₦airaland Forum

Anyone using Matthew 23:23 to show that Jesus commended tithing doesn't understand that the New Covenant didn't begin until AFTER Jesus died on the cross. Jesus was speaking to those still under the law. Notice Jesus said they ought to tithe on their herbs. But Jesus never said they ought to tithe on their income from their professions as teachers and lawyers.

When will the lies stop! Tithing will be the downfall of the Protestant Church if this crap doesn't stop.

@Amacaco,

Your book is a bunch of made-up baloney.

You said that Abram tithed because "he knew the will of God, "  The scriptures do not say that. 

You also said "He did pass on this teaching of tithe payment to his children and grand children, "  If that were true, why would Jacob try to bargain with God?  Why didn't Jacob just tithe?  Why is there absolutely NO scriptures showing anyone tithing after Abram's ONE-TIME tenth of war spoils until the Mosaic law?  You are making up a good story to convince innocent Christians to part with a tenth of their money.  Shame on you.

In Numbers 18 God GAVE His tithes to the Levites, and commanded them to give a tenth of the tithes to the priests.  SHOW ME WHERE GOD EVER GAVE HIS TITHE TO ANY PASTOR OR CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

You said, "As children of Abraham, Christians should learn to tithe as Abraham did, "

You don't tithe AS ABRAHAM DID.  There is NO scripture showing Abraham ever tithing on his income.  It was a ONE-TIME event.  Of war spoils.  AND HE KEPT NOTHING FOR HIMSELF.  Do you also keep nothing for yourself?  If not, you aren't following Abraham's example.

"A tithe of every thing from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord".   Read that verse again.  Does it say income from the sale of those items?  NO.  The tithe was from the ASSETS themselves, not the income.  There is NO example in the scriptures of wage earners tithing.  The poor RECEIVED a portion of the tithe, not pay a tithe.

Just more false teaching.  And I tell you, YOU will be held accountable for all this garbage you are spreading around.

There are no Levites in the Christian Church. 

You just make up things to suit your own purpose.  You have re-written God's Word to where it is now man's word.  You will be held accountable for this false teaching.

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.

Those who say the first tithe, or Levitical tithe, was observed during the wilderness (exodus) are not correct.

God gave the Israelites manna to eat during the Exodus.  Would have been no need to give the Levites food from crops and animals during that time.

Malachi 3:10 (KJV)  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith 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.

Until the Temple was built, there was no storehouse.

Nehemiah 10:37-38 (KJV)
37And 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.
38And 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.

In Nehemiah 10:37 we learn that the firstfruits were taken to the temple for the priests, and the tithes were taken to the Levites who lived in the Levitical cities. Therefore, we see that firstfruits have nothing to do with the tithe.

In Nehemiah 10:38 we learn that the Levites would take a tithe of the tithe to the Temple. It is this tithe, the tithe from the Levites, that went to the storehouse, not the tithe from the people. This is important to remember when we study Malachi 3:10.

The Festival tithe in Deut. 14:22-27 was not taken to the storehouse.  The Poor tithe in Deut. 14:28-29 stayed within thy gates; therefore, it also was not taken to the storehouse.  The ONLY tithe which any part of went into the storehouse was the Levitical tithe.

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

NEW TESTAMENT
2 Timothy 2:6 (KJV) “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”

1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV) “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”

The New Testament makes it clear that we are to use the FIRST of our income to take care of ourselves and our family.  We are talking about needs, here, not just anything we want.  Then we should give generously from what is left.

Jesus after "order of" Melchizedek. Do you understand what "order of" means?

The following numbers are "in order": 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

After the "order of" Melchizedek means that it is treated as though there was no Levitical priesthood. Hebrews 7:18 tells us the Levitical priesthood, which included tithing, was DISANNULLED. In other words, it is treated as though there never was a Levitical priesthood. Therefore, we go from the priesthood of Melchizedek to the current priesthood. That all "in the order of" means. Jesus following, in order, Melchizedek. HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TITHING. Hebrews 7:18 tells us that Numbers 18 was disannulled. Therefore, NO MORE TITHING.

Biblical historians AGREE that during the days of Abraham, and even before the days of Abraham, it was CUSTOM to tithe war spoils to a king.

@Omo Tier1:

You don't understand the Bible any more than you understand what I have been saying.  

I REPEAT:  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.

Following the teaching of the New Testament, and being SPIRIT LED rather than being led by Old Testament laws, I find myself consistently giving far, far more than a mere tenth of my income.

@Omo Tier1:

Only God can teach you. Obviously, I can't.

@Omo Tier1:

Give scripture to show that tithing was ever on income.

You have been brainwashed by either dishonest or ignorant pastors.

@Omo Tier1:

I have also been taught incorrectly about the tithe in church.  It was when my pastor asked me to teach a Sunday School Class in finances that I prayed and asked the Lord for truth.  It was then that the Holy Spirit taught me the truth about tithes.

Now I have taught many pastors the truth, and my writings on the topic are now being used by pastors and Bible Study instructors in the US, Canada, Australia, and East Africa.

@Omo Tier1:

Please explain to me why it is that NO Christian Church ever taught anyone to tithe on their income before 1870.  This is proven in the history of the Christian Church.

No one here is against giving to the church, whether it be 10% or any other amount or percentage.  The problem is teaching that a tenth is required, OR that you can even voluntarily pay the Biblical tithe.

When you give a tenth of your income to the church, that has nothing to do with any tithe in the Bible.  You are merely picking up the word "tithe" from the Bible and using it in a non-Blblical way.  You are using the worldly definition of tithe rather than the Biblical definition.  GOD defined His tithe, but YOU choose to use man's worldly definition.  Therefore, IF you are trying to tithe per the Bible, and you do it by giving a tenth of your income to the church, then you have sinned by not obeying God's tithing commands.  But if you just wish to give a tenth of your income to the church because you want to give, that is great.  But using the tenth to be obedient, etc. would be wrong.

@Omo Tier1:

Since Hebrews 7 clarifies that Abram gave a tenth of the spoils, and since the story shows that Abram had not yet returned to his home, it only makes sense that he gave a tenth of the spoils.

There is NO scripture to show that Abram ever tithed before this one-time event, nor is there any scripture that Abraham tithed after this one-time event. There is no scripture to shows that Abraham ever tithed from his regular income.

You follow NO part of Abram's one-time tithing example. Even IF he had tithed on everything he owned, it was one time, and not on his income. Therefore, to follow YOUR interpretation of Abram's tithe, you must tithe ONE TIME only, and it must be a tenth of EVERYTHING you own. Is that the way you have tithed?

How about being truthful here. Exactly how are YOU following Abram's tithing example?

@Omo Tier 1:

What does "tenth of all" or "tenth of everything" even mean?

Does it say tenth of everything he owned? Does it say a tenth of everything in the world? It doesn't specify what the "all" or "everything" is, so we have to read the entire story to get the answer. We also can use Hebrews 7 to get the answer.

Title: Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Old Testament
A tenth part of all the spoils he had taken from the confederate kings.

Title: Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible



Abram gave him the tenth of the spoils

@Omo Tier1:

Genesis 14:20 (NLT) And blessed be God Most High, who has helped you conquer your enemies.” Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.

You are taking one verse totally out of context and coming to an incorrect conclusion.

@Omo Tier 1:

If you read Genesis 14, you find that Abram stopped ON HIS WAY BACK and gave a tenth of everything he had with him. It doesn't say he went home and gathered a tenth of everything he owned. This is also verified in Hebrews 7:4. He gave a tenth of the spoils. In fact, he gave a tenth of the NET spoils, not the gross spoils.

Genesis 14:23 (KJV)
23That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

In verse 23 Abram says he will not take any thing that is yours (thine); therefore, Abram acknowledges the spoils didn't belong to him.

Let’s look closely at Abram’s tithe. First, the goods that Abram gave the tenth from didn’t even belong to Abram:

Genesis 14:21 (KJV) - And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

Notice in verse 21 the king of Sodom didn’t ask Abram 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, but he offered the goods to Abram.

It would normally have been the custom that the victor owns the spoils, but normally the spoils would have belonged to the enemy. In this case, Abram was RECOVERING goods belonging to the King of Sodom.

NOTE: The king of Sodom had an original right both to the persons and to the goods, and it would bear a debate whether Abram’s acquired right by rescue would supersede his title and extinguish it; but, to prevent all quarrels, the king of Sodom makes this fair proposal (v. 21).
--Should the Church Teach Tithing by Dr. Russell Earl Kelly, pages 24-25

Genesis 14:22-24 (KJV)
22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Notice in verses 23 and 24 Abram also acknowledges that the goods belonged to the king of Sodom. But the king of Sodam offered that Abram could keep the goods for himself. Abram declined the offer. He didn’t want man to take credit for his wealth. By not accepting any of the goods for himself, Abram was putting all his faith in God to provide for him rather than man.

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

Conclusion: Abram did NOT give a tenth of his income, or his wealth. Abram gave a tenth of the spoils of war that didn’t belong to him and declined to keep the goods offered to him. That is NOT an example of tithing for Christians to follow today. By declining to keep any of the goods for himself, Abram showed his faith that God would provide. That is the example of faith that Christians should be following. Furthermore, the law did NOT require a tenth of war spoils to be given, so to say that tithing was before the law and then in the law is not true. What Abram did was NOT even codified into the later law.

@Omo Tier 1:

You amaze me!  You don't follow ANY of the tithing commands given by God, but actually expect to be blessed by taking God's commands to tithe on His increase of crops and animals and change that to tithing on your income, and change God's command to take His tithe to the Levites to take the tithe to your church!  Truly amazing!

Firstfruits offerings in the scriptures are just that - the first of the FRUIT from CROPS, not money, and not from income.

IF you think tithing and firstfruits are spiritual laws, they you must tithe spiritually and offer firstfruits spiritually.  Giving money is not spiritual.

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:”  In other words, once you accept Christ, you are blessed with ALL spiritual blessings.  ALL, not some.

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.

You totally misunderstand the tithe and firstfruits.  Both came from GOD'S miraculous increase of food from crops and animals, and NEVER money, and NEVER from anyone's income.

When you try to "tithe" or give a "firstfruit offering" from your own income you are essentially replacing God with yourself.  You have cheapened the tithe and firstfruits from GOD'S increase to your own achievements (income).

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.

@Omo Tier1:

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.

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 on their income.

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

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

To those who believe Malachi 3 applies to you, please consider:

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?”

Now, before you can go any further in the scriptures, you need to know exactly where those ORDINANCES are.  They were not following God's ORDINANCES and thus, were robbing God.  Those ORDINANCES are in Numbers 18 where God commands His tithe be taken to the Levites.  Therefore, anyone taking God's tithe to a pastor or church is also robbing God since the tithe is not going to the Levites.

Also consider:  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;”  In other words, those ORDINANCES were nailed to the cross.

Also consider:  Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…”  In other words, Christians are not under any curse.

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 victim realized they were a victim, there is really nothing they can do about it.  The scammer keeps the money.

I don't want to mislead anyone. 

I am in the process of revising my website and book to reflect the following:

My Christian education includes:
Successfully completing a correspondence course in Biblical Studies
Successfully completing a course given by Prison Fellowship Ministries
Successfully completing a Christian Mentoring course given by One-by-One Leadership
· Actually mentored several young men under this program
Successfully completing six modules of a course titled "Caring for People God's Way"
Attending regular church services and Bible Study classes
Thousands of hours of self-study

I have never used a DD after my name, nor do I use any title before or after my name other than Certified Money & Finance Minister which is really not a title, but rather a job description.

For those following this blog, you should be able to see the tricks and scam-artist tactics of wordtalk.

Wordtalk, not me, brought up the DD degree. I didn't claim ANY of my degrees on this blog UNTIL wordtalk started condemning me for using them on my own webpages.

Instead of sticking with the issues of this blog, DOES GOD REQUIRE TITHES, wordtalk tries to turn the blog into a condemning exercise against those who don't agree with him.

In my opinion, wordtalk is nothing but talk, and is driven by the devil.

I have given my arguments that God does NOT require Christians to tithe today, and believe I have shown that no one can possibly tithe as God had instructed in the Old Testament. Although not ALL tithing in the Old Testament came from the Holy land, ALL of the tithing COMMANDED BY GOD in the scriptures, did come from the Holy land.

Apparently wordtalk doesn't know the difference between a "degree" and ordination.

I was ordained by a pastor of a church not far from where I grew up. That ordination gives me the right to perform marriages, etc. You are stuck on ULC. ALL of my degrees and certificates didn't come from them. However, ULC is, in fact, a local non-denomination church in Modesto, California, which holds services every Sunday. And they teach, as I do, that there is NO tithing in the Christian Church.

Every church I have belonged to recognizes my ordination.

Again, wordtalk criticizes my degrees and certificates but refuses to disclose his own education. What a joke. Always wants to take the focus off of his own education while condemning others! If it doesn't make you ill, wordtalk, look at yourself for a change.

While I actually have a ministry, and actually have many teaching from my material, wordtalk is a wannabe that has nothing to do but condemn others. I feel sorry for wordtalk.

Ordination is what gives me the AUTHORITY to perform marriages, not degrees.

In addition to the degrees I have that you call a sham, I ALSO have my Bachelor of Science Degree from a California State College (now called California State University). You still keep a secret what degree(s) you have and from where as well as what subject the degree is for. I ALSO have the full training from Prison Fellowship Ministries. I also have the full training from One By One Leadership. I ALSO taught part-time at a Christian School for a year. I ALSO taught classes in finance at two churches. I ALSO have taught many pastors and ministers both in a class format and on a one-on-one basis. But even more important, I ALSO have THE HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN ME that has taught me well. So call SOME of my degrees and/or certificates a sham if you wish, but you can't call them all a sham. I studied long hours to get my so-called sham degrees/certificates.

If you are incapable of research the California court cases, I suggest you find someone willing to do it for you.  I am not willing to do anything for you.  You are a jerk.

Laugh all you want, wordtalk. You still haven't told us YOUR qualifications and education.

The Universal Life Church Doctor of Biblical Studies degree was not an easy course to take. I had to answer just under 1,000 questions dealing with Genesis through Revelation, and my score was 99%.

Many pastors have degrees from similar institutions. But we still don't know where YOU got your degrees, if any. Wanna tell us, or are you embarrassed that you don't have any degrees??

I do not claim to have a Ph.D. in theology, and whenever anyone emails me and calls me by the tithe Dr. (which has happened only once or twice), I immediately correct them.

But many pastors go by Dr. when their Ph.D. is in a subject that has nothing to do with the Bible or religion.

Laugh all you want. The California Courts have ruled that degrees issued by the ULC are as valid as any degrees given by any other Christian school.

What I have is better than nothing. It at least shows I try to better myself with more education.

Many pastors recognize my expertise in the area of tithing and giving. Any use your material to teach from?

I just think you are jealous that I get so much recognition and you don't. That makes you want to criticize everything I say.

@wordtalk said, "BTW, please go and review your paper by removing the ".D." title - it is misleading some gullible folks to take that as a qualified theological degree when it clearly is NOT. Just a friendly warning."

D.D stands for Doctor of Divinity. I was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree on February 2, 1980 and have every right to use the D.D. after my name. I was ordained on April 18, 1979. I got my Doctor of Biblical Studies Degree on April 10.2008. And on May 1, 2008, the Trinity Institute of Christian Counseling Board of Academic Review in consortium with the American Theological Education Association acknowledged that I, having met stringent training, education, professional experience and all ethical requirements is found to be qualified and has fully earned the tithe of Certified Professional Money and Finance Minister with all the honors and privileges pertaining thereto.

I also have a B.S. degree in Accounting and have certificates from the National Tax Training School and Federated Tax Service. In addition, I have had training from the Center for Biblical Counseling, Prison Fellowship Ministries, and have been trained and have mentored through a program given by One By One Leadership.

I have given classes relating to finances at the Fresno Westside SDA Church and also at Pearlygrove Baptist Church. I have also been a part-time teacher at a Christian School.

In addition, I have self-published a book on tithing which has been downloaded by well over 2,600 times, and my material is being used by preachers and Bible Study Class instructors in the US, Canada, Australia, and East Africa that I know of.

Now, wordtalk, just what are your qualifications and education, if any?

I won't reply to wordtalk's reply to my comments because they insult my intelligence.

@wordtalk said, "Those who want to express their giving in the form of tithes TODAY are absolutely free to do so."

In other words, "Those who want to express their giving in the form of tenths TODAY are absolutely free to do so."

WHY would anyone want to express their giving in the form of tenths? Why not express your giving in the form of the whole thing rather than tenths?

EVERY amount anyone gives is a tenth (tithe) of something. Without SPECIFYING what the tenth is on, it is meaningless.

Why would I want to say I gave a tenth (tithe) of $1,000? Why not just say I gave $100?

If I just say I gave a tithe it doesn't tell anyone what the tenth was on. Maybe I gave a tithe (tenth) of the change that was in my pocket.

Above are reasons to NOT use the words tithe or tithing UNLESS you complete the sentence and tell WHAT the tenth is on. God always specified what the tenth was to be on; therefore, when you also specify what the tenth is on, one can see that what you are "tithing" has no relation to what God said to tithe on.

The following are the ONLY tithes that God required:

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.

In all three cases, the tithe had to come from crops and/or animals raised on the Holy land.

Can anyone voluntarily pay or give the tithe(s) today that God required?

To say we can "express our giving by tithing today" is pure nonsense and shows lack of Biblical understanding. To say we can express our giving today by giving a tenth of our income is fine. But to infer it has ANYTHING AT ALL to do with God's tithing commands is nothing but a lie.

There is no tithing in the New Testament. Tithing was disannulled according to Hebrews 7:5,12,18.

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 inherited any land.

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

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

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

When you understand the Biblical tithe, it makes sense, and it is plain to see that it makes NO sense to try to tithe today.

@bekay911 said, "Malachi 3.10-11 summarizes it all"

Isn't it odd that you left out Malachi 3:7?

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;”

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

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:”

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.

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

Your tithe which is ten percent of whatever come to your hand belong to God.

Give SCRIPTURE instead of your foolishness. The Biblical tithe was NEVER on anyone's income, and it was NEVER money, even though the Temple Tax (tribute in KJV) HAD to be paid with money.

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;

Malachi 3 is talking about robbing God for not following God's ORDINANCES.

Those ORDINANCES were nailed to the cross at Calvary.

Christians are not under the Old Testament laws/ordinances.

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

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.

Anyone who teaches that tithing is a requirement of God for Christians is a false teacher.