₦airaland Forum

Tithing: Jewish or Christian

Daddy Freeze and his campaign against tithe collection by churches, especially by Pentecostal assemblies where little or no accountability for monies collected are made and where the Pastors/General Overseers come off as being stupendously wealthy, is the talk of the Nigerian public today.

I suspect that Freeze’s campaign is already biting into the finances of many churches and the Pastors are not happy at all about it. The fact that his main medium of campaign, his Instagram account, has been hacked numerous times is proof that Freeze is touching the heart of some people’s religion: which undoubtedly is money.

While I do not know which denomination or faith he belongs to, I must state quite frankly that Daddy Freeze is right concerning the subject of tithing today. New Testament Christianity has no place for tithing.

In fact, Christians could very well begin to offer burnt sacrifices, worship at a Jewish temple or observe the Jewish Passover, if they must also tithe today. Despite the fact that numerous people give a tenth of their income to churches, the honest fact is that nobody gives the biblical tithes today. How can this be? It is quite simple really.

Culled from:

http://mouthpiece.com.ng/tithing-christian-or-jewish-practice/

CC: Seun, Lalasticlala, Mynd44

The biblical tithes may be divided into two epochs: tithing before the law and tithing after the law. Abraham gave a tithe in Genesis 14 and Jacob promised to tithe in Genesis 28. These two instances are the tithing recorded before the law. After the law was given through Moses, the Bible gives us a record of what the tithe was. In Leviticus 27:30-33, the Jewish tithes were listed as agricultural products. Therefore, Christians who are knowledgeable enough argue that they do not tithe according to Moses but according to the tithing practice before the law. Now, even this argument does not hold because Abram’s (not yet Abraham then) tithing in Genesis 14:19-20 does not fit the tithe practice of today. In that context, Abram tithed once, he gave a tithe of war spoils and not his income, and it was clear that there was something symbolic about that tithing. Because Abram received a blessing from the Priest, Melchizedek, before he gave him a tithe. Not that he tithed to receive a blessing as many are taught today.

But even more importantly, the New Testament tells us why Abraham gave a tithe in Genesis 14. In Hebrew 7 we see that Abraham tithed to Melchizedek as a symbol of Melchizedek’s greatness. The Jewish lineage came from Abraham, from which we had the Levites who were given tithes. But here was Abraham tithing to someone and also getting a blessing. Hebrew 7 was therefore not talking about Christian tithing but about a greater covenant in Jesus, who is of the order of Melchizedek, than the covenant of Moses. Hebrew 7 was saying in effect that the Christian covenant is greater than the Jewish one.

Jacob was never recorded to have tithed in spite of his promise to do so. Some have indicated that Jacob’s vow to tithe was actually fulfilled in Leviticus 27 when God was giving the Jews the laws pertaining to keeping of vows. The last thing he spoke to them about was how to tithe. Therefore Jacob did tithe but through his descendants.

Probably the biggest argument against tithing as of the Old Testament is the purpose behind the giving of the tithe. The Jewish nation were to be a people of God. The worship of Jehovah was important to him and thus he selected a whole tribe from the 12 tribes of Israel to lead worship. Among the Levites were the priests, the descendants of Aaron. The priests were to be wholly given to worship and were not to work the farms. In return the people of Israel, who worked the land, were to bring a tenth of their products to support the Priests who were fully serving in the temple. This was God’s debate with Israel in the famous Malachi 3:8-12. There God was speaking about bringing in tithes to the storehouses in the temple, so that there might be food in the house of God, and so that the worship of God in Israel will not suffer. Therefore, if anyone must tithe today, they must bring farm products to a Jewish temple and hand it over to Levites. Any thing short of this is not the biblical tithes.

Having said this, I must provide a balance to my argument above.

God’s primary concern for all humanity is not whether or not they are giving their tithes to churches. This is the reason why there is practically no mention of the subject of tithing in the churches of the New Testament. It is safe to conclude that the churches under the apostles collected no tithes. They could never have because even in their days, Jewish practices and the place they occupy in Christian communities were equally contentious. In the days of Jesus, the Jews could not understand why he and his disciples did not observe the Jewish Sabbath as seriously as they thought they should. Jesus himself hinted at the replacing of the old order with the new when he said, in response to one of such criticism, that you could not put old wine in new wine skin (Matthew 9:17). Later on in the records of the New Testament, Paul will also contend with those who were trying to make a Jewish practice of circumcision a Christian one. Paul refuted these men even rather harshly (Philippians 3:2). So we see that it is consistent of Satan to distract the churches with matters that concern the old order and to try to bring them to the new.

The heart of the Christian gospel is not for men to give money to churches. The heart of the Christian gospel is for men to come to living faith in Jesus Christ. There are countless professing Christians who will be lost in hell, despite having tithed all their lives. These ones have placed the confidence of their salvation on tithing or giving of money to God, as if anyone could buy God’s favor with money. When in reality they ought to have place their hope in Christ alone for redemption from their sins. Others who never tithed will equally be damned not because they campaigned against tithing, but because they never believed in Christ as their Lord and Savior. Their grouse against tithing was simply a humanist campaign.

Tithing or not tithing, God’s concern for all men is that they might be repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. In the process, that they might be saved. This is the heart of the gospel and this is God’s call on all men. When the gospel was first preached by Peter in Acts 2, he never requested anyone to bring God money. In fact it would have stood as preposterous for him to do that because in those days those who collected tithes were Jewish priests who worked in the temple. If Peter or any of the apostles had ever demanded a tithe, they would have been stoned. And, as if to indicate an end to the Jewish ways of life, God providentially brought an end to Jewish worship with the destruction of the temple in AD 70. The temple remained destroyed for 1900 years until it was rebuilt by the Jews who had gathered back in Israel after 1948. In line with Peter’s message, we see first that people came to faith in Christ and subsequently these people came together as a community and had all things in common (Acts 2:44-45). They sold possessions and laid them at the Apostle’s feet in a communal kind of living in Acts 4:34-35. This proves simply that only after a heart is converted can we begin to talk about what he gives as offering to God. In fact a truly converted person shall be taught of the Holy Spirit to give, even as the community of God are led by godly and exemplary leadership.

Speaking about leadership, my trainer at the Institute of Pastoral and Theological Training, Pastor Nick Kennecott, Egbe, Kogi State, told us in class that though the church he pastors still collects offering during Sunday worship, he would rather that they don’t. He said as a practice, his offering for the month to his local assembly is paid directly from his account to the church’s account, as his pay cheque arrives. Therefore, for him, a Sunday worship can be wholly given to worshipping God and edifying the saints. Now, a practice like that will ensure two things: that the collection to a church is made by godly people. People whose hearts have been touched by God and taught to give. I think there is something inherently dangerous about passing the offering basket about in a Sunday worship. A good amount of the money given will be by people who are not saved. And this is abomination to God. Yes, unsaved persons can pay into a church account too; there is no doubt about that. But such cases are bound to be reduced.

Now, I recounted Pastor Nick’s experience to say this: true believers, although not compelled to tithe, must begin to make a habit of giving consistently and habitually, in a disciplined manner, to whatever church they attend. Usually, what the Freeze’s type of tithe campaign does is that it stops people from giving to churches altogether. In the process, while the false churches suffer funds deprivation, the true churches will also suffer.

In our world today, money is what will make the gospel spread. Missions are run on monies donated by church members. When there are no funds, missions suffer. This is the reason, and I say this guardedly, that there is some wisdom in Christians tithing today. Tithing can be a minimum, at least for folks who receive a regular income. This way a local assembly can work with funds that are consistently available from members who practice a disciplined form of giving. And, as it has been observed by others, this has been practiced by believers of yore and no one had trouble with the Anglican, Baptist, Methodist and Catholic churches collecting tithes. But when these new generation churches began to pop up everywhere, with their pastors living ostentatiously, with some of them owning as much as four private jets, it remains God’s consistent nature to raise up folks to speak against the financial cash-cow through which these wicked men enrich themselves.

So, the long and short of my essay is this: 1. Tithing is not a Christian practice; it is Jewish. 2. Let every man know his God: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved. This is what is truly Christian. 3. Lastly, Christians should give only as they are led by God but they should give consistently and in a disciplined manner to support Christian missions. And let those who collect these monies use them judiciously for gospel matters. Amen.

so balanced ,well written and correct biblically referenced article. But money can't really stop the gospel if we become the bible that the world reads. Nonetheless a true Christian must wholeheartedly support the church but not cajoled to do so. I think we can give not necessarily money alone but all God given resources at our disposals.
Op I must commend your beautiful perspective on tithing and the Nigerian pastors' approach to it.

WE ARE NOT THE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH OF GOD, CHRIST IS.

YOU ARE SOUNDING AS IF THE SURVIVER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST DEPENDS ON US. IF FISH CAN PRODUCE MONEY FOR THE TAX OF JESUS, HOW THEN WILL HE NOT RAISE FUNDS FOR HIS CHURCH AND BODY?

MUST WE EXTORT OUR MEMBER THROUGH THE JEWISH LAW. THE FAITH OF THE CHURCH SHOULD BE CHRIST, AND NOT HIS MEMBERS.

Babacele:
so balanced ,well written and correct biblically referenced article. But money can't really stop the gospel if we become the bible that the world reads. Nonetheless a true Christian must wholeheartedly support the church but not cajoled to do so. I think we can give not necessarily money alone but all God given resources at our disposals.
Op I must commend your beautiful perspective on tithing and the Nigerian pastors' approach to it.

Thank you

VBCampaign:
Now, I recounted Pastor Nick’s experience to say this: true believers, although not compelled to tithe, must begin to make a habit of giving consistently and habitually, in a disciplined manner, to whatever church they attend ...

Tithing can be a minimum, at least for folks who receive a regular income.

I was going to commend your write-up, until I noticed the part I highlighted above. What a deviously clever write-up! Essentially you want to replace the tithe of 10% with a “consistent habitual contribution” of at least 10%, which “true believers” “must” pay. You are a genius, bro.

Seun:
I was going to commend your write-up, until I noticed the part I highlighted above. What a deviously clever write-up! Essentially you want to replace the tithe of 10% with a “compulsory habitual contribution” of at least 10%, which “true believers” “must” pay. You are a genius, bro.

From frying pan to fire

Seun:
I was going to commend your write-up, until I noticed the part I highlighted above. What a deviously clever write-up! Essentially you want to replace the tithe of 10% with a “compulsory habitual contribution” of at least 10%, which “true believers” “must” pay. You are a genius, bro.

Lol
This tithe issue sef no make.
My parents contribute more to the church(during events and funds raising) than the amount they pay for tithe, and this is commonplace in most churches.
So churches will keep getting their cash tithe or no tithe.

Interesting

Seun:
I was going to commend your write-up, until I noticed the part I highlighted above. What a deviously clever write-up! Essentially you want to replace the tithe of 10% with a “compulsory habitual contribution” of at least 10%, which “true believers” “must” pay. You are a genius, bro.

jahahahaaaaa.....

really a genius camouflage...

Seun:
I was going to commend your write-up, until I noticed the part I highlighted above. What a deviously clever write-up! Essentially you want to replace the tithe of 10% with a “compulsory habitual contribution” of at least 10%, which “true believers” “must” pay. You are a genius, bro.

Hi Seun.

It is a honor to have you comment on my thread.

First, I'll implore you read the piece again and see that in no way does the article support tithing. The last line, which summarises it, says this much: tithing is Jewish and not Christian.

Second, by habitual giving, I mean consistent guving of any amount. If a church has 100 members and each give an average of 2,000 monthly, that church's income is N200,000 monthly. It can plan with this. Amount given nay vary from 20 to 20,000. But BC it is consistent giving, not tithing, the church can work around this.

3. Lastly, I learnt about the errors of tithing from a 2013 thread I opened on Nairaland from foremost anti tithe folks here then: frosbel, PastorKun and Goshen360, to mention a few. It changed my whole perspective of Christianity. But after not tithing for 4 years, and encouraging others not to, I see clearly from scriptures and fellow Christians that giving, not tithing, is expected of every Christian.

These are the thoughts I have trued to express on this page...

... And consider it for front page, abeg.