church tract

Most preachers, pastors, TV and radio evangelists practice and teach what is called tithing. Tithing, they say, is the act of giving 10% or your income to the local church.

They say:
Abraham tithed, so we must also.

The truth is:
God did not command Abraham to give. Abraham's gift was voluntary. Abraham only gave one time, not weekly; he did not give anything from his own possessions, he gave from the spoils of war.

They say:
Jacob gave 10% so should we.

The truth is:
God did not command Jacob to give. His promise to give 10% was voluntary and conditional. This is what he said:

Genesis 28:20: "Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

They say:
God will curse you if you don't. They quote Malachi 3, vs 8-10.

Malachi 3:8: "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. " But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house."

The truth is:
The book of Malachi was written to Jewish people who were under the Old Testament law at that time. Since Jesus fullfilled the law it is no longer binding.You were never under the law and never will be so the curse in Malachi can not apply to you. Also notice what they were to tithe. Food, not money.

They say:
You must bring 10% of your income into the church building and nowhere else.The truth is:The tithe was not just brought into the local storehouse.
Sometimes the tithe was even eaten by the tither. The tithe was food, agricultural products, or livestock, never money.

Deuteronomy 14:23: "Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always."

Sometimes the tithe was given to the aliens, fatherless and widows to eat.

Deuteronomy 14:28: "At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands."

You can see from the previous passages and many others in the Bible, the tithe was never money and the people didn't bring it all to one place. It was about fellowship with God and taking care of others.

They say:
Jesus told the Pharisees to tithe, so we should too. They use this verse.

Matthew 23:23: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

The truth is:
The Pharisees were under the law at that time and were required to tithe because Jesus had not yet gone to the cross and fullfilled the law. Also, take note on what they tithed. It was not money, but edible substances.

Paul instructs the New Testament believers at Corinth how to give. He says.

2 Corinthians 9:7: "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

Here the New Testament believers are told they are to decide how much to give, not a preacher or pastor or anyone else. It is up to each individual to decide how much and also where to give.

I pray that this has helped you see the truth about what the Old Testament tithe actually was (edible products) and what tithing was really all about.

This little tract was not written to try to get you to stop giving. If possible, you should give to promote God's Kingdom and to help those in need. It was written to open your eyes to the fact that you are not obligated to give 10% of your income to a local church or anywhere else for that matter. Most of the giving in the New Testament went to directly help other believers in need. Each person should pray and seek God to find out where He would have them give.

For a more in-depth article on tithing that will go into a lot more detail than this little tract can provide, please visit our website.