Why do Christians say that tithing is a Mosaic Law?

Question

Tithing as I see it is a Law of God. there was tithing in the Bible way before Moses even appeared. Genesis 14:18-20,28:20-22,33:11. Then they say that tithing is strickly OT and I am going by NT, well, In the NT Jesus told His deciples to sell all their possesions and bring them to the poor. So if you are following NT you need to have an estate sell. The NT also talks about this in Acts 2, Acts 4, Proverbs 3 . To me this means that tithing is a law of God, what do you think. Please use Bible scriptures to back up your answers.

Answer 1

Jesus said we should tythe in Luke 11:42.

Luke 11:42 But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Answer 2

I don't know Christians who make this claim. I am a Christian, and the Bible clearly teaches that we should tithe at least the 10% of the Old Testament. The New Testament standard seems to be to give generously and seems to be asking for more, not less, but does leave it in the hands of the believer.

Answer 3

I've always wondered how someone could both rich and Christian. Jesus stated his case very clearly that being rich is not a good thing. He even said it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven (Matthew 19:24). Also, read this verse.

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Money.

Answer 4

Strictly speaking, tithing is giving 10% of your wealth, whether it be time, money, or self to god. Tithing isn't just an old testament belief. Jesus himself believed that tithing was just the beginning. What he spoke about was offering of time, self, and wealth to help everyone learn of the new convenant with God.

Contrary to what most people would have you believe, God doesn't want you to be dirt poor, he wants you to love him more than you love the material world.

Answer 5

Though you're the first of many to make fine use of the pre-Law Covenant examples to back up your supposition, you usage of Acts doesn't prove that Christians tithed!

Indeed these next scriptures clearly show how Christians take care of their material support:
--------
II Corinthians 8:1214 Now therefore perform ye it also in deed; that as your mind is forward to be willing, so it may be also to perform, out of that which you have. 12For if the will be forward, it is accepted according to that which a man hath, not according to that which he hath not. 13For I mean not that others should be eased, and you burthened, but by an equality. 14In this present time let your abundance supply their want, that their abundance also may supply your want, that there may be an equality
II Corinthians 9:7 Every one as he hath determined in his heart, not with sadness, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (Rotherham)
-------------

As you can see the stress on giving is to do so according to ability, not to percentage points.

Since you mention Acts, read chapter 5 quoted below. Here we see SPECIFIC mention that the sin was making believe that they gave all. It SPECIFICALLY states that while the money was yours you didn't have to give it, until you promised to give it all!

Please feel free to write.

Answer 6

2 Corinthians 9:7 says "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." The old testament 10% tithe was mandatory. The new testament says we are not under compulsion to give but we should give what we have decide in our hearts and give that amount cheerfully.

The 10% tithe is not required anymore but we should still give to support God's work and to help the poor and hungry. You should just give whatever amount you feel led to give. That may be 6%, 10%, 40%, etc.

Answer 7

We know that Abraham gave to Melchizedek, The King of Salam and the priest of the most high God, "tithes of all" (Gen.14:20).

Many proponents of New Testament tithing are using this verse to "prove" tithing is valid (as some "eternal principle") for the church today, because Abraham, the father of our faith, established the principle.

Abraham gave 10% to the priest. Abraham gave from the spoils he repossessed from the enemy kings.

Abraham gave the remaining 90% to those to whom the goods belonged in the first place.

Abraham gave only once in his lifetime (as far as the Bible recorded).

Abraham had not touched his own property or income (he was exceedingly wealthy).

Concerning this claim of strict obedience to a law, or ordinance that precedes the Law of Moses, consider the Seventh Day Sabbath.

The Sabbath was instituted during creation week. (Gen 2:2-3) If it can be claimed that the "tithe" is binding in the New Testament because it is a pre-law ordinance, should it not also hold true to the Seventh Day Sabbath?

Why don't the percentage preachers attempt to put believers back into bondage, "all the way"?

In which case Romans chapters 14 & 15 would be worthless for Paul tells us that the Day we worship does not matter and neither does it matter what food we eat.

Gen 28:22 is another favorite verse New Testament "tithing" proponents use to support pre-law tithing. Jacob pledged the Lord his life and a tenth of all possessions that would become his along the way. But he made this promise conditional: If God would remain with him, keep him in the way, and bring him safely home again, he would carry out his part of the pledge

If we do not obey from the "heart", but by "law", we are still lost in our sins

The People Tithed to the Levite Priests, and the Levite Priests Tithed to God.

There are no more Priests, Jesus is our High Priest.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test 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 a blessing until it overflows" (Malachi 3:10).

Here we have the tithing teachers' favorite verse in the whole Bible. On this verse they hang most of their doctrine. But if we take a close look at the verse, we will find something very interesting.

"And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes, and the Levites shall bring up the tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of the storehouse" (Nehemiah 10:38).

Today there is no equivalent of a High Priest. Jesus Christ is the High Priest of all True Believers today. (Heb. 2:17-18; 3:1-2)

2 Corinthians 8:13 (NLT)
13 Of course, I don’t mean you should give so much that you suffer from having too little. I only mean that there should be some equality.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT)
7 You must each make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully.

Galatians 5:1 (NLT)
1 So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.

Tithes are 'Corban'
And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. (Mark 7:9-13) (KJV)

If you have money your family needs, but you withhold it from them in order to pay it to the church as 'tithes', you are doing exactly what the Pharisees did. You are saying your money is "Corban" and Jesus taught that by doing so you were invalidating the Word of God.

LIBERTY not BONDAGE
Folks-we are under the perfect law of liberty.(2 Cor 3:17; James 2:12 and many more verses) We are "not" told how much to give. We are "not" told where to worship, or when. (John 4:20-25) We "are" told to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, (Heb 10:25) but we are "not" told how often to assemble. We are "not" told how often to celebrate the Lord's Supper. We are "not" told that Christ instituted a "new" Sabbath (replaced the seventh day Sabbath with the Lord's Day) (Sunday) But we are told that "TODAY" is the day that belongs to the Lord. We are "not" told we must be in church (assemble ourselves together) every time the church doors open. We are "not" told all of our Christian giving must go "only to the church where we are members".

Answer 8

Because they want to get out of that particular law, duh. That's human nature but when they keep pointing to other OT laws it really is a bit ironic.