Hello and welcome back my beautiful family! It's an awesome day to learn more of the Bible, Jesus, and our christian lives. Today we're going to enter into perhaps a somewhat controversial topics for many as we'll be dealing with... MONEY. In today's post we're going to aim to answer the question: "Should christians tithe?". Before we begin, and as always, feel free to checkout our video which is a summary of what we'll be studying in this topic.
Did you see the video? If yes, awesome... if not, check it out 😁 I don't normally write this on a post but, please, feel free to check out our YouTube channel and subscribe! It'll help us grow our community and it'll help you stay up-to-date on all the latest content we release; regardless of what you do, thanks in advance!!! Ok, without further ado, let's answer our question.
Let me know if, whether as a christian or non-christian, you have heard statements such as these:
"God doesn't need my money..."
"If I give money to the church, they'll just mis-use it..."
"Church is so greedy asking people for money..."
"Church should be taxed..." LOL, ok, this has nothing to do with our post today but it is a funny one and I thought I could bring it up...
Listen, if you have heard, or even said yourself, statements such as the ones above (or similar ones) you're not alone. As a matter of fact, I once said statements like that and asked myself questions around it. After all, it is only natural to think that "I" (each of us) can spend the money in better things than church. Right? Everyone, EVERYONE, wants my and your money... why would we give it away to yet another place? Let's check out this scenario with Mr. Doe:
- John Doe: "Nowadays everything is about money so why should I voluntarily give it away to yet another place that seems to ask for it?"
- NeverFarEnough: "Hmmm, well... because God said so."
- John Doe: "Really? Where? It seems to me that God doesn't need my money...
- NeverFarEnough: "Uhhh... He doesn't..."
- John Doe: "So, if he doesn't... then... ..."
- NeverFarEnough: "Bruh... it was never and has never been about money."
- John Doe: "So... what's it about? "
-NeverFarEnough: "Love and character building..."
- John Doe: "What????"
Can you relate to this scenario? Does this scenario makes sense to you? If not, stay with me... hopefully I can clarify by the end of this post. Deal?
Tithing and the Bible
Before we can proceed and answer any specific questions, we need to understand what's God position when it comes to tithes. As always, God's word (the Bible) has the answers we are looking for to discuss this topic. In the case of tithes, we need to go back and into the Old-testament to better get a picture of what the tithes were, their purpose, and the associated rules.
From early-on in the Bible we find that men honored God by returning to Him a tenth (tithe) of their earnings. Let's read:
"And he blessed him and said: 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all..." - Genesis 14:19-20
So... Abraham gave a tenth, let's check out another verse...
"Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.'" - Genesis 28:20-22
So from early times we see recorded in the Bible that men gave God the tenth of their earnings; a way of returning to God "something" as a 'thanks' for all of God's blessings. The question is, were the tithes required or were they more on a voluntary basis? Furthermore, what were/tithes used for? For this we have to dig a little bit into the history of the tribes of Israel. Long-story short, God gave tasks to all of the tribes of Israel, to all of them God gave an inheritance... in a very special way, though, God assigned the tribe of Levi to Sanctuary service. They were not to "work" in general work to make their living and they were not to inherit lands or material things; God was their inheritance. (a study through the first 5 books in the Old Testament would show this to be true).
As the Levi tribe was assigned solely to Sanctuary service, they had no "means" for salary, hence, the following verses:
"Then the Lord said to Aaron: 'You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting...'" - Numbers 18: 20-21
“Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe." - Numbers 18:26
Two things we answer from reading this: (1) the tithes were indeed a command from God, all the tribes, all the families needed to tithe (even the Levites who received the tithes!!!)... and (2) the tithes were to be used as the 'salary' for those that worked maintaining and servicing the sanctuary; to those who would minister - the Levi tribe. Now we start getting a clearer picture, no? First, tithes were not on a voluntary basis, tithes are God's... period. Also, tithes were and ARE to be used to pay those who service and minister in the sanctuary... in the churches. Tithes should be used to keep the proclaiming of God's word throughout the world. Simply put, all the tribes of Israel were to tithe, the Levites got their 'salary' for sanctuary service from the tithes, and from what they got paid, they also had to tithe. Good?
Check out this other verse which clearly portrays how God feels when it comes to the tithes:
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation..." - Malachi 3:8-9
Needless to say, tithing is important to God (check out why on the next section). In this last verse, however, we see the mention of "offerings". From what we've studied and read, tithes are a "must" as in, the tenth of all that we make belongs to God. When we tithe we're not "giving" anything, we're simply returning what's God's... hence, offerings:
“But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks." - Deuteronomy 12:5-6
Notice how "tithe" is mentioned straight-up but the offerings are accompanied by the word "freewill". Ahh, now it makes sense. Tithing is returning to God what's His so it can be used to continue the ministry of preaching and service, offerings, however, is what we ACTUALLY give away to God from our hearts. Now you get why Malachi 3:8-9 speaks about robbing God? God, our Creator, gives us daily the opportunity to work, live, breathe, make a salary, have a family... all He asks in return is that we return what's his (tithes), and "show gratitude" with our offerings.
One final remark for all those who would refute by stating that tithing is an "Old Testament thing"... a quick read throughout the gospels come to show that the modern jews also tithe and gave God what was His. Tithing is not an "old and abolished" practice... why? Let's go to the next section.
But... God doesn't need my money, right?
Let's just answer the question right-off the bat: NO. God doesn't need your money, but you know what He needs? He needs to build your character, mold your attitude, and detach you from earthly desires that gain nothing to man. Are you following me? As we said in the introduction, it has never been about the actual physical money to God, it has to do with character building and love.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also..." - Matthew 6:21
We all know what money and wealth do to people, don't we? Money and wealth, just like any other drug, create addiction. When we become attached to "our money", we not only want to keep it, but we want more. The other day I picked up this book from an Amazon store in downtown Seattle which talked about the psychology of money. I can't remember the title exactly but I do remember reading a story about this guy who was a MILLIONAIRE but somehow he felt like he didn't had enough money. He was worth around 100 million or so but he wanted to get to the billionaire tier, being a millionaire in his mind was equivalent to being very poor. Long story short, he got into insider trading to raise his fortune and got caught and was sentenced to spent many many years in jail... and his money... wasting away with no one to use it or enjoy it. We ALL know that money is a dangerous thing to have and crave... some of the worst crimes in history have been committed in the name of money.
"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." - 1 Timothy 6:10
God is infinitely wise and in His wisdom he knows what money can do... enter tithes and offerings. God doesn't need your money, but He wants your undivided attention and unconditional love... and hey, He deserves it. If you can't or won't give away 10% of what you make (by the grace of God who gave you health and a job - among many other things), what makes you think that you love God above all else? If after giving God His 10% you can't take some extra to help someone or use it to offer it to God... what makes you think you love God above all else? God is a God of giving, and He wants us to follow His steps.
"But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver..." - 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
God asks for tithes and offerings not because he needs it, but because He wants us to detach from things that attach us to this earth.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." - Matthew 6:19-20
Friend, your treasure should always be in heaven. When we die we take absolutely nothing with us... all stays here for others to enjoy and use. Let's use our resources and blessings to honor God and give God the front seat in our priority list. When we tithe and give offerings with joyful hearts because we're being grateful of God's blessings, our lives go through a character building change like never before. Only then we can claim that when it comes to money, God comes first.
What about Pastors that steal or corrupt churches... do we tithe still?
First off... if you believe your Pastor is crooked or that you're in a corrupt church, then you're worshiping God in the wrong place. I am fully aware that there are "Pastors" making a living out of their church members and stealing and enriching themselves... lets just say that God is just and that those that stole from others will get a taste of God's judgement. But going back to tithing, one of the reasons I often hear people don't want to tithe is because they believe the church or Pastor will mis-use it. This is a valid point.
Let me explain it to you the way it was explained to me once. Tithes are for continuing God's service, support the preaching, the ministries taking the message of God around the world... offerings are for whatever you want to use it for God's cause (i.e., feeding homeless, supporting a ministry, buying clothes to donate... etc.). If you believe your church or Pastor are not using the money given for the right reasons, then first talk to God and leave that place... second, pray and ask God to take you to a new church, congregation or to help you find a ministry devoted to God that you can trust will use your tithes and offerings correctly.
God is just, and even if we're un-knowingly giving our tithes and offerings to some crooked Pastor or church, God KNOWS we're giving it. We are doing our part for God, God will figure out what to do from there on but we kept our responsibility to Him by giving those. What others do with it is a responsibility others have with God. Makes sense?
Closing
God is love. God is merciful. God loves to give. Everyday He gives us food, clothes, a home, health, a job... among many other things. What makes you think that if you return to God what's His and do His will that He will not help you?
"'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,'says the Lord of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.'" - Malachi 3:10
Don't tithe because God will give you, tithe and give your offerings because you honestly want to honor and serve God... and He WILL bless you abundantly. Don't let your love of money prevent you from living a life that honors and obeys God's will. Put God in the front seat and your life will never be the same.
So, should we tithe and give offerings? Yes, we should. It's one of the ways in which we can thank God for His mercy and love.
Until next one my friend,
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