Why I ALSO Don’t Tell Christians To Pay Tithes

[This is a 2-part series on Christian giving. In this first part, I debunk the greatest money lie told believers today- you MUST tithe or else God is angry at you/finances!]

By ALSO, I mean that I join Jesus Christ and all the Apostles in not instructing ANY believer to pay ‘tithes’.

What do I mean?

I will give you 7 reasons CHRISTIANS are not instructed to pay tithes in the (whole) Bible, and why you CANNOT pay biblical tithes if you are a believer. [Note that I didn’t say you should not, I said, you cannot, because you simply cannot!]

1.    Tithes is an instruction of the law. To instruct Christians to pay tithes regularly will also require them to circumcise their sons, burn their offerings, build their houses according to Jewish custom, go to the Shiloh every year, abstain from eating pork and many other things, among more than 500 other laws that ALL MUST BE OBSERVED TO ‘PLEASE’ GOD. Gal 2: 16, Gal 3:11, Acts 15:1-19.

2.    The teaching of tithes in most churches today is not balanced at all. Tithes/tithe is mentioned 34 times in the KJV of the Bible. It is mentioned in the books of Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 2^nd Chronicles, Nehemiah, Amos, Malachi, Matthew, Luke and finally, Hebrews. But when it is taught, Mal 3: 8-12 takes precedence over all other scriptures.

3.    Tithes/tithe in the bible is either food/agricultural produce (Lev 27: 30,32, Deut 14:22, Mal 3:10, Matt 23:23), or spoils of war (which Abram paid to Melchizedek in Gen 14). In the law, tithes is STRICTLY food. Nowhere in the WHOLE is bible anyone instructed to pay CASH as tithes. I still wonder how pastors managed to convince people that what they call ‘tithes’ and pay today has any semblance to what the bible commanded the Israelites to pay. There were other Israelites who worked as artisans, they weren’t instructed to pay tithes of income.

4.    The tithes of Mal 3, is a requirement of the law and if you must obey it, then you are obligated to also pay/observe all the other forms of tithes in the law. (There are 4 different types of tithes in the law):

a) Tithes meant for ALL Levites/priests (not only your pastors). Num 18:21-24

b) Tithes meant for the lord (Tithe of tithes). Lev 18: 25-28

c) Tithes in the 3^rd year meant also for Foreigners, Orphans, and Widows. Deut 26:12, 14:28

       d) Annual Tithes meant to be EATEN in God's presence. Deut 14:22. This one, even if you convert the tithes to cash, you must buy it back at Shiloh and then eat it with your family in God's presence.

5.    To give God and limit him to 10% of your salary as a believer is a slap on God’s face. ALL your money belongs to him. What is sad is that (at least in Nigeria) Christians don’t pay ‘tithes’ because they truly love (to give to) God, they pay it for ulterior motives such as “Pay tithe so that things will not be tight for you”, “Pay tithes so that the devourer will be rebuked.” “Pay tithes because this/our church commands it.” In short, most Christians today pay ‘tithes’ simply because they love/want more money, are afraid of the devourer (Devil), or to obey their pastor/church doctrine so that they won’t be excommunicated.

6.    The teaching of tithes (-according to the gospel of Malachi 3), creates fear for the devil/devourer, and promotes a ‘get-rich-quick’ mentality- it does not honor God. When some people say ‘tithing works,’ I immediately reply and remind them that giving works, fraud works too, so also corruption, and in fact, it works for both believers and non believers alike. But does that make it biblical/Godly? If a teaching is wrong, it is wrong! It does not matter how many people believe it, use it, or advocate it, or how man-of-Godly they are. So what if it stops ‘working’, then you will also stop giving to God?

7.     ‘Tithes’ (collection) will be abused, and has indeed been abused by men of God. That’s exactly why God did not instruct any Man in the whole bible to collect cash from any people on a monthly basis, because even he knows that if you keep receiving 10% of so many people’s income/cash every month, as a MAN of God and founder of your church, you will give in the flesh in its use/abuse. Let’s face it- TITHES COLLECTION HAVE BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE ABUSED BY PASTORS, simply because it isn’t biblical!

When I was discussing this issue with a friend he raised a very pertinent point. He said, “How will the church fund projects and pay its pastors without the tithes?” I told him, look through all scriptures, if God commands a vision, he will also supply the provision. He instructs us ALL to walk by faith and that includes our MEN of God and churches today. If your vision for a large cathedral is instructed by God, he will provide the means to build it. You don’t need to task people to pay you every month. As different needs arose in the early church, they raised offerings and pledges. In no place, at no time, were the believers (called Christians by unbelievers Acts 11:26) instructed to be paying a ‘monthly or weekly tithes.’ All monies collected, had a definite purpose.

Churches today make money from investments, mostly under the guise of being not-for-profit, and do not pay taxes to the government. Is that biblical?

If your church collects any money from you without a definite purpose attached to it, I call that ROBBERY- robbing God’s people.

 So if we are not to pay tithes, what are we expected to do with our money as believers? How then do we give God? What percentage should we regularly give, and how? Join me tomorrow as I show you biblical principles of giving (notice I didn’t say New Testament principles), and how to overcome the urge to give all your savings if you are a chronic giver like me.