Akdegreat:
That's to say tithe is SCAM.

UEK33:
“Blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that taketh”

The above statement is a law of nature that cut across all religions, beliefs and cultures. It is called the law of GIVE AND TAKE. It works for both believers and non believers ,Christians and non Christians. Statistical data released late last month showed China, Japan, Canada and of course America(in that order) were the least most religious countries, but it is on record that those countries have the best economy in the world and first five richest men in the world are unarguably from those countries. The question is, Do they all pay tithe ?? NO ….They simply obeyed the law of GIVE AND TAKE.

Bring all the tithes into the store house, that there may be food in my house, and try me now in this, says the lord of hosts; if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it(Malachi 3:10). That was indeed an awesome promise from Jehovah most powerful. This verse has been a powerful tool for some pastors to milk gullible members especially in Africa where religion seemed to have clouded our judgements. I will have to point to the fact that this promise was a reassurance to the people of Israelite who fell short of the glory of God due to their sins (Malachi 3:1-……………)
Jesus pointed out that tithe is not a weighty matter of the law (Matt 23:23). Hebrew says people only receive tithe "according to the law” (Hebrew 7:5). It then insists tithing (and everything else under the law) has been annulled; “ The former regulation is set aside because it is weak and useless (Hebrews 7:18-19).
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for keeping part instead of the whole law (Mat 23:23). That is what tithe collecting pastors do today. If we insist our congregants must pay tithes, we must also insist they keep the rest of the law. James says “whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one is guilty of all” (James 2:10). Therefore if we insist on tithing, we should also refrain from eating pork, we should stone adulterers, execute homosexuals, kill Sabbath violators and restore blood sacrifices.

ORIGIN OF TITHE: Tithe was a tenth of the seeds and fruits of the land , and of the animals which ate of the land(Leviticus 27:30-32). It was one of the laws handed to Moses in mount Sinai. Tithes were paid to the store house of malachi-i.e a place where food was stored. How tithe was shared was laid down by Moses, first year levites, second year was for orphans, widows and the poor, in the third year it was eaten in the company of the faithful before the lord as thanksgiving for his faithfulness(Deutronomy 14:22-28). NOTE: Tithe was paid yearly and not monthly as obtained in modern churches.

CAN A CITIZEN OF A COUNTRY NOT PAY HIS TAX ?? That question is laughable and illogical. Tax and tithe are two different levies paid by the jews. Tithing was only applicable to jews and to the land of Israel and never from strictly gentile lands. Servants or slaves who worked in the land never tithed because the land did not belong to them but they could pay tax. Levites were the only people authorized to receive tithe (Hebrew 7:5). Before the inception of the levites, Abraham tithed to Melchisedec, king of salem with 10% of the spoils of war he took when he rescued Lot. He did not even keep the rest but returned it( all ninety percent ) to the king of Sodom. Jacob promised to tithe(Gen 28:20-22) to God but he gave God condition for it. Note: it is wrong to give God conditions before serving him. Thesame could be seen among suppose tithers of today who do it in expectance of open heavens. Jesus christ who was a priest (Lev 7:15) never collected tithe from his followers. I wonder were todays Christian (Christ-like) got that from.
I will like to submit by saying it is a bitter pill that tithe collecting pastors need to swallow.
Praise God!!

Nkematics:



CHRISTIANS ARE NOT UNDER ANY LAW TO PAY TITHE IN CHURCH!!! (By Chukwu, Celestine Nkemakolam)

I am very sure that quite a good number of people are going to call me names for daring to write on this topic; and some may never attempt to read this article till the last word before commenting that I am a biblical “robber”. As caustic as your comments may be, be assured that I have already forgiven you in advance. However, I crave your indulgence to read till the very last word and then decide if my reasons, especially the biblical passages around which my argument revolves, are wrong.

There have been lots of argument and articles concerning this topic. Tithe payment in churches today has become so necessary and even mandatory that anybody who dares refuse to pay it would either be excommunicated, suspended or tagged an anti-Christ who must not be allowed within the gathering of Christians (I write with experience). Some popular preachers whose articles I have read concerning tithe payment did go as far as stating that anybody who does not pay tithe cannot make heaven. I know quite well that tithe is the major source of revenue in some churches, and it is the primary means of supplying the needs of the Pastors. I also know that many of us have testimonies of financial breakthrough as a result of paying tithe, and the source of such testimonies is actually God and not the devil. However, in the midst of these testimonies, I still maintain, with biblical proof, that Christians are not under obligation to pay tithe. Moreover, tithe payment is not the only source of experiencing financial breakthrough; for, there are principles, according to God’s Will in the bible, which are laid down for this purpose.

It is clearly stated in Hebrews 7:5 that tithe is one of the laws of Moses, for Levites were “commanded by God to receive tithe from people according to the law”. A familiar verse often quoted by proponents of tithe payment is Malachi 3:9-10 where curse is pronounced on those who do not pay tithe; and blessings are showered on those who do. Moreover, Matthew 5:17-20 is also quoted where Jesus said that He had not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. This later verse is, therefore, used as a basis that the Old Testament laws (Laws of Moses), which included tithe payment, is still applicable to us Christians since Jesus said he has not come to abolish the law. These verses, as you would come to see later in this article, are misquoted and misunderstood.


First, the verses in Malachi and Matthew came before the death of Jesus Christ. Jesus rightly quoted that He came to fulfill the law, and indeed He accomplished that through His death when He said “it is finished”. After His death, Christians were no longer under the law. That is why Hebrews 7:12 & 19 tells us that the former commandment and law to pay tithe (which was previously mentioned in Hebrew 7:5) has been annulled (cancelled). Moreover, Romans 7:6 says we have been delivered from the law; Ephesians 2:15 says that by His death He ended the whole system of Jewish laws that excluded Gentiles; Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the end of the law; Romans 7:4 says we died to the law through the body of Christ. Colossians 2:14-17 says all the ordinances were nailed to the cross. Galatians 3:10-13 crowns it by telling us that we have been delivered from the curse of the law( remember that tithe payment, as one of the laws, also came with a curse for those who refuse to pay it as stated in Malachi 3:9). This is why there is no verse in the bible (after the death of Jesus) where the Apostles told Christians to pay tithe. None of the churches practiced it. Rather, the needs of the church were met through voluntary offerings as depicted in 2nd Corinthians 9, Acts 2:44-45, etc. And God attached blessings to these free-will offerings as 2nd Corinthians 9:8-11 tells us. If tithe payment is so important or a part of the gospel of salvation, as some preachers do say when they declare that those who do not pay it will never make heaven, then why did the apostles in the bible decide not to teach Christians to do so when they preached?

I became very afraid of practicing anything in the Old Testament Law when I read from the Bible that living by them would cut me off from the grace, and we all know that no man would make heaven without the grace found in Jesus. Galatians 5:4 tells us that those who live by the law are cut off from the grace of Christ; Galatians 3:11 says no one is justified by the law in the sight of God. Also read Galatians 2:21, Galatians 3:1-5, Galatians 5:3, etc to really understand the grave implications of living by the law, even if it is just one act of the law.

There are other reasons many people have often given to justify tithe payment. One of them is that Abraham and Jacob paid tithe before the law, and if we must inherit the blessings of Abraham, we ought to do what they did: pay tithe. However, we must understand that Abraham paid tithe once. He tithed out of the spoils of war and not from his possessions. Jacob paid tithe as a vow to God if he answers his prayer. The bible never told us that he repeated that. We should remember that Circumcision, like tithing, also came before the law when God told Abraham in Genesis 17:11 to circumcise his household. Yet Galatians 5:1-3 tells us that we should no longer practice circumcision. This clearly tells us that it is fallacious to continue to live by an old doctrine merely because it came before the law.

Moreover, like I mentioned in the first paragraph, many people can give testimonies of financial breakthrough for paying tithe. Such blessings are real and may be from God. However, obtaining positive result is not always an indication that the means it came is according to God’s Will. For instance, Moses was instructed by God in Numbers 20:8 to speak to the rock so that water would be supplied for the grumbling Israelites. Moses, however, STRUCK the rock (Numbers 20:11) as against the instruction to Speak. There was still a positive result of water coming out of the rock, but God punished Moses for disobedience to His exact instruction by preventing him from entering the Promised Land. Matthew 7: 21-23 [/b]also tells us that God prevented people who performed miracles, signs and wonders in His name (not the name of Satan) from entering Heaven simply because they did not do His Will. This clearly tells us that God could give people power to perform signs and wonders or obtain positive results when His name is mentioned. Yet He would deny them entrance into Heaven for not doing His Will. Therefore, do not be rooted in the practice of a doctrine merely by the side attractions of signs and wonders.

It is pertinent that we know God’s laid down principle which is the key to financial breakthrough according to His Will. This key is in providing the needs of the less privileged and supporting Missionary works [b](2nd Corinthians 9:1-14, Matthew 25: 31-46, Matthew 10:41-42, James 1:27, Galatians 6:6-10, Luke 14:12-14, etc.). Do these and watch God manifest in your life. There are orphans in orphanages, beggars on the streets, sick people in hospitals who cannot pay their medical bills, people in prisons who have lost hope, widows, poor people around you, etc, who need our money and other welfare materials as we can provide. Moreover, invest in Missionary works geared towards propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ, and in the life of those who Minister the Word of God to us in our churches. The needs of the church can only be met through our voluntary offering and not through tithing.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION!!!
Let me educate us further. What was the purpose of tithe during the law? A percentage of tithe was given to Levites because of the services they rendered to God, and they were not to own properties. The priests served like mediators between God and men, for they offered our gifts and our sacrifices of sin, cleansing, etc to God. However, the death of Jesus Christ became the ultimate sacrifice. We no longer need mortal priests to offer sacrifices to God on our behalf. We all now have direct access to God just like those priests of the old. That is why in 1Peter 2:9, we are called royal Priests, and the veil separating us from God was torn when Jesus died. Since there is no more need for sacrifices, the office of those priests was eliminated and therefore, the requirement to pay tithe which was used to feed these men was also eliminated. Hebrews 7, 8, 9 should explain all these to us.

Now, let us assume that tithing is still necessary, CAN ANYONE TELL US WHERE MONEY IS MENTIONED AS A "TITHABLE" ITEM IN THE BIBLE? Deu 14:22 and Leviticus 27:30 clearly tells us that only the fruits of the land or agricultural products were accepted as tithes. Most of modern day preachers deceive us by saying that in the old testament days, people were not earning money and that was why God did not include money as something to tithe. No way! You would be wrong if you think so. When you read 2 Chronicles 24:11-14, 2 Kings 12:11, 2 Kings 22:4-6 and Ezra 3:7, you would see that there were Carpenters, Stone cutters, Masons, etc who were paid for their services in money. We should also accept that there were fisher men then and other forms of trade. So can someone answer this question: WHY DID GOD NOT TELL THOSE PEOPLE TO TITHE THE MONEY THEY EARNED?

My brethren, let us be careful to preach the gospel of salvation to all mankind as something obtainable in grace and not through the works of the law. Let us not put men in bondage by forcing them to live by the law just because we are more interested in enriching ourselves through their tithe. Apostle Paul was a tent maker (Acts 18: 3) even as he was preaching, because he did not want to put burden on believers to supply his needs ( 1 Thes 2:9). Anybody that says he is an Apostle, Pastor, etc should be wise to emulate their early church predecessors: Apostle Paul, etc.

Peritus:
Did the apostles pay tithes to the priests while with Christ?
Did the disciples pay tithes to Christ?
One truth the tithe preachers ignore is that the gentile converts never paid tithe and were never told to. The only issue was on circumcision which was a form of initiation into or identification as God's people.
Early Christians did not pay tithe. Tithing sneaked into the church after 18th century. In fact, religious tax and monetization of indulgences were the bane of Pentecostal movement against the Catholic church then.
(see Luther's 95 theses)
They taught that salvation is by grace through faith and not works or good deeds. Unfortunately, many are smuggling back this integral part of of the law, albeit knowing that we are children of Abraham, not by the law or genealogy but by faith, and that we are no longer under the law. What pisses me off is the effort of many preachers to tie salvation to tithing.
He who keeps part of the law must endeavor to keep all, and he who is guilty of one part of the law is guilty of all. 'Do no work on the sabbat day' is part of the law. If you wash ur cloth on Saturday (7th day) you are a transgressor of the law.

yak:
even in my church, I insist that tithing is not bad but should not become a doctrine or believe. I have tried to get the justification for tithing in the new testament and even listened to my spirit for justification. am still not convinced. the early church lived by contribution and offering as the Lord makes Providence for them.
it is even more embarrassing that the Luther 95 Thesis that gave birth to the Protestant movement totally disagree with the idea of "buying favour" with tithe. meanwhile, am heading to Martin Luther thesis for further studies. hope I can get the entire document online