₦airaland Forum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftyw-A3z3BE

Biblical Response To Daddy Freeze On Tithing By Apostle Israel Jimah Part 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-OgleMN65Y

Biblical Response To Daddy Freeze On Tithing By Apostle Israel Jimah Part 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW3M5vZMzks

Biblical Response To Daddy Freeze On Tithing By Apostle Israel Jimah Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB8ycSJyh9U&t=1261s

Daddy Freeze Selfish Hidden Agenda On Tithing

Bidobado:
The fact that they cannot make it to RCCG in Libya means there never was any concerted effort by the church to help them in the first place, after all the only place humans run to in conflicts are peaceful sanctuaries where their lives are safe.
How come Adeboye can't even offer to use his church private jet to bring them back home.

Did the government tell you they are short of planes to bring back the people? Do you really know what the churches do to help people? Alot of people still find peace in the church. A lot more needs to be done according to the capacity of the church. Your mind is made up on insulting Pastors. what you sow you will reap. I am not insulting you.

Jakumo:
Pastor Eunuch Adejale Adebole is merely engaged in a reputation damage control exercise, because his rampant greed, selfishness and total disregard for anyone needing urgent help, were all rightly called out by a radio personality who commands a large national audience.

Also note that money-grubbing Pastor Adejale did NOT offer any form of material or logistical help to the Nigerian nationals being traded as slaves in Libya. All Daddy G. Ole was able to offer were calls to pointless prayer that on its own solves NOTHING in practical terms.

Once a thief, always a thief. Pastor Adejale Adebole has ALWAYS been about the money, at the expense of his gullible flock of sheep, who are so DESPERATE to gain PAID admission to Adejale's imaginary heaven, that they would willingly sell their own kidneys, if that is what it would take to satisfy the greed of that frog-faced pathological liar called Adebole.

If you are in the habit of handing over your salary to a deceptive, money-laundering, fast-talking monkey in a dog-collar, then may I suggest employing the services of a Juju practitioner, whose miracle-delivery services are generally more affordable, though just as pointless and futile, in the grand scheme of things.

It is not the duty of RCCG to negotiate for the release of those incacerated or sold to slavery. That is the duty of the Government. Rccg duty is to help those still on the run from their slave masters and are able to locate the Parish in Bengazi.

AFONJAPIG:
fraudster, how will someone in captive look out for RCCG in Libya, they should stop all this eyes service, maybe they are looking for more members to defraud... Ndia self TUFIAKWA

It is not the duty of RCCG to negotiate for the release of those incacerated or sold to slavery. That is the duty of the Government. Rccg duty is to help those still on the run from their slave masters and are able to locate the Parish in Bengazi.

Jakumo:
Pastor Eunuch Adejale Adebole is merely engaged in a reputation damage control exercise, because his rampant greed, selfishness and total disregard for anyone needing urgent help, were all rightly called out by a radio personality who commands a large national audience.

Also note that money-grubbing Pastor Adejale did NOT offer any form of material or logistical help to the Nigerian nationals being traded as slaves in Libya. All Daddy G. Ole was able to offer were calls to pointless prayer that on its own solves NOTHING in practical terms.

Once a thief, always a thief. Pastor Adejale Adebole has ALWAYS been about the money, at the expense of his gullible flock of sheep, who are so DESPERATE to gain PAID admission to Adejale's imaginary heaven, that they would willingly sell their own kidneys, if that is what it would take to satisfy the greed of that frog-faced pathological liar called Adebole.

If you are in the habit of handing over your salary to a deceptive, money-laundering, fast-talking monkey in a dog-collar, then may I suggest employing the services of a Juju practitioner, whose miracle-delivery services are generally more affordable, though just as pointless and futile, in the grand scheme of things.

It is not the duty of RCCG to negotiate for the release of those incacerated or sold to slavery. That is the duty of the Government. Rccg duty is to help those still on the run from their slave masters and are able to locate the Parish in Bengazi.

Vello:
How would those incarcerated, bound and confused go to 'parish'es in Libya? Where is their freedom of movement?
Is this the best we can see from church? Where is ministration of the deliverance to the captives? Did Jesus say those seeking deliverance should go to the synagogue? He rather sought them out. Think deeply on this
Moreover, I'm yet to see any of this churches raise the dead, open blind eyes or heal the insane. We all celebrate wealth and equate that to being a favoured child of God
Daddy Freeze still on point

It is not the duty of RCCG to negotiate for the release of those incacerated or sold to slavery. That is the duty of the Government. Rccg duty is to help those still on the run from their slave masters and are able to locate the Parish in Bengazi.

Mike Bamiloye has opened up on the controversy trailing the payment of tithes among church members.
Bamiloye was apparently responding to the recent attack on Nigerian pastor by ace AOP, Daddy Freeze, who accused men of God of robbing the poor to get rich in the name of tithing.
Airing his views on the controversy, theAgbara Nla producer said he saw nothing wrong with the practice of tithing.
He said, “I am an Evangelist. I believe strongly in tithes and giving offerings as God commanded in Malachi 3:10.
“I have believed and practice this for more than 35 years. I pay tithes. My Ministry pay tithes.
“On many occasions, we had laid all we had on the Altar before God. On some Occasions we had emptied our accounts and laid all before the Lord in obedience to His specific command and in appreciation of His goodness.
“We believe heavily in tithes and offering, and also in the Biblical Principle of first fruits .
“I have seen marvelous Wonders of God at home and on evangelistic fields as I held on to the Biblical Doctrine of Tithes and Offerings, Sowing and Harvesting. I have been on this for more than 30 years in ministry.
“I pay my tithes and I give my offerings as instructed by god.
but it is never and can never be my business, whatever the tithes and offerings are used for.
“I have given the Tithes and Offerings to God and It is no longer in my care. It is God’s Business to determine if it is well used or not. Not Mine.
“Are you waiting for me to defend my Belief on Tithes from the Bible? What Do I need to defend again, when I saw it in the Bible, even if it is One Verse.
“Now, let me show you the Verses of the Word of God that I follow:
“I am not a Theologian, and I do not need many Verses from the Bible to know what to do. I am an Evangelist. So, do not wait for me to now begin to table before you a an argumentative Bible Study.
“And it is God I have given my tithes, because he said, it is him i have robbed if I don’t pay the tithes into his house.
“Therefore, I have no problem with any pastor or church the lord leads me to pay my tithes. http://www.gltrends.ng/2017/11/mike-bamiloye-breaks-silence-giving-tithes-god/

betterABIAstate:
Jesus Christ is God the son, if he didn't practise tithe and Christianity is the teaching and life of Jesus.

If the author of Christianity didn't practise tithe, why should I practise it because it was written in the Jewish law.

The recent Christian body are not even tithing according to how it was stipulated in the law of moses, everything is just wrong with the process

Did Jesus marry and have children? So because Jesus didn't marry one don't have a right to marry and have children. This your defense is watery

PART 3
The greatest casualty of the debate over tithe is the very reason the narratives were included in the Bible in the first place. The essence of the narratives is the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7 & . Those narratives on tithing point to him. Tithing has implications that go to the very root of Christianity. Those who focus on only the economics miss out on the purport.
Tithing began with Abraham. He tithed the spoils of war from the defeat of the Gang of Four – Amraphel, Arioch, Kedorlaomer and Tidal. These kings raided Sodom and carted off Abraham’s nephew, Lot as a prisoner of war. Abraham went after them, defeated them and rescued Lot. He recovered significant loot from the military expedition. Abraham then gave a tenth of that loot to a priest named Melchizedek. That was the first tithe in the Bible.
Tithe antagonists insist on four issues from this story:
¬ They insist Abraham tithed only once and therefore there is nothing like continuous tithing.
¬ They insist Abraham tithed from war and so we should only tithe our “conquests.”
¬ They insist Abraham did not tithe from personal assets but from the assets of the king of Sodom.
¬ They insist it wasn’t Abraham who tithed but Abram. This presumably means it wasn’t the covenanted entity that tithed.
There are also technical arguments over whether you pay tithe or give tithe. But all these nit-pickings miss the point. These arguments are of no theological or redemptive value. They’re easily dealt with from a cursory reading of Hebrews 7. For example, Hebrews 7 does not recognise dichotomy of Abraham/Abram in its analysis. See Hebrews 7:1-2. All God wanted to establish in Genesis 14 was the fact Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, period! That factuality of that tithe is the pointer to the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7)
As enumerated earlier, there are two regimes of tithe in the Bible. The first regime is Abrahamic tithing. It is elective. Abraham paid tithe electively. No one compelled him to. The second regime of tithe is the regime of the Law (Ten Commandments). It’s a regime of mandated giving. God mandated the Israelites to tithe. Because this tithing was a law, we shall call this regime legislative tithing.
Now, ordinarily these two regimes of tithe have nothing in common. They have different hues and provenance. But the two regimes are linked in the New Testament. The New Testament teaches about tithe.
Abraham, as we noted, gave tithe to Melchizedek. Melchizedek the Bible says, wore a double cap. He was a priest-king, an hyphenated entity. We’re told he is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ – Hebrews 5:6. Melchizedek told Abraham that his military conquest and the loot recovered were facilitated by God. (Genesis 14:19-20) Which means Abraham tithed in acknowledgement of grace and in worship. He gave a tenth of spoils of war to Melchizedek.
Interestingly Melchizedek brought communion when he met Abraham. They broke bread. The breaking of bread (communion) by Melchizedek and Abraham was a pre-enactment of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb and sin offering. (Hebrews 10, 1 Peter 1:18-19) We access his sacrifice through communion. As it were, Abraham had a foretaste of salvation through the communion with Melchizedek.
The regime of tithing under the Law however had a different rationale. Tithing under the law was inaugurated as a political solution to the issue of state creation. Israel had twelve tribes, the tribes were allocated land except the Levites. God declared he was their inheritance. (Numbers 18:20) In order to compensate the Levites, God legislated that all the tribes must pay tithe to the Levites. (Numbers 18:20-24)
But tithing under the Law of Moses was not just about political resolution. It was welfarist as well. It was a government program for the poor, and it also focused on the state of being, health and happiness of the tithe payer.
As we can see, the two regimes of tithing couldn’t be any more different. Yet the Bible says they’re linked. That link between the two is found in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 7 & 8 to be precise. Hebrews 7 gives a recount of the meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek and then proceeds to analyse the genetic implication of the tithe: “A person might even say that Levi (the father of the priestly tribe) himself, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham (the father of all Israel and all who believe), for Levi was still in the loins (unborn) of his forefather Abraham when Melchizedek met him.” (Hebrews 7:9-10 AMP) In essence the priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to the priesthood of Levi since Levi paid tithe to Melchizedek. “The person who has the power to give the blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.” (Hebrews 7:7) The argument therefore is that the Law of Moses which Levi represented is subordinate to grace which Melchizedek represented.
The writer of Hebrews (who many suspect is Paul) says Melchizedek was a perfect typology of our Lord Jesus Christ: “He is, first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, which means king of peace.” (Hebrews 7:2)
Concerning Jesus Prophet Isaiah had written: “He shoulders responsibility and is called Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NET) “He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness.” (Isaiah 9:7 NET) So Jesus like Melchizedek is the King of Righteousness and King of Peace. Melchizedek in essence stood in the place of Jesus when Abraham paid tithe to him.
The significance of the Melchizedek/Abraham encounter is that the priesthood has been changed. The priesthood changed from the Levitical order to the Melchizedek order. (Hebrews 7:11) This is crucial for Christianity. There’ll be no Christianity without the change. Jesus would not be a high priest. He’s from the tribe of Judah not Levi. For the priesthood to be changed however the law regulating it must necessarily be changed too. (Hebrews 7:12) Jesus did not become a priest based on old laws. He didn’t qualify genetically. Jesus became a priest by the “power of a life that cannot be destroyed.” (Hebrews 7:16) It’s why the Psalmist wrote, “You’re a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) Jesus became a priest “by the sheer force of resurrection life.” (Hebrews 7:16 MSG) Hallelujah!
The Bible says “the former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside,” replaced by “another way – Jesus! – a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God.” (Hebrews 7:15-19 MSG) We have a better covenant with God and Jesus is the guarantee of that covenant. (Hebrews 7:22)
Whether Abraham paid tithe once or not, whether it was from spoils of war or not, or whether he was Abram and not Abraham… All these have no covenantal value whatsoever. The Book of Hebrews pays no theological heed to them. Rather it tells us all the documentations on tithing were all pointing to the eternal priesthood of Jesus. Because Jesus’ priesthood is eternal, the Bible says “he’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 MSG) The tithing of Abraham is thus juxtaposed with tithing under the Ten Commandments to point to salvation by grace. No one can be saved by obeying the Ten Commandments. “The law never made anything perfect.” (Hebrews 7:19 NLT)
And to buttress the fact that this whole tithing thing is really about Jesus, Hebrews 8 begins thus: “Here is the MAIN POINT: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honour beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle…” (Hebrews 8:1) It’s all about Jesus! It’s all about his love for us. He negotiated a new deal for us using his crucifixion as bargaining chip. He “mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6) It’s all about Jesus. Worship him!
Given the foregoing, it is incorrect to say tithe is not a New Testament doctrine. It is! The New Testament teaches about tithe. Only the teachings are elevated, they’re not pedantic. They’re deep. In Hebrews, we see the old and new converge to reveal our Saviour. Now, that’s what tithing is all about!
Finally, how did Abraham know to give TEN percent? Why not NINE or ELEVEN percent? This shows the divine origin of this principle and believers should allow the simplicity of the Gospel to fill their heart. The enemy is trying hard to sow a seed of confusion and many who had problem with Tithing or Pastors in the first place are latching on to the bait of the enemy to discredit a divine order. Let God be true…and every lying tongue is condemned. Praise God.
COPIED FROM Apostle Adetunji Adepoju WALL

PART 2:
Now, we’ll be looking at a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) and suppositions about tithing. This approach will give us practical insight.
“IF I DON’T PAY MY TITHE WILL I GO TO HELL?” The answer is no. Tithe has nothing to do with salvation. You were saved by grace. It’s a gift from God, it’s not based on works. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
“IS IT COMPULSORY I PAY TITHE?” It’s really up to you. The only regime of tithe you can follow as a Christian is Abrahamic or elective tithing. There’s no compulsory giving in the New Testament. When Paul was writing the Corinthians about relief offering, he said, “I want each one of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 MSG) That’s the spirit of giving in the New Testament.
“WHY DO I NEED TO TITHE?” The study of Abraham’s and Jacob’s tithing is important in this regard. For Abraham tithing was an act of worship – an acknowledgement of the fact that his achievements were facilitated by God. (Genesis 14:19, 20) He wasn’t a self-made man, he was God-made. He also tithed to acknowledge God as Possessor and Creator of heaven and earth. (Genesis 14:19b) His tithing was private worship.
JACOB ON THE OTHER HAND, TITHED FOR PROTECTION AND PROSPERITY.
When he was fleeing from his brother Esau, he made a private covenant with God: “Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshipping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”” (Genesis 28:20-22) So Jacob committed to tithing on the basis of protection and prosperity; but he also incorporated Abraham’s rationale – recognising the fact his prosperity came from God and that God is the Possessor of the heavens and the earth – “I will present to God a tenth of everything HE GIVES ME,” he said. (Genesis 28:22) And so the four bases of Christian tithing are:
1). Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and authority in worship (Gen.14:19-20)
2). Acknowledgement of grace (Gen. 14:19-20)
3). As covenant of protection (Gen. 28:20-22)
4). As covenant of prosperity (Gen. 28:20-22)
And to the extent that Jacob came up with his own rationale for tithing, it follows that one can initiate a private tithing covenant with God based on proprietary terms. Elective tithing is a private covenant with God.
“DIDN’T ABRAHAM TITHE JUST ONCE?” We can’t know. All we can conclude is that there’s one RECORDED instance of Abraham tithing. God incorporated that instance in the Bible to establish the wider implication enumerated in Hebrews 7 – the superiority of Order of Melchizedek to the Levitical Order, hence superiority of regime of grace to the regime of the Law. The whole essence of Genesis 14 is the pointer to Jesus as our high priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 8:1). Jacob’s words on the other hand suggests continuous tithing: “I will present to God a tenth of EVERYTHING HE GIVES ME,” he said. (Genesis 28:22)
“BUT JESUS NEVER TAUGHT TITHING.” He did actually! See Matthew 23:23. The regime of the Law was still in operation when Jesus was on earth. The people were paying tithe. Jesus operated under the Law. It’s why his parents presented him in the temple (Luke 2:22-24); it’s why he ate the Passover. (Matthew 26:17-21) In Matthew 23:23, we find Jesus trying to correct the distortion of the relationship between tithing and critical basics of the Law by the Pharisees. (Cf. Luke 11:42) The regime of tithing under the Law was operational while Jesus was on earth. He himself came to fulfil the Law. (Matthew 5:17)
“BUT WHY DIDN’T THE APOSTLES TEACH ABOUT TITHING?” The writer of Hebrews (Paul) did. And he went very deep. Cf. Hebrews 7 & 8. Besides, the early church didn’t a have problem with giving. They saw beyond 10%. They gave their all in many instances. (Acts 4:34-37) They even gave their lives. Many were martyred. (Hebrews 11:36-37) These were not the type who quibbled over money. And those who got too smart for God got their comeuppance. Remember Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts 5:1-11)
“IF YOU SAY TITHING CAME BEFORE THE LAW AND SO WE SHOULD PAY TITHE, DIDN’T ANIMAL SACRIFICE ALSO COME BEFORE THE LAW; HOW COME WE DON’T DO ANIMAL SACRIFICE?” Jesus has been sacrificed once and for all. No more animal sacrifice. (Hebrews 10) Jesus is both our sacrificial lamb and sin offering. (Hebrews 10, 1 Peter 1:18,19) We access the sacrifice through communion.
“WHY CAN’T I GIVE MY TITHE TO ORPHANS AND WIDOWS AS DEUTERONOMY 14:28 SAYS?” That is a reference to the third tithe under the Law. There are three types of tithe under the Law – sacred tithe (Numbers 18:24), vacation tithe (Deuteronomy 14:22-27), social security tithe (Deuteronomy 14:28). You’re not under the Law. (Romans 6:14) You’ll heap a curse on yourself if you subject yourself to the system of tithing under the Law. (Galatians 3:10) In Abrahamic or elective tithing, there’s no provision for giving your tithe to orphans and widows. That is not saying however that orphans and widows should be neglected. That’s wrong. The Bible calls caring for orphans and widows pure religion. (James 1:27) Make extra budgetary provision for people in need.
“WHO DO I PAY MY TITHE TO?” Jesus is your High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14) He expresses himself through the institution of the church, his body. So pay your tithe to your local assembly or where you receive your spiritual nourishment. For instance, I met a disabled woman who was housebound and receives her spiritual nourishment from TV programmes as she cannot leave the house. So she pays her tithe to those ministries and rightly so. To use an Old Testament analogy, that’s God’s storehouse. (Malachi 3:10)
“DON’T I NEED TO MONITOR THE USE OF MY TITHE? What if it’s wrongly used?” As long as it remains yours you haven’t given it. If you give tithe, it’s no longer yours. Perhaps we can find wisdom in this statement by Jesus: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” (John 12:24) Let your seed die so it can germinate with new life. If you’re not pleased with the corporate governance of your local assembly, go to another church rather than get into offences. You’re not a monitoring spirit.
“BUT PEOPLE PAID TITHE WITH AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT; WHY CAN’T I PAY WITH CHICKEN FOR INSTANCE?” Well, if you’re a farmer and your church has a poultry and don’t mind, perhaps you can. But you’re not under the Law, remember! Besides, the global economy is not denominated in produce, it’s denominated in money. You’re not paid in vegetables at the end of the month, are you? Even under certain circumstances in the Old Testament produce tithe was convertible to money. (Deuteronomy 14:26) Money answers all things. (Ecclesiastes 10:19) Denominate your tithe in money.
“DO I PAY OR GIVE TITHE?” Semantics. If you send it online or by wire is it pay, give, wire, transmit or transfer?
SO HERE’S A SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE THING:
(1) Abrahamic tithing is a private covenant between a believer and his God.
(2) Abrahamic tithing is elective, not compulsory. There’s no compulsory giving in the New Testament.
(3) As a general rule you should be rich towards God. (Luke 12:21)
(4) Tithe can be paid as an act of faith, an act of worship, as a basis of prosperity, for protection, as acknowledgement of grace, or acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God.
(5) You can come up with a personal rationale for tithing, like Jacob

If you really want to know and understand more about giving of tithe, please make out time to read and understand this. It will go a long way to make things clear to you.
I was about to start writing my thesis on the subject of Tithing when someone sent me a link to Leke Alder’s brilliant article on the same subject. Upon reading his thesis; I concluded that there is no point writing again as he brilliantly captured all the points I had in mind to make. So enjoy reading his deep and sound article on this subject as noted below, along with some comments from me.
First thing I will say is that Tithing is not compulsory for the New Testament believers. The Bible states that the bird in the sky do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your father in heaven SUSTAINS (or FEEDS) them. So if all you seek is sustenance; grace in Christ will provide that for you even if you do not Tithe. But to operate in high Kingdom Finance is a whole different matter and you cannot operate at that level without electing to Tithe and give offerings. This will become clear as you read Leke’s brilliant submission.
There are two regimes of tithe in the Bible. The first regime is the ABRAHAMIC REGIME. The second regime is the REGIME OF THE LAW. That’s short-code for the Law of Moses. It’s also known as regime of the Ten Commandments – the body of legislation enacted to regulate the nascent nation of Israel.
It wasn’t Moses who introduced tithe into human history. It was actually Abraham. Before Abraham, there was no mention of tithe in scriptures. (Tithe simply means a tenth). Here’s how we came across tithe in scriptures:
The story goes that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, became collateral damage in the power play between the king of Elam and king of Sodom. Sodom, a vassal of Elam had suddenly declared independence and so Elam went to war against Sodom. Lot was living in Sodom. With his allies, the king of Elam conquered Sodom and took prisoners of war. That was how Lot became a prisoner of war. Well, family is family. Abraham took his private army, along with his allies went after the king of Elam and his three allies, and defeated them. He rescued Lot and his family.
We’re told as he returned from the battle, he was met by a king named Melchizedek who also doubled as a priest of the Most High God. He brought communion. It was Melchizedek who gave us insight into how Abraham defeated the Gang of Four: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator and Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High who has given your enemies into your hand.” (Genesis 14:19-20) It was a not so subtle reminder God did the conquest for Abraham, not Abraham’s strength or brilliance. The conquest was a work of grace. Whereupon Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the treasure from that battle and that was the first tithe in the Bible.
Nobody compelled Abraham to tithe. It was voluntary. For this reason, we shall call Abrahamic tithing elective tithing. He made money and elected to give a tenth of it to a priest of God. The subtext from the invocation of Melchizedek is that Abraham tithed in acknowledgement of the fact that all that he had, all that he owned, all that he had ever accomplished came by the hand of the Possessor of the heaven and the earth. To that extent, Abram (as he was then known) tithed as an act of worship.
The second regime of tithe – tithing under the Law had a completely different hue. It was legislated by God as a political solution to the issue of state creation. You see, there were twelve tribes in Israel. When God was going to divide the Promised Land among the tribes, he excluded the Levites. Joseph’s second son, Ephraim took the lot of the Levites. Joseph had double portion. (Genesis 48:5) The Levites were consecrated as priests to God instead. God declared he was their inheritance. (Numbers 18:20) But then how would the Levites feed and take care of their family? How would they prosper? They could not undertake secular work. Their job was to serve in the temple. Well, God came up with a contributory scheme to take care of the Levites. Everyone would pay tithe to the Levites. (Numbers 18: 20-24) But the Levites too had to pay tithe, which in effect means the tithes were the income for the priests. (Nehemiah 10:38) It was theirs to do as they deemed fit.
But here’s what many don’t realise: there were three types of tithe under the Law of Moses. The first was sacred tithe, the second was vacation tithe and the third was social justice or social security tithe.
The sacred tithe as we discussed went to the Levites. It was their income.
The second tithe under the Law was the tithe of feasts or tithe of pilgrimage; it was some sort of vacation tithe. (Deuteronomy 14:22-27) The Israelites were supposed to make a pilgrimage to a designated place of worship every year. They were to set aside a tenth of their harvest and this was supposed to be eaten before God. Why? It was to inspire reverence for God. (Deuteronomy 14:22-23) If the place of worship was too far to transport the agricultural produce tithe, it was to be converted into money; which would then be spent on whatever their appetite craved, and that included alcohol. (Deuteronomy 14:26) So this was some sort of enjoyment or summer vacation tithe. God essentially mandated summer break. He cared for the welfare of the people. Because this tithe was convertible into money, it’s not exactly true to say all tithe in the Old Testament was agricultural produce.
The third tithe under the Law was social justice tithe. It had a three year cycle – was paid every three years. This tithe went not only to the Levites, but also to immigrants, orphans and widows. (Deuteronomy 14:28) Those who have not taken time to read the ENTIRE legislation on tithing under the Law are quick to point to this as how to pay tithe – that the money should be distributed to the poor and not priests, but that’s only true to the extent that this was the third tithe under the Law. There were three tithes.
The overall scheme of tithing under the Law can be called legislative tithing since it was mandated as law. It was a duty to the State – God. And as we can see, tithing under the Law is cumulatively higher than 10%. It was 30% on occasion. Many don’t realise.
Now comes the challenge. A Christian CANNOT pay tithe under the terms of the Law. That is inviting trouble. We’re not under the Law, we’re under grace. (Romans 6:14) The moment you elect to submit yourself to the dictates of the Law, you commit to obeying ALL 613 commandments. If you fail in one, you’re guilty of ALL. (James 2:10) And so not meeting the requirement of tithing under the Law also meant you were guilty of murder, blasphemy, etc. You’re guilty of ALL.
Paul tells us, “No one can be made right with God by trying to keep the Law.” (Galatians 3:11) In fact, Paul says trying to please God according to the terms of the Law is sheer madness. He told the Galatians who were strenuously trying to fulfil the Law, “Are you going to continue in this craziness?” (Galatians 3:2-4 MSG) All those scriptures we spout for paying tithe under the terms of the Law are therefore void and of no effect. The moment you seek to pay tithe according to Deuteronomy or Malachi, you have to obey ALL the Law of Moses. And no one can be righteous obeying those laws.
To seek to pay tithe according to the terms of the Law is also to attract a curse unto yourself. Galatians 3:10 says, “But those who depend on the Law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So the idea of giving your tithe to the poor as dictated under the Law is not exactly wise. You’re setting up yourself for a curse.
We can, therefore, conclude that the idea of paying tithe according to the provisions of the Law is sheer madness, to use the expression of Paul. By that very token, that famous quotation about robbing God through non-payment of tithe cannot apply since it’s a reference to the Law. (Malachi 3:8-12) We’re not under the Law. But Malachi is still instructive since all scripture is profitable for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) At least you have an idea of how serious God takes some things

PART 3
The greatest casualty of the debate over tithe is the very reason the narratives were included in the Bible in the first place. The essence of the narratives is the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7 & . Those narratives on tithing point to him. Tithing has implications that go to the very root of Christianity. Those who focus on only the economics miss out on the purport.
Tithing began with Abraham. He tithed the spoils of war from the defeat of the Gang of Four – Amraphel, Arioch, Kedorlaomer and Tidal. These kings raided Sodom and carted off Abraham’s nephew, Lot as a prisoner of war. Abraham went after them, defeated them and rescued Lot. He recovered significant loot from the military expedition. Abraham then gave a tenth of that loot to a priest named Melchizedek. That was the first tithe in the Bible.
Tithe antagonists insist on four issues from this story:
¬ They insist Abraham tithed only once and therefore there is nothing like continuous tithing.
¬ They insist Abraham tithed from war and so we should only tithe our “conquests.”
¬ They insist Abraham did not tithe from personal assets but from the assets of the king of Sodom.
¬ They insist it wasn’t Abraham who tithed but Abram. This presumably means it wasn’t the covenanted entity that tithed.
There are also technical arguments over whether you pay tithe or give tithe. But all these nit-pickings miss the point. These arguments are of no theological or redemptive value. They’re easily dealt with from a cursory reading of Hebrews 7. For example, Hebrews 7 does not recognise dichotomy of Abraham/Abram in its analysis. See Hebrews 7:1-2. All God wanted to establish in Genesis 14 was the fact Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, period! That factuality of that tithe is the pointer to the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7)
As enumerated earlier, there are two regimes of tithe in the Bible. The first regime is Abrahamic tithing. It is elective. Abraham paid tithe electively. No one compelled him to. The second regime of tithe is the regime of the Law (Ten Commandments). It’s a regime of mandated giving. God mandated the Israelites to tithe. Because this tithing was a law, we shall call this regime legislative tithing.
Now, ordinarily these two regimes of tithe have nothing in common. They have different hues and provenance. But the two regimes are linked in the New Testament. The New Testament teaches about tithe.
Abraham, as we noted, gave tithe to Melchizedek. Melchizedek the Bible says, wore a double cap. He was a priest-king, an hyphenated entity. We’re told he is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ – Hebrews 5:6. Melchizedek told Abraham that his military conquest and the loot recovered were facilitated by God. (Genesis 14:19-20) Which means Abraham tithed in acknowledgement of grace and in worship. He gave a tenth of spoils of war to Melchizedek.
Interestingly Melchizedek brought communion when he met Abraham. They broke bread. The breaking of bread (communion) by Melchizedek and Abraham was a pre-enactment of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb and sin offering. (Hebrews 10, 1 Peter 1:18-19) We access his sacrifice through communion. As it were, Abraham had a foretaste of salvation through the communion with Melchizedek.
The regime of tithing under the Law however had a different rationale. Tithing under the law was inaugurated as a political solution to the issue of state creation. Israel had twelve tribes, the tribes were allocated land except the Levites. God declared he was their inheritance. (Numbers 18:20) In order to compensate the Levites, God legislated that all the tribes must pay tithe to the Levites. (Numbers 18:20-24)
But tithing under the Law of Moses was not just about political resolution. It was welfarist as well. It was a government program for the poor, and it also focused on the state of being, health and happiness of the tithe payer.
As we can see, the two regimes of tithing couldn’t be any more different. Yet the Bible says they’re linked. That link between the two is found in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 7 & 8 to be precise. Hebrews 7 gives a recount of the meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek and then proceeds to analyse the genetic implication of the tithe: “A person might even say that Levi (the father of the priestly tribe) himself, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham (the father of all Israel and all who believe), for Levi was still in the loins (unborn) of his forefather Abraham when Melchizedek met him.” (Hebrews 7:9-10 AMP) In essence the priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to the priesthood of Levi since Levi paid tithe to Melchizedek. “The person who has the power to give the blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.” (Hebrews 7:7) The argument therefore is that the Law of Moses which Levi represented is subordinate to grace which Melchizedek represented.
The writer of Hebrews (who many suspect is Paul) says Melchizedek was a perfect typology of our Lord Jesus Christ: “He is, first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, which means king of peace.” (Hebrews 7:2)
Concerning Jesus Prophet Isaiah had written: “He shoulders responsibility and is called Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NET) “He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness.” (Isaiah 9:7 NET) So Jesus like Melchizedek is the King of Righteousness and King of Peace. Melchizedek in essence stood in the place of Jesus when Abraham paid tithe to him.
The significance of the Melchizedek/Abraham encounter is that the priesthood has been changed. The priesthood changed from the Levitical order to the Melchizedek order. (Hebrews 7:11) This is crucial for Christianity. There’ll be no Christianity without the change. Jesus would not be a high priest. He’s from the tribe of Judah not Levi. For the priesthood to be changed however the law regulating it must necessarily be changed too. (Hebrews 7:12) Jesus did not become a priest based on old laws. He didn’t qualify genetically. Jesus became a priest by the “power of a life that cannot be destroyed.” (Hebrews 7:16) It’s why the Psalmist wrote, “You’re a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) Jesus became a priest “by the sheer force of resurrection life.” (Hebrews 7:16 MSG) Hallelujah!
The Bible says “the former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside,” replaced by “another way – Jesus! – a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God.” (Hebrews 7:15-19 MSG) We have a better covenant with God and Jesus is the guarantee of that covenant. (Hebrews 7:22)
Whether Abraham paid tithe once or not, whether it was from spoils of war or not, or whether he was Abram and not Abraham… All these have no covenantal value whatsoever. The Book of Hebrews pays no theological heed to them. Rather it tells us all the documentations on tithing were all pointing to the eternal priesthood of Jesus. Because Jesus’ priesthood is eternal, the Bible says “he’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 MSG) The tithing of Abraham is thus juxtaposed with tithing under the Ten Commandments to point to salvation by grace. No one can be saved by obeying the Ten Commandments. “The law never made anything perfect.” (Hebrews 7:19 NLT)
And to buttress the fact that this whole tithing thing is really about Jesus, Hebrews 8 begins thus: “Here is the MAIN POINT: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honour beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle…” (Hebrews 8:1) It’s all about Jesus! It’s all about his love for us. He negotiated a new deal for us using his crucifixion as bargaining chip. He “mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6) It’s all about Jesus. Worship him!
Given the foregoing, it is incorrect to say tithe is not a New Testament doctrine. It is! The New Testament teaches about tithe. Only the teachings are elevated, they’re not pedantic. They’re deep. In Hebrews, we see the old and new converge to reveal our Saviour. Now, that’s what tithing is all about!
Finally, how did Abraham know to give TEN percent? Why not NINE or ELEVEN percent? This shows the divine origin of this principle and believers should allow the simplicity of the Gospel to fill their heart. The enemy is trying hard to sow a seed of confusion and many who had problem with Tithing or Pastors in the first place are latching on to the bait of the enemy to discredit a divine order. Let God be true…and every lying tongue is condemned. Praise God

PART 2:
Now, we’ll be looking at a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) and suppositions about tithing. This approach will give us practical insight.
“IF I DON’T PAY MY TITHE WILL I GO TO HELL?” The answer is no. Tithe has nothing to do with salvation. You were saved by grace. It’s a gift from God, it’s not based on works. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
“IS IT COMPULSORY I PAY TITHE?” It’s really up to you. The only regime of tithe you can follow as a Christian is Abrahamic or elective tithing. There’s no compulsory giving in the New Testament. When Paul was writing the Corinthians about relief offering, he said, “I want each one of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 MSG) That’s the spirit of giving in the New Testament.
“WHY DO I NEED TO TITHE?” The study of Abraham’s and Jacob’s tithing is important in this regard. For Abraham tithing was an act of worship – an acknowledgement of the fact that his achievements were facilitated by God. (Genesis 14:19, 20) He wasn’t a self-made man, he was God-made. He also tithed to acknowledge God as Possessor and Creator of heaven and earth. (Genesis 14:19b) His tithing was private worship.
JACOB ON THE OTHER HAND, TITHED FOR PROTECTION AND PROSPERITY.
When he was fleeing from his brother Esau, he made a private covenant with God: “Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshipping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”” (Genesis 28:20-22) So Jacob committed to tithing on the basis of protection and prosperity; but he also incorporated Abraham’s rationale – recognising the fact his prosperity came from God and that God is the Possessor of the heavens and the earth – “I will present to God a tenth of everything HE GIVES ME,” he said. (Genesis 28:22) And so the four bases of Christian tithing are:
1). Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and authority in worship (Gen.14:19-20)
2). Acknowledgement of grace (Gen. 14:19-20)
3). As covenant of protection (Gen. 28:20-22)
4). As covenant of prosperity (Gen. 28:20-22)
And to the extent that Jacob came up with his own rationale for tithing, it follows that one can initiate a private tithing covenant with God based on proprietary terms. Elective tithing is a private covenant with God.
“DIDN’T ABRAHAM TITHE JUST ONCE?” We can’t know. All we can conclude is that there’s one RECORDED instance of Abraham tithing. God incorporated that instance in the Bible to establish the wider implication enumerated in Hebrews 7 – the superiority of Order of Melchizedek to the Levitical Order, hence superiority of regime of grace to the regime of the Law. The whole essence of Genesis 14 is the pointer to Jesus as our high priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 8:1). Jacob’s words on the other hand suggests continuous tithing: “I will present to God a tenth of EVERYTHING HE GIVES ME,” he said. (Genesis 28:22)
“BUT JESUS NEVER TAUGHT TITHING.” He did actually! See Matthew 23:23. The regime of the Law was still in operation when Jesus was on earth. The people were paying tithe. Jesus operated under the Law. It’s why his parents presented him in the temple (Luke 2:22-24); it’s why he ate the Passover. (Matthew 26:17-21) In Matthew 23:23, we find Jesus trying to correct the distortion of the relationship between tithing and critical basics of the Law by the Pharisees. (Cf. Luke 11:42) The regime of tithing under the Law was operational while Jesus was on earth. He himself came to fulfil the Law. (Matthew 5:17)
“BUT WHY DIDN’T THE APOSTLES TEACH ABOUT TITHING?” The writer of Hebrews (Paul) did. And he went very deep. Cf. Hebrews 7 & 8. Besides, the early church didn’t a have problem with giving. They saw beyond 10%. They gave their all in many instances. (Acts 4:34-37) They even gave their lives. Many were martyred. (Hebrews 11:36-37) These were not the type who quibbled over money. And those who got too smart for God got their comeuppance. Remember Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts 5:1-11)
“IF YOU SAY TITHING CAME BEFORE THE LAW AND SO WE SHOULD PAY TITHE, DIDN’T ANIMAL SACRIFICE ALSO COME BEFORE THE LAW; HOW COME WE DON’T DO ANIMAL SACRIFICE?” Jesus has been sacrificed once and for all. No more animal sacrifice. (Hebrews 10) Jesus is both our sacrificial lamb and sin offering. (Hebrews 10, 1 Peter 1:18,19) We access the sacrifice through communion.
“WHY CAN’T I GIVE MY TITHE TO ORPHANS AND WIDOWS AS DEUTERONOMY 14:28 SAYS?” That is a reference to the third tithe under the Law. There are three types of tithe under the Law – sacred tithe (Numbers 18:24), vacation tithe (Deuteronomy 14:22-27), social security tithe (Deuteronomy 14:28). You’re not under the Law. (Romans 6:14) You’ll heap a curse on yourself if you subject yourself to the system of tithing under the Law. (Galatians 3:10) In Abrahamic or elective tithing, there’s no provision for giving your tithe to orphans and widows. That is not saying however that orphans and widows should be neglected. That’s wrong. The Bible calls caring for orphans and widows pure religion. (James 1:27) Make extra budgetary provision for people in need.
“WHO DO I PAY MY TITHE TO?” Jesus is your High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14) He expresses himself through the institution of the church, his body. So pay your tithe to your local assembly or where you receive your spiritual nourishment. For instance, I met a disabled woman who was housebound and receives her spiritual nourishment from TV programmes as she cannot leave the house. So she pays her tithe to those ministries and rightly so. To use an Old Testament analogy, that’s God’s storehouse. (Malachi 3:10)
“DON’T I NEED TO MONITOR THE USE OF MY TITHE? What if it’s wrongly used?” As long as it remains yours you haven’t given it. If you give tithe, it’s no longer yours. Perhaps we can find wisdom in this statement by Jesus: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” (John 12:24) Let your seed die so it can germinate with new life. If you’re not pleased with the corporate governance of your local assembly, go to another church rather than get into offences. You’re not a monitoring spirit.
“BUT PEOPLE PAID TITHE WITH AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT; WHY CAN’T I PAY WITH CHICKEN FOR INSTANCE?” Well, if you’re a farmer and your church has a poultry and don’t mind, perhaps you can. But you’re not under the Law, remember! Besides, the global economy is not denominated in produce, it’s denominated in money. You’re not paid in vegetables at the end of the month, are you? Even under certain circumstances in the Old Testament produce tithe was convertible to money. (Deuteronomy 14:26) Money answers all things. (Ecclesiastes 10:19) Denominate your tithe in money.
“DO I PAY OR GIVE TITHE?” Semantics. If you send it online or by wire is it pay, give, wire, transmit or transfer?
SO HERE’S A SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE THING:
(1) Abrahamic tithing is a private covenant between a believer and his God.
(2) Abrahamic tithing is elective, not compulsory. There’s no compulsory giving in the New Testament.
(3) As a general rule you should be rich towards God. (Luke 12:21)
(4) Tithe can be paid as an act of faith, an act of worship, as a basis of prosperity, for protection, as acknowledgement of grace, or acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God.
(5) You can come up with a personal rationale for tithing, like Jacob

If you really want to know and understand more about giving of tithe, please make out time to read and understand this. It will go a long way to make things clear to you.
I was about to start writing my thesis on the subject of Tithing when someone sent me a link to Leke Alder’s brilliant article on the same subject. Upon reading his thesis; I concluded that there is no point writing again as he brilliantly captured all the points I had in mind to make. So enjoy reading his deep and sound article on this subject as noted below, along with some comments from me.
First thing I will say is that Tithing is not compulsory for the New Testament believers. The Bible states that the bird in the sky do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your father in heaven SUSTAINS (or FEEDS) them. So if all you seek is sustenance; grace in Christ will provide that for you even if you do not Tithe. But to operate in high Kingdom Finance is a whole different matter and you cannot operate at that level without electing to Tithe and give offerings. This will become clear as you read Leke’s brilliant submission.
There are two regimes of tithe in the Bible. The first regime is the ABRAHAMIC REGIME. The second regime is the REGIME OF THE LAW. That’s short-code for the Law of Moses. It’s also known as regime of the Ten Commandments – the body of legislation enacted to regulate the nascent nation of Israel.
It wasn’t Moses who introduced tithe into human history. It was actually Abraham. Before Abraham, there was no mention of tithe in scriptures. (Tithe simply means a tenth). Here’s how we came across tithe in scriptures:
The story goes that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, became collateral damage in the power play between the king of Elam and king of Sodom. Sodom, a vassal of Elam had suddenly declared independence and so Elam went to war against Sodom. Lot was living in Sodom. With his allies, the king of Elam conquered Sodom and took prisoners of war. That was how Lot became a prisoner of war. Well, family is family. Abraham took his private army, along with his allies went after the king of Elam and his three allies, and defeated them. He rescued Lot and his family.
We’re told as he returned from the battle, he was met by a king named Melchizedek who also doubled as a priest of the Most High God. He brought communion. It was Melchizedek who gave us insight into how Abraham defeated the Gang of Four: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator and Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High who has given your enemies into your hand.” (Genesis 14:19-20) It was a not so subtle reminder God did the conquest for Abraham, not Abraham’s strength or brilliance. The conquest was a work of grace. Whereupon Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the treasure from that battle and that was the first tithe in the Bible.
Nobody compelled Abraham to tithe. It was voluntary. For this reason, we shall call Abrahamic tithing elective tithing. He made money and elected to give a tenth of it to a priest of God. The subtext from the invocation of Melchizedek is that Abraham tithed in acknowledgement of the fact that all that he had, all that he owned, all that he had ever accomplished came by the hand of the Possessor of the heaven and the earth. To that extent, Abram (as he was then known) tithed as an act of worship.
The second regime of tithe – tithing under the Law had a completely different hue. It was legislated by God as a political solution to the issue of state creation. You see, there were twelve tribes in Israel. When God was going to divide the Promised Land among the tribes, he excluded the Levites. Joseph’s second son, Ephraim took the lot of the Levites. Joseph had double portion. (Genesis 48:5) The Levites were consecrated as priests to God instead. God declared he was their inheritance. (Numbers 18:20) But then how would the Levites feed and take care of their family? How would they prosper? They could not undertake secular work. Their job was to serve in the temple. Well, God came up with a contributory scheme to take care of the Levites. Everyone would pay tithe to the Levites. (Numbers 18: 20-24) But the Levites too had to pay tithe, which in effect means the tithes were the income for the priests. (Nehemiah 10:38) It was theirs to do as they deemed fit.
But here’s what many don’t realise: there were three types of tithe under the Law of Moses. The first was sacred tithe, the second was vacation tithe and the third was social justice or social security tithe.
The sacred tithe as we discussed went to the Levites. It was their income.
The second tithe under the Law was the tithe of feasts or tithe of pilgrimage; it was some sort of vacation tithe. (Deuteronomy 14:22-27) The Israelites were supposed to make a pilgrimage to a designated place of worship every year. They were to set aside a tenth of their harvest and this was supposed to be eaten before God. Why? It was to inspire reverence for God. (Deuteronomy 14:22-23) If the place of worship was too far to transport the agricultural produce tithe, it was to be converted into money; which would then be spent on whatever their appetite craved, and that included alcohol. (Deuteronomy 14:26) So this was some sort of enjoyment or summer vacation tithe. God essentially mandated summer break. He cared for the welfare of the people. Because this tithe was convertible into money, it’s not exactly true to say all tithe in the Old Testament was agricultural produce.
The third tithe under the Law was social justice tithe. It had a three year cycle – was paid every three years. This tithe went not only to the Levites, but also to immigrants, orphans and widows. (Deuteronomy 14:28) Those who have not taken time to read the ENTIRE legislation on tithing under the Law are quick to point to this as how to pay tithe – that the money should be distributed to the poor and not priests, but that’s only true to the extent that this was the third tithe under the Law. There were three tithes.
The overall scheme of tithing under the Law can be called legislative tithing since it was mandated as law. It was a duty to the State – God. And as we can see, tithing under the Law is cumulatively higher than 10%. It was 30% on occasion. Many don’t realise.
Now comes the challenge. A Christian CANNOT pay tithe under the terms of the Law. That is inviting trouble. We’re not under the Law, we’re under grace. (Romans 6:14) The moment you elect to submit yourself to the dictates of the Law, you commit to obeying ALL 613 commandments. If you fail in one, you’re guilty of ALL. (James 2:10) And so not meeting the requirement of tithing under the Law also meant you were guilty of murder, blasphemy, etc. You’re guilty of ALL.
Paul tells us, “No one can be made right with God by trying to keep the Law.” (Galatians 3:11) In fact, Paul says trying to please God according to the terms of the Law is sheer madness. He told the Galatians who were strenuously trying to fulfil the Law, “Are you going to continue in this craziness?” (Galatians 3:2-4 MSG) All those scriptures we spout for paying tithe under the terms of the Law are therefore void and of no effect. The moment you seek to pay tithe according to Deuteronomy or Malachi, you have to obey ALL the Law of Moses. And no one can be righteous obeying those laws.
To seek to pay tithe according to the terms of the Law is also to attract a curse unto yourself. Galatians 3:10 says, “But those who depend on the Law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So the idea of giving your tithe to the poor as dictated under the Law is not exactly wise. You’re setting up yourself for a curse.
We can, therefore, conclude that the idea of paying tithe according to the provisions of the Law is sheer madness, to use the expression of Paul. By that very token, that famous quotation about robbing God through non-payment of tithe cannot apply since it’s a reference to the Law. (Malachi 3:8-12) We’re not under the Law. But Malachi is still instructive since all scripture is profitable for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) At least you have an idea of how serious God takes some things.

PART 3

The greatest casualty of the debate over tithe is the very reason the narratives were included in the Bible in the first place. The essence of the narratives is the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7 & . Those narratives on tithing point to him. Tithing has implications that go to the very root of Christianity. Those who focus on only the economics miss out on the purport.

Tithing began with Abraham. He tithed the spoils of war from the defeat of the Gang of Four – Amraphel, Arioch, Kedorlaomer and Tidal. These kings raided Sodom and carted off Abraham’s nephew, Lot as a prisoner of war. Abraham went after them, defeated them and rescued Lot. He recovered significant loot from the military expedition. Abraham then gave a tenth of that loot to a priest named Melchizedek. That was the first tithe in the Bible.

Tithe antagonists insist on four issues from this story:

¬ They insist Abraham tithed only once and therefore there is nothing like continuous tithing.
¬ They insist Abraham tithed from war and so we should only tithe our “conquests.”
¬ They insist Abraham did not tithe from personal assets but from the assets of the king of Sodom.
¬ They insist it wasn’t Abraham who tithed but Abram. This presumably means it wasn’t the covenanted entity that tithed.

There are also technical arguments over whether you pay tithe or give tithe. But all these nit-pickings miss the point. These arguments are of no theological or redemptive value. They’re easily dealt with from a cursory reading of Hebrews 7. For example, Hebrews 7 does not recognise dichotomy of Abraham/Abram in its analysis. See Hebrews 7:1-2. All God wanted to establish in Genesis 14 was the fact Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, period! That factuality of that tithe is the pointer to the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7)

As enumerated earlier, there are two regimes of tithe in the Bible. The first regime is Abrahamic tithing. It is elective. Abraham paid tithe electively. No one compelled him to. The second regime of tithe is the regime of the Law (Ten Commandments). It’s a regime of mandated giving. God mandated the Israelites to tithe. Because this tithing was a law, we shall call this regime legislative tithing.

Now, ordinarily these two regimes of tithe have nothing in common. They have different hues and provenance. But the two regimes are linked in the New Testament. The New Testament teaches about tithe.

Abraham, as we noted, gave tithe to Melchizedek. Melchizedek the Bible says, wore a double cap. He was a priest-king, an hyphenated entity. We’re told he is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ – Hebrews 5:6. Melchizedek told Abraham that his military conquest and the loot recovered were facilitated by God. (Genesis 14:19-20) Which means Abraham tithed in acknowledgement of grace and in worship. He gave a tenth of spoils of war to Melchizedek.

Interestingly Melchizedek brought communion when he met Abraham. They broke bread. The breaking of bread (communion) by Melchizedek and Abraham was a pre-enactment of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb and sin offering. (Hebrews 10, 1 Peter 1:18-19) We access his sacrifice through communion. As it were, Abraham had a foretaste of salvation through the communion with Melchizedek.

The regime of tithing under the Law however had a different rationale. Tithing under the law was inaugurated as a political solution to the issue of state creation. Israel had twelve tribes, the tribes were allocated land except the Levites. God declared he was their inheritance. (Numbers 18:20) In order to compensate the Levites, God legislated that all the tribes must pay tithe to the Levites. (Numbers 18:20-24)

But tithing under the Law of Moses was not just about political resolution. It was welfarist as well. It was a government program for the poor, and it also focused on the state of being, health and happiness of the tithe payer.


As we can see, the two regimes of tithing couldn’t be any more different. Yet the Bible says they’re linked. That link between the two is found in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 7 & 8 to be precise. Hebrews 7 gives a recount of the meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek and then proceeds to analyse the genetic implication of the tithe: “A person might even say that Levi (the father of the priestly tribe) himself, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham (the father of all Israel and all who believe), for Levi was still in the loins (unborn) of his forefather Abraham when Melchizedek met him.” (Hebrews 7:9-10 AMP) In essence the priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to the priesthood of Levi since Levi paid tithe to Melchizedek. “The person who has the power to give the blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.” (Hebrews 7:7) The argument therefore is that the Law of Moses which Levi represented is subordinate to grace which Melchizedek represented.

The writer of Hebrews (who many suspect is Paul) says Melchizedek was a perfect typology of our Lord Jesus Christ: “He is, first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, which means king of peace.” (Hebrews 7:2)

Concerning Jesus Prophet Isaiah had written: “He shoulders responsibility and is called Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NET) “He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness.” (Isaiah 9:7 NET) So Jesus like Melchizedek is the King of Righteousness and King of Peace. Melchizedek in essence stood in the place of Jesus when Abraham paid tithe to him.

The significance of the Melchizedek/Abraham encounter is that the priesthood has been changed. The priesthood changed from the Levitical order to the Melchizedek order. (Hebrews 7:11) This is crucial for Christianity. There’ll be no Christianity without the change. Jesus would not be a high priest. He’s from the tribe of Judah not Levi. For the priesthood to be changed however the law regulating it must necessarily be changed too. (Hebrews 7:12) Jesus did not become a priest based on old laws. He didn’t qualify genetically. Jesus became a priest by the “power of a life that cannot be destroyed.” (Hebrews 7:16) It’s why the Psalmist wrote, “You’re a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) Jesus became a priest “by the sheer force of resurrection life.” (Hebrews 7:16 MSG) Hallelujah!

The Bible says “the former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside,” replaced by “another way – Jesus! – a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God.” (Hebrews 7:15-19 MSG) We have a better covenant with God and Jesus is the guarantee of that covenant. (Hebrews 7:22)

Whether Abraham paid tithe once or not, whether it was from spoils of war or not, or whether he was Abram and not Abraham… All these have no covenantal value whatsoever. The Book of Hebrews pays no theological heed to them. Rather it tells us all the documentations on tithing were all pointing to the eternal priesthood of Jesus. Because Jesus’ priesthood is eternal, the Bible says “he’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 MSG) The tithing of Abraham is thus juxtaposed with tithing under the Ten Commandments to point to salvation by grace. No one can be saved by obeying the Ten Commandments. “The law never made anything perfect.” (Hebrews 7:19 NLT)

And to buttress the fact that this whole tithing thing is really about Jesus, Hebrews 8 begins thus: “Here is the MAIN POINT: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honour beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle…” (Hebrews 8:1) It’s all about Jesus! It’s all about his love for us. He negotiated a new deal for us using his crucifixion as bargaining chip. He “mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6) It’s all about Jesus. Worship him!

Given the foregoing, it is incorrect to say tithe is not a New Testament doctrine. It is! The New Testament teaches about tithe. Only the teachings are elevated, they’re not pedantic. They’re deep. In Hebrews, we see the old and new converge to reveal our Saviour. Now, that’s what tithing is all about!

Finally, how did Abraham know to give TEN percent? Why not NINE or ELEVEN percent? This shows the divine origin of this principle and believers should allow the simplicity of the Gospel to fill their heart. The enemy is trying hard to sow a seed of confusion and many who had problem with Tithing or Pastors in the first place are latching on to the bait of the enemy to discredit a divine order. Let God be true…and every lying tongue is condemned. Praise God

PART 2:

Now, we’ll be looking at a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) and suppositions about tithing. This approach will give us practical insight.

“IF I DON’T PAY MY TITHE WILL I GO TO HELL?” The answer is no. Tithe has nothing to do with salvation. You were saved by grace. It’s a gift from God, it’s not based on works. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“IS IT COMPULSORY I PAY TITHE?” It’s really up to you. The only regime of tithe you can follow as a Christian is Abrahamic or elective tithing. There’s no compulsory giving in the New Testament. When Paul was writing the Corinthians about relief offering, he said, “I want each one of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 MSG) That’s the spirit of giving in the New Testament.

“WHY DO I NEED TO TITHE?” The study of Abraham’s and Jacob’s tithing is important in this regard. For Abraham tithing was an act of worship – an acknowledgement of the fact that his achievements were facilitated by God. (Genesis 14:19, 20) He wasn’t a self-made man, he was God-made. He also tithed to acknowledge God as Possessor and Creator of heaven and earth. (Genesis 14:19b) His tithing was private worship.

JACOB ON THE OTHER HAND, TITHED FOR PROTECTION AND PROSPERITY.
When he was fleeing from his brother Esau, he made a private covenant with God: “Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshipping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”” (Genesis 28:20-22) So Jacob committed to tithing on the basis of protection and prosperity; but he also incorporated Abraham’s rationale – recognising the fact his prosperity came from God and that God is the Possessor of the heavens and the earth – “I will present to God a tenth of everything HE GIVES ME,” he said. (Genesis 28:22) And so the four bases of Christian tithing are:

1). Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and authority in worship (Gen.14:19-20)

2). Acknowledgement of grace (Gen. 14:19-20)

3). As covenant of protection (Gen. 28:20-22)

4). As covenant of prosperity (Gen. 28:20-22)




And to the extent that Jacob came up with his own rationale for tithing, it follows that one can initiate a private tithing covenant with God based on proprietary terms. Elective tithing is a private covenant with God.

“DIDN’T ABRAHAM TITHE JUST ONCE?” We can’t know. All we can conclude is that there’s one RECORDED instance of Abraham tithing. God incorporated that instance in the Bible to establish the wider implication enumerated in Hebrews 7 – the superiority of Order of Melchizedek to the Levitical Order, hence superiority of regime of grace to the regime of the Law. The whole essence of Genesis 14 is the pointer to Jesus as our high priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 8:1). Jacob’s words on the other hand suggests continuous tithing: “I will present to God a tenth of EVERYTHING HE GIVES ME,” he said. (Genesis 28:22)

“BUT JESUS NEVER TAUGHT TITHING.” He did actually! See Matthew 23:23. The regime of the Law was still in operation when Jesus was on earth. The people were paying tithe. Jesus operated under the Law. It’s why his parents presented him in the temple (Luke 2:22-24); it’s why he ate the Passover. (Matthew 26:17-21) In Matthew 23:23, we find Jesus trying to correct the distortion of the relationship between tithing and critical basics of the Law by the Pharisees. (Cf. Luke 11:42) The regime of tithing under the Law was operational while Jesus was on earth. He himself came to fulfil the Law. (Matthew 5:17)

“BUT WHY DIDN’T THE APOSTLES TEACH ABOUT TITHING?” The writer of Hebrews (Paul) did. And he went very deep. Cf. Hebrews 7 & 8. Besides, the early church didn’t a have problem with giving. They saw beyond 10%. They gave their all in many instances. (Acts 4:34-37) They even gave their lives. Many were martyred. (Hebrews 11:36-37) These were not the type who quibbled over money. And those who got too smart for God got their comeuppance. Remember Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts 5:1-11)

“IF YOU SAY TITHING CAME BEFORE THE LAW AND SO WE SHOULD PAY TITHE, DIDN’T ANIMAL SACRIFICE ALSO COME BEFORE THE LAW; HOW COME WE DON’T DO ANIMAL SACRIFICE?” Jesus has been sacrificed once and for all. No more animal sacrifice. (Hebrews 10) Jesus is both our sacrificial lamb and sin offering. (Hebrews 10, 1 Peter 1:18,19) We access the sacrifice through communion.

“WHY CAN’T I GIVE MY TITHE TO ORPHANS AND WIDOWS AS DEUTERONOMY 14:28 SAYS?” That is a reference to the third tithe under the Law. There are three types of tithe under the Law – sacred tithe (Numbers 18:24), vacation tithe (Deuteronomy 14:22-27), social security tithe (Deuteronomy 14:28). You’re not under the Law. (Romans 6:14) You’ll heap a curse on yourself if you subject yourself to the system of tithing under the Law. (Galatians 3:10) In Abrahamic or elective tithing, there’s no provision for giving your tithe to orphans and widows. That is not saying however that orphans and widows should be neglected. That’s wrong. The Bible calls caring for orphans and widows pure religion. (James 1:27) Make extra budgetary provision for people in need.

“WHO DO I PAY MY TITHE TO?” Jesus is your High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14) He expresses himself through the institution of the church, his body. So pay your tithe to your local assembly or where you receive your spiritual nourishment. For instance, I met a disabled woman who was housebound and receives her spiritual nourishment from TV programmes as she cannot leave the house. So she pays her tithe to those ministries and rightly so. To use an Old Testament analogy, that’s God’s storehouse. (Malachi 3:10)

“DON’T I NEED TO MONITOR THE USE OF MY TITHE? What if it’s wrongly used?” As long as it remains yours you haven’t given it. If you give tithe, it’s no longer yours. Perhaps we can find wisdom in this statement by Jesus: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” (John 12:24) Let your seed die so it can germinate with new life. If you’re not pleased with the corporate governance of your local assembly, go to another church rather than get into offences. You’re not a monitoring spirit.

“BUT PEOPLE PAID TITHE WITH AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT; WHY CAN’T I PAY WITH CHICKEN FOR INSTANCE?” Well, if you’re a farmer and your church has a poultry and don’t mind, perhaps you can. But you’re not under the Law, remember! Besides, the global economy is not denominated in produce, it’s denominated in money. You’re not paid in vegetables at the end of the month, are you? Even under certain circumstances in the Old Testament produce tithe was convertible to money. (Deuteronomy 14:26) Money answers all things. (Ecclesiastes 10:19) Denominate your tithe in money.

“DO I PAY OR GIVE TITHE?” Semantics. If you send it online or by wire is it pay, give, wire, transmit or transfer?

SO HERE’S A SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE THING:
(1) Abrahamic tithing is a private covenant between a believer and his God.
(2) Abrahamic tithing is elective, not compulsory. There’s no compulsory giving in the New Testament.
(3) As a general rule you should be rich towards God. (Luke 12:21)
(4) Tithe can be paid as an act of faith, an act of worship, as a basis of prosperity, for protection, as acknowledgement of grace, or acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God.
(5) You can come up with a personal rationale for tithing, like Jacob

If you really want to know and understand more about giving of tithe, please make out time to read and understand this. It will go a long way to make things clear to you.


I was about to start writing my thesis on the subject of Tithing when someone sent me a link to Leke Alder’s brilliant article on the same subject. Upon reading his thesis; I concluded that there is no point writing again as he brilliantly captured all the points I had in mind to make. So enjoy reading his deep and sound article on this subject as noted below, along with some comments from me.

First thing I will say is that Tithing is not compulsory for the New Testament believers. The Bible states that the bird in the sky do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your father in heaven SUSTAINS (or FEEDS) them. So if all you seek is sustenance; grace in Christ will provide that for you even if you do not Tithe. But to operate in high Kingdom Finance is a whole different matter and you cannot operate at that level without electing to Tithe and give offerings. This will become clear as you read Leke’s brilliant submission.

There are two regimes of tithe in the Bible. The first regime is the ABRAHAMIC REGIME. The second regime is the REGIME OF THE LAW. That’s short-code for the Law of Moses. It’s also known as regime of the Ten Commandments – the body of legislation enacted to regulate the nascent nation of Israel.

It wasn’t Moses who introduced tithe into human history. It was actually Abraham. Before Abraham, there was no mention of tithe in scriptures. (Tithe simply means a tenth). Here’s how we came across tithe in scriptures:

The story goes that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, became collateral damage in the power play between the king of Elam and king of Sodom. Sodom, a vassal of Elam had suddenly declared independence and so Elam went to war against Sodom. Lot was living in Sodom. With his allies, the king of Elam conquered Sodom and took prisoners of war. That was how Lot became a prisoner of war. Well, family is family. Abraham took his private army, along with his allies went after the king of Elam and his three allies, and defeated them. He rescued Lot and his family.

We’re told as he returned from the battle, he was met by a king named Melchizedek who also doubled as a priest of the Most High God. He brought communion. It was Melchizedek who gave us insight into how Abraham defeated the Gang of Four: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator and Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High who has given your enemies into your hand.” (Genesis 14:19-20) It was a not so subtle reminder God did the conquest for Abraham, not Abraham’s strength or brilliance. The conquest was a work of grace. Whereupon Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the treasure from that battle and that was the first tithe in the Bible.


Nobody compelled Abraham to tithe. It was voluntary. For this reason, we shall call Abrahamic tithing elective tithing. He made money and elected to give a tenth of it to a priest of God. The subtext from the invocation of Melchizedek is that Abraham tithed in acknowledgement of the fact that all that he had, all that he owned, all that he had ever accomplished came by the hand of the Possessor of the heaven and the earth. To that extent, Abram (as he was then known) tithed as an act of worship.

The second regime of tithe – tithing under the Law had a completely different hue. It was legislated by God as a political solution to the issue of state creation. You see, there were twelve tribes in Israel. When God was going to divide the Promised Land among the tribes, he excluded the Levites. Joseph’s second son, Ephraim took the lot of the Levites. Joseph had double portion. (Genesis 48:5) The Levites were consecrated as priests to God instead. God declared he was their inheritance. (Numbers 18:20) But then how would the Levites feed and take care of their family? How would they prosper? They could not undertake secular work. Their job was to serve in the temple. Well, God came up with a contributory scheme to take care of the Levites. Everyone would pay tithe to the Levites. (Numbers 18: 20-24) But the Levites too had to pay tithe, which in effect means the tithes were the income for the priests. (Nehemiah 10:38) It was theirs to do as they deemed fit.

But here’s what many don’t realise: there were three types of tithe under the Law of Moses. The first was sacred tithe, the second was vacation tithe and the third was social justice or social security tithe.
The sacred tithe as we discussed went to the Levites. It was their income.

The second tithe under the Law was the tithe of feasts or tithe of pilgrimage; it was some sort of vacation tithe. (Deuteronomy 14:22-27) The Israelites were supposed to make a pilgrimage to a designated place of worship every year. They were to set aside a tenth of their harvest and this was supposed to be eaten before God. Why? It was to inspire reverence for God. (Deuteronomy 14:22-23) If the place of worship was too far to transport the agricultural produce tithe, it was to be converted into money; which would then be spent on whatever their appetite craved, and that included alcohol. (Deuteronomy 14:26) So this was some sort of enjoyment or summer vacation tithe. God essentially mandated summer break. He cared for the welfare of the people. Because this tithe was convertible into money, it’s not exactly true to say all tithe in the Old Testament was agricultural produce.


The third tithe under the Law was social justice tithe. It had a three year cycle – was paid every three years. This tithe went not only to the Levites, but also to immigrants, orphans and widows. (Deuteronomy 14:28) Those who have not taken time to read the ENTIRE legislation on tithing under the Law are quick to point to this as how to pay tithe – that the money should be distributed to the poor and not priests, but that’s only true to the extent that this was the third tithe under the Law. There were three tithes.

The overall scheme of tithing under the Law can be called legislative tithing since it was mandated as law. It was a duty to the State – God. And as we can see, tithing under the Law is cumulatively higher than 10%. It was 30% on occasion. Many don’t realise.

Now comes the challenge. A Christian CANNOT pay tithe under the terms of the Law. That is inviting trouble. We’re not under the Law, we’re under grace. (Romans 6:14) The moment you elect to submit yourself to the dictates of the Law, you commit to obeying ALL 613 commandments. If you fail in one, you’re guilty of ALL. (James 2:10) And so not meeting the requirement of tithing under the Law also meant you were guilty of murder, blasphemy, etc. You’re guilty of ALL.

Paul tells us, “No one can be made right with God by trying to keep the Law.” (Galatians 3:11) In fact, Paul says trying to please God according to the terms of the Law is sheer madness. He told the Galatians who were strenuously trying to fulfil the Law, “Are you going to continue in this craziness?” (Galatians 3:2-4 MSG) All those scriptures we spout for paying tithe under the terms of the Law are therefore void and of no effect. The moment you seek to pay tithe according to Deuteronomy or Malachi, you have to obey ALL the Law of Moses. And no one can be righteous obeying those laws.

To seek to pay tithe according to the terms of the Law is also to attract a curse unto yourself. Galatians 3:10 says, “But those who depend on the Law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So the idea of giving your tithe to the poor as dictated under the Law is not exactly wise. You’re setting up yourself for a curse.

We can, therefore, conclude that the idea of paying tithe according to the provisions of the Law is sheer madness, to use the expression of Paul. By that very token, that famous quotation about robbing God through non-payment of tithe cannot apply since it’s a reference to the Law. (Malachi 3:8-12) We’re not under the Law. But Malachi is still instructive since all scripture is profitable for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) At least you have an idea of how serious God takes some things.

PART 3

The greatest casualty of the debate over tithe is the very reason the narratives were included in the Bible in the first place. The essence of the narratives is the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7 & . Those narratives on tithing point to him. Tithing has implications that go to the very root of Christianity. Those who focus on only the economics miss out on the purport.

Tithing began with Abraham. He tithed the spoils of war from the defeat of the Gang of Four – Amraphel, Arioch, Kedorlaomer and Tidal. These kings raided Sodom and carted off Abraham’s nephew, Lot as a prisoner of war. Abraham went after them, defeated them and rescued Lot. He recovered significant loot from the military expedition. Abraham then gave a tenth of that loot to a priest named Melchizedek. That was the first tithe in the Bible.

Tithe antagonists insist on four issues from this story:

¬ They insist Abraham tithed only once and therefore there is nothing like continuous tithing.
¬ They insist Abraham tithed from war and so we should only tithe our “conquests.”
¬ They insist Abraham did not tithe from personal assets but from the assets of the king of Sodom.
¬ They insist it wasn’t Abraham who tithed but Abram. This presumably means it wasn’t the covenanted entity that tithed.

There are also technical arguments over whether you pay tithe or give tithe. But all these nit-pickings miss the point. These arguments are of no theological or redemptive value. They’re easily dealt with from a cursory reading of Hebrews 7. For example, Hebrews 7 does not recognise dichotomy of Abraham/Abram in its analysis. See Hebrews 7:1-2. All God wanted to establish in Genesis 14 was the fact Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, period! That factuality of that tithe is the pointer to the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 7)

As enumerated earlier, there are two regimes of tithe in the Bible. The first regime is Abrahamic tithing. It is elective. Abraham paid tithe electively. No one compelled him to. The second regime of tithe is the regime of the Law (Ten Commandments). It’s a regime of mandated giving. God mandated the Israelites to tithe. Because this tithing was a law, we shall call this regime legislative tithing.

Now, ordinarily these two regimes of tithe have nothing in common. They have different hues and provenance. But the two regimes are linked in the New Testament. The New Testament teaches about tithe.

Abraham, as we noted, gave tithe to Melchizedek. Melchizedek the Bible says, wore a double cap. He was a priest-king, an hyphenated entity. We’re told he is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ – Hebrews 5:6. Melchizedek told Abraham that his military conquest and the loot recovered were facilitated by God. (Genesis 14:19-20) Which means Abraham tithed in acknowledgement of grace and in worship. He gave a tenth of spoils of war to Melchizedek.

Interestingly Melchizedek brought communion when he met Abraham. They broke bread. The breaking of bread (communion) by Melchizedek and Abraham was a pre-enactment of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is our sacrificial lamb and sin offering. (Hebrews 10, 1 Peter 1:18-19) We access his sacrifice through communion. As it were, Abraham had a foretaste of salvation through the communion with Melchizedek.

The regime of tithing under the Law however had a different rationale. Tithing under the law was inaugurated as a political solution to the issue of state creation. Israel had twelve tribes, the tribes were allocated land except the Levites. God declared he was their inheritance. (Numbers 18:20) In order to compensate the Levites, God legislated that all the tribes must pay tithe to the Levites. (Numbers 18:20-24)

But tithing under the Law of Moses was not just about political resolution. It was welfarist as well. It was a government program for the poor, and it also focused on the state of being, health and happiness of the tithe payer.


As we can see, the two regimes of tithing couldn’t be any more different. Yet the Bible says they’re linked. That link between the two is found in the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews 7 & 8 to be precise. Hebrews 7 gives a recount of the meeting between Abraham and Melchizedek and then proceeds to analyse the genetic implication of the tithe: “A person might even say that Levi (the father of the priestly tribe) himself, who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham (the father of all Israel and all who believe), for Levi was still in the loins (unborn) of his forefather Abraham when Melchizedek met him.” (Hebrews 7:9-10 AMP) In essence the priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to the priesthood of Levi since Levi paid tithe to Melchizedek. “The person who has the power to give the blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.” (Hebrews 7:7) The argument therefore is that the Law of Moses which Levi represented is subordinate to grace which Melchizedek represented.

The writer of Hebrews (who many suspect is Paul) says Melchizedek was a perfect typology of our Lord Jesus Christ: “He is, first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, which means king of peace.” (Hebrews 7:2)

Concerning Jesus Prophet Isaiah had written: “He shoulders responsibility and is called Extraordinary Strategist, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NET) “He will rule on David’s throne and over David’s kingdom, establishing it and strengthening it by promoting justice and fairness.” (Isaiah 9:7 NET) So Jesus like Melchizedek is the King of Righteousness and King of Peace. Melchizedek in essence stood in the place of Jesus when Abraham paid tithe to him.

The significance of the Melchizedek/Abraham encounter is that the priesthood has been changed. The priesthood changed from the Levitical order to the Melchizedek order. (Hebrews 7:11) This is crucial for Christianity. There’ll be no Christianity without the change. Jesus would not be a high priest. He’s from the tribe of Judah not Levi. For the priesthood to be changed however the law regulating it must necessarily be changed too. (Hebrews 7:12) Jesus did not become a priest based on old laws. He didn’t qualify genetically. Jesus became a priest by the “power of a life that cannot be destroyed.” (Hebrews 7:16) It’s why the Psalmist wrote, “You’re a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4) Jesus became a priest “by the sheer force of resurrection life.” (Hebrews 7:16 MSG) Hallelujah!

The Bible says “the former way of doing things, a system of commandments that never worked out the way it was supposed to, was set aside,” replaced by “another way – Jesus! – a way that does work, that brings us right into the presence of God.” (Hebrews 7:15-19 MSG) We have a better covenant with God and Jesus is the guarantee of that covenant. (Hebrews 7:22)

Whether Abraham paid tithe once or not, whether it was from spoils of war or not, or whether he was Abram and not Abraham… All these have no covenantal value whatsoever. The Book of Hebrews pays no theological heed to them. Rather it tells us all the documentations on tithing were all pointing to the eternal priesthood of Jesus. Because Jesus’ priesthood is eternal, the Bible says “he’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 MSG) The tithing of Abraham is thus juxtaposed with tithing under the Ten Commandments to point to salvation by grace. No one can be saved by obeying the Ten Commandments. “The law never made anything perfect.” (Hebrews 7:19 NLT)

And to buttress the fact that this whole tithing thing is really about Jesus, Hebrews 8 begins thus: “Here is the MAIN POINT: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honour beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle…” (Hebrews 8:1) It’s all about Jesus! It’s all about his love for us. He negotiated a new deal for us using his crucifixion as bargaining chip. He “mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6) It’s all about Jesus. Worship him!

Given the foregoing, it is incorrect to say tithe is not a New Testament doctrine. It is! The New Testament teaches about tithe. Only the teachings are elevated, they’re not pedantic. They’re deep. In Hebrews, we see the old and new converge to reveal our Saviour. Now, that’s what tithing is all about!

Finally, how did Abraham know to give TEN percent? Why not NINE or ELEVEN percent? This shows the divine origin of this principle and believers should allow the simplicity of the Gospel to fill their heart. The enemy is trying hard to sow a seed of confusion and many who had problem with Tithing or Pastors in the first place are latching on to the bait of the enemy to discredit a divine order. Let God be true…and every lying tongue is condemned. Praise God.

COPIED FROM Apostle Adetunji Adepoju WALL

PART 2:

Now, we’ll be looking at a few frequently asked questions (FAQs) and suppositions about tithing. This approach will give us practical insight.

“IF I DON’T PAY MY TITHE WILL I GO TO HELL?” The answer is no. Tithe has nothing to do with salvation. You were saved by grace. It’s a gift from God, it’s not based on works. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

“IS IT COMPULSORY I PAY TITHE?” It’s really up to you. The only regime of tithe you can follow as a Christian is Abrahamic or elective tithing. There’s no compulsory giving in the New Testament. When Paul was writing the Corinthians about relief offering, he said, “I want each one of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 MSG) That’s the spirit of giving in the New Testament.

“WHY DO I NEED TO TITHE?” The study of Abraham’s and Jacob’s tithing is important in this regard. For Abraham tithing was an act of worship – an acknowledgement of the fact that his achievements were facilitated by God. (Genesis 14:19, 20) He wasn’t a self-made man, he was God-made. He also tithed to acknowledge God as Possessor and Creator of heaven and earth. (Genesis 14:19b) His tithing was private worship.

JACOB ON THE OTHER HAND, TITHED FOR PROTECTION AND PROSPERITY.
When he was fleeing from his brother Esau, he made a private covenant with God: “Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshipping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”” (Genesis 28:20-22) So Jacob committed to tithing on the basis of protection and prosperity; but he also incorporated Abraham’s rationale – recognising the fact his prosperity came from God and that God is the Possessor of the heavens and the earth – “I will present to God a tenth of everything HE GIVES ME,” he said. (Genesis 28:22) And so the four bases of Christian tithing are:

1). Acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and authority in worship (Gen.14:19-20)

2). Acknowledgement of grace (Gen. 14:19-20)

3). As covenant of protection (Gen. 28:20-22)

4). As covenant of prosperity (Gen. 28:20-22)




And to the extent that Jacob came up with his own rationale for tithing, it follows that one can initiate a private tithing covenant with God based on proprietary terms. Elective tithing is a private covenant with God.

“DIDN’T ABRAHAM TITHE JUST ONCE?” We can’t know. All we can conclude is that there’s one RECORDED instance of Abraham tithing. God incorporated that instance in the Bible to establish the wider implication enumerated in Hebrews 7 – the superiority of Order of Melchizedek to the Levitical Order, hence superiority of regime of grace to the regime of the Law. The whole essence of Genesis 14 is the pointer to Jesus as our high priest forever after the Order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 8:1). Jacob’s words on the other hand suggests continuous tithing: “I will present to God a tenth of EVERYTHING HE GIVES ME,” he said. (Genesis 28:22)

“BUT JESUS NEVER TAUGHT TITHING.” He did actually! See Matthew 23:23. The regime of the Law was still in operation when Jesus was on earth. The people were paying tithe. Jesus operated under the Law. It’s why his parents presented him in the temple (Luke 2:22-24); it’s why he ate the Passover. (Matthew 26:17-21) In Matthew 23:23, we find Jesus trying to correct the distortion of the relationship between tithing and critical basics of the Law by the Pharisees. (Cf. Luke 11:42) The regime of tithing under the Law was operational while Jesus was on earth. He himself came to fulfil the Law. (Matthew 5:17)

“BUT WHY DIDN’T THE APOSTLES TEACH ABOUT TITHING?” The writer of Hebrews (Paul) did. And he went very deep. Cf. Hebrews 7 & 8. Besides, the early church didn’t a have problem with giving. They saw beyond 10%. They gave their all in many instances. (Acts 4:34-37) They even gave their lives. Many were martyred. (Hebrews 11:36-37) These were not the type who quibbled over money. And those who got too smart for God got their comeuppance. Remember Ananias and Sapphira? (Acts 5:1-11)

“IF YOU SAY TITHING CAME BEFORE THE LAW AND SO WE SHOULD PAY TITHE, DIDN’T ANIMAL SACRIFICE ALSO COME BEFORE THE LAW; HOW COME WE DON’T DO ANIMAL SACRIFICE?” Jesus has been sacrificed once and for all. No more animal sacrifice. (Hebrews 10) Jesus is both our sacrificial lamb and sin offering. (Hebrews 10, 1 Peter 1:18,19) We access the sacrifice through communion.

“WHY CAN’T I GIVE MY TITHE TO ORPHANS AND WIDOWS AS DEUTERONOMY 14:28 SAYS?” That is a reference to the third tithe under the Law. There are three types of tithe under the Law – sacred tithe (Numbers 18:24), vacation tithe (Deuteronomy 14:22-27), social security tithe (Deuteronomy 14:28). You’re not under the Law. (Romans 6:14) You’ll heap a curse on yourself if you subject yourself to the system of tithing under the Law. (Galatians 3:10) In Abrahamic or elective tithing, there’s no provision for giving your tithe to orphans and widows. That is not saying however that orphans and widows should be neglected. That’s wrong. The Bible calls caring for orphans and widows pure religion. (James 1:27) Make extra budgetary provision for people in need.

“WHO DO I PAY MY TITHE TO?” Jesus is your High Priest. (Hebrews 4:14) He expresses himself through the institution of the church, his body. So pay your tithe to your local assembly or where you receive your spiritual nourishment. For instance, I met a disabled woman who was housebound and receives her spiritual nourishment from TV programmes as she cannot leave the house. So she pays her tithe to those ministries and rightly so. To use an Old Testament analogy, that’s God’s storehouse. (Malachi 3:10)

“DON’T I NEED TO MONITOR THE USE OF MY TITHE? What if it’s wrongly used?” As long as it remains yours you haven’t given it. If you give tithe, it’s no longer yours. Perhaps we can find wisdom in this statement by Jesus: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” (John 12:24) Let your seed die so it can germinate with new life. If you’re not pleased with the corporate governance of your local assembly, go to another church rather than get into offences. You’re not a monitoring spirit.

“BUT PEOPLE PAID TITHE WITH AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT; WHY CAN’T I PAY WITH CHICKEN FOR INSTANCE?” Well, if you’re a farmer and your church has a poultry and don’t mind, perhaps you can. But you’re not under the Law, remember! Besides, the global economy is not denominated in produce, it’s denominated in money. You’re not paid in vegetables at the end of the month, are you? Even under certain circumstances in the Old Testament produce tithe was convertible to money. (Deuteronomy 14:26) Money answers all things. (Ecclesiastes 10:19) Denominate your tithe in money.

“DO I PAY OR GIVE TITHE?” Semantics. If you send it online or by wire is it pay, give, wire, transmit or transfer?

SO HERE’S A SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE THING:
(1) Abrahamic tithing is a private covenant between a believer and his God.
(2) Abrahamic tithing is elective, not compulsory. There’s no compulsory giving in the New Testament.
(3) As a general rule you should be rich towards God. (Luke 12:21)
(4) Tithe can be paid as an act of faith, an act of worship, as a basis of prosperity, for protection, as acknowledgement of grace, or acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God.
(5) You can come up with a personal rationale for tithing, like Jacob

If you really want to know and understand more about giving of tithe, please make out time to read and understand this. It will go a long way to make things clear to you.


I was about to start writing my thesis on the subject of Tithing when someone sent me a link to Leke Alder’s brilliant article on the same subject. Upon reading his thesis; I concluded that there is no point writing again as he brilliantly captured all the points I had in mind to make. So enjoy reading his deep and sound article on this subject as noted below, along with some comments from me.

First thing I will say is that Tithing is not compulsory for the New Testament believers. The Bible states that the bird in the sky do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your father in heaven SUSTAINS (or FEEDS) them. So if all you seek is sustenance; grace in Christ will provide that for you even if you do not Tithe. But to operate in high Kingdom Finance is a whole different matter and you cannot operate at that level without electing to Tithe and give offerings. This will become clear as you read Leke’s brilliant submission.

There are two regimes of tithe in the Bible. The first regime is the ABRAHAMIC REGIME. The second regime is the REGIME OF THE LAW. That’s short-code for the Law of Moses. It’s also known as regime of the Ten Commandments – the body of legislation enacted to regulate the nascent nation of Israel.

It wasn’t Moses who introduced tithe into human history. It was actually Abraham. Before Abraham, there was no mention of tithe in scriptures. (Tithe simply means a tenth). Here’s how we came across tithe in scriptures:

The story goes that Lot, Abraham’s nephew, became collateral damage in the power play between the king of Elam and king of Sodom. Sodom, a vassal of Elam had suddenly declared independence and so Elam went to war against Sodom. Lot was living in Sodom. With his allies, the king of Elam conquered Sodom and took prisoners of war. That was how Lot became a prisoner of war. Well, family is family. Abraham took his private army, along with his allies went after the king of Elam and his three allies, and defeated them. He rescued Lot and his family.

We’re told as he returned from the battle, he was met by a king named Melchizedek who also doubled as a priest of the Most High God. He brought communion. It was Melchizedek who gave us insight into how Abraham defeated the Gang of Four: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator and Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High who has given your enemies into your hand.” (Genesis 14:19-20) It was a not so subtle reminder God did the conquest for Abraham, not Abraham’s strength or brilliance. The conquest was a work of grace. Whereupon Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the treasure from that battle and that was the first tithe in the Bible.


Nobody compelled Abraham to tithe. It was voluntary. For this reason, we shall call Abrahamic tithing elective tithing. He made money and elected to give a tenth of it to a priest of God. The subtext from the invocation of Melchizedek is that Abraham tithed in acknowledgement of the fact that all that he had, all that he owned, all that he had ever accomplished came by the hand of the Possessor of the heaven and the earth. To that extent, Abram (as he was then known) tithed as an act of worship.

The second regime of tithe – tithing under the Law had a completely different hue. It was legislated by God as a political solution to the issue of state creation. You see, there were twelve tribes in Israel. When God was going to divide the Promised Land among the tribes, he excluded the Levites. Joseph’s second son, Ephraim took the lot of the Levites. Joseph had double portion. (Genesis 48:5) The Levites were consecrated as priests to God instead. God declared he was their inheritance. (Numbers 18:20) But then how would the Levites feed and take care of their family? How would they prosper? They could not undertake secular work. Their job was to serve in the temple. Well, God came up with a contributory scheme to take care of the Levites. Everyone would pay tithe to the Levites. (Numbers 18: 20-24) But the Levites too had to pay tithe, which in effect means the tithes were the income for the priests. (Nehemiah 10:38) It was theirs to do as they deemed fit.

But here’s what many don’t realise: there were three types of tithe under the Law of Moses. The first was sacred tithe, the second was vacation tithe and the third was social justice or social security tithe.
The sacred tithe as we discussed went to the Levites. It was their income.

The second tithe under the Law was the tithe of feasts or tithe of pilgrimage; it was some sort of vacation tithe. (Deuteronomy 14:22-27) The Israelites were supposed to make a pilgrimage to a designated place of worship every year. They were to set aside a tenth of their harvest and this was supposed to be eaten before God. Why? It was to inspire reverence for God. (Deuteronomy 14:22-23) If the place of worship was too far to transport the agricultural produce tithe, it was to be converted into money; which would then be spent on whatever their appetite craved, and that included alcohol. (Deuteronomy 14:26) So this was some sort of enjoyment or summer vacation tithe. God essentially mandated summer break. He cared for the welfare of the people. Because this tithe was convertible into money, it’s not exactly true to say all tithe in the Old Testament was agricultural produce.


The third tithe under the Law was social justice tithe. It had a three year cycle – was paid every three years. This tithe went not only to the Levites, but also to immigrants, orphans and widows. (Deuteronomy 14:28) Those who have not taken time to read the ENTIRE legislation on tithing under the Law are quick to point to this as how to pay tithe – that the money should be distributed to the poor and not priests, but that’s only true to the extent that this was the third tithe under the Law. There were three tithes.

The overall scheme of tithing under the Law can be called legislative tithing since it was mandated as law. It was a duty to the State – God. And as we can see, tithing under the Law is cumulatively higher than 10%. It was 30% on occasion. Many don’t realise.

Now comes the challenge. A Christian CANNOT pay tithe under the terms of the Law. That is inviting trouble. We’re not under the Law, we’re under grace. (Romans 6:14) The moment you elect to submit yourself to the dictates of the Law, you commit to obeying ALL 613 commandments. If you fail in one, you’re guilty of ALL. (James 2:10) And so not meeting the requirement of tithing under the Law also meant you were guilty of murder, blasphemy, etc. You’re guilty of ALL.

Paul tells us, “No one can be made right with God by trying to keep the Law.” (Galatians 3:11) In fact, Paul says trying to please God according to the terms of the Law is sheer madness. He told the Galatians who were strenuously trying to fulfil the Law, “Are you going to continue in this craziness?” (Galatians 3:2-4 MSG) All those scriptures we spout for paying tithe under the terms of the Law are therefore void and of no effect. The moment you seek to pay tithe according to Deuteronomy or Malachi, you have to obey ALL the Law of Moses. And no one can be righteous obeying those laws.

To seek to pay tithe according to the terms of the Law is also to attract a curse unto yourself. Galatians 3:10 says, “But those who depend on the Law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” So the idea of giving your tithe to the poor as dictated under the Law is not exactly wise. You’re setting up yourself for a curse.

We can, therefore, conclude that the idea of paying tithe according to the provisions of the Law is sheer madness, to use the expression of Paul. By that very token, that famous quotation about robbing God through non-payment of tithe cannot apply since it’s a reference to the Law. (Malachi 3:8-12) We’re not under the Law. But Malachi is still instructive since all scripture is profitable for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) At least you have an idea of how serious God takes some things

betterABIAstate:
Jesus didn't practise it either.

Did Jesus marry? So because Jesus didn't marry, Marriage is now unscriptural. is it?

betterABIAstate:
1st, Abraham wasn't a monthly tither.

Secondly, Abraham didn't pay tithe from his increase, he paid from the proceeds of the war.

Thirdly, I'm not living the live of Abraham else can marry my niece.

Fourthly, I'm living by the teaching and life of Jesus, tithe was not included.

Fifthly, you are quoting the bible out of contest, that passage talked about Jesus not seeing tithe to be important

You say you are not living the life of Abraham but say sing and claim the blessings of Abraham. Remember the song: Abraham's blessings are mine, I am blessed in the morning, I am blessed in the evening, Abraham's blessings are mine. You want to claim Abraham's blessings but you dont want to do the basic things he did on his way to blessings.

betterABIAstate:
1st, Abraham wasn't a monthly tither.

Secondly, Abraham didn't pay tithe from his increase, he paid from the proceeds of the war.

Thirdly, I'm not living the live of Abraham else can marry my niece.

Fourthly, I'm living by the teaching and life of Jesus, tithe was not included.

Fifthly, you are quoting the bible out of contest, that passage talked about Jesus not seeing tithe to be important

The bible did not record the things Abraham did on a monthly basis. it recorded an incident that happened and how Abraham acted. That should be our guiding principle not until you know what he did on a weekly or monthly basis.

stardragon:
how-can-we-judge-creature's-that-are-greater-than-us?:-And-does-it-mean-some-of-them-are-not-doing-their-work-properly-even-in-heaven?

For now in terms of appearance and strength they are higher than humans. But in time to come when by the grace of God we would have put on immotality we would be higher than them. But this does not change the fact that we are created in the image of God and angels are not. This makes us greater and Superior.

The Tithe. Should I or Should I Not

Much has been said about the legitimacy of tithes and offerings since OAP Daddy Freeze challenged the status quo of why the Pentecostal churches in Nigerian continue to request that their members pay a tenth of all their increase to the church regularly, which in turn is then used by some fraudulent pastors to fund a lavish and jet-set lifestyle which has nothing to do with the work of God. Whilst I agree that some false pastor certainly mismanages their congregant’s funds, I tend to disagree with his notion that the tithe is unscriptural and has no place in the modern day church.

A friend of mine then brought my attention to a post on This day live website title “Daddy Freeze and The Hoopla About Tithing” After reading this interesting piece by Reno Omokri, I’ve decided to add my $2 worth to this topic.

In my humble opinion, this entire issue of tithing in a larger perspective raises questions about the word “giving”, it questions what the scriptures say about giving? who we should give to, should it be the church or the needy? how often should we give? the right way to give? what kind of giving pleases God’s heart? and what’s sort of giving has God’s promise attached to it? be it tithing or charitable giving.

Pentecostal Churches are spread all across the world, led and headed by black, white and Caucasian leaders alike, all who practice and preach this principle of tithing amongst their

congregants on a weekly basis. All these pastors, preachers priest, people or denominations are what the scriptures refer to as the body of Christ. hence, what affects one part of the body affects every part of the body, therefore it might be wrong to say this menace of misappropriations of tithes and offering mainly affect black churches, as it affects most parts of the body of Christ, not just in Nigeria.



All across the world especially in UK and USA churches are expected to give clear accountability for the funds they collect

from their congregants as a registered charity that they are, and in cases where they can’t provide such information, they are probed, taken over, or in worse case scenarios, handed over to the charities commission who appoints independent auditors, there have even been instances where the leadership of the Church has been put on trial for the mismanagement of funds. Most prominent Pentecostal leaders, at one time or the other in these countries, would have been put under the spotlight at least once as we all know with regard to the church’s funding and finances. So, it’s not just in Nigeria people and authorities are concerned about the money congregants give in services, is practically all over the world

Having said that, I believe it’s impossible to read the scriptures like an ordinary novel, and then pick and choose paragraphs or verses that suits us, at the level of our carnal understanding, for the benefit of our self-centred situation or circumstance; otherwise the verse in Proverbs 6:30 which states “do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy himself when he is hungry, but when he is found, he must repay sevenfold” will be used by all thieves to justify their need for stealing…and many more.

Studying the scriptures requires the ability of the reader to be able to suspend his or her own mind, mental, natural doubt or disbelief, and leave themselves open to take on an inspired mindset of God and yield to the leading of the holy spirit for divine interpretation of the word, bearing in mind that, God’s ways are not man’s ways, and even if a wise man, should think he knew much with his carnal mind, he is still far from discovering the fullness of the word without the divine interpretation of God and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when we read the bible we have to be able to understand how to read it devotionally so we can know and understand how to apply it practically to our lives… and that’s why we have to read the word, meditate on it, chew it, assimilate it, pondered over it, and do it all over again.

You are unquestionably right that 2nd Timothy 3:16 says: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for DOCTRINE, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; ……But kindly don’t forget that Revelation 22:18-19 states, “I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book”….which goes to show that, everything in the scriptures is relative……..The bible is a book that consists of 66 books, all these entire 66 books are unified, and all fit into a whole both old and new testament; note, even the scriptures say about Jesus in Matthew 5: 17 “I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. … I didn’t come to set them aside but to make them come true” making both the readings and practices of both books valid.

It’s no news that the thought of the jet set lifestyle and extremely high financial gain or sudden wealth that can be attained or acquired by managing to get a thriving or vibrant church up and running in any part of the world is a magnet to attract fraudulent preachers into the vineyard of God, but it’s also no news that God neither slumbers nor sleeps, and really doesn’t need any help from man to handle His kingdom affairs, at His own appointed time.

The scriptures already made it clear that, in the last days there will be false prophets who will rise up among us, and also said in Matthew 18:6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea” even in Isaiah 56:11 which states “And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied And they are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one”. This to me signifies that God has made reservation for their kind, and when its time God will deal with them accordingly for their wrongdoing, as he says in Ezekiel “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them”

Now GIVING of any kind, whether tithe or charitable giving is a simple acknowledgment that everything one has comes from God. And in giving, Jesus in the sermon on the mount speech teaches us the right way which we ought to give. This presumably off the back of what the Pharisees thought was the right way to give alms and offering, they thought making a massive show of how they gave to the needy, taking pictures with cartons of rice and sugar at motherless babies homes and posting it on social media, lol (sorry I had to sneak that in.. modern-day Pharisees) was proving how righteous they were; the bible does say that truly they have their rewards. However, Jesus said, in giving one should not even let the left hand know what the right hand is doing, that way the giver readily forgets that he or she gave, and in that way, demonstrates true righteousness before God and not before man.

Yes, the tithe predates Abraham and Moses and was an agricultural practice back then, but to my understanding, livestock and farm produce were the predominant, if not the only means of currency back then, so there was literally no other way that a 10th would have been given other than via livestock and farm produce.

The scriptures have to be alive, relative and applicable to our daily lives today, and if the currency we use in the world today is the fiat currency, which it is, the only way one can give a 10th of that increase if one’s not a farmer is by the same method of increase we’ve acquired it.

The tithes were given to the Levitical priest, but again if the scriptures are to be applicable to our world today, it is feasible to compare or adopt the person who ushers you into Gods presence through worship, prayers and the preaching and teaching of the word on a weekly basis, as one’s spiritual father, or in hindsight one’s Levitical priest.

Levitical priest can’t be the compared to the needy or the helpless, as they 1, qualified by ancestral birth, and 2 had specific duties they had to perform to the remaining 11 tribes of Israel, duties which included: 1) bearing responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary; 2) bearing responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood; 3) ministering before the tent of the covenant law; 4) to serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain and 5) God said, “I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion, your perpetual share” May I then ask, who will these duties be applicable to in the modern day church? with both Testaments being relative.

Furthermore, Jesus Himself never did away with tithing, as a matter of fact, several times in the scriptures Jesus seems to support the tithe, commenting on it in reference to the Pharisee,

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices, 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). also, Luke 18:12, and importantly Hebrews 7:5-9 “5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people – that is, from their fellow Israelites – even though they also are descended from Abraham. 6 This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 And without doubt, the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. 9 One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham”(NIVUK)

So, it is wrong to say Jesus never spoke about tithe or did away with tithes in the New Testament, even though Jesus was addressing predominantly the Pharisees in most cases.

Malachi, who is viewed as the last prophet of the Old Testament,

a period just before John the Baptist preached a message that wasn’t exactly dissimilar to the messages of other prophets of the old testament, which literally was a message that covenant blessing requires covenant faithfulness. (as people of each generation obey the requirements of the Mosaic covenant, they are eligible for the unconditional blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant).

Obedience to the law was rewarded with blessing in the promise land and disobedience brought about a curse to the people, this is one of the reasons why in many churches the tithe is taken separately or is set aside from the normal offerings.

Malachi was addressing the quality of the offering that was brought to the Temple, and the fact that the Israelites were robbing God by not presenting the required 10th of their increase to the Levites, who in turn was supposed to give a tithe of the tithe to the priest in an act of fatal worship. Therefore, if the Levites and the priest didn’t receive the tithes and the offering they will have to turn to other means of supporting themselves.

And he was saying since the temple of God is where the priest operated from, failure to support its work or ministry is almost considered as equal as robbing God himself.

It becomes relative as Jesus made this clear when He sent the disciples out in Luke 9:2 “and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal those who were ill. 3 He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town”. …If that wasn’t enough, Jesus furthermore reinforces this when he sent the 72 out in Luke 10:3-7 3 “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals, and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 ‘When you enter a house, first say, “Peace to this house.” 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house”.

God says in the scriptures, that His plans for us are for good and not for evil, to make sure we have an expected outcome. It’s the duty that the shepherd of the house of God acting under the absolute and undeviating mindset and discernment of God as well as yielding his or herself to the leading of the Holy Spirit at all times possible, to point their congregant towards the best practices of how they can reap the fullness of God’s grace by obeying God’s word, participate in scriptural practices that are relevant and have promises attached to it, at the end of the day, that’s Gods plan for His people, for them to live in heaven, even while we’re on earth, by the obedience and following of His word and teachings.

The tithe is said to be mandatory, and for a believer who is grown enough to discern the scriptural promise attached to it, the reason is never questionable.

Has for leaders who mismanage the tithe and use it as a personal ATM each Sunday, your day of reckoning is sooner than you think, nevertheless to tap into those Abrahamic Covenantal promises, it’s important to continue to practice what the Covenant requires …..Remember all Scriptures are relative and all point to Jesus and ultimately to God.

As it was in the beginning, it’s now and ever shall be a world without end. Amen


Source: http://www.tonywilliamss.com/the-tithe-should-i-or-should-i-not/

In total opposition to Daddy freeze‘s comment on tithing, Pastor Rotimi Akinwale joined YourViewTVC ladies this morning to discuss the topic ‘tithing’.

Pastor Rotimi Akinwale declared his total disagreement on Daddy freeze’s comment on tithing, saying:

“I totally disagree with Mr. Freeze. Mr freeze in my own opinion is like Apollos, a man who is mighty in the scripture, which taught the way of the lord accurately. But when he met Priscilla and Aquila, they expanded the word to him more adequately. There is a basic difference between being accurate and being adequate. Tithe did not start from the levy, it started way back in genesis:14 with Abraham and Melchizedek.  There is corporate tithe and private individual tithe like the one we pay, but the one Abraham paid to  Melchizedek was a corporate tithe for everything he took from the ‘spoil’ of a war. Tithe is not an old testament stuff, we keep missing it. (quoting Matt 23:23). Daddy Freeze is accurate but he is in error. Pastors in the new testament are Levy, if they are not Levy, what are they?. Tithing is all about giving, a proof of demonstration of love. I can give and not love, But I cannot love and not give.

An ignorant man is in darkness! There is a knowledge gap in church today about the issues of tithing. Giving is born out of love, though there’s a reckless show of wealth by most pastors, but I wouldn’t judge them, I’ll let God judge them.” 

He defined tithe and explained that tithe from stolen money is not acceptable.

“Tithe as the 10% of your legitimate earning. God cannot be mocked. You cannot bring stolen money to God and expect to be blessed, as a matter of fact you will be cursed.”. http://www.tvcontinental.tv/2017/11/08/daddy-freeze-is-accurate-but-he-is-in-error-pastor-rotimi-akinwale/amp/

baralatie:
once again need I remind you KANU himself granted an interview to channels that he is alive and that interview was after this video was released online.did you see the dog that was killed in the video?it was KANU that let the world know about the dog!
KANU is not dead but is in hiding and he better stay in hiding because the case on his head is far bigger than what his lawyer handler is trying to paint

Post the video of Kanu himself granting interview to channels and talking about the dead dog. You mixing the whole thing up. The last time Kanu granted interview was after the first attack around his compound. The Army did not break into his house. After that interview there was another attack which was the video I posted. This time the Army gained entry and ransacked the whole house.

You are also not answering the other question I am asking. What about Kanu's parents? Are they also on the run?