What I discovered that tithing is in the Bible and it can bless a believer but it is taught incorrectly. I discovered that tithing is no longer commanded to be observed. Tithing will still be honored by God, if the believer activates it. What is directed by Christ is that we give in order to be blessed. Tithing is just one form of giving that a believer can use to control the amount he is giving. Now Tithing is not limited to money, a believer can tithe food, time, etc. There is a teaching that says that tithing is not for Christian believers. After a lot of study in the bible and of early church history, I discovered that the first church was comprised of mainly Jews until the Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that the Gospel message was also to be shared with the Gentile world.
Now what did those early Jewish Christian believers do regarding tithing? In order to not offend unbelieving Jews that practiced Judaism, they observed tithing and other legal matters stipulated by the Law of Moses. How do I know this? I know this is because of the mention of the circumcision party which was a group of supposedly Jewish Christian believers that held on to some practises of Judaism. They believed that no one could be saved unless they obeyed the Law of Moses. They viewed the baby Christian community was another sect of Judaism or another extension of Judaism, like the Essenes, or the Zealots. They believed that they were doing the right thing in turning the Gentile believers of Christ into Jews via the act of circumcision and make them obligated in keeping the Law of Moses. It all came to a head in Jerusalem where Peter, Paul and James gave cause to not forcing upon the new Gentile believers the very Law that they could not keep. Among the things they suggested the new Gentile believers to observe, no mention of observation of the tithe was required. (Acts 15:1-32) Did this mean that Gentile believers did not have to tithe as perscibed by the Law of Moses? Yes it meant exactly that. However, the writer of Hebrews wrote this phrase:
"And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth." (Hebrews 7:8)
Hebrews was written by a Jewish Christian scholar, of which many attribute the authorship of Hebrews to Paul. The author of Hebrews is unknown, despite this he points to the fact that "one of whom it is witnessed that he lives" receives tithes. The Writer of Hebrews was comparing the fact that under the old Leviticus order the priests that received tithes of the nation died off, but under Christ we have a high priest after the order of Melchizedek, a high priestly order that predates the Levitical and Aaronic priestly orders, which also receives tithes. The point is, in order for Christ to receive tithes, believers would have to be giving tithes. Another point is that this letter is speaking to the time period after the event of the passion of our Lord took place. This means that the practice of tithing did not end with the fulfillment of the Law by Christ's sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Upon further studies, I discovered that Abraham gave tithes, not of any commandment but out of an attitude of wanting to bless God for blessing him. Abraham did not give tithes to get blessed, he gave tithes because he was blessed. Another point I discovered is that Abraham gave tithes under the promise. Why is this important? Because the Bible says this:
"And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect." (Galatians 3:17)
The tithe that was first enacted upon under the promise by Abraham was not discontinued when the Law of Moses was ratified by the blood of the first Lamb slain in the wilderness. The Law of Moses codified the act of tithing and placed it under the laws of vows in the book of Leviticus. (Leviticus 27). Because tithing was placed under the Laws of vows, tithing is a vow and is governed by the Law of Vows which says he who vows something must pay whatsoever he has vowed. But Christ is the end of the Law, for everyone that believes in him (Romans 10:4). This means that if someone tithes he is now tithing under the ratified promise of God to Abraham through Christ. If someone chooses not to tithe he can not be condemned by the Law of Tithes as perscibed in the Old Testament. For Paul wrote:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."(Romans 8:1)
and
"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5:16-18)
Did we hear that right? If we be led of the Spirit we are not under the authority of the Law? So if we are not under the authority of the Law of the tithe as prescribed under the Law of Moses. What law are we under? We are under the Law of the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:2). What does that mean? It means that the same duty, obligation and obedience that was once required by the Law of Moses is now required by Jesus, the Christ, the High priest of our profession. So Jesus, being our eternal high priest receives tithes of us if we are willing to bless him with it. For the tithe is not of legal obligation, but of a willing and grateful heart.
Question: How can we give Jesus tithes if he departed the earth over 2000 years ago? Jesus left his body on the earth, namely the church. It is this body that represents Jesus on the earth and by giving our tithes to the church we are giving tithes to Christ. Now supposed we can not give tithes due to a financial downturn or tragedy? There is no obligation to continue giving tithes if you run into financial problems. and you are not less than a believer for not doing so. Give what you can and God will bless you.
Update:
I have been listening to an ongoing debate between believers in the obedience to the Law and those who do not believe the Law has any bearing on believers today in relation to this subject of tithing. Look, The writer of Hebrews stated that a Testament, a legal binding agreement between the one who going to die, called a Testator, and the ones assigned to carry out his or her last wishes, known as the, Executors of the Testators will, will not go into Legal force until the Testator dies. Question: Did Jesus die on the Cross? Yes He did. Therefore, from that time forth what ever the Testator, Jesus, the Christ, commanded his disciples to do as Executors of his last will, that is what they must carry out.
The writer of Hebrews and the Apostle Paul wrote expressly how the Law of Moses, as good and Holy it is, could not make righteous or holy those who adhered to it. A change of Law was required and a change of priesthood was also required. So by Christ's death on the cross, Jesus fulfilled the righteous demands of the Old Law and by dying put it out of Legal power, simultaneously Christ by his death ratified with his own Holy blood the promise of God which the inception of the Old Law could not end by its ratification by the blood of Lambs and Oxen. In other words the Promise ran concurrent with the dispensation of the Law, even though the Promise proceeded the Old Law by 430 years. ( Galatians 3: 17; Hebrews 7:11-16) Both were radically changed at the Cross of Calvary when Christ died. For when Christ died the curtain leading to the Holy of Holies in the sanctuary in the Temple was torn from top to bottom. Now this was no easy feat, for the curtain of the Holy of Holies was several feet high and about a foot thick. They had to use a rope to pull it open enough for the High Priest to enter in once a year to plead for the forgiveness of the people. This tearing of the curtain of the Holy of Holies signified that God has made himself accessible to all people that believe in Him. This way to the Holy of Holies was made by Christ and His sacrifice on the Cross. This also signified that the old priesthood was no longer needed to interceded for the people. Christ now is our High priest goes and intercedes for us before God (1 John 2:1), who believe in Jesus. How could Christ do this? He wasn't born a Levictical Priest or an Aaronic Priest, how could Jesus be a High Priest. Like I stated before, Jesus is of the Melchizedekian priestly order. This order preceded the Levitical and Aaronic priesthoods and operated under the promise. So for those who say we ought not to tithe because there is no levitical priesthood to receive the tithes, must also acknowledge that there is now a ratified Melchizedekian Priestly order in Christ. This priesthood also receives tithes. Tithes under the promise are not to be given under commandment but with gratefulness and thankfulness, in the same way that Abraham the father of faith in God gave his tithes to the king of Salem, Melchizedek. (Genesis 14)
Those who seek to obey God through the keeping of the Old Law which has no more legal power before God, is adhering to dead works. For the Bible states if one choses to keep the Law, he must keep all of it or be deemed as a trangressor of it all. Also if one does keep the law he must pay the consequences of falling short in the obedience to it. Who wants to keep a law that cannot justify him or her? Who wants to keep a Law that promises life, but proves to be unto death for him or her? For the Law is Holy, just and pure. We are all sinners before the Cross, under the Law for the Law of Sin and death is made evident by the Old Law. The Law of the Spirit of Christ in us puts to an end the Law of Sin and death and the legal power of the Old law that gave it life. Christ is that Law and our Law now is Christ.
If anyone searches the practice of tithing in the scriptures they will discover as I did that God only intended those who were able to tithe. It all hinges around the word "increase". Now many preachers will tell you that word is synonymous with the word "income". This is not true. Income is the flow of revenue into you possession, Increase is exceeding from a previous level. Now if you experience an increase in your income it is the increase that God desires a tithe out of. This is very different from what has been taught, which is 10 percent of your income. God concern is not with money, he is concern with you thankfulness and gratefulness. Tithing your increase in income is showing that thankfulness and gratefulness.
After I gained this revelation, I tested it. I will tell you now that I have received a good paying job that I have been able to hold on for 11 years and allow me to go back to school to get my CIS degree in college and obtain another better paying job which I plan to hold on to it until God releases me into full time ministry. I have a home and a car. In short, I have been continually blessed because I give what I can to the Church which represents Christ on the earth. I have had preachers that told me that I am cursed for sharing this testimony, but I testify that God's word works if you work it. I am no longer influenced by erroneous teaching about tithing. I hope that it blesses anyone that reads this.
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