Why Tithing Is Not
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By Julie M. Groves / September 2010 |
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You might like to check out my other site on tithing: So What’s Tithing All About? |
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Look
at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more
valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26 |
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The word ‘tithing’ simply means ‘the giving of one-tenth,’ but in many churches it has come to represent an entire belief system, which teaches
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Although many people practice and teach these commonly-held beliefs on tithing, I believe that tithing – a required act under the Old Covenant – has been replaced in the New Covenant by freewill giving. Below are some of the common misconceptions taught in the Church today on tithing, as well as Scriptural truths explaining why tithing is not God’s best for today. |
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| 1. Sowing and reaping is a natural principle of the world |
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| Why
are we teaching something in the church that is basically a natural
principle of the world, which applies to both Christians and
non-Christians, applies both before and after the cross – and
presenting it as a New Covenant truth? ...more |
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| 2. Tithing does away with the offence of the cross |
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| When
it comes to finances, the basis for our faith has suddenly switched
from the cross of Jesus Christ (his finished work) to our giving (our
works). … more |
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| 3. Tithing was not instituted until the law period |
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| Abraham’s
example in this historical narrative is not sufficient to establish
this passage as the ‘first mention’ of tithing in the Bible. … more |
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| 4. Tithing was never taught to New Covenant believers |
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New Testament does not always mean New Covenant! All the references in the New Covenant relate to Old Covenant believers. This brings us to some startling truth:
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| 5. We cannot make an argument from silence
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| The argument from silence is no argument. It points away from tithing rather than towards it. … more |
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| 6. Malachi chapter 3 does not apply in the New Covenant |
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| Reason #1: We are no longer under the curse of the law Reason #2: The windows of heaven are already open to us … more |
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| 7. Is giving 10% really an eternal principle? |
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| Rather
than reflecting that 10% is an eternal principle, it could well instead
reflect that tax is a universal phenomenon! and that one-tenth is
simply the most practical figure to work with. … more |
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| 8. Tithing today bears little resemblance to Old Testament tithing |
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| In the Old Testament, people never tithed on their monetary income. … more |
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| 9. We have been set free to live according to our new natures |
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important point is that in the New Covenant, external laws have been
replaced by an internal principle – the internal prompting and guiding
by the love nature of God within us. … more |
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| 10. Mixed motivations give mixed results |
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the New Testament, we are continually being told to put away the old
nature and live by the new. But how can we do that in the financial
area when appeals are regularly being made to our flesh?! We ought not
to be seed-conscious, but God-conscious. … more |
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| 11. We cannot mix law and grace without nullifying grace |
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| We cannot add a law or rule on
top of God’s grace without nullifying the power of His grace. Our
foundation must be grace alone, not a mixture of grace and works. … more |
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| 12. Giving is a grace, not an obligation |
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| Giving, as with every other
‘good work’ our faith produces, is a grace resulting from the working
of God’s love in our hearts. … more |
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| 13. Christ is our righteousness |
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| There is only one basis on which
we can receive anything from God – righteousness – and only one way in
which we can receive that righteousness – by faith in Jesus Christ. …
more |
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| 14. We are children with an inheritance, not servants earning wages |
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| We are Sons of God with an
inheritance, not servants earning wages. We appropriate God’s promises
simply by asking in faith. … more |
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| 15. Ask, and you shall receive |
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| In order to receive things, we
only need to ask in faith. Don’t add conditions to your asking and
receiving that are not there in the Scripture. … more |
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| 16. We cannot serve two masters – Jesus and an external law |
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| The crux of the matter is that
our Christian walk is supposed to be a living relationship with Jesus
Christ through the Holy Spirit, and that cannot be reduced to external
rules or formulas in any area. … more |
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| 17. It is the obedience that comes from faith that brings the reward |
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| This is the truly eternal and
universal principle which leads to prosperity – listen and obey, not
the mere giving of 10%. … more |
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| 18. Teaching sowing and reaping puts the cart before the horse |
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| Giving and receiving are very
important but they must never become the "foundation" of our
prosperity. Yes – sowing and reaping works – but we are not supposed to
work it. … more |
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| 19. God is our source of supply, not people |
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| My supply is always there, and your inheritance is according to My riches in glory. … more |
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| Recommended Resources |
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| © Julie Groves (2010), P O Box 1626, Shek Wu Hui, Hong Kong |
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