Tithes and Offerings

The subject of tithes and offerings has a very definite place in the church, but has not been taught according to the scriptures in the Bible. As we begin this exposition of why tithes and offerings are a part of the Christian life and how they should be followed in the church, it is important to look at what the scriptures say to us, as only the scriptures are the inspired Word of God, and to put aside what man has said on the subject.

Tithes were first mentioned in the scriptures when Abraham was returning from the slaughter of those armies who had attacked Sodom and Gomorrah and carried away Lot, Abraham’s nephew. On his return, Abraham met Melchizedek the King of Salem, who was the priest of the highest God, and Melchizedek, blessed Abraham and served him bread and wine. In return for the ministering that Melchizedek provided to Abraham, Abraham gave Melchizedek tithes amounting to a tenth of all that he had captured. (Gen 14:18)

Later on, when Moses delivered the Law and commandments to the Israelites, the Israelites were commanded to give tithes amounting to a tenth of their increase, to the tribe of Levi in return for their continuing service in the tabernacle of the congregation, for the tribe of Levi did not receive an inheri­tance of land as did the other tribes: (Num 18:20)

So it was the commandment of the Lord given in the Law that Moses gave to the Israelites that every other tribe was to tithe one tenth of their increase to the tribe of Levi for their service to the Tabernacle of the Lord. The tribe of Levi was then to tithe one tenth of all they received and give it to Aaron the priest for his service in the Tabernacle of the Lord:

Moses went on to tell the people that some of these tithes were to be used to supply the needs of the widows, orphans and those strangers who were in need that entered within their gates: (Deut 14:28-29)

So the history of the tithe offering, according to the scrip­tures, was to be given to those in the ministry of the Lord, to provide for their needs as well as the needs of the poor, widows and orphans, and the needs of any strangers within the gates of the Israelites. This was God’s commandment to His people, the Israelites, and was a part of the Law that Moses delivered to them after they were delivered from the land of Egypt: (Heb 7:5)

Just as the writer of the book of Hebrews tells us under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, the commandment for the giving of tithes was for the Israelites and was a part of the Mosaic Law.

Nowhere in the scriptures does it say that the Gentile na­tions were commanded to continue in the Mosaic Law. In fact, it does say that the Gentiles are not under the Law: (Rom 2:14)

Neither did the Lord Jesus or any of the apostles say that believers had an obligation to continue in the commandment to tithe a tenth of their increase. This was for Israel to do as a means to provide for the tribe of Levi who were called out to provide the ministry for, first, the tabernacle of the congrega­tion, and then the temple.

When Jesus came, He preached that you should not covet mate­rial possessions, but on a number of occasions told His fol­lowers to sell what they possessed and give to the poor. He did not say to give the poor a tenth of it, but, all of it: (Matt 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 18:22)

After the resurrection of Jesus, in the early days of the church, that is exactly what the people did. They sold all their possessions and gave the proceeds to the apostles to distribute to any who were in need: (Acts 2:43, Acts 4:32)

Unlike the churches of today, who only distribute baskets of food to the needy on Christmas, this was a daily thing for the early church to provide for those in need. It became such a tre­mendous task that they appointed certain men to do this on a daily basis so the apostles could spend their time in the minis­try of the Word: (Acts 6:1)

As the church began to grow and more Gentile people were brought into the church, they were taught to share their prosper­ity with those who were in need; the less fortunate. Many times offerings were taken and sent to the poor saints in Judaea by way of the traveling apostles and evangelists: (Gal 2:9, Rom 15:25, 2 Cor 9:6, 1 Cor 16:1, Acts 11:28)

Special attention was given to the widows and orphans by the early church. If the individual families could not provide for their widows and orphans, then the church took on that task on a daily basis. Special mention was also given to supply the needs of strangers who entered into their gates, just as the scripture spoke of in the Old Testament. (Acts 20:35, 1 Tim 5:3, James 1:27)

Then finally the scriptures in the New Testament speak of the church supplying the needs of those who minister to them. ( 1 Tim 5:17, Phil 4:15)

So, as we review the scriptures of the New Testament, we first see the church pooling all their possessions and making distribution to all who are in need. Offerings were taken up for poor and needy saints in other cities. Provision was made for widows, orphans and any strangers coming into the gates of the believers. And finally, provision was made for the ministers of the Word.

But we see no reference made to the paying of tithes by the new Christian church, and rightfully so, since the paying of tithes was a commandment to the Israelites, by God, through the Law delivered to the people by Moses. Once again, tithes were a part of the Law, which we Christians are not under. If we consid­er ourselves to still be subject to the Law, then we are subject to the whole Law and should obey every facet of it. The paying of tithes was instituted by God to provide for the needs of the Levites because they received no part of the inheritance, and were consecrated to the duties of the Temple of God.

But even though we have not been commanded to pay tithes, we still have a responsibility to supply a portion of our increase to provide for the needs of the poor, the widows and or­phans, the strangers who visit our cities and are in need, and to provide for the needs of those who God has set over us to minis­ter the Word to us.

Too much of the money that believers give to the church in the manner of tithes and offerings are being spent in a way incon­sistent with what God intended. The erection of large church structures with plush carpets, upholstered chairs and stained glass windows is not what God intended for us to use those tithes and offerings for. Neither are they to be used for expensive trips to the Holy Land every year, conventions, or enormous salaries for our ministers.

 Ministers pound their flock from the pulpit and make them ashamed for not donating a tenth of their increase. Many people avoid going to church on a regular basis or, not at all, because they know that it will be expected of them to pay regular tithes – a tenth of their income.

The paying of tithes is just another example of ministers using scripture out of context to put their people under some kind of bondage, instead of preaching the Word and making pro­vision for the needs of the unsaved, the poor, widows, and or­phans.

The doctrine of man and his misinterpretation of God’s Word has been taught from the pulpits for so many hundreds of years that people have taken it for the gospel. If a man believes that he has been called of God to preach His Word, that man should take a closer look at what God’s Word really says and preach it the way it was given to the prophets and apostles.

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