[PaulB]

I have heard it over and over again from many pulpits that Christ has fulfilled all of the requirements of the law (Sabbath, animal sacrifices, etc, etc) and yet I constantly hear that the law still stands when it comes down to tithing. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I see that giving your all is required in the NT but does the 10% rule still apply in the places where you assemble?

Look forward to hearing from you

God bless

PaulB

[Samuel]

Quick answer "No". The Lord loves a cheerful giver, and that is the way Christians are supposed to give. What you give out of constraint, is probably not cheerful, so don't bother.

[chette777]

2Co 9:5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

first a Christian is to give out of bounty, the treasure or what is left over from the pay check. you are responsible to pay your bills, feed your family then out of the "bounty" that which is left for you to hide away, the treasure, the bounty what so ever you purpose in your heart bring that.

Don't give out of covetousness. this is taught by all prosperity preachers put in $1 get back $10, $100, or $1000. If you are giving to get more back from God it is covetous giving. God is not a divine slot machine.

6 ¶ But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

great giving has great results but beware you are not giving for the wrong reason.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

don't give if you are doing it with a divided heart or grudgingly. Don't give because there is a necessity. this one is used a lot from pulpits. no faith in God if we keep pitching the need (the necessity).

[Brother Presswood]

Originally Posted by PaulB

I have heard it over and over again from many pulpits that Christ has fulfilled all of the requirements of the law (Sabbath, animal sacrifices, etc, etc) and yet I constantly hear that the law still stands when it comes down to tithing. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

I believe that an important principle to consider is, the tithe is really given to Jesus Himself. The first time the word "tithe" is mentioned is after Lot and his family were taken from the city of Sodom and Abraham went and conquered those who had taken them away and brought them back.

Genesis 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Who is this Melchizedek? Hebrews 7:3 describes Melchizedek.
Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

How many people can you think of described like this? I believe Melchizedek is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. But even if you don’t believe he was Jesus Christ, the principle is still established because the Bible says, "…[he] is made like unto the Son of God." When Abraham gave to Melchizedek, in the first mention of the tithe, he was giving it to Jesus.

To those who say that tithing is just Old Testament law, I disagree because Abraham gave tithes long before the law. The law wouldn’t be given for several hundred years yet. When Jacob got right with God in Genesis 28, he immediately made a vow to bring a tenth of everything God gave him. This, too, was before the law.

Gen 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Tithing is a law of God, written not just in the law He gave to Moses, it’s written in your heart and in your conscience. Abraham, before there was any command, knew he was supposed to tithe. Jacob knew he was supposed to tithe.

[Samuel]

To those who say that tithing is just Old Testament law, I disagree because Abraham gave tithes long before the law. The law wouldn’t be given for several hundred years yet. When Jacob got right with God in Genesis 28, he immediately made a vow to bring a tenth of everything God gave him. This, too, was before the law.

I knew someone would bring this up. It is also mentioned that Jacob (Israel) paid tithes in Abraham. This is a foreshadowing of the Law that was to come.

I have no objections to tithing, but to constrain Church members under a law, NO. Paul plainly taught that giving was not to be by constraint, when he asked for a gift. But in showing forth by those who were involved, the love of Christ that was in them.

So what was a law of tithing to Israel, is like the Sabbath law. It does not extend to Grace. But unfortunately, these huge Denominational Monoliths cannot exist without tithing.

[greenbear]

Yes. That grace through faith alone thing shoots a hole into that theory. We are not in the dispensation of the law or the dispensation of promise. We are in the dispensation of grace. At least according to some.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

[Amanda S.]

Bro. Samuel said: I have no objections to tithing, but to constrain Church members under a law, NO. Paul plainly taught that giving was not to be by constraint, when he asked for a gift. But in showing forth by those who were involved, the love of Christ that was in them.

Bro. Paul said: yet I constantly hear that the law still stands when it comes down to tithing. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
I see that giving your all is required in the NT but does the 10% rule still apply in the places where you assemble?

First thought: I've never heard any pastors I have any respect for preach that this is a law or a rule.

Second: Fast answer - No it doesn't still apply

Third: 10% can be a good starting place.

Fourth: My husband preaches a wonderful sermon on this very subject. I'll see if he can fish it out for me and let you know what he thinks

[CKG]

Originally Posted by Brother Presswood

I believe that an important principle to consider is, the tithe is really given to Jesus Himself. The first time the word "tithe" is mentioned is after Lot and his family were taken from the city of Sodom and Abraham went and conquered those who had taken them away and brought them back.

Genesis 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

Who is this Melchizedek? Hebrews 7:3 describes Melchizedek.
Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

How many people can you think of described like this? I believe Melchizedek is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. But even if you don’t believe he was Jesus Christ, the principle is still established because the Bible says, "…[he] is made like unto the Son of God." When Abraham gave to Melchizedek, in the first mention of the tithe, he was giving it to Jesus.

To those who say that tithing is just Old Testament law, I disagree because Abraham gave tithes long before the law. The law wouldn’t be given for several hundred years yet. When Jacob got right with God in Genesis 28, he immediately made a vow to bring a tenth of everything God gave him. This, too, was before the law.

Gen 28:20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Tithing is a law of God, written not just in the law He gave to Moses, it’s written in your heart and in your conscience. Abraham, before there was any command, knew he was supposed to tithe. Jacob knew he was supposed to tithe.

Nowhere does it say Abraham was commanded to tithe and he didn't tithe of all that he had; only of the spoils of the battle (Hebrews 7:4). Jacob vowed a vow to tithe, but there is no scriptural record that he ever carried out the vow.

It's interesting that twice (Romans 4 and Galatians 3) Paul (the apostle to the Gentiles, the one to whom was given the fullest understanding of the church) mentions Abraham as the main example for justification by faith, but when he talks about giving he never mentions Abraham's tithing to Melchizedek as an example for the church.

[Brother Presswood]

Originally Posted by greenbear

Yes. That grace through faith alone thing shoots a hole into that theory. We are not in the dispensation of the law or the dispensation of promise. We are in the dispensation of grace. At least according to some.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

I do not believe anyone here is advocating attaching tithing to salvation. Certainly, that would be legalistic. According to Leviticus 27:30, the tithe is "the LORD's." Tithing is an issue of love, not law.

People mistakenly think that tithing has to do with money; it doesn’t have to do with money. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns the hills and all the gold in the hills. He tells us in Psalms 50 that He owns everything and if He did need anything, He wouldn’t tell us.

Ps 50:10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

God doesn’t need anything. He doesn’t need our money. He wants our obedience and our love. When the offering plate goes by, we can rejoice at another opportunity to express your love and obedience to God.

[Brother Presswood]

Originally Posted by CKG

Nowhere does it say Abraham was commanded to tithe

I agree, which confirms that tithing is written on the heart and not just the law.

and he didn't tithe of all that he had; only of the spoils of the battle (Hebrews 7:4).

The account in Genesis says that he gave "tithes of all." The passage in Hebrews merely states that he did, indeed, give a tenth of the spoils, which were included in "all" mentioned in Genesis.

Jacob vowed a vow to tithe, but there is no scriptural record that he ever carried out the vow.

There certainly is no reason to believe that he didn't keep his vow.

It's interesting that twice (Romans 4 and Galatians 3) Paul (the apostle to the Gentiles, the one to whom was given the fullest understanding of the church) mentions Abraham as the main example for justification by faith, but when he talks about giving he never mentions Abraham's tithing to Melchizedek as an example for the church.

If you believe, as do I, that Paul is the author of Hebrews, then he did use Abraham as an example.