Tithing is not commanded to Gentiles

Money and the church. This is a hot topic and a touchy subject but I am going to stir the pot anyways. I know what I am about to write is going to upset people and I may lose followers. But after reading the Bible some more and studying the subject, I found that tithing is not commanded to the New Testament church. Not Jesus, not Peter, not John not Paul commanded to do it. We are encouraged to give with a cheerful heart what we have decided in our hearts. So, you dont have to give 10 percent of your income because you can give whatever amount you please.

What God cares about is whats going on in your heart, not in your bank account. Are you giving out of compulsion, or our of man made tradition? Or because your church leaders have taken the verses about tithing out of context. I went to a church and for 3 weeks straight all they preached about was tithing to the church more money. At the beginning of every service, they had people who were tithers to the church and they told their story about how God blessed them. That is great because the testimonies that come with them are good. But I felt like the church was more concerned with making money than the condition of the congregation's eternal soul.

So what if you aren't tithing, then what? Is the Lord going to punish you? No. Some folks cannot afford to pay tithe but feel that if they dont give a large sum, their tithe means less. I read a quote I would like to share with you.

"Quit preaching tithe lessons to broke people," he said. "Let's teach them how to get on a budget. ... The natural byproduct of a Jesus lover when they have money is giving." - Dave Ramsey

Amen to that. But that is not how its done anymore. Praise the Lord for churches who still offer budget classes and for Pastors who care for their financial well being of their flock. Now, one thing I want to address is for those who are tithers and who gladly give to their church or a ministry. For those who do it, if you are obeying the Lord, then do it. All I am saying is that the Old Testament command of giving 10 percent of your income, isn't in the New Testament. Jesus didn't do away with the law, but fulfilled it. We are in Jesus Christ, so the law is already fulfilled through Him. No longer must we obey the laws that were given to the Jews. Obeying what God says is a by product of our salvation.


Remember that Jesus said that those who obey the two greatest commandments are His disciples. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love others as you love yourself. If we do obey those commands, we have fulfilled our requirement. Without love we can not do anything and we are nothing without love. God is love and without Him we are nothing and can not do anything of eternal significance without love. So don't think I am saying do not tithe, or give an offering or give alms to the needy. It's not how often you do it or how much you give. It's the motive behind it. This should be encouraging and freeing to some. In my experience, God has blessed me more when I gave out of love than out of obligation.


Remember Jesus told the parable about the Pharisee who gave from His riches and a woman who gave all that she had left. It was the poor woman who pleased God because it was because of the condition of her heart. I actually saw an interaction like this recently at a small conference I went to in December. The Pastor was done preaching and he asked for an offering. He asked that if the ministry blessed you, could you bless the ministry. By the way, that kind of invitation is so much more inline with scripture. It's partnering up with God through that ministry by giving. Almost everyone gave it seemed like. People gave what they could and some gave more. I'd like to believe they all did it out of love and obedience towards God and they had given out of a cheerful heart and gave what they decided was good. God gives us the choice to give what we want to give. Anyways, I was an usher and I helped pass around the containers to collect the offering. I saw one guy drop 100 bucks like nothing. I wish I couldve done that at the time. Then a woman came to me and said "I am sorry. This is all I have." She dropped in less than 50 cents. She seemed ashamed and walked away quickly. Right before we were done collecting the offering, the woman came back again and dropped in a handful of pennies, dimes and nickels. She apologized again and I once again said it was okay and blessed her and thanked her. But do you see what this whole false teaching of tithing has done to the church?! Poor folks don't want to give because they are ashamed because their offering/tithe/ gift/ whatever is too small. But God also knows our true intentions.


Also, I want to remind folks, you can also give by giving your time and talent to benefit others. Not just on the church campus, but also outside of church where all the lost folks are. God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. Nothing He gives us is just for us to have and not share it with others.

In conclusion, once again I want to remind people this: I am not saying you can't give 10 percent to your church or favorite ministry. If 10 percent is what you decided is good and you give it cheerfully, then praise the Lord and do it. If all you have is a couple dollars or coins and that's all you can/want to give, then praise the Lord and do it. If you don't have income or a very tight budget, give yourself (time and/or talent). But I am saying the command to tithe 10 percent to your church is not found in the New Testament and Jesus fulfilled the law so that we do not have to do it. Remember that if you fail at one of the law, you are guilty of all the law. Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly and because we are in Christ, we are not guilty of the law anymore. Hallelujah!