What can you say about churches who do not impose the value of giving tithes and offerings among its members?
Let’s see what the Bible says about giving. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 says, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 says, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
We should teach others about the privilege of giving. However, we should teach it according to what the Word of God says. Tithing was practiced in the Old Testament and was part of the Law of Moses. Let’s look at a few verses about the requirement of tithes.
Leviticus 27:30, “And all the TITHE OF THE LAND, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.”
Leviticus 27:32, “And concerning the TITHE OF THE HERD, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.”
Deuteronomy 14:22, “Thou shalt truly TITHE ALL THE INCREASE OF THY SEED, that the field bringeth forth year by year.”
Matthew 23:23, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay TITHE OF MINT AND ANISE AND CUMMIN, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
Under Moses’ law, the people were required to give tithes, but notice that it was not money that was given, it was possessions. The people gave according to what they had or acquired.
What about today? Is tithing necessary during this Church Age we are living in? NO! Tithing is not required, but ‘giving’ is taught. There is a big difference. Notice that in all of the Apostle Paul’s epistles, the word ‘tithe’ is not mentioned, but giving is! We see in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 that on the first day of the week a collection was taken. It was based on how the Lord had increased the giver.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 shows us that each person determined how much to give. It was not a necessity. God looks on the heart, not on the wallet. Under the law, a person was to tithe ten percent and it was not necessary that he was happy about giving. Today, the amount to give is not stated, but the attitude of the heart is of great importance for “God loveth a cheerful giver.”
We should teach that the Lord welcomes our offerings when we give to Him out of a grateful and cheerful heart. If we begrudge the Lord of any monetary offering, He doesn’t want it. However, we should search our hearts to see why we would resent giving to the Lord after He has done so much for us. So, we should give to the Lord, but it is not according to the Law of Moses. We should give to the Lord because we love Him and desire to obey His Word.
For more on tithing, please click on this Answers From the Book link: https://answersfromthebook.net/what-does-the-scripture-say-as-to-how-much-i-should-give-to-the-assembly-or-church-collection/ (314.5)