Have Our Churches Misrepresented a Biblical Tithe....?

Question

Tithe - is an old word for tax. According to my Bible (Leviticus)the people of Israel were instructed to give the tribes of Levi a tenth of their tithes. The churches of today want 10% of everything when the Bible asks for a tenth of the taxes paid to the governor.

Don't hate me for the question...but do show me why....

Have Our Churches Misrepresented a Biblical Tithe....?

Answer 1

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus referred to tithing as a part of the law. In the book of Galatians, Paul the Apostle makes the case that Christians are no longer to follow the law. In Acts 15, the council at Jerusalem listed 3 things from the law that should be followed. And, tithing was NOT included in this list. Here are some truths about tithing:

1) Abraham never tithed on his own personal property or livestock. In fact, Abraham also made animal sacrifices, practiced polygamy, and a plethora of other things before the Law. So should Christians be mandated to follow those practices also?

2) Jacob would not tithe until God blessed him first. Jacob is the grandson of Abraham, whom God also blessed tremendously. Not only did God approve of Jacob's tithing proposal, but; He made it the foundational principle upon which all future tithing would be based. Chances are great that most of reverends and ministers won't even quote this next verse, let alone preach a sermon on it. Get ready for a real tithing eye opener. Here it is.

Gen. 28:20-22, "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, IF God will be with me, and [if God] will keep me in this way that I go, and [if God] will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; THEN shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shall GIVE ME I will surely give the TENTH unto thee."

Wow! This one Scripture pretty much contradicts 99% of all sermons I have ever heard on the subject of tithing! This is the very first Scripture in the Bible that gives an account of someone giving a tenth or tithe of his personal possessions back to God.
Some other snippets on tithing:

According to the bible, it was ONLY Levite priests who were deemed to collect tithes, and I don't think there are any Levite priests today. So, doesn't that mean that those who are asking for or who are collecting tithes today is doing wrong in the eyes of God and is a fake or con artist.

Also, only food products from the land were tithed against.

Cash/currency as we know it today -was never a tithed commodity - plus, Christian converts were never asked to tithe anything to the Church.

Tithing in the Church first appears centuries after completion of the Bible. I should also point out that Paul, in writing letters to young churches, NEVER once instructed them on tithing. Instead, he said: “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.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Hope this helps to answer your question...

Answer 2

The word "tithe" actually comes from an Old English word for "tenth." Leviticus Ch. 27 is very clear that one tenth of crops, livestock, etc. (essentially wealth or income, in an agrarian society) should be given to the Lord.

The Levites were set aside as priests and temple workers. Therefore, they received the tithes paid by the other Israelites. In turn, they are instructed to give one tenth (a tithe) of that (their income, since they are not farming) to the Lord.

So in truth, everyone is told to give one tenth of their income to God.

Answer 3

I'll have to redo some research but as I remember, OT people gave 10% of the total as a, as you put it, tax. Then they gave an offering above the tithe. Maybe you've heard the modern term, tithes and offerings? That's the origin of it. In the NT, we are instructed to give as we've been prospered. 10% may bankrupt one person while another doesn't even notice 10% is missing. (Refer to the widow who gave more than the rich) We may need to give more or less but 10% is a good measure if you don't know how much to give but grace is growing in giving. We should be able to give more this year than last; more next year than this, etc. The whole point, however, is to give cheerfully.

Answer 4

I've never heard that the word Tithe means Tax. Tithe and Tenth come from the same root word.

Keep on casting your bread upon the water.
Soon it's gonna come back home on every wave!
Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over!

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Answer 5

I'm a Mormon, we pay our tithing every month to our church. We actually have control on what the tithe should be used for:

Humanitarian Aid
Printing costs for the Book of Mormon
Building more temples
Putting it towards the missionary fund
and other worthy purposes.

Those who have the income pay ten percent of their increase (pay a tithing) on every pay check.
Those who have no income, do not, but are expected to when they do attain employment, and tithing is not retroactive.

Answer 6

Well....

The pastor needs to eat too. So I believe the tithe is Scriptural. I always refer to the verse in Malachi chapter 3.....

Tithing should be from the heart and out of the abundance of how we are blessed.

Answer 7

Considering the IRS wants 38% of my gross income, I think the 10% for the glory of God is not at all too much to ask. I wish that 38% went to God's kingdom.

I see the tithe as a way for us to give back what we borrowed from God, for all it is His to begin with. All the blessings that I see in front of me, my house, my material possessions, my income, are just out on loan for me to use.

That my 2 points. God Bless You always!

Answer 8

God asks for the first fruits. He doesn't want 10% of what's left over or 10% of what you pay in taxes he wants the first 10% of what we earn. Read Deuteromony 14: 22,23

Which states we are to give the first ten percent of everything to the Lord God. We are to give the best of what we have, not the left over scraps.

Answer 9

yes
NT Tithe was a form of Social Security.

Answer 10

Tithe=tax? Book,chapter verse please. I am not saying your wrong; I am asking for the scriptural evidence to support the assertion.