Answers to your Questions about Tithing

Tithing in Perspective

Answers to your Questions about Tithing

Introduction

"I don't like paying Tithes" said the oldest man in the Sunday School "I can't keep throwing my money to the pastor".  I know that everyone who is reading this article will either be on the old man's side or on the side of those who believe in tithing and that is expected so I have chosen a question and answer format for this study because many believers genuinely have questions about tithing.  

1.       WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF TITHING?

Tithing precedes the law – it is not a product of the law. The first tithes were paid by Abraham before Moses was born through whom the law was given as we see below:

Gen 14:18-20

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:

20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

2.      WAS THE FIRST TITHES PAID AS A RESULT OF AN INSTRUCTION FROM GOD?

No, Abraham was not commanded to pay, he gave tithes to the Priest of the Most High as a product of his own personal relationship with God – it was his decision. A similar thing happens to many genuine believers all over the world – they find themselves either doing something or choosing not to do another not because they have seen a scripture that advances their position but because that is what their walk with the Lord points to.

Then one day, they come upon a scripture that makes them smile because they suddenly realise that they have been living as though they had read that passage several times before. You may have been there.

The following scriptures shows that Abraham paid tithes because he decided to do so.

    

Heb 7:1-2

7 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

3.      WHEN WE PAY TITHES WHO RECEIVES THEM, THE PASTOR OR THE CHURCH?

It is the Lord Jesus that receives tithes in every true church where Christ is preached as the Son of the Living God – Saviour and God of the earth.

Hebrews 7 again makes it plain:

Heb 7:5-10

5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

   6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed   him that had the promises.

7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there HE RECEIVETH THEM, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.

Observe that the word RECEIVES is present-continuous. Melchisedec speaks of the Lord Jesus (for only the Lord can be described as he was:    

FOLLOW ME TO HEBREWS 7:1-3

7 For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Heb 7:1-3).

So the Lord is the One who receives tithes! The Lord, not your pastor or the church – as long as the pastor is a true minister of the Lord.

4.      WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DON’T PAY TITHES?

We become guilty of robbing God and we miss His blessings and the house of the Lord, the church, suffers because there will not be meat in His house. Meat being sufficient supplies of money and materials to do the work of the kingdom

Prophet Malachi heard it all.

Mal 3:8-12

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

5.      WHERE SHOULD BELIEVERS PAY THEIR TITHES?

All through the scriptures, tithes were paid where the believers worshipped regularly and that should be the practice today. Brethren can send offerings to their previous church or home church if they still feel strongly connected to it in their spirits and that is usually the case, but the tithes should be paid in the church where you worship regularly – at the church where you are spiritually fed. It is understandable to send your first few tithes in a new location to your home church but to be worshiping for years in one church while paying tithes to another is not the proper no scriptural thing to do. We are told over and over to bring the tithes to the storehouse which is a synonym for the place where we worship.

The following scriptures show that the children of Israel were commanded to bring tithes to the place where they worshipped

Deut 12:11-14

11 Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord:

   12 And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters,   and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:

14 But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

    

Neh 10:38

38 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.

6.      WHAT DID THE LORD JESUS SAY ABOUT TITHES?

The Lord commended the giving of tithes and encouraged the pursuit of righteousness after it.

Matt 23:23

23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

7.      IF TITHING IS SO IMPORTANT WHY DID JESUS SPEAK ABOUT IT ONLY ABOUT TWO TIMES?

Well, first of all, all the Words in the Bible are the Words of Jesus. Secondly, the words “born again” are perhaps the most beautiful and most important words that fell from the Masters mouth. Did you know how many times he spoke them? He spoke them twice! And He only spoke them to Nicodemus but today, they are the most regular words that every true preacher releases! How awesome!

8.      WHY IS IT THAT MOST TEACHINGS ABOUT TITHING COMES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT?

Let’s answer that with another question: when the Lord told His disciples to search the scriptures [John 5:39

39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me] was He referring to the New Testament?

Of course He wasn’t, there was no New Testament at the time – so He was telling them to read the Old Testament regularly.

And then, the Bereans. YES, the Bereans. What scriptures did they search? Well, you now know the answer now.

Acts 17:10-11

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

9.      DOES ONE HAVE TO GIVE ANYTHING ELSE BESIDES THE TITHES?

The Word says tithes AND offerings.

    

Mal 3:8

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

10.   IS IT PROPER FOR SOMEONE TO BE WORSHIPPING REGULARLY AT ONE CHURCH BUT SENDING ALL OF THEIR TITHES TO ANOTHER?

There is no scriptural precedent for such a practice. I understand that people want to support their home churches – that is scriptural. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul instructed a church to raise money and send to needy brethren in another church but they were never told to do so with their tithes. See the passage below

1 Cor 16:1-6

1 NOW CONCERNING the money contributed for [the relief of] the saints (God's people): you are to do the same as I directed the churches of Galatia to do.

2 On the first [day] of each week, let each one of you [personally] put aside something and save it up as he has prospered [in proportion to what he is given], so that no collections will need to be taken after I come.

3 And when I arrive, I will send on those whom you approve and authorize with credentials to carry your gift [of charity] to Jerusalem.

4 If it seems worthwhile that I should go too, they will accompany me.

5 After passing through Macedonia, I will visit you, for I intend [only] to pass through Macedonia;

6 But it may be that I will stay with you [for a while], perhaps even spend the winter, so that you may bring me forward [on my journey] to wherever I may go.

AMP BIBLE

So a church or individual believers can send offerings to another church but concerning the tithes, it is clear all over scripture that that is for the running of the local church where the body of believers are fed – we see that God says, it should take care of the needs of the Levites (Pastors) and other operational needs that makes their work and ministry easier.

    

Num 18:24

24 But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

Conclusion

“The tithe is the tax for citizens of God’s Kingdom”. Dr. Myles Munroe

Here is my take: The tithe is God’s non-negotiable demand from His people for their own benefits. The tithes is God's window to bless His people and should be given with joy. Many have twisted the scriptural references to tithes to get them to say that tithing is a thing of the law and is thus not required under grace as they have done with other scriptures about the grace of the Lord but tithing precedes the law! And we also know that there was some measure of grace before the law, for we read that “Noah found grace in the sight of God” [Gen 6:8]

8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord]. And because Noah lived before the law was given, we know that the tithing is a matter of our relationship with God.

WRITTEN BY

Sunny Eronmose Isuekebhor

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are taken from the KJV