop making up your own definitions and stick with the scriptures.

@Image123,

Let's say Mr. X is a carpenter.  He may work most of the year building a house for himself.  Does he have any income from that?  He now has a house that he, himself built.  Does he have income?  The value of his assets obviously increased.  But he wouldn't have any income UNTIL he sells or exchanges that house.

@Image123,

We were discussing on whether people's salaries/income today was equivalent to harvest(which you refused to see as 'income').

ONLY that which is RECEIVED from either SELLING or BARTER EXCHANGING any part of the harvest would be income. Any amount kept for the family's food would not even be available to sell or exchange. So not all of the harvest would be available to be sold or exchanged. Yet the tithe was on the entire amount of the harvest. Same with the animals. EVERY TENTH ANIMAL was the animal tithed. Doesn't mean the herdsman sold even one animal that year. So the farmer and herdsman tithed whether they had any income or not.

Example of income:
1 - payment or goods received for services performed
2 - money or goods received from the sale or exchange of merchandise/items
3 - money or goods received from investments; i.e. interest or proceedes from a sale

I don't attend a Baptist church. I just gave that as an example.

You seem to be injecting Malachi into your arguments - getting blessed for tithing and cursed if you don't.

You are trying to BUY God's favor.

Jesus already paid the price IN FULL. God will bless who He wants, when He wants, and forever reason He wants.

There are so many examples of lifetime tithers that have nothing but financial problems. I don't tithe, but have been blessed financially beyond my wildest dreams and in many other ways. But I am a generous giver.

You aren't following Abraham's example of giving a tenth of war spoils and keeping nothing for yourself. You aren't following any of the three tithes commanded by God. But you ARE following what man came up with around 1870.

@Image123,

If according to you, the crop(asset) has to be exchanged for money(income), is it not logic that the value of 'asset' exchanged is equal to the income?

That is referring to the FESTIVAL TITHE where if you have too far to take the crops you can exchange the TITHE for money, take 100% of that money, go to the place of the feast, and use 100% of that money to BUY back an equivalent TITHE. The tithe is not the money, and the money was not tithed on.

Of course the value of the TITHE is equal to THAT PORTION of the farmers assets. But the tithe was NOT on the INCOME received from that tithe. They couldn't take 10% of what they got from the sale and use that as their tithe.

Just once again proving my point that INCOME could not be tithed upon.

Numbers 18:27 (KJV) “And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress.”

IF you fully understand Numbers 18:27 in context, you will see that it PROVES that income could NOT be tithed on. Without that interpretation, that verse has no meaning and is just taking up space.

First, because I have an open mind, I have come to my understanding of the tithe. Three years ago I would not have debated this topic.

Three years ago this month my pastor asked me to teach a Sunday School Class in Finances. Before actual preparation for my class, I thought I'd better do some real in-depth prayer and study. I quickly found that everything I had been taught regarding the tithe was wrong. I went back to my pastor and told him what I had come up with. He said he didn't think I was correct, but he would do his own research. A few weeks later he STOPPED teaching tithing and told me I was correct. This pastor has taught tithing for twenty years.

Weeks later another pastor I knew agreed to meet with me. He also said he thought I was wrong. He had always been taught to tithe, and he had always taught tithing to his congregation. But he too agreed to do his own research. Next time I visited his church, he also had STOPPED teaching tithing.

A few weeks later another pastor I knew agreed to meet with me. He immediately told me he knew I was correct, BUT that he HAD TO TEACH TITHING BECAUSE PEOPLE JUST DON'T WANT TO GIVE. So he KNOWS HE IS A LIAR.

There are pastors and Bible Study instructors from many parts of the world that have emailed me to tell me they are using my material to teach from, or that they have totally changed their teaching because of what they have learned from me. Somewhere around 1,600 or so people have downloaded my book. NO ONE has sent an email to me disputing anything in my book.

I have spend, literally THOUSANDS OF HOURS studying the topic of tithing and giving. I have prayed, and God has spoken to me several times, showing me where to find the answers in the scripture, PLUS explaining it to me by way of The Spirit.

I am now aware of MANY pastors who admit, in private, that tithing is NOT for Christians, but say they must teach it in order to bring in more money.

The truth is getting out. Later this year, a book written against tithing will be available in Baptist Churches all over the world. It was written by several Baptist theologians.

Not all denominations even teach tithing. Many Baptist pastors (for just one example) don't teach tithing. It seems to be up to each pastor, but when money is involved, Satan is there with temptation.

The way tithing is taught in many churches today started in the US around 1870, and because of satellite tv, has spread all over the world.

The first time tithe is mentioned in the Bible is Abraham's tithe of pagan spoils of war, and Abraham kept NOTHING for himself. This was NOT an act of worship. The goods that Abraham gave the tenth from didn’t even belong to Abraham:

Genesis 14:21 (NIV) - The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.”

Notice in verse 21 the king of Sodom didn’t ask Abraham if he would give back to him the people, but rather said GIVE ME the people and keep the goods for yourself. The way that is worded indicates that the king of Sodom was claiming that the people and the goods belonged to him and those he represented.

Genesis 14:22-24 (NIV) - 22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath 23that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share.”

Notice in verses 23 and 24 Abraham also acknowledges that the goods belonged to the king of Sodom and those he represented.

Therefore, it is clear that both the king of Sodom and Abraham acknowledged that the spoils of war did NOT belong to Abraham, yet he gave a tenth of the spoils to King Melchizedek. This would seem that Abraham did something wrong, if not even illegal, but Biblical historians agree that it was custom in Abraham's day to give the king a tenth of the war spoils. Had Abraham not given the tenth, he would have gone against custom.

Conclusion: Abraham did NOT give a tenth of his income, or his wealth. Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils of war that didn’t belong to him. That is NOT an example for Christians to follow today. Furthermore, the law did NOT require a tenth of war spoils to be given, but rather 1.1%, so to say that tithing was before the law and then in the law is not true. What Abraham did was NOT codified into the later law.

The next mention of a tithe is Jacob's VOW to tithe. Jacob set the conditions, not God. Nowhere in The Word does it tell us that Jacob actually tithed. Genesis 28:10-22

NO ONE is following Abraham's example of tithing. There is only ONE example of Abraham ever tithing, and that ONE example is on war spoils that didn't even belong to him, and he kept nothing for himself. To ASSUME that Abraham was a regular tither is to draw a conclusion on an assumption NOT backed up with scripture.

@newmi,

Yes, the Old Testament was a shadow of what was to come.

But the New Testament tells us what came.

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:"

Actually, ALL born-again believers are now priests with Jesus being our High Priest.  Your pastor is no more a priest and than any of the rest of us. And in the OT, the priests did NOT tithe.

Consider that nowhere in the New Testament is tithing taught to the Christians.  Yet Paul speaks a whole lot about giving from the heart; giving NOT under compulsion; giving according to our means.  Never did Paul teach tithing and he had many opportunities.

@Image123,

To tow your line of reason, is your income not equal in value to your asset? Is your income not a product/produce of your asset?

Of course your income is not equal in value to your assets.

Are you saying all your assets equal your income?  House, clothes, car, tvs, stereo, furniture, etc. etc.  What do assets have to do with your income?

The farmers assets include his house, barn, other farm buildings, land, crops, animals, farm equipment, etc.  Doesn't even relate to income at all.

Many farmers have a LOSS year after year.  That's not income, but they still may have a harvest.  And gross income is not the same as gross receipts. 

You are proving the point that many accounting terms are NOT widely correctly understood by the layman.

NO ONE is following Abraham's example of giving a tenth OF WAR SPOILS and keeping NOTHING for themselves. So STOP using Abraham as an example of what YOU are doing.

Many say that in Biblical times they didn’t have money and that the economy was based on bartering of goods and services. That is not so. The Bible shows they not only had money, but that money was used as a common way of doing business.

According to the International Bible Encyclopedia, the days of mere bartering ended before the days of Abraham.

Here are just a few examples from The Word to show they did, in fact, use money in Biblical times.

The tithing law itself proves they had both money and a marketing system for buying and selling their crops and animals (Deuteronomy 14:24-26).

THE PURCHASE OF LAND BY ABRAHAM - Genesis 23:15-16

THE PURCHASE OF LAND BY JACOB - Genesis 33:19

JOSEPH WAS SOLD TO THE ISHMEELITES - Genesis 37:28

A MONEY OFFERING TO BE USED FOR THE SERVICE OF THE TABERNACLE - Exodus 30:14-16,

USING SHEKEL OF SILVER TO VALUE A RAM - Leviticus 5:15

THE FOLLOWING VERSES REFER TO WAGES: Genesis 29:15, Genesis 30:28, Genesis 31:7-8, Genesis 31:41, Exodus 2:9, Leviticus 19:13, Malachi 3:5, etc.

THEY HAD A MONEY STANDARD

There are several places in Scripture indicating that scales were used to weigh metals and other items. The Law of Moses, for example, commands Jews not to use dishonest standards, but instead, to use honest scales and honest weights. (See also Deut. 25:13-15; Job 6:2-3; 31:6; Psa. 62:9; Prov. 11:1; 16:11; 20:10, 23; Isa. 40:12; 46:6; and Jer. 32:10).

Leviticus 19:35-36 – Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.

In order for money to be an exchangeable equivalent for other commodities in today’s society, there must be a standard in place. Likewise, the Old Testament also had a set standard both prior to the law and during the law. A reference to a pre-law standard is here in Genesis 23:16.

Merchants in biblical times traveled from place to place conducting business. According to the written law, the standard weight for metals was set according to the sanctuary shekel (See also Ex 30:13, 24; 38:24-26; Lev. 5:15; Num. 7:13-86; 18:16).

Leviticus 27:25 – Every value is to be set according to the sanctuary shekel, …

In addition, 2 Samuel 14:26 shows that the weight standard for the shekel was set by the royal standard. No matter which era in history is studied, there existed a standard for the weight of precious metals.

Money was also used throughout the law. For example, God’s people gave money to support the tabernacle (Ex. 30:14-16; 38:24-31). There are many other examples that illustrate money’s place within the written law and indicate that money was indeed a part of everyday life. Exodus 35 provides such an example.

Exodus 35:5, 21-22 – From what you have, take an offering for the LORD. Everyone who is willing is to bring to the LORD an offering of gold, silver and bronze;

And there are many more examples to show that money was used for everyday transactions well before the Levitical tithe.

Was it God that came down to collect tithes in the old testament times? Was is not ministers?

As I have pointed out several times on the blog, God directed the tithe to be taken to the LEVITES. God gave His tithe to the Levites, FOREVER, according to Numbers 18.

The Levites were the SERVANTS TO THE PRIESTS. They were the ushers, singers, musicians, etc. Then the Levites were commanded to give a tenth of the tithe to the priest.

So God not only gave the Levites permission to receive His tithe, He commanded it.

The scriptures don't show where God ever gave any pastor permission to receive His tithe, nor did He command anyone to take His tithe to a pastor or church.

Isn't it odd that even though Abram gave a tenth directly to Melchizedek, the king/priest, that some Christians think they can give directly to God by giving it to their pastor?

I find it quite offensive that pastors have appointed themselves to be the receiver of what belongs to God. After all, the pastor says the tithe belongs to God. Then he self-appoints himself to receive the tithe!!!

God never gave any pastor or church permission to receive his tithe or his gifts.

Since the tithe belongs to God, if your pastor accepts it isn't he stealing it from God?

Lucky for those of you who think you tithe, you are merely giving a tenth of your income to your church. You aren't paying the Biblical tithe or you would be disobeying God's command to take His tithe to the Levites. But then, if in your heart you are paying the Biblical tithe, then I guess you are sinning and breaking God's commands.

I am glad you do read Bible, however your problem is that you have a mind set on the issue of tithe.

Since I am a Money & Finance Minister, I definitely have a mind set on the issue of tithing. The false teaching of tithing, and the correct teaching of giving is what my ministry is all about.

But the tithing has nothing to do with the coming messiah, Jesus didn't fulfilled that part , it is based on spiritual principle.

I disagree. Tithing was based on a law, not a principle. There is no principle of giving when understanding the Biblical tithe.

Abraham gave a tenth. He didn't pay the Biblical tithe. So, why a tenth?

The number ten symbolizes a whole item, and also completion.

From Christian Resources Today, “Ten : 10 - Biblical Meaning of Number: deals with completeness that happens in a divine order or completed during a course of time. There's nothing that is left wanting within the complete cycle the number ten has just completed.”

That would be the reason for a tenth and not 2 tenths, etc. One tenth would symbolize completeness; a complete transaction.

I count just over 300 occurrences of the words ten or tenth in the KJV of the Holy Bible. 95% occur before Calvary. The number 10 has much significance in the Old Testament but virtually no significance in the New Testament. In fact, some of the few times those words appear after Calvary it is in reference to the Old Covenant.

At Calvary, the Old Covenant came to its completion. There is nothing after Calvary to suggest that the number ten represents completion.

In the New Testament, God wants 100% of us. Since we are now under grace, rather than use percentages or guidelines for giving, God will look at our heart. Many will have a false sense of security by following the Old Testament tithing law as a guideline when maybe God wants that person to give 50% or more. Using the Old Testament law as a guideline is opposite to using the Holy Spirit.

But please note that we also need to teach brethen the essence of true christian giving which is based on selfless love for others.

Christian giving is also a part of my teaching and included in my book.

The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent.

I believe those guided by The Spirit, and are financially able, give far more than a mere tenth of their income.

Recently got a Seventh-day Adventist pastor to read my book on tithing. He was shocked and told me the leadership needs to see this. He had blindly accepted what he had been taught, and now sees the error.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Can be many interpretations as to what that means.

It does NOT say go to church on Saturdays.

THE sabbath day = ONE DAY. Doesn't say sabbath days.

That's not true , what of sabbath?

The sabbath is not repeated in the New Testament.

In MY opinion ( MY opinion), those who think they must not work on Saturday, or do no business on Saturday, haven't really found the truth. They are doing works to please God, and Jesus already did it all.

@Joanbaje,

You gave the OT command to honour your father and mother.

I say ALL the Old Testament laws ended at the cross. I believe that only that which is REPEATED in the New Testament is meant for Christians.

New Testament:
Ephesians 6:2 (KJV) Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise

You will find that NINE of the Ten Commandments, or the substance thereof, are repeated in the New Testament.

@Joagbaje,

Show me where Jacob ever tithed. Jacob put conditions on God and said that IF God met those conditions, he would give a tenth of everything that God gave to him. No one does the scripture tell us that Jacob ever, in fact, gave a tenth of anything.

Abraham gave a tenth of war spoils and kept nothing for himself. There is NO scripture telling us that Abraham tithed on his regular income or wealth.

You are drawing assumptions from what is missing from the scriptures.

This is english. Income, profit, proceeds, wages, harvest, produce,yield, returns. They're all the same thing. - per Image123
@Image123

You have just shown us your ignorance of the word income.

Since I am a retired accountant and tax auditor, my whole career depended on me knowing the difference between assets and income.

I happen to be born and raised, and still live in what is known as the agricultural capital of the world.  The main economy here is agriculture.

Try and tell a farmer that his harvest is his income.  I am sure no farmer here would want you to file his income tax return.

A farmer makes his income by SELLING and/or BARTER EXCHANGE of his harvest and/or animals.  The harvest isn't his income, the proceeds from the sale is.  But God commanded the farmer to tithe on the ASSETS, before there was any income.

I can see many of you here need an accounting class.  Now, some will say I don't need an accounting class in order to understand the Bible.  I would agree, EXCEPT your pastor has ADDED ACCOUNTING TERMS TO THE WORD.  It was church leaders who added the accounting term "income" to God's Word.  It was church leaders that introduced the term "gross income" to the church.  I have yet to find even ONE pastor who has been able to give me the correct definition of gross income.

Pastors/preachers have NO BUSINESS using accounting terms unless they have at least some accounting background to understand the terms they use.  They merely show their ignorance.

That is why, as a Money & Finance Minister, before I ever begin to teach about tithing and giving, I give a short class on income and assets.  Without an understanding of those two terms, it is impossible to understand how God's tithed worked.

Did the Israelite farmers have a knowledge of assets and income?  Probably not.  Didn't matter.  They were told to tithe on their crops and animals, NOT on their income, which they DID have.

Since the Israelite farmers tithed on their PRODUCT.  To compare that to today, I would have to tithe on my SERVICES, since that was my product.  NOT MY INCOME.

Once a person really understands the difference between assets and income, the light turns on and they understand exactly what the tithe was all about.

@Snowwy,

Matthew 5:17-18 states Christ came to fulfill the law and not abolish it.

This is where some education in law is useful.  What does fulfill mean?  What does abolish mean?

Let me give an example.  A legal contract is enforceable under the law.  Let’s say you hire a contractor to build a swimming pool in your back yard.  Once the contractor has completed the job, and everything in that contract has been completed, the contract has been fulfilled.  The contractor’s job is to fulfill the contract, not abolish it.  He fulfills it by completing the terms, bringing it to an end.

Consider:

Hebrews 8:13 (KJV) - In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

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;

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

Galatians 3:19 (KJV) - Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. In other words, until Jesus came and fulfilled the law.

Galatians 3:23-25 (KJV)
23But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
24Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

Galatians 3:10-14 (KJV)
10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The law is to bring us to Christ.  Once we have accepted Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit, the law is no longer necessary. It has fulfilled its purpose.

But even taking your position that we are under the commandments, which ones are we under?  There were 613 commands.  And remember, the Ten Commandments do not include tithing.

Furthermore, NO ONE is following the tithing commands of God.  There are THREE of them.  Which one(s) do you follow:

Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18:  The First Tithe - a tenth of crops and animals and commanded to take the tithe to the Levites.

Deuteronomy 14:22-27:  The Second Tithe aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.

Deuteronomy 14:28-29:  The Third Tithe 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.

That's it.  No more.  Now, please tell me, WHICH ONE(S) OF GOD'S TITHING COMMANDS TO YOU FOLLOW?

I can tell you the answer.  NONE OF THEM.  What you follow is man's manipulation of the Levitical tithe

@ogoamaka99,

The definition of tithe is a tenth, or a tenth part.

But, God defined His tithe in Leviticus 27:30-33.

Leviticus 27:30-34 (KJV)
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.
31And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
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.
33He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
34These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

IF it doesn't meet God's definition for His tithe, it isn't God's tithe. Plain and simple. When referring to The Lord's Tithe, you are in great error if you include something that God, Himself, did NOT include in His definition.

Malachi 3:7 - God refers to His ORDINANCES. God is referring to His commands, His laws regarding tithes and offerings, NOT some man-made garbage.

It's really quite simple. Stick with God's Word and you won't go wrong.

God NEVER gave any pastor or church permission to receive His tithe.

God NEVER asked or commanded anyone to give to Him a tenth of anything man makes or earns.

It is you who doesn't understand the Biblical definition of tithe. YOU are stuck on man's definition.

@newmi,

In Hebrews 7:5 we are told that Levi (the Levites) took the tithes under the law. In Hebrews 7:12 we are told that when the priesthood changes, the law will change. Hebrews 7:18 is telling us that Numbers 18 was disannulled. Numbers 18 established the Levitical priesthood, and part of that establishing included tithing. When the Levitical priesthood ended (at Calvary, or at least in the year 70AD when the temple was destroyed), all laws that established that priesthood were canceled. If Numbers 18 wasn't canceled, we would still be under the Levitical priesthood.

@newmi,

There is no "tithing principle."

Abraham didn't "tithe" - he gave a tenth of war spoils and kept nothing for himself.  IF there is any principle involved here, it would be that Abraham kept nothing for himself.

Then there is the Levitical tithe, the ONLY tithe that God, Himself, claimed as His.  Is there a principle here?  A law where those who inherited the promised land were required to give a tenth of the crops and animals to those who didn't inherit the promised land, but rather inherited the tithe.  No one else tithed.  What would be the principle here?  Maybe sharecropping?  There certainly isn't any principle here of giving.

Only man can come up with these principles.  God surely didn't.  And exactly WHEN did these man-made principles on tithing surface?  Around 1870 when church leaders weren't satisfied with the amount of money being donated.

Those are the facts.

Unfortunately, tithing has been taught long enough to where some were raised believing their mother and/or their pastor were correct.  Just shows how anyone, even one's own mother or pastor, can be brainwashed into believing a lie.  And then they hand it down to others, and the cycle continues until enough honest, Bible-studying Christians, challenge this false teaching and get the truth out.

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 didn’t tithe.  Paul didn’t tithe.  Peter didn’t tithe.

HOW CAN YOU COMPARE THAT WITH CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE TO PAY THEIR MORTGAGE PAYMENT OR RENT, INCOME TAXES, PROPERTY TAXES, SALES TAXES, ETC?

There is no way to justify making some “principle” out of the Biblical facts and then apply it to Christians today. It is just flat out wrong and makes no sense at all.

And Abraham wasn't a tither.  He GAVE a tenth of WAR SPOILS and KEPT NOTHING FOR HIMSELF.  There is no logical way to get a principle of giving a tenth of one's income out of that.

Here are some similarities between a tax and the tithe:

Inheritance or Estate tax - paid by those receiving an inheritance.
Tithe - paid by those who inherited the promised land.

Property tax - ONLY on property owners.
Tithe - ONLY on property owners.

Income tax - used to run the government.
Tithe - used to run the theocracy.

Luxury tax - doesn't apply to the poor.
Tithe - doesn't apply to the poor.

The tithing lie is one of the biggest frauds this world has ever experienced.

As soon as you use Malachi in your argument, you have lost the argument because Malachi is referring to God's commands to tithe.

In Malachi 3:7 God refers to His ORDINANCES. Now, before you go any further, you must be able to identify exactly which ordinances God was referring to. Otherwise, you don't understand what God is talking about.

His ORDINANCES referred to in Malachi 3:7 are contained in Numbers 18. Those ordinances are the ONLY tithe where any part of it went to the storehouse.

Hebrews 7:18 disannulls Numbers 18. Otherwise, we would still be under the Levitical priesthood.

IF tithing has been established with Abraham giving a tenth of WAR SPOILS, and keeping NOTHING for himself, then Jacob would not have put conditions on God to meet BEFORE Jacob would give a tenth, and there is NO scripture to show that Jacob ever, in fact, gave a tenth of anything.

NO ONE is following Abraham's example today.

Just another failed attempt to try to justify the tithing lie.

Abraham gave a tenth of WAR SPOILS that didn't even belong to him. He kept NOTHING for himself. There is no other example of Abraham tithing. There is NO example of Abraham ever tithing on his regular income or wealth.

Now, if you want to follow Abraham's example, follow it, but don't change it.

Also, Abraham was blessed by Melchizedek before he gave the tenth, not after. Abraham didn't claim that he was giving the tenth to God.

Plus, Biblical historians agree that during the days of Abraham, it was CUSTOM to give a tenth of war spoils to the king. But ignoring the historians, the Word doesn't tell us WHY Abraham gave the tenth.

@otitokoro1,

According to Deut. 26:12, tithe is tenth of your increase. Your profit is an increase on your investments.

Wrong. You need a Hebrew concordance/dictionary, and then you need to pick out the correct meaning. Of your increase means of YOUR share of God's miraculous increase of the crops.

Look how other versions of the Bible translate that verse:

Deuteronomy 26:12 (RSV)
“When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within your towns and be filled,

Deuteronomy 26:12 (NCV)
Bring a tenth of all your harvest the third year (the year to give a tenth of your harvest). Give it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows so that they may eat in your towns and be full.

Deuteronomy 26:12 (NIV)
When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

Deuteronomy 26:12 (NRSV)
When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year (which is the year of the tithe), giving it to the Levites, the aliens, the orphans, and the widows, so that they may eat their fill within your towns,

@Tonye-t,

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus is speaking of “matters of the law.” The LAW of tithing was limited, BY GOD, to increase of the seed and animals in herds and flocks. Nothing else. No other animals. Not on fish. Not on income. Not on money. ONLY on ASSETS that came from God’s miraculous increase.

Matthew 23:23 (KJV)
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.

But we shouldn't mistake it with the tenth that went to the levites in the temple,

Why would all the tithe go to the Temple? Nearly all the Levites lived in the Levitical cities, not the Temple. How would the Levites live if their food was at the Temple?

I've already shown scripture to show the Levites and the priests ROTATED on a weekly basis - they served at the Temple about two weeks per year, one week out of every 24. The wifes and children also lived in the Levitical cities. Only makes sense if the whole tithe went to the Levitical cities where the food was needed. That is why the Levites had to take a portion to the Temple.

Neh 10:38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with 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.
He's referring to the high priest, the son of Aaron. He can't possibly be with them in their cities, he's not omnipresent.

No, Aaron was the high priest, not his son(s).

God doesn't change.

Correct. So stop changing His definition and ordinances for His tithe. You change Leviticus 27:30-33 to include income, and you change Numbers 18 to allow God's tithe to be taken to the church. GOD DOESN'T CHANGE, AND NEITHER DOES HIS WORD.