Do We Have To Tithe?
November 22, 2009 by Lecrae.net
Filed under Blog
Over the past few months, God has been dealing with me on the sensitive issue of tithing. Is in necessary? Is in mandatory? What will happen if I don’t tithe? These are some of the questions I had for God. I have pointed to a CD series by Creflo Dollar in an earlier post, and am going to reference it hereagain. Creflo lays out the subject of tithing about as detailed as any I have listened to in the past. His messages addresses all of these questions and I would like to share briefly what God has showed me from his series.
One question you may ask yourself is this: Would you go outside with no clothes on? Well you could, but you probably wouldn’t. You wouldn’t because of the repercussions you would have, like getting arrested for indecent exposure. Tithing is similar in the fact that God never commands us to tithe. In Matthew 22:36-40, it says ‘ Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.“ What this means is the love we have for God will WANT us to abide by His law’s. God did not want to force us to give to Him, because if we can choose to give to Him, our action is a result of what is in our hearts. If our heart is right, God can bless us! It shows we are not giving simply because we desire something in return. We need to give because we love God!
If you get a chance I strongly urge you to check out this series by Creflo Dollar.
LeCrae, you said, “What this means is the love we have for God will WANT us to abide by His law’s”. God’s “laws” said his tithe is agricultural, but that isn’t the tithe you are advocating, is it?
God’s “laws” said that the tithe was to be given to the sons of Levi, widows, orphans and foreigners in the land of Canaan. But that is not who you are advocating giving the tithe to, right?
God’s “laws” said that the tither was to take tithes to Jerusalem once a year and eat the tithe with his household. But again, this is not the tithes you are advocating, correct?
The fact is, when comparing how tithing is observed today to what the Scriptures say about tithes and how they are to be observed, it is clear that no one is abiding “by His laws”.
Russell Kelly is correct. Pastor Dollar does not follow any of the tithing “principles set out in Numbers 18. Nor in Leviticus 27:30-33. Nor in any other passage that defines how tithing is to be observed.
Our giving should be according to what we decide in our hearts to give, not a dictated amount or percentage. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
Hi i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace, when i read this article i thought i could also create comment due to this good paragraph.
There is no law to tithe but in the new covenant we get to tithe & when we do tithe we aren’t robbing God & we will we blessed with windows of heaven blessings & who doesn’t want that in their life.
I agree with you Joshua Mason. Everything you have said. Why would you only want to give 10 % to the all mighty God. Christ came to FULFILL the law. Think about it. If you tithe, and Christ came and fulfilled the law and you keep tithing. You are making it out to where he didn’t come and fulfill the law in the first place. If I were to give money back to the church because God has blessed me in my life, I would be completely broke because there is no amount of money I can give back to God to say thanks. And you can’t buy your way to heaven. God blesses me every day out of His love for me. Just how I give back out of Love. I don’t believe in tithing because everything I own is already His. Including money. Love God, love others, and spread the Gospel.
Tithing is not apart of the new covenant. To be Christian means to be a follower of Christ. Christ didn’t say He only wants 10% of you. He wants all of you. It is wrong to say hey God I’m gunna give you 10%. I agree with giving as you are moved to give by the Holy Spirit and can give but the word tithe should never be around the new covenant because it was apart of the Jewish Law Jesus fulfilled. I am Christian not Jewish. I am not held to the Law to give. By doing so you are attaching The Promise to The Law and making The Promise of no effect. Besides if you say we are suppose to give as we are moved then why does the word tithe even have to be in play? It shouldn’t because outta love we should give not outta requirement or a set standard. We became Christians to have a relationship with God not more rules to follow, because it does no good to listen to His rules and never get to know Him in your life and allowing Him to be such apart of you (outta love not requirement) that you cannot help but be changed and have Him rub off on you like we do with each person that we love in our lives. Just think about it my fellow Christians. It is all very simple. I love you all may the Holy Spirit to work on us and our understanding grow as it is written for each of us in His plan.
I love that you address all topics on your web page Lecrae. I agree completely with you and with Creflo Dollar. It is true that we are not under the law because of Jesus. However, He did not come to abolish the law, but to FULFILL the law. It is a true statement that in our human weakness, where our money goes, our hearts will follow, and vice versa.Therefore, tithing is a great way to attatch our hearts to the Lord and not tithing is a great way to create a separation. Also, the reason that in the OT the things being tithed were livestock and food rather than cash is because that was all they had and all they needed. Our tithing is about trusting God and giving back what is already his in appreciation for His provisions over us. Lastly, if we don’t tithe, our pastors don’t eat, and our church’s missions will not be funded. The church depends on the support of it’s members. It is true that this also includes our gifts and time, but our money is simply one of those gifts.
Sorry to bore. Looking forward to seeing you in Sacramento Lecrae.
God Bless.
I had been an avid tither for 12+ yrs until I did a study on the subject after reading a book from a christian author. The book was about marriage but when I got to the last few pages the author made a statement which read “tithing is not a requirement for New Covenant believers.” Of course it shook me the wrong way but I couldn’t dismiss it without doing some research. When Abraham GAVE a tithe(tenth)of the spoil to Melchizedek it was completely voluntary, this tithe(tenth) was not like the tithe(tenth) required under the Mosaic law. Under the Mosaic Law the tithe(tenth)was always the seed of the land, herd, flock,etc and never money. Because the Levites and Priest did not have an inheritance, the other tribes in Israel supported them by giving a tithe(tenth). Here are a few scriptures to back up what I am stating: Num 18:21-24, Deut 18:1-2, Neh 10:35-39 and 2 Chr 31:4-12. And yes, back in the days there was money but the tithe(tenth) was still food. Here are a few more scriptures to back up that statement: Gen 17:12,23:12-13,42:35; Exodus 12:44,21:34,22:17; Lev 22:11,25:51,27:15; Deut 2:6, 2:28. I wish that the leaders of the church would not use scare tactics on the flock when using Malachi 3:8-12. Those who were to support the Levites had not done so, they had not brought the tithes(tenth) the storehouse(a room in the temple to store the crops and animals brought by the people). And rebuking the devourer so not to destroy the fruit of the ground and the vine……the devourer were the locust that would destroyed the fields. There is so much on this topic, it would take some time to go through, but if we are REBELS for Christ, we owe Him enough to proclaim God’s word truthfully and correctly even if it means being ridiculed and chastised by those in the church family. Paul instructs Timothy and all New Covenant believers to watch out for false doctrine and hold on to the “true” faith. Let’s not be deceived because we don’t want to read…..that a great message for a song(smile), but it’s also the truth and the truth will make you free!!! I am now an avid giver who gives freely and generously but not just in money. I have been living in the ATL area for a year and half and have had trouble finding a church home that would accept us because we believe that we are no longer living under the Old Covenant laws but live as New Covenant believers under His grace. I wish we wouldn’t let small things get in the way of what God has called and chosen us to do. Lastly, I do appreciate all that Lecrae.net and its artist do for our young generation and also those young at heart like myself. The lyrics God has entrusted you with are powerful to say the least. I am inspired and feel bold enough to do all that God has called and chosen me to do.
I am not sure what you think the tithing principles are, but judging by what the Bible says about tithing, Creflo is on point. We tithe our increase 10% and give it to our high priest just as Abraham did in Genesis. We tithe not because God commands us to tithe, we do it cause we love Him. Every good thing that has happened in life is because of God. The least I can do is to give back part of my increase because it is because of God that I have that increase.
Creflo Dollar will not submit to interviews and questions. He follows NONE of the tithing principles found in Numbers 18.
For the other side of tithifng see http://www.tithing-russkelly.com. I will be glad to answwer questions.