Tithing for Christians and Jews – II

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Click on PDF file to see God’s Word on tithing:

tithing-for-jews-and-christians-for-internet-pdf-conversion.pdf


17 Responses to “Tithing for Christians and Jews – II”

  1. I really feel for the poor that come into the church looking for help, only to leave feeling ashamed, that they don’t have 10% to give and hearing the Pastor say “Your Cursed” if you don’t give the tithe.

    Gregory Couch said this on August 1, 2009 at 4:28 am | Reply

  2. Marianne

    I am Reverend Abel M. Siampale under the Church of God World Missions in Zambia, Southern Africa. I have a gift to teach, preach, counsel and administer organizational businesses at a higher level. I am a University Graduate in the school of natural sciences working for Government. I am considered an evangelist in the church with a stead following. Recently, I have been encouraging church members on giving and tithing. I spend a considerable time to read the scriptures very carefully and spiritually. My lessons are based on the interpretation of the biblical use of tithes and offerings in the church as defined in the Old testament. I have compiled suggestive ways (in reference to the bible) of how best we can adopt the use of such sacrifices in today’s church without having to mislead people from the intentions of these gifts by God to the early church. I have since been accused to be speaking against some pastors and that I shall be cursed. Truelly heavens awaits for our deeds.

    Reading through your lines of thought, I tend to agree with you over your views on tithing. The way we (pastors) teach on tithing to our members today is very discouraging and misleading. The intention in the Old testament for bringing tithes to God was meant to provide a service to God’s mission on earth from the harvests/gains/blessings received out of His favour to mankind. It is very unfortunately, that this well meant desire has since been construed to mean providing a pastor’s pay. While, I do appreciate the workload before a fultime pastor, the church should set aside a pastor’s salary eshrined under a defined salary scale, where he/she will contribute his/her tithes and other government taxes just like anyother member/worker. My independent view should be to use the given tithes for total service in the house of the Lord through support to outreach programmes such as welfare assistance (i.e. for the poor, widows, orphans, and vulnerable), holding of conferences, serminars, workshops meant to help in the extension of God’s Kingdom. Someone may wish to ask where the money to pay these pastors will then come from? Every church should be productive and proactive, our pastors should be inovators and industrious individuals willing to add value to the economies of their respective churches and countries the sky is the limit. The issue of persuading church members to give and tithe to feed a pastor ALONE and choosing to neglect and fail to assist the needy is tantamount to “thefy by trick” from the poor. In my research, the more you talk on giving and tithing without any meangiful returns to members (especially the poor) in your church, the more they get demotivated and begin to neglect to fellowship. They feel guilt day in and out. I consider insunuations on cursing non payees of offerings and tithes every other sunday service as “CARELESS TALK”, by any meaning man of God.

    Let pastors be inovative, creative and stop waiting to be fed, it is making them lazy, unproductive, shortlived, and more dependant on those that give more tithes and offerings. It compromizes their noble authority, they become puppet leaders living on handouts, “GOD FORBID”.

    Rev A. M. Siampale
    10101 Lusaka, Zambia

    Rev Abel M. Siampale said this on August 14, 2009 at 10:33 am | Reply

    • hello Rev Siampale

      Thank your for your contribution.

      Jewish view:
      Tithes is something the Jews consider unnecessary at this time, because the Temple in Jerusalem is absent. But offerings still continue. Tithes, in the form of food, was only for the temple sacrifices.

      Christians today:

      Today, what people give should be considered an offering, not a tithe, if adhering to OT definitions. But also, the “name” of what we call the money (offering, tithe) is not important. What is important is how it is used.

      If it helps God’s work, then it is a blessing to be shared. If it becomes abused, then it profits no one. So the heart of the giver, and the heart of the manager of that money is involved.

      Responsible, not frivolous, handling of money for the greatest use for God should be the goal.

      God bless you in your labors.

      Marianne said this on August 14, 2009 at 12:09 pm | Reply

  3. I just want to let you know that that was awesome, may God continue to bless you with HIS wisdom and clarity of the Word

    God Bless

    Juanita said this on December 27, 2009 at 7:57 pm | Reply

  4. Hello all my name is Ta’Von Davis. From my research I see that tithing was never meant to be about money in the temple system. In the Church giving was to fulfill the needs of the saints in need. I believe that we must get back to distributing to the needs of the saints as well as pay the elders who rule in the Churches. If we put our priorities back in order we will see the true love back in the church community, even as we abandon the idea of the Church industry.

    TaVon Davis said this on January 7, 2010 at 2:03 am | Reply

  5. A good book to read is Russell Kelly’s book on Tithing. You can look for it online.

    Maxine said this on April 28, 2010 at 1:25 am | Reply

  6. I found out the truth of tithing after 30 years of deception. For all who still struggle, take a gander at “How to Resign from Tithing: http://blackchristiannews.com/bloggers/2009/12/how-to-resign-by-dr-frank-chase-jr.html

    Dr. Frank Chase Jr said this on June 9, 2010 at 3:25 pm | Reply

  7. Hello again,
    I don’t know if I told you about my study, but since my last time, I spent over a year trying to put together my own study. I have really enjoyed your study from the Jewish perectiive which is important to understanding tithing. Here is the link to my study.

    http://www.holytithe.com/TithingPresent.pdf

    Dr. Frank Chase Jr said this on July 9, 2011 at 4:27 pm | Reply

    • hi Dr. Chase

      I am glad my site was of some help. I just looked a the first 20 pages. It seems like you agree with me. If you like, and agree, I can add your “book” as a link on my site.

      Marianne said this on July 9, 2011 at 6:10 pm | Reply

  8. Dear Dr. Chase,
    I Greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
    The following is a loving response to your articles on the subject ot tithing with supporting scripture, which I don’t believe you have in your articles.

    1 Corinthians 9:14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

    Even so. In the same manner, and for the same reasons.

    Hath the Lord ordained. Hath the Lord appointed, commanded, arranged that it should be so, (διεταξε.) The word here means, that he has made this a law, or has required it; The word “Lord” here doubtless refers to the Lord Jesus, who has sent forth his ministers to labour in the great harvest of the world.

    That they which preach the gospel. They who are sent forth by him; who devote their lives to this work; who are called and employed by him in this service. This refers, therefore, not only to the apostles, but to all who are duly called to this work, and who are his ambassadors.

    Should live of the gospel. Should be supported and. maintained in this work. Paul here probably refers to the appointment of the Lord Jesus, when he sent forth his disciples to preach, Matthew 10:10; Luke 10:8. Compare Galatians 6:6. The man may be said to “live in the gospel” who is supported while he preaches it, or who derives his maintenance in that work. Here we may observe,

    (1.) that the command is, that they shall live (ζην) of the gospel. It is not that they should grow rich, or lay up treasures, or speculate in it, or become merchants, farmers, teachers, or book-makers for a living; but it is, that they should have such a maintenance as to constitute a livelihood. They should be made comfortable, not rich. They should receive so much as to keep their minds from being harassed with cares, and their families from want; not so much as to lead them to forget their dependence on God, or on the people. Probably the true rule is, that they should be able to live as the mass of the people among whom they labour live; that they should be able to receive and entertain the poor, and be willing to do it; and so that the rich also may not despise them, or turn away from their dwelling.

    (2.) This is a command of the Lord Jesus; and if it is a command, it should be obeyed as much as any other law of the Redeemer. And if this is a command, then the minister is entitled to a support; and then also a people are not at liberty to withhold it. Further, there are as strong reasons why they should support him, as there are why they should pay a schoolmaster, a lawyer, a physician, or a day-labourer. The minister usually toils as hard as others; expends as much in preparing for his work; and does as much good. And there is even a higher claim in this case. God has given an express command in this case; he has not in the others.

    (3.) The salary of a minister should not be regarded as a gift merely, any more than the pay of a congress-man, a physician, or a lawyer. He has a claim to it; and God has commanded that it should be paid. It is, moreover, a matter of stipulation and of compact, by which a people agree to compensate him for his services. And yet, is there anything in the shape of debt where there is so much looseness as an regard to this subject? Are men usually as conscientious in this as they are in paying a physician or a merchant? Are not ministers often in distress for that which has been promised them, and which they have a right to expect? And is not their usefulness, and the happiness of the people, and the honour of religion, intimately connected with obeying the rule of the Lord Jesus in this respect?

    (*) “Lord ordained” Luke 10:7
    (*) “ordained” “appointed”
    (*) “that they” Galatians 6:6
    —Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament

    Paul Defended His Right to Receive Support (1 Cor. 9:1-14)
    In this first half of the chapter, Paul proved that he had the right to receive financial support from the church at Corinth. He gave five arguments to support this contention.
    His apostleship (vv. 1-6). The word apostle means “one sent under commission,” and refers primarily to the 12 Apostles and Paul. These men had a special commission, along with the New Testament prophets, to lay the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20). One of the qualifications for being an apostle was a personal experience of seeing the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:21-22). Paul saw the Lord when he was traveling to Damascus to arrest Christians (Acts 9:1-9). The Apostles were to be witnesses of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39-43).
    The Apostles also were given the ability to perform special signs and wonders to attest the message that they preached (Heb. 2:4). Paul had performed such miracles during his ministry in Corinth (2 Cor. 12:12). In fact, Paul considered the Corinthian church a very special “seal” of his ministry as an apostle. Corinth was a difficult city to minister in, and yet Paul accomplished a great work because of the Lord’s enablement (see Acts 18:1-17).
    Therefore, as an apostle, Paul had the right to receive support from the people to whom he ministered. (The word power is used six times in this chapter, and means “authority, right.”) The apostle was the representative of Christ; he deserved to be welcomed and cared for. Paul was unmarried; but if he’d had a wife, she too would have had the right to be supported by the church. Peter was a married man (Mark 1:30), and his wife traveled with him. Paul had the same right, but he did not use it.
    Paul also had the right to devote his full time to the ministry of the Word. He did not have to make tents. The other Apostles did not work to support themselves because they gave themselves completely to the ministry of the Word. However, both Paul and Barnabas labored with their own hands to support not only themselves, but also the men who labored with them.
    Human experience (v. 7). Everyday experience teaches us that a workman deserves some reward for his labors. If a man is drafted to be a soldier, the government pays his wages and provides a certain amount of supplies for him. The man who plants a vineyard gets to eat the fruit, just as the shepherd or herdsman has the right to use the milk from the animals.
    Perhaps in the “back of his mind,” Paul was comparing the church to an army, a vineyard, and a flock. As an apostle, Paul was in the very front line of the battle. He had already compared the church at Corinth to a cultivated field (1 Cor. 3:6-9), and the Lord Himself had used the image of the vine and branches (John 15) as well as the flock (John 10). The lesson was clear: The Christian worker has the right to expect benefits for his labors. If this is true in the “secular” realm, it is also true in the spiritual realm.
    The Old Testament Law (vv. 8-12). The Old Testament was the “Bible” of the early church, since the New Testament was in the process of being written. The first believers found guidance in the spiritual principles of the Law, even though they had been liberated from obeying the commandments of the Law. St. Augustine said, “The New is in the Old concealed; the Old is by the New revealed.”
    Paul quoted Deuteronomy 25:4 to prove his point. (He quoted this same verse when he wrote to Timothy and encouraged the church to pay their ministers adequately, 1 Tim. 5:17-18.) Since oxen cannot read, this verse was not written for them. Nor was it written only for the farmer who was using the labors of the ox. It would be cruel for the farmer to bind the mouth of the ox and prevent him from eating the available grain. After all, the ox was doing the work.
    Paul correctly saw a spiritual principle in this commandment: The laborer has the right to share in the bounties. The ox had plowed the soil in preparation for sowing, and now he was treading out the grain that had been harvested. Paul had plowed the soil in Corinth. He had seen a harvest from the seed he had planted. It was only right that he enjoyed some of the fruits of that harvest.
    First Corinthians 9:11 enunciates a basic principle of the Christian life: If we receive spiritual blessings, we should in turn share material blessings. For example, the Jews gave spiritual blessings to the Gentiles; so the Gentiles had an obligation to share materially with the Jews (Rom. 15:25-27). Those who teach us the Word have the right to expect us to support them (Gal. 6:6-10).
    We have reason to believe that Paul did accept financial support from other churches. The Philippian believers sent him two gifts when he went to Thessalonica (Phil. 4:15-16). “I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service,” Paul reminded the Corinthians (2 Cor. 11:8). Apparently other ministers had accepted support at Corinth (1 Cor. 9:12), but Paul preferred to remain independent “lest we should hinder the Gospel of Christ.” He wanted to be the best example possible to other believers (2 Thes. 3:6-9).
    Old Testament practice (v. 13). The priests and Levites lived off of the sacrifices and offerings that were brought to the temple. The regulations governing their part of the offerings, and the special tithes they received also are found in Numbers 18:8-32; Leviticus 6:14-7:36; and 27:6-33. The application is clear: If the Old Testament ministers under Law were supported by the people to whom they ministered, should not God’s servants who minister under grace also be supported?
    The teaching of Jesus (v. 14). Paul was no doubt referring to our Lord’s words recorded in Luke 10:7-8 and Matthew 10:10. The Corinthians did not have a copy of either Gospel to refer to, but the Lord’s teaching would have been given to them as a part of the oral tradition shared by the Apostles. The laborer is worthy of his hire is a fundamental principle that the church dare not neglect.
    Paul certainly proved his point. His five arguments proved conclusively that he had the right to expect the Corinthian believers to support him in his ministry when he was with them. Yet he had deliberately refused their support. Why? This he explained in the second part of his defense.
    —Bible Exposition Commentary – New Testament

    Pastor Bill said this on September 15, 2011 at 6:07 pm | Reply

    • Hi Pastor Bill.

      Maybe this will help make things more clear.

      http://heavenawaits.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/tithing-for-jews-and-christians-for-internet-pdf-conversion.pdf

      The best way to see how to apply correct interpretation of scriptures is to observe behavior of Jesus and the apostles.

      None of them collected and lived on tithes.

      If someone offered something to them, they took accepted it, but they did not pass around the collection plate.

      They also required that everyone work in the church to support themselves, and this included the apostles. Paul made tents. Others fished.

      etc.

      The tithe system was never part of the early church, because it was meant for the temple system only.

      Even today, Jews do not tithe themselves, because there is no temple. Today, they pay the temple tax, or what they call dues, which is much less than a tithe.

      You have to understand what the tithe is. It is a communion meal with God.

      today, we have communion instead.

      The church has become a business, and people are paid for what others in the past did from their hearts, for free, or for an occasional offering.

      If you are already rewarded by man for what you do, then the reward in heaven may be lacking, since you have already been paid.

      Marianne said this on September 15, 2011 at 7:10 pm | Reply

  9. Well done, thanks for this

    Vessel of God said this on March 27, 2012 at 3:35 pm | Reply

  10. [...] Heaven Awaits [...]

    Debate: the question of tithing « I am a Vessel of God said this on March 29, 2012 at 3:16 pm | Reply

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