I'm Christian. Do I tithe 10% of my total pay or 10% of my take home pay (after tax, deductions, etc)?

Question

I know it sounds like I'm splitting hairs, but there can be a big difference between the two sometimes. Please state your line of reasoning also (supported by text preferrably.)

Answer 1

The tithe is an Old Testament concept. The tithe was a requirement of the law in which all Israelites were give 10% of everything they earned and grew to the Tabernacle / Temple (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:26; Deuteronomy 14:24; 2 Chronicles 31:5). Believers in Christ are not commanded to give 10% of their income. Each and every Christian should diligently pray and seek God’s wisdom for how much he or she should give (James 1:5). I do believe that the Old Testament tithe is a good principle for believers to follow. Giving 10% of your income back to God demonstrates your thankfulness to Him for what He has provided and helps you to remember to rely on God instead of on riches.

The Bible does not specifically say whether we should give 10% off our gross or net income. The Old Testament teaches the principle of firstfruits (Exodus 23:16; 34:22; Leviticus 2:12-14; 2 Chronicles 31:5). Old Testament believers gave off the best of their crops, not the leftovers. The same principle should apply to our giving today. Again, a believer should give what he believes God would have him give. We should not give off of net income just so we give less. It all goes back to your heart attitude. Are you giving out of reverence for God or out of selfishness for your own wealth? “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Answer 2

It is completely based off of the persons word. There are what is known as "Tithing settlements" which are held at the end of the year. These will vary from Bishop to Bishop in how they are ran but as with anything in the church you are not forced to do it and though many people I know will bring in proof of their income to show the bishop I have attended several "Tithing settlements" where I did not bring any sort of documentation and the Bishop simply took my word for what I said. There was never any sort of repercussions for those events and I was never looked upon any lower. I am still and always have been a member in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Now there is one way that a bishop or any member of the church can easily tell if a member of the church is faithfully paying their tithing. You look at how active they are in the church. Being a Latter-Day Saint is very demanding. You need to have a very strong testimony or you will fall away, and all to often when people fall away they become horribly embittered towards the church, but that is a tale for another question. A person who has a testimony of this Church will gladly pay tithing and not because they are conforming or being brainwashed but because they have in the process of gaining that testimony learned about the Lords commandment to pay a full tithe and so the only desire to follow God's commandments.

Answer 3

If you are Christian then you are not obligated to tithe. If you belong to a church that claims to be Christian, and if you believe that your church is inspired, then give what your heart tells you.

A real Christian church involves a complete commitment of your energy, resources and time. You won't find that church too easily. But it is coming soon.

Tithing, in the sense of giving 10 percent of your income, gross or net, is not found in the Bible. Look into it and you will see that the modern day ritual of giving to a local establishment is a precept of man. The origins of tithing, beginning with Abraham, had nothing to do with giving any of one's income, nor on a weekly basis. And the sacrifices that the Hebrews made were directly to God, through the Levite priests. These sacrifices included first harvested crops. which were collected and stored and used by the priests. They were collected once a year.

The real church of Jesus Christ in the first century lived communally, where everyone gave all of their worldy wealth to the church and its select members, for the benefit of the select members. It was a total commitment. Considering the reward for faith in Jesus and the church, which is eternal life, giving of all one had isn't at all a bad trade off.

Answer 4

If you are Christian, you do not tithe, period.

Tithes were assessed on the increase of produce and livestock only. In other words, only landowners paid tithes.

It is also a point of law of the old testament/covenant to which Christians were never a party to. You cannot be required to keep a covenant law that is not in your covenant.

If you are in a church that teaches and demands tithes of wages, then:

1. They are perverting Scripture, and;

2. They are wolves in sheep's clothing. Do they wear wool suits?

And if you happen to believe they are right anyway, then you have been deceived and misled into a cult.

It also is useless to inform you of this, for everyone in a cult is completely convinced they are right and everyone on the outside is wrong.

So which is it?

.

Answer 5

A tithe is not a requisite to Christianity. Or rather, 10% is not set in stone. It needs to be something you do because you want to, not because you feel you have to. So sometimes, you may tithe less than 10%, other times, more. It's whatever you feel God lays on your heart to tithe. Also, don't forget tithing isn't just about money. It's time, as well.

Answer 6

NEITHER THE TITHING WAS DONE UNDER THE MOASIC LAW TO SUPPORT THE LEVITICAL PRIESTHOOD AS THEY HAD NO LAND INHERRITANCE AS DID THE OTHER TRIBES AND TO SUPPORT THE SACRIFICES MADE AT THE TEMPLE FOR SINS WHICH ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED SINCE JESUS SHED BLOOD FULLFILLED THE OLD LAW COVENANT AND HE INSTITUTED A NEW COVENANT THAT IS WHY EPH 7;15 AND COL 2;13,14 TELL US THE LAW WAS ABOLISHED ROMANS 6;14 HEB 7;12 AND 1ST PETER 2;9 TELLS US CHRISTIANS ARE UNDER A NEW COVENANT THE OLD COVENANT WITH THE TITHING WAS FOR JEWS ONLY UNDER THE MOSAIC LAW THAT APPLIED ONLY TO THE JEWS IN ISRAEL NOT THAT WE AS CHRISTIANS CANT GIVE BUT WE ARE NOT REQUIRED TO GIVE A SET AMOUNT AS 2ND COR 8;12-15 AND 9;7 BRING OUT DO WHAT YOU WANT FROM THE HEART AND PREACHERS WERE NOT TO BE PAID FOR THEIR PREACHING BUT TO WORK AT A JOB SO AS NOT TO BE AN EXPENSIVE BURDEN TO THE CONGREGATION LIKE THE APOSTLE PAUL WAS A TENT MAKER JESUS WAS A CARPENTER JAMES AND JOHN AND OTHERS WERE FISHERMEN LUKE WAS A DOCTOR MATTHEW WAS A TAX COLLECTOR ACTS 18;3 AND 1ST THESS 2;9

Answer 7

You already pay your tithe to the government. There is nothing biblical to say that you should also give to the church.

I am guessing that you probably live in America... If so, do not forget that since most christians on this forum consider America to be a christian nation, the government must be part of the church anyway, so there is no reason to consider your taxes as anything other than a tithe.

But let us look at it in the only context that makes sense. You are concerned about how much you tithe to your church. Why? When you have worked that out, you will know exactly the right amount. Oh, and don't forget that rather than giving your money to the church you could be much more effective in giving the money DIRECTLY to a family in need. It is odd that you never hear churches telling their congregations to tithe directly, isn't it?

After all, it's about using the money for god's work, and not about being seen to give generously.

Answer 8

10% of what you have, if you are tithing. You can't pay 10% of what you don't have. If the government is taking money out, then that doesn't count as money you have, because it's not in your posession. The Bible does say to be a cheerful giver, and tithing is considered by many to be the bare minimum of what people donate to the church. You should always donate what God lays on your heart to donate, and know that He will provide you and your family with all that you need.

Answer 9

I tithe on my gross (before tax, medicare....) I realized this when I read about Jesus telling the Pharisees to give to God what is Gods and Ceaser what is Ceasers. It would be clearer if we didn't have withholdings and were billed for taxes like we are for utilities. Most Christians who tithe believe that you tithe before you pay your bills. Why should paying the gov't be different?

Answer 10

The tithe is an Old Testament concept.

Try finding the word "tithe" in the New Testament using a word search. You won't find it.

Paul said God loves a cheerful giver who gives generously whatever the Holy Spirit has moved you to give.

So pray and figure out what God would have you do.