Why I do not pay Tithe (Part 2 of 2)
This is a continuum to the first part of this article which you can read here:
http://christmeditations.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-i-do-not-pay-tithe.html
There were a lot of open and private comments where people expressed their greviances at the article and my response had been quite simple:
If you have a dissenting view that is based on scripture alone – and not experiences or hearsay – let me know about these views, citing relevant scriptures and I would gladly take on this new perspective. My approach to scripture is that we continue to learn and BEND to scripture irrespective of comfort zones we may be used to. Sadly, not a single person who promised to come back with their study did so. Perhaps, it was coincidence or people being generally busy. I will end this article quickly with this short second part. Again, scripture is the basis for my beliefs and like Paul says, Let God be true and all men liars.
Note: If you have not read the first part of the article, I would suggest you do as this is a continuation of that article and certain points have been made already that I will not repeat due to space constraints. http://christmeditations.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-i-do-not-pay-tithe.html
The tithe (or a tenth) was spoken about in the bible right before the Laws were given to the children of Israel. Prior to the tithe, a free will offering was given by Cain and Abel. Like Abraham’s tithe, we do not know if they gave because it was commanded or if it was the practice at the time.
There are 3 important things you get from the event:
1. Abraham’s tithe did not come from his personal belongings. It came from the spoils of war he had just gotten after defeating some kings in a bid to rescue his cousin, Lot. (Genesis 14: 18 – 20.)
2. What is also interesting is that Abraham’s tithe also came in response to Melchizedek giving bread and wine. (Note that Melchizedec did not give intagibles like prayers and “blessings”. Abraham was already blessed!)
3. The tithe given by Abraham was a one-time event that did NOT repeat itself. Like the animal sacrifice Abraham performed BEFORE the Law, we are not privy to what led to him giving a tithe. What we do know is that it was a one-off and did not re-occur.
So what was the reason for tithing?
Very simply, all of the 12 tribes of Israel were to have inheritance in the land of Canaan, their “promised land” – except one tribe. That was the tribe of Levi, which was the tribe Moses, Aaron and all other priests would come from. Israel was meant to be a model nation that was meant to accomplish several things including:
1. Be the nation through which the Messiah would come.
2. While accomplishing the point above, be a vehicle for reproducing godly virtue
3. Be a prototype for the New Testament Church
4. In preserving itself, some would also add, be a vehicle to clean up the Nephilims from off the earth. (Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we might be looking at the reason behind some of the seemingly “cruel” wars they fought and interesting characters like Og of Bashan, Goliath and the other 6-fingered relative of Goliath)
The critical point was that unlike other nations, they were not meant to have Kings. They were to literally be a “nation under God”, with God’s representatives on Earth being the priesthood. The priests were meant to come from the tribe of Levi, and because of the enormity of work they would have to concern themselves with, they were not meant to work at farming or cattle rearing or other crafts. So SOME tithes AND offerings were one of the ways for the priesthood not to go hungry.
What do I mean?
When a burnt offering was offered, an animal was killed and part of the meat was burnt on the altar. Sometimes, everything was burnt, but most times, the priest would be allowed to eat parts of that meat. When it was flour, the priest would pour some before God (a handful) and the rest was his to take home. Now, note that there were several burnt offerings on a daily basis, so it was a lot of meat, wine and flour that the priest would be getting as sustenance because they could not farm. (Leviticus 7: 2 – 10)
While a lot of the offerings went to the Priest, one type of Tithe was largely given to take care of ALL who were not in positions to generate revenue and was given once in 3 years. (Deuteronomy 14: 28 – 29). The other type of Tithe was meant for each Israelite to feast and eat up with their families because God incorporated feasting into the lifestyle of the Israelite. (Deuteronomy 12: 17 – 19) This tithe could be eaten at a venue designated by God or if the place he designated was too far, you changed it to money to buy anything you liked including cattle, meat or beer. The Israelites were to eat this up, and again, remember those who were not in positions to generate revenue which included the Levites, the widows and the orphans – and this and this happened every year (Deuteronomy 14: 22 – 27) And yet, another type of Tithe was to be made available to the High Priests by the Levites from the tithes they had collected from the other Israeli tribes. (Numbers 18: 26 – 29)
Like I said in the first part, the Tithe was NOT money. There was penalty for converting it to money which was an additional 20% in the money used by the Israelites at the time. (Leviticus 27: 27 – 34; 5) (Note: It is from this same passage that the strange teaching of ‘First Fruits’ come from, where a person gives their first salaries to a “Church”, forgetting this that was applicable only in the years of Jubilee – and again, it was NOT money!)
Now, when the Old Testament and the practices passed away, the practice of Tithing, which was part of the Old Testament practices also passed away – especially when you consider there are no more special classes of Priests or Levites. ALL who come into Christ have been made Priests and Kings and we are ALL now Brethren (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2: 9-11; 1 Timothy 2:5). It’s up to you to believe what is written or go with what other men have told you. However, I have come to find that people can get used to anything, even shackles.
To further underscore this fact, you NEVER hear of the Tithe mentioned in the New Testament as a valid practise, either by Jesus or by Paul, who was a master of the Law. I can almost hear some people saying “Gotya!!!” because I said Jesus never mentioned Tithing as a valid practice under the New Testament because he spoke about Tithing. Let me attempt to explain.
There is a difference between the OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS and the OLD TESTAMENT. The Bible BOOKS are divided into the Old and New Testament, with the Old Testament books ending at Malachi. There were 400 “silent years” before God spoke again to herald the coming of the Messiah. Jesus was born and lived under the OLD Testament and when he spoke to people, because the Laws were still in operation, he made them adhere to those Laws pending when they would pass away because HE was going to fulfil the Laws – and we would not need to practice Old Testament acts to fulfil the Laws, but simply fulfil the Laws by being in Him. (Matthew 5: 17)
So he told the PHARISEES that they were to Tithe but also obey weightier matters of the LAW (Matthew 23:23) In the same vein, he also healed a leper and told him to go and show himself to the Priest (Matthew 8:2 – 4) and this was in accordance with the Law given in Leviticus 13: 1 – 8. The New Testament only started AFTER Jesus died and Paul explained this in Hebrews 9: 16 – 17. After the death of Jesus, you will NEVER find any references to Tithing by Jesus, by Paul or any members of the early Church. They only spoke about a free-will offering, not Tithes or ‘First fruits’. (2 Corinthians 9:7; 2 Corinthians 16: 1 -2; Romans 15:24 – 26; Acts 18: 1 – 4) If you have a ‘Pastor’ or ARE a ‘Pastor’ who lives solely on the Tithes of people, it might be time to dust your CV or start to learn a skill set so that like Paul, you can work and make money so you can GIVE to people and not just TAKE. Besides, in the New Testament model, it is not the job of one person to be responsible for sharing the word. It is a collective role. So the ‘full-time Pastor’ concept has a lot of question marks on it. (Hebrews 8: 11; Ephesians 4: 11 – 15)
So many people have been coerced into the payment of Tithe because they want to ‘ward off’ the devourer spoken about in Malachi. This is nothing but a pile of bogus baloney and a popular lie taught to people who are under a New Covenant. First of all, those who are in Christ, PEOPLE, are the houses of God under the New Testament (1 Corinthians 3:16 – 19; 2 Corinthians 6:16) and your resources are for the individuals in The Kingdom of God, not for an organisation.
People ask me why I seem very averse to Tithing. My reasons are very simple:
1. It is a direct throwback to Old Testament practice, which for the New Testament believer, negates the work of grace. Personally, I do not believe a New Testament believer can be “led to pay Tithe”.
(An individual may be prompted to give 10% of their income under circumstance, but Tithing is not just giving 10% of income, but doing so with the belief that the action is in accordance with Scripture AND that one is obligated to do so. In the same vein, I do not believe a New Testament believer can be “led” to sacrifice a Lamb on an altar for the purpose of atonement.)
2. Because individuals feel a need to pay 10% of their incomes to an ORGANIZATION, there is a very real possibility that in the area of giving, people become insensitive to the needs of those around them – because they feel no obligation to help after they have paid their “tithes”.
3. It is extremely critical for the New Testament believer to develop sensitivity to the Holy Spirit – and this means a willingness to give 10% or 50% or 100% - or even nothing as you live in alignment to the outworking of God’s purposes in your daily circumstances. (Note: Jesus did not heal every sick person he met. He did only what he was led to do, and sometimes, that involved walking away and not doing a “good deed”)
4. The reasons for Tithing is often to ensure the “devourer is rebuked” (Malachi 3:10 – 11) An individual who sincerely (after contemplation) accepts the Lordship and sacrifice of Jesus becomes “saved”, or as scripture clarifies, is born of God, dislikes sin –“ …and cannot be touched by the Evil one” (1 John 5:18) What you choose to believe is up to you…
If you have read thus far, I appreciate the time you have taken to do so. I urge you not to believe what is written, but check the passages I have added from the Bible. It is normally not my style to add so many passages, but I wanted people to be able to check their beliefs against the Bible they CLAIM to follow – and if you are still going to align with the principle of the Tithe, as seen in Deuteronomy 14: 22 – 27, do convert some of the goods to money and buy me a bottle of Champagne. What struck me in the study of the subject is the fact that what is popular and practiced by so many people is not necessarily right or what The Bible or God is saying.
Once again, thanks for reading this lengthy article. You can follow the link below for the first part of the article:
http://christmeditations.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-i-do-not-pay-tithe.html
Strength and Honour…
Follow me on Twitter & Instagram: @XTsamurai
Like my facebook music page: www.facebook.com/xtsamurai
http://christmeditations.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-i-do-not-pay-tithe.html
There were a lot of open and private comments where people expressed their greviances at the article and my response had been quite simple:
If you have a dissenting view that is based on scripture alone – and not experiences or hearsay – let me know about these views, citing relevant scriptures and I would gladly take on this new perspective. My approach to scripture is that we continue to learn and BEND to scripture irrespective of comfort zones we may be used to. Sadly, not a single person who promised to come back with their study did so. Perhaps, it was coincidence or people being generally busy. I will end this article quickly with this short second part. Again, scripture is the basis for my beliefs and like Paul says, Let God be true and all men liars.
Note: If you have not read the first part of the article, I would suggest you do as this is a continuation of that article and certain points have been made already that I will not repeat due to space constraints. http://christmeditations.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-i-do-not-pay-tithe.html
The tithe (or a tenth) was spoken about in the bible right before the Laws were given to the children of Israel. Prior to the tithe, a free will offering was given by Cain and Abel. Like Abraham’s tithe, we do not know if they gave because it was commanded or if it was the practice at the time.
There are 3 important things you get from the event:
1. Abraham’s tithe did not come from his personal belongings. It came from the spoils of war he had just gotten after defeating some kings in a bid to rescue his cousin, Lot. (Genesis 14: 18 – 20.)
2. What is also interesting is that Abraham’s tithe also came in response to Melchizedek giving bread and wine. (Note that Melchizedec did not give intagibles like prayers and “blessings”. Abraham was already blessed!)
3. The tithe given by Abraham was a one-time event that did NOT repeat itself. Like the animal sacrifice Abraham performed BEFORE the Law, we are not privy to what led to him giving a tithe. What we do know is that it was a one-off and did not re-occur.
So what was the reason for tithing?
Very simply, all of the 12 tribes of Israel were to have inheritance in the land of Canaan, their “promised land” – except one tribe. That was the tribe of Levi, which was the tribe Moses, Aaron and all other priests would come from. Israel was meant to be a model nation that was meant to accomplish several things including:
1. Be the nation through which the Messiah would come.
2. While accomplishing the point above, be a vehicle for reproducing godly virtue
3. Be a prototype for the New Testament Church
4. In preserving itself, some would also add, be a vehicle to clean up the Nephilims from off the earth. (Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we might be looking at the reason behind some of the seemingly “cruel” wars they fought and interesting characters like Og of Bashan, Goliath and the other 6-fingered relative of Goliath)
The critical point was that unlike other nations, they were not meant to have Kings. They were to literally be a “nation under God”, with God’s representatives on Earth being the priesthood. The priests were meant to come from the tribe of Levi, and because of the enormity of work they would have to concern themselves with, they were not meant to work at farming or cattle rearing or other crafts. So SOME tithes AND offerings were one of the ways for the priesthood not to go hungry.
What do I mean?
When a burnt offering was offered, an animal was killed and part of the meat was burnt on the altar. Sometimes, everything was burnt, but most times, the priest would be allowed to eat parts of that meat. When it was flour, the priest would pour some before God (a handful) and the rest was his to take home. Now, note that there were several burnt offerings on a daily basis, so it was a lot of meat, wine and flour that the priest would be getting as sustenance because they could not farm. (Leviticus 7: 2 – 10)
While a lot of the offerings went to the Priest, one type of Tithe was largely given to take care of ALL who were not in positions to generate revenue and was given once in 3 years. (Deuteronomy 14: 28 – 29). The other type of Tithe was meant for each Israelite to feast and eat up with their families because God incorporated feasting into the lifestyle of the Israelite. (Deuteronomy 12: 17 – 19) This tithe could be eaten at a venue designated by God or if the place he designated was too far, you changed it to money to buy anything you liked including cattle, meat or beer. The Israelites were to eat this up, and again, remember those who were not in positions to generate revenue which included the Levites, the widows and the orphans – and this and this happened every year (Deuteronomy 14: 22 – 27) And yet, another type of Tithe was to be made available to the High Priests by the Levites from the tithes they had collected from the other Israeli tribes. (Numbers 18: 26 – 29)
Like I said in the first part, the Tithe was NOT money. There was penalty for converting it to money which was an additional 20% in the money used by the Israelites at the time. (Leviticus 27: 27 – 34; 5) (Note: It is from this same passage that the strange teaching of ‘First Fruits’ come from, where a person gives their first salaries to a “Church”, forgetting this that was applicable only in the years of Jubilee – and again, it was NOT money!)
Now, when the Old Testament and the practices passed away, the practice of Tithing, which was part of the Old Testament practices also passed away – especially when you consider there are no more special classes of Priests or Levites. ALL who come into Christ have been made Priests and Kings and we are ALL now Brethren (Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2: 9-11; 1 Timothy 2:5). It’s up to you to believe what is written or go with what other men have told you. However, I have come to find that people can get used to anything, even shackles.
To further underscore this fact, you NEVER hear of the Tithe mentioned in the New Testament as a valid practise, either by Jesus or by Paul, who was a master of the Law. I can almost hear some people saying “Gotya!!!” because I said Jesus never mentioned Tithing as a valid practice under the New Testament because he spoke about Tithing. Let me attempt to explain.
There is a difference between the OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS and the OLD TESTAMENT. The Bible BOOKS are divided into the Old and New Testament, with the Old Testament books ending at Malachi. There were 400 “silent years” before God spoke again to herald the coming of the Messiah. Jesus was born and lived under the OLD Testament and when he spoke to people, because the Laws were still in operation, he made them adhere to those Laws pending when they would pass away because HE was going to fulfil the Laws – and we would not need to practice Old Testament acts to fulfil the Laws, but simply fulfil the Laws by being in Him. (Matthew 5: 17)
So he told the PHARISEES that they were to Tithe but also obey weightier matters of the LAW (Matthew 23:23) In the same vein, he also healed a leper and told him to go and show himself to the Priest (Matthew 8:2 – 4) and this was in accordance with the Law given in Leviticus 13: 1 – 8. The New Testament only started AFTER Jesus died and Paul explained this in Hebrews 9: 16 – 17. After the death of Jesus, you will NEVER find any references to Tithing by Jesus, by Paul or any members of the early Church. They only spoke about a free-will offering, not Tithes or ‘First fruits’. (2 Corinthians 9:7; 2 Corinthians 16: 1 -2; Romans 15:24 – 26; Acts 18: 1 – 4) If you have a ‘Pastor’ or ARE a ‘Pastor’ who lives solely on the Tithes of people, it might be time to dust your CV or start to learn a skill set so that like Paul, you can work and make money so you can GIVE to people and not just TAKE. Besides, in the New Testament model, it is not the job of one person to be responsible for sharing the word. It is a collective role. So the ‘full-time Pastor’ concept has a lot of question marks on it. (Hebrews 8: 11; Ephesians 4: 11 – 15)
So many people have been coerced into the payment of Tithe because they want to ‘ward off’ the devourer spoken about in Malachi. This is nothing but a pile of bogus baloney and a popular lie taught to people who are under a New Covenant. First of all, those who are in Christ, PEOPLE, are the houses of God under the New Testament (1 Corinthians 3:16 – 19; 2 Corinthians 6:16) and your resources are for the individuals in The Kingdom of God, not for an organisation.
People ask me why I seem very averse to Tithing. My reasons are very simple:
1. It is a direct throwback to Old Testament practice, which for the New Testament believer, negates the work of grace. Personally, I do not believe a New Testament believer can be “led to pay Tithe”.
(An individual may be prompted to give 10% of their income under circumstance, but Tithing is not just giving 10% of income, but doing so with the belief that the action is in accordance with Scripture AND that one is obligated to do so. In the same vein, I do not believe a New Testament believer can be “led” to sacrifice a Lamb on an altar for the purpose of atonement.)
2. Because individuals feel a need to pay 10% of their incomes to an ORGANIZATION, there is a very real possibility that in the area of giving, people become insensitive to the needs of those around them – because they feel no obligation to help after they have paid their “tithes”.
3. It is extremely critical for the New Testament believer to develop sensitivity to the Holy Spirit – and this means a willingness to give 10% or 50% or 100% - or even nothing as you live in alignment to the outworking of God’s purposes in your daily circumstances. (Note: Jesus did not heal every sick person he met. He did only what he was led to do, and sometimes, that involved walking away and not doing a “good deed”)
4. The reasons for Tithing is often to ensure the “devourer is rebuked” (Malachi 3:10 – 11) An individual who sincerely (after contemplation) accepts the Lordship and sacrifice of Jesus becomes “saved”, or as scripture clarifies, is born of God, dislikes sin –“ …and cannot be touched by the Evil one” (1 John 5:18) What you choose to believe is up to you…
If you have read thus far, I appreciate the time you have taken to do so. I urge you not to believe what is written, but check the passages I have added from the Bible. It is normally not my style to add so many passages, but I wanted people to be able to check their beliefs against the Bible they CLAIM to follow – and if you are still going to align with the principle of the Tithe, as seen in Deuteronomy 14: 22 – 27, do convert some of the goods to money and buy me a bottle of Champagne. What struck me in the study of the subject is the fact that what is popular and practiced by so many people is not necessarily right or what The Bible or God is saying.
Once again, thanks for reading this lengthy article. You can follow the link below for the first part of the article:
http://christmeditations.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-i-do-not-pay-tithe.html
Strength and Honour…
Follow me on Twitter & Instagram: @XTsamurai
Like my facebook music page: www.facebook.com/xtsamurai
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