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TITHING IS NOT A CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
An Essay by Russell Earl
Kelly, Ph. D.
www.tithing-russkelly.com
www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.us
russell-kelly@att.net
January 28, 2010
INTRODUCTION
The following essay is a summary of my book, Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian’s
Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine. The book itself is a greatly expanded version of my Ph. D. thesis. I encourage Bible
educators to be bold, to open up seminary level research and to promote studies on this subject in the Masters, Doctorate
and Ph. D. levels. This doctrine is simply too important to ignore.
In many churches today the doctrine of tithing has reached the level of a modern scandal.
While on the one hand most seminary-level textbooks on systematic theology and hermeneutics by highly educated theologians
omit tithing, on the other hand the practice is quickly becoming a requirement for church membership in the very denominations
which insist on solid Bible-based doctrines. There is also increasing evidence that lay persons who question the legitimacy
of New Covenant tithing are usually criticized and ignored as being troublemakers or weak Christians. Sincere Christian leaders
should always be open and available to discuss God’s Word. Failure to do suggests doubt and insecurity. More “holy
boldness” is needed.
MODERN TITHING IS BASED ON MANY FALSE ASSUMPTIONS
One denomination’s statement on stewardship is typical. It says that "tithing is
the minimum biblical standard and the beginning point which God has established
that must not be replaced or compromised by any other standard." It adds
that the tithe is from gross income which is due to the church before taxes.
The following points of this essay contrast the false teachings used to support tithing with
what God’s Word actually says.
POINT #1: CHRISTIAN GIVING
PRINCIPLES: New Covenant Giving Principles in Second Corinthians 8 and 9 are Superior to Tithing.
The false teaching is that tithing is a
divine mandatory expectation which always must precede free-will giving.
Christians are commanded to give freely, sacrificially, generously, regularly, joyfully
and with the motivation of love for God and man. The following New Covenant free-will principles are found in Second Corinthians,
chapters 8 and 9: (1) Giving is a "grace.” These chapters use the Greek word for "grace" eight times in reference to
helping poor saints. (2) Give yourself to God first (8:5). (3) Give yourself to knowing God’s will (8:5). (4) Give in
response to Christ’s gift (8:9; 9:15). (5) Give out of a sincere desire (8:8, 10, 12; 9:7). (6) Do not give because of any
commandment (8:8, 10; 9:7). (7) Give beyond your ability (8:3, 11-12). (8) Give to produce equality. This means that those
who have more should give more in order to make up for the inability of those who cannot afford to give as much (8:12-14).
(9) Give joyfully (8:2). (10) Give because you are growing spiritually (8:3-4, 7). (11) Give because you want to continue
growing spiritually (9:8, 10-11). (12) Give because you are hearing the gospel preached (9:13).
POINT #2: DEFINING “TITHE”:
In God’s Word the Tithe was Always Only Food from Inside Israel!
The false teaching is that biblical tithes
include ALL sources of income.
Use God’s Word to define “tithe” and not a secular dictionary! Using
a complete Bible concordance you will discover that the definition used by tithe-advocates is wrong. In God’s Word
“tithe” does not stand alone. Although money existed before tithing, the source of God's "tithe" over 1500
years was never money. It was the “tithe of food.” True biblical
tithes were always only food from the farms and herds of only Israelites who only lived inside God’s Holy Land, the national boundary of
Israel. No tithes were accepted from defiled pagan lands. The “increase” was gathered from
what God miraculously produced and not from man's craft or ability.
There are 16 verses from 11 chapters and 8 books from Leviticus 27 to Luke 11 which describe
the contents of the tithe. And the contents never (I repeat), never included money, silver, gold or anything
other than food from inside Israel! Yet the incorrect definition of "tithe" is the greatest error
being preached about tithing today! (See Lev. 27:30, 32; Num. 18:27-28; Deut. 12:17; 14:22-23; 26:12; 2 Chron. 31:5-6;
Neh. 10:37; 13:5; Mal. 3:10-11; Matt. 23:23; Luke 11: 42).
POINT
#3: MONEY: Money Was an Essential but Non-Tithed Item
The false assumption
is that food barter usually replaced money.
One argument to support non-food tithing is that money was not universally available and barter from food was used
for most transactions. This argument is neither biblical nor historical. Genesis
alone contains “money” in 32 texts and the word occurs 44 times before the tithe is first mentioned in Leviticus
27. Gold is first mentioned in Genesis 2:12. The words "jewelry," "gold," "silver" and shekel
also appear often from Genesis to Deuteronomy.
Many centuries before Israel entered Canaan and began tithing food from God’s Holy Land money was an essential everyday
item. For example Abraham was very rich in silver and gold (Gen 13:2); money in the form of silver shekels paid for slaves
(Gen 17:12+); Abimelech gave Abraham 1000 pieces of silver (Gen 20:16); Abraham paid 400 pieces of silver for land (Gen 23:9-16);
Joseph was sold for silver pieces (Gen 37:28); slaves bought freedom (Ex 23:11). Court fines (Ex 21 all; 22 all), sanctuary
dues (Ex 30:12+), vows (Lev 27:3-7), poll taxes (Num 3:47+), alcoholic drinks (Deu 14:26) and marriage dowries (Deu 22:29)
included money.
Joseph gave Benjamin 300 pieces of silver (Gen 45:22). According to Genesis
47:15-17 food was used for barter only after money had been spent. Banking and usury laws exist in Leviticus even before tithing. Therefore the
argument that money was not prevalent enough for everyday use is false. Yet the tithe contents from Leviticus to Luke
never include money from non-food products and trades.
POINT #4: GENESIS 14:20:
Abraham’s Tithe to Melchizedek Reflected Pagan Tradition.
The false teaching is that Abraham freely
gave tithes because it was God’s will.
Scores of reputable secular history books document the existence of spoils of war tithing
from Babylon to Egypt before Abraham’s time. For the following reasons, Genesis 14:20 cannot be used as an example
for Christians to tithe. (1) The Bible does not say that Abraham "freely" gave this tithe. (2) Abraham’s gift was NOT
a holy tithe from God’s holy land gathered by God’s holy people under God’s holy Old Covenant. (3) Abraham’s
tithe was clearly only from pagan spoils of war and was required in many nations as the law of the land. (4) In Numbers 31:21-31,
God only required 1% of spoils of war as an ordinance. (5) Abraham’s tithe to his priest-king Melchizedek was a one-time
recorded event. (6) Abraham’s tithe was not from his own personal property beyond spoils of war. (7) Abraham kept nothing
for himself; he gave everything back. (8) Abraham’s tithe is not quoted anywhere in the Bible to endorse tithing from
Israel or from the church. (9) Genesis 14, verse 21, is the key text. Since most commentaries explain
verse 21 as an example of pagan Arab tradition, it is contradictory to explain the 90% of verse 21 as pagan, while insisting
that the 10% of verse 20 was obedience to God’s will. (10) If Abraham is an example for Christians to give 10% to God,
then he should also be an example for Christians to give the other 90% to Satan, or to the king of Sodom! (11) As priests themselves,
neither Abraham nor Jacob had a Levitical priesthood to support; they probably left food for the poor at their altars.
POINT #5: NO
MINIMUM PRINCIPLE: Tithing Was Not a Minimum Requirement from All Old Covenant Israelites
The false teaching
is that everybody was required to begin their giving level at ten per cent.
Only those Israelites who earned a livelihood from farming and herding inside Israel were required to tithe under the Mosaic Law.
Their increase came from God’s hand. Those whose increase came from their own crafts and skills were not required to
tithe products and money. The poor and needy who did not tithe and received from the tithe gave freewill offerings.
POINT #6: LEVITE ASSISTANTS:
First-Tithes were Received by Servants to the Priests.
The false teaching is that Old Testament
priests received all of the first tithe.
The "whole" tithe, the first tithe, did not go to the priests at all. It was not even
the “best” tenth (Lev 27:33). According to Numbers 18:21-24 and Nehemiah 10:37b, it went to the servants of the priests, the Levites. And according to Numbers 18:25-28 and Nehemiah 10:38, the Levites gave
the “best tenth of this tithe” (1%) which they received to the priests who ministered the sin sacrifices and served
inside the holy places. Priests did not tithe.
It is also important to know that, in exchange for receiving these tithes, both Levites and
priests forfeited all rights to permanent land inheritance inside Israel (Num. 18:20-26; Deut. 12:12; 14:27, 29; 18:1, 2;
Josh. 13:14, 33; 14:3; 18:7; Eze. 44:28). Even if tithes were New Covenant they would first go to the ordinary workers who
assist the preachers and maintain the buildings.
POINT #7: HOLY AND MOST
HOLY: "It is Holy to the LORD" Does Not Make Tithing an Eternal Moral Principle.
The false teaching is that Leviticus 27:30-34
proves that the tithe is an "eternal moral principle" because "it is holy to the LORD."
The phrases “it is HOLY unto the LORD” and “it is MOST HOLY unto the
LORD” are very common in Leviticus. However, almost every other use of these same two phrases in Leviticus has long
ago been discarded by Christians. These phrases are used to describe all of the festivals, the sacrificial offerings, the
clean food, the old covenant priests and the old covenant sanctuary. Especially read verses 28 and 29 in the same chapter.
While the “tithe of the tithe” (1%) which was given to the priests was the “best”
of what the Levites received, the tithe which the Levites received was only “one tenth” and not the “best”
(Lev. 27:33).
POINT #8: FIRST-FRUITS: First-fruits are Not the Same as Tithes
The false assumption is that tithes are first-fruits.
The first-fruit was a very small amount of the first crop harvest and the
first-born was the first offspring of animals. First-fruits could only come from
inside Israel.
The first-fruit was small enough to fit into a hand-held basket (Deut. 26:1-10;
Lev. 23:17; Num. 18:13-17; Neh. 12:44; 2 Chron 31:5a).
First-fruits and first-born offerings went directly to the Temple and were required
to be totally consumed by ministering priests only inside the Temple (Neh. 10:35-37a; Ex. 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 18:4).
The whole Levitical tithe went first to the Levitical cities and portions
went to the Temple to feed both Levites and priests who were ministering there in rotation (Neh. 10:37b-39;
12:27-29, 44-47; Num. 18:21-28; 2 Chron 31:5b). While the Levites ate only the tithe, the priests could also
eat from the first-fruits, first-born offerings and other offerings.
POINT #9: FOUR TITHES: There
are Four Different Tithes Described in the Bible.
The false teaching ignores all other tithes
and focuses on an incorrect interpretation of the first religious tithe.
The first religious tithe, called the "Levitical tithe," had two parts. Again,
the whole first tithe was given to the Levites who were only servants to the priests (Numb. 18:21-24; Neh. 10:37b). The Levites, in turn,
gave one tenth of the whole tithe to the priests (Numb. 18:25-28; Neh. 10:38). According to Deuteronomy
12 and 14, the second religious tithe, called the "feast tithe," was eaten by worshipers in the streets of Jerusalem during the three yearly
festivals (Deut. 12:1-19; 14:22-26). And, according to Deuteronomy 14 and 26, a third tithe, called the "poor
tithe," was kept in the towns every third year to feed the poor (Deut. 14:28, 29; 26:12, 13). Also, according to First
Samuel 8:14-17, the ruler collected the first and best ten per cent for political use. During Jesus’
time Rome collected the first ten per cent (10%) of most food and twenty per cent (20%) of fruit crops as its spoils of war.
It is dishonest to single out the one religious tithe and ignore the other two important religious tithes.
POINT #10: THE POOR: Jesus,
Peter, Paul and the Poor Did Not Tithe
The false teaching is that everybody in
the Old Testament was required to begin their giving to God at the ten per cent level.
The poor were not required to tithe at all! Neither did the tithe come from the results of
man’s crafts, hands and skills. Only farmers and herdsmen gathered what God produced as tithe increase. Jesus was a
carpenter; Paul was a tentmaker and Peter was a fisherman. None of these occupations qualified as tithe-payers because they
did not farm or herd animals for a living. It is, therefore, incorrect to teach that everybody
paid a required minimum of a tithe and, therefore, that New Covenant Christians should be required to at least begin at the same minimum as Old Covenant Israelites. This common false assumption is very often repeated
and completely ignores the very plain definition of tithe as food gathered
from farm increase or herd increase.
The widow’s mite is an example of free-will giving and is not an example of tithing.
According to Edersheim none of the Temple’s chests were for tithes. The poor received money from those chests before leaving
the temple.
It is also wrong to teach that the poor in Israel were required to pay tithes.
In fact, they actually received tithes! Much of the second festival tithe
and all of a special third-year tithe went to the poor! Many laws exempted the
poor from abuse and expensive sacrifices which they could not afford (Lev. 14:21; 25:6, 25-28, 35, 36; 27:8; Deu. 12:1-19;
14:23, 28, 29; 15:7, 8, 11; 24:12, 14, 15, 19, 20; 26:11-13; Mal. 3:5; Matt. 12:1, 2; Mark 2:23, 24; Luke 2:22-24; 6:1, 2;
2 Cor. 8:12-14; 1 Tim. 5:8; Jas. 1:27).
POINT #11: TAXES: Tithes
were Often Used as Political Taxes.
The false teaching is that tithes are never
comparable to taxes or taxation.
In the Hebrew economy, the tithe was used in a totally different manner than it is preached
today. Once again, those Levites who received the whole tithe were not even ministers or priests -- they were only servants
to the priests! Numbers chapter 3 describes the Levites as carpenters, metal workers, leather-craftsmen and artists who maintained
the small sanctuary. And, according to First Chronicles, chapters 23-26, during the time of King David and King Solomon the
Levites were still skilled craftsmen who inspected and approved all work in the Temple: 24, 000 worked in the Temple as builders
and supervisors; 6,000 were officials and judges; 4,000 were guards and 4,000 were musicians. As political representatives
of the king, Levites used their tithe income to serve as officials, judges, tax collectors, treasurers, temple guards, musicians,
bakers, singers and professional soldiers (1 Chron. 12:23, 26; 23:2-5; 26:29-32; 27:5). It is obvious why these examples of
using biblical tithe-income are never used as examples in the church today.
Tithes never stimulated Old Covenant Levites or priests to establish a single mission
outreach or encourage a single Gentile to become an Israelite (Ex. 23:32; 34:12, 15; Deut. 7:2). Old Covenant tithing
was motivated and mandated by Law, not love. In fact, during most of Israel’s history the prophets
were God’s primary spokesmen – and not the tithe-receiving Levites and priests. Tithing failed! See Hebrews 7:12-19.
POINT #12: LEVITICAL CITIES: Levitical Tithes Were Usually Taken to the Levitical Cities.
False teachers want us to think that all
tithes were formerly taken to the Temple and should now be taken to the "church storehouse” building.
Nehemiah 10:37b and
Second Chronicles 31:15-19 make it clear that the people were to bring the tithes to the Levitical cities where 98% of the
Levites and priests needed them for food (also Num 18:21-24). And Nehemiah 10:38 makes it clear that normally only Levites
and priests had the task of bringing tithes into the Temple (also Num 18:24-28).
The “whole” tithe NEVER went to the Temple! According to Numbers 35, Joshua 20, 21 and First Chronicles 6, Levites and priests lived on borrowed land
where they farmed and raised (tithed) animals. (Also 2nd Chron. 11:13-14; Neh. 12:27-29; 13:10; Mal. 1:14.)
POINT #13: MALACHI: Malachi
3 is the Most Abused Tithing Text in the Bible. The “whole” tithe never was
supposed to go to the Temple!
The false teaching about tithes from Malachi
3 ignores important Bible facts.
A. CONTEXT: Malachi is Old Covenant
and is never quoted in the New Covenant to validate tithing (Lev. 27:34; Neh. 10:28-29; Mal. 3:7; 4:4).
B. CONTEXT: In Malachi 3:10-11 tithes are still
only food 1000 years after Leviticus 27.
C. LAW: Malachi’s audience
had willingly reaffirmed the Old Covenant (Neh.10:28-29). The blessings and curses of
tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law. The rain in Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24 and Leviticus
26:1-4 is only obtained by obedience to all 600+ commandments. Galatians 3:10 (quoting Deu 27:26) “For as many as are of the works of the
law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them.” Trying to earn God’s blessings through tithing only brought curses for failure
to keep all of the law. See also Galatians 3:19.
D. PRIEST-THIEVES: Beginning
in 1:6 “you” in Malachi always refers to the dishonest priests and
not the people (also 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5): “Even this whole nation of you --priests” (3:9). In 1:13-14 the priests had stolen tithed
animals vowed to God. In Nehemiah 13:5-10 priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe. God’s curses on
the priests are ignored by most tithe-teachers (1:14; 2:2 and 3:2-4).
E. LEVITICAL CITIES: See point #12. The Levitical cities must be included in a correct
interpretation of Malachi 3:10 and they are not. Most tithe-recipients lived outside of Jerusalem.
F. 24 Courses: The 24 courses of Levites
and priests must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3 and they are not. Normally
only 2% of the total Levite and priest work force served at the temple one week at a time. Subtract wives, males under the
age of 30 and daughters. Therefore 2% did not require all of the tithe. See 1 Chron 23-26; 28:13, 21; 2 Chron. 8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19; 35:4, 5, 10; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 11:19, 30; 12:24; 13:9, 10;
Luke 1:5.
G. Nehemiah 10:37b-39 is the key to understanding Malachi 3:10, The people were commanded
to bring their tithes, not to the temple, but to the nearby Levitical cities. Verse 38 says that the priests were with
the Levites in the Levitical cities when they received the tithes.
H. STOREHOUSE: According to Nehemiah 13:5, 9 the “storehouse” in the Temple was only several rooms. The real “storehouses” were in the Levitical cites per
Nehemiah 10:37b. Only the Levites and priests normally brought tithes to the Temple (10:38). Two rooms in the Temple were far too small to contain the tithe from the entire nation and 98% of the Levites and priests lived too far away
to eat from them.
Therefore, Malachi 3:10’s “Bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests to replace the tithes they had removed
from it or had failed to bring to it.
While the 3:10 of the Law in Malachi is so important to tithe-teachers they ignore the 3:10 of the Gospel in Galatians and 2nd Corinthians.
Perhaps those wanting to enforce the 3:10 Law of Malachi
should also enforce the 3:10 Law of Numbers. They share the same context.
POINT #14: MATTHEW 23:23:
The New Covenant Does Not Teach Tithing.
The false teaching is that Jesus taught
tithing in Matthew 23:23 which, they say, is clearly in the New Testament.
The New Covenant did not begin at the birth of Jesus, but at his death (Gal. 3:19, 24, 25; 4:4, 5). Tithing
is not taught to the church after the cross! When Jesus discussed tithing
in Matthew 23:23, “you” referred to “you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites” who had made the Law a
burden. Jesus endorsed and supported Old Covenant law until the cross (note “matters of the law” in 23:23). In Matthew 23:2 and 3 (the context of
23:23) Jesus told his Jewish followers to obey the scribes and Pharisees "because they sit in Moses’ seat." Yet He
did not (and could not) command Gentiles whom He healed to present themselves to the priests and obey the Law of Moses (compare
Matt. 5:23-24 and 8:4). And churches do not collect tithes from garden herbs as Jesus commanded.
There is not a single New Testament Bible text which teaches tithing after the cross
– period! Acts 2:42-47
and 4:32-35 are not examples of tithing to support church leaders.
According to 2:46 the Jewish Christians continued to
worship in the Temple. And according to 2:44
and 4:33, 34 church leaders shared what they received equally with
all church members. (This is not done today).
Finally Acts 21:20-25 proves that Jewish Christians were
still zealously observing all of the Mosaic Law 30 years later –and that must include tithing—otherwise they would
not have been allowed inside the Temple to worship. Therefore, any tithes collected by the early Jewish Christians were given
to the Temple system and not to support the church.
POINT #15: PRIESTHOOD OF
BELIEVERS: Old Covenant Priests Were Replaced by All-Believer-Priests.
The false teaching is that New Covenant
elders and pastors are continuing where the Old Covenant priests left off and are due the tithe.
Compare Exodus 19:5-6 with First Peter 2: 9-10. Before the incident of the golden calves,
God had intended for every Israelite to become a priest and tithing would have never been enacted. Priests did not tithe but
received one tenth of the first tithe (Num. 18:26-28; Neh. 10:37, 38).
The function and purpose of Old Covenant priests were replaced, not by elders and pastors,
but by the priesthood of every believer. Like other ordinances of the Law, tithing was only a temporary shadow until Christ
(Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 2:13-17; Heb. 7:18; 10:1). In the New Covenant every believer is a priest to God (1 Pet. 2:9-10; Rev. 1:6;
5:10). And, as a priest, every believer offers sacrifices to God (Heb. 4:16; 10:19-22; 13:15, 16). Therefore, every ordinance
which had previously applied to the old priesthood was blotted out at the cross. Since Jesus was not from the tribe of Levi,
even He was disqualified. Thus the original temporary purpose of tithing no longer exists (Heb. 7:12-19; Gal. 3:19, 24-25; 2 Cor. 3:10-18).
POINT #16: CHURCH ASSEMBLY:
The New Covenant Church is Neither a Building nor a Storehouse.
The false teaching is that Christian buildings
called "churches," "tabernacles" or "temples" replaced the OT Temple as God’s dwelling
places.
God’s Word never describes New Covenant churches as literal “tabernacles," "temples"
or "buildings" in which God dwells! God’s church, God’s
dwelling place, is within the believers. Believers do not "go to church" -- believers “assemble to worship.” Also,
since OT priests did not pay tithes, then tithing cannot logically continue. Therefore it is wrong to call a building "God’s
storehouse" for tithes. (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:21; 4:12-16; Rev. 3:12). For "storehouse"
compare 1 Corinthians 16:2 with 2 Corinthians 12:14 and Acts 20:17, 32-35. For several centuries after Calvary Christians did not even
have their own buildings (to call storehouses) because Christianity was an outlaw religion.
POINT #17 BETTER PRINCIPLES:
The Church Grows by Using Better New Covenant Principles.
The false teaching implies that principles
of grace giving are not as good as Old Covenant principles of giving.
Under the New Covenant: (1) According to Galatians 5:16-23, there is no physical
law which controls the fruits of the Holy Spirit. (2) Second Corinthians 3:10 says that the Old Covenant has "no glory"
when compared to the "surpassing" glory and liberty of the Holy Spirit. (3) Hebrews 7 is the only post-Calvary mention of
tithing and it is an explanation of why the Levitical priesthood must be replaced by Christ’s priesthood because it
was weak and unprofitable. Study Hebrews 7 and follow the progression from verse 5 to verse 12 to verse 19. (4) The manner
in which tithing is taught today reflects a failure of the church to believe and act on the far better principles of love,
grace and faith. Mandatory giving principles cannot, has not and will not
prosper the church more than principles guided by love for Christ and lost souls (2 Cor. 8:7-8).
POINT #18: PAUL PREFERRED
SELF-SUPPORT: The Apostle Paul Preferred That Church Leaders Be Self-Supporting.
The false teaching is that Paul taught
and practiced tithing.
As a Jewish rabbi, Paul was among those who insisted on working to support himself (Acts
18:3; 1 Thess. 2:9-10; 2 Thess. 3:8-14). While Paul does not condemn those who are able to receive full-time support, neither
does he teach that full-time support is the mandatory will of God for advancing
the gospel (1 Cor. 9:12). In fact, twice, in Acts 20:29-35 and also in 2 Corinthians 12:14, Paul actually encouraged
church elders to work to support needy believers inside the church.
For Paul, "living of the gospel" meant "living by gospel principles of faith, love and
grace" (1 Cor. 9:14). While Paul realized that he had a "right" to some support, he concluded that his "liberty,"
or freedom to preach unhindered was more important in order to fulfill his calling from God (1 Cor. 9:12, 15; 2 Cor. 11:7-13;
12:13-14; 1 Thess. 2:5-6). While working as a tent-maker, Paul accepted limited support but boasted that his pay, or salary,
was that he could preach the gospel for free, without being a burden to others (1 Cor. 9:16-19). Most young preachers today
do not want to follow this example given by Paul.
POINT #19: Tithing Did Not
Become a Law in the Church until A. D. 777.
The false teaching is that the historical
church has always taught tithing.
The earliest Christian assemblies patterned themselves after the Jewish synagogues which
were led by rabbis who, like Paul, refused to gain a profit from preaching and teaching God’s Word. There are many books
on Jewish social life which explain this in great detail.
From Christ’s death until Christianity became a legally recognized religion almost
300 years later, the majority of great church leaders took self-imposed vows of poverty. This is historically documented!
They took Jesus’ words to the rich young ruler in Luke 18:22 literally “sell all that you have, give
it to the poor, and follow me.” Most church historians agree that these early church leaders for at least the first
200 years worked for a living and were self-supporting. A Christian leader could not tell a Roman census-taker that he was
a full-time preacher of an “outlaw” religion.
Clement of Rome (c95), Justin Martyr (c150), Irenaeus (c150-200) and Tertullian (c150-220) all opposed
tithing as a strictly Jewish tradition. The Didache (c150-200) condemns traveling
apostles who stay longer than three days and ask for money. And travelers who decided to remain with them were required to
learn a trade. These early opponents of tithing are not quoted by tithe-teachers.
Cyprian (200-258) tried unsuccessfully to impose tithing in Carthage, North Africa around A. D. 250. However
at his conversion Cyprian gave away great personal wealth to the poor and lived under a vow of poverty. His idea of tithing
included equal re-distribution to the poor. And –we must remember— his ideas of tithing were not adopted.
When tithe-teachers quote Ambrose, Chrysostom and Augustine as “church fathers”
they conveniently leave out the first 200 years of church history. Even after Christianity became legal in the fourth century
many of the greatest spiritual leaders took vows of deep poverty and preferred to live unmarried lives in monasteries. If
these tithe-teachers are quoted, then the church should also be told what kind of lives they usually led.
While disagreeing with their own theologians, most church historians write that tithing
did not become an accepted doctrine in the church for over 700 years after the cross. According to the very best sources it
took over 500 years before a local church Council of Macon in France, in the year 585, tried
unsuccessfully to enforce tithing on its members. It was not until the year 777 that Charlemagne legally allowed the
church to collect tithes. That is the history of tithing found in the Encyclopedia
Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana and the Roman Catholic Encyclopedia.
POINT #20. HERMENEUTICS: Tithe-teachers use their own blended “pick-and-choose”
principles which are extremely inconsistent. They reject the basic Covenant principles of Calvin which discard tithing as
part of the worship statutes. They also reject basic Dispensation principles which discard the entire Mosaic Law unless it
is repeated to the Church in terms of grace. They attempt to teach that the whole Law is still in effect in order to include
tithing and then discard almost everything except tithing. While quoting Matthew 5:17-18 they ignore 5:19 and the context of 5:20-48 which is an illustration
of the whole law. Yet 5:17-18 demands either all of the Law of Moses or none of it in the Old Covenant context.
The tithe-teachers blended compromise is a modern scandal of God’s Word.
CONCLUSION:
Tithing failed national Israel and it has also failed the
Church (Heb 7:12-19). Churches showcase success stories but fail to mention the testimonies of those who have
tithed for generations without escaping poverty. Today the very lowest income class pays the largest percentage to charity.
Yet most remain in poverty. Meanwhile many atheists become wealthy by simply following principles of money management which
also makes many tithers successful. Neither the lottery, nor the tithe is a magic get-rich-quick answer to replace education,
determination and hard work. If Malachi 3:10 really worked for New Covenant Christians, millions of poor tithing Christians
would have escaped poverty and would have become the wealthiest group of people in the world instead of remaining the poorest
group. There is no evidence that the vast majority of poor “tithe-payers” are ever blessed financially merely
because they tithe. The Old Covenant blessings are not New Covenant blessings (Heb. 7:18-19; 8:6-8, 13).
In God’s Word, “tithe” does not stand alone. It is the
“tithe of FOOD.” The biblical tithe was very narrowly defined and limited by God Himself. True biblical tithes were always: (1) only food, (2) only from the farms and herds, (3) of only Israelites, (4) who only lived inside God’s Holy
Land, the national boundary of Israel, (5) only under Old Covenant terms and (6) the increase could only be gathered from
what God produced.
Therefore, (1) non-food items could not be tithed; (2) clean wild game animals and fish
could not be tithed; (3) non-Israelites could not tithe; (4) food from outside God’s holy land of Israel could not be
tithed; (5) legitimate tithing did not occur when there was no Levitical priesthood; and (6) tithes did not come from what
man’s hands created, produced or caught by hunting and fishing.
I invite church leaders
into an open discussion of this subject. The careful and prayer-full study of God’s Word is essential for church growth.
May God bless you in that study.
(I encourage you to reprint and
distribute this article. A previous DVD version of this essay is available.)
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