Tithes are sacred, more than just giving it. I think everything about tithing is anchored to your level of faith.

Image123:

Who told you that tithe is a law?.Don't you know that freewill offerings were done under the law?You guys always miss it.Tithe is not the law.Giving is not the law,yet love is the fulfilling of the law.Tithe is a form of giving and it should be done cheerfully as love should be done cheerfully

I agree that tithes are a form of giving, but as I said before, it does not conform to the standard of new covenant giving. This is the standard:

2Corinthians 9:7
(7)  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

- Giving in the new covenant is as a man purposes in his heart. That means, he is free to determine the amount, the purpose, and the time to give.
- Tithes are not as a man purposes in his heart because it is a fixed stipulation of 10%.Man cannot determine the amount and the purpose and the time to give as those have been stipulated.

- Giving in the new covenant is to be done without any grudge in mind and not because of a necessity/compulsion of any kind.
- Tithes according to the bible must be adhered to notwithstanding how u might feel about it. It is a command/law and definitely would breed some grudge whenever it has to be done in a probable unsuitable situation. Since it is a law,it is of necessity/compulsion.All this to avoid the cost of disobeying the command/law.

- Giving in the new covenant are done cheerfully and this is so because the giving is determined solely by the giver;which is what the new covenant requires.
- Tithes are given either cheerfully or not cheerfully. Cheerfully when conditions enable the giver to give the tithe without any negative impact/effect on his/her plans and needs that need to be met. Not cheerfully when the reverse is the case.

I like the contributions so far but i must say that tithing is not a church routine but rather its a way of expressing your worship to God,its a way of telling God dat u are my source of finance.every riches has its sources and there are only two means 2 riches 1st is God, deutoronomy 28vs8,and secondly the devil luke 4. U might be looking at aliko dangote as someone dats not born again and one who does'nt pay tithe,but if only u can see more u will know that aliko has a source and he must constanly tithe to remain connected to his source.

samueloo:

I like the contributions so far but i must say that tithing is not a church routine but rather its a way of expressing your worship to God,its a way of telling God dat u are my source of finance.every riches has its sources and there are only two means 2 riches 1st is God, deutoronomy 28vs8,and secondly the devil luke 4. U might be looking at aliko dangote as someone dats not born again and one who does'nt pay tithe,but if only u can see more u will know that aliko has a source and he must constanly tithe to remain connected to his source.

Something is not necessarily true because it sounds or feels so. What you have said in your post is nothing more than presumption; that is: something believed without actual evidence: a belief based on the fact that something is considered to be extremely reasonable or likely. The practice of tithing for the new testament christian has no strong biblical basis, rather it is an ideology or concept based on mere conjecture.

Imagine this dude saying that Aliko Dangote will have to tithe to continue being a billionare; you must be a dreamer just like every tither

You know what, Whether you like it or not, God can not be mocked. The christians we have today are not as fervent as of old, Tithing is a way of appreciating God, also remember, God does not need our money or goods, but or tithes of today is usually money cos most of all we do as a living earns us money and that is why when one pays tithe, it is in one currency or the other. Now let me bring our minds back to the Israelites, the levites were to live and work in the house of God. Even the bible says those why work by the altar must live by the altar. What do you think the levites were using to sustain themselves then, cos they do not work but were caretakers of God's temple so are our Pastors, they pray for us, preach to us, they encourage us in the Lord, don't they deserve to be appreciated. Cos they are the levites of today and we are the temple of God. So the tithe is not God that will use it but those that work for him and it is at this junction I shall blame some pastors for their covertiousness. and they are the one many of us see and we conderm tithing. In conclusion, when you give your Tithe, you recieve God's financial favour, this can only occur to devoted christians not nominal or sunday sunday christians, and this confusion only occurs because most christian do not read their bible but their pastors. Please take not, Tithing is not a hypocritical act, it is a command ment of God through prophet Malachi. God bless you.

Dear SirJohn/ Kunle,

You guys are obviously on to something with regards to tithing.

It is true that there is really no scriptural support for the tithing system as presently constituted especially in the light of the abolition (by God) of the Aaronic Priesthood for which the tithe system was set up to support.

But be wary of what knowledge can do to a man. It is easy to get "puffed up" and miss the point that God is not out to mock those who pay tithes but to lovingly show them that He loves them regardless of their position on the matter.

While it is true that some unscrupulous "pastors' fleece their flock to get whatever they can, others still are "mistakenly" convinced that tithing is God's will and out of a genuine heart lead people to obey "God's injunction".

I know that the notion of a tithe collecting God keeps a number of folks from experiencing God fully (since they are restrained in their minds from boldly making their petitions known) but I believe that God will, in His time, set them free.

Besides, don't you think that anyone who insists on tithing after such glaring evidence to the contrary has bigger issues to deal with than tithing?

Don't you also think that such a person will be more obstinate when your presentation of the truth seem to mock their belief?

Arguments hardly win any one over, and mockery will drive them further away; no body wants to be called a fool or be told that his pastor is a thief.

As far as I know, the real problem is not tithing; the real issue is that people seem to believe that there must be a catch to salvation and its benefits as nothing ever goes for nothing.

and nothing can be further from the truth

From what i have read so far, i see that many of us have to go back to the study of our bibles like the Berean christians. For the fact that most preachers are advocating paying of tithe doesn't make tithe paying a law for the new testament Christians. It is clearly stated in the bible where tithes are to be taken to _ Jerusalem and mind you it was never money! it is increase of fruit of the land and cattle. Read Deauteronomy, very carefully

Really?

theteacher:

Dear SirJohn/ Kunle,

You guys are obviously on to something with regards to tithing.

It is true that there is really no scriptural support for the tithing system as presently constituted especially in the light of the abolition (by God) of the Aaronic Priesthood for which the tithe system was set up to support.

But be wary of what knowledge can do to a man. It is easy to get "puffed up" and miss the point that God is not out to mock those who pay tithes but to lovingly show them that He loves them regardless of their position on the matter.

While it is true that some unscrupulous "pastors' fleece their flock to get whatever they can, others still are "mistakenly" convinced that tithing is God's will and out of a genuine heart lead people to obey "God's injunction".
I know that the notion of a tithe collecting God keeps a number of folks from experiencing God fully (since they are restrained in their minds from boldly make their petitions known) but I believe that God will, in His time, set them free.

Besides, don't you think that anyone who insists on tithing after such glaring evidence to the contrary has bigger issues to deal with than tithing?

Don't you also think that such a person will be more obstinate when your presentation of the truth seem to mock their belief?

Arguments hardly win any one over, and mockery will drive them further away; no body wants to be called a fool or be told that his pastor is a thief.

As far as I know, the real problem is not tithing; the real issue is that people seem to believe that there must be a catch to salvation and its benefits as nothing ever goes for nothing.
and nothing can be further from the truth

You have a point here

Nigerians have been brain washed, no wonder Nigeria has been developing backward even though the citizens of the nation are very religious, i wonder why the Europeans that brought the bible to Africa hardly use it anymore, ? and they have been developing forward, is it that God has ignored us and been answering the unholy Europeans,

Money is a very funny thing and God understood how this may bring confusion so he warned man not to worship Money.

I have written some articles on tithing that may benefit you;

1. Tithe or Tight: http://www.dipotepede.com/2008/03/27/tithe-or-tight/

2. Windows of Heaven: http://www.dipotepede.com/2009/02/24/windows-of-heaven/

I hope this help,

dipotepede:

Money is a very funny thing and God understood how this may bring confusion so he warned man not to worship Money.

I have written some articles on tithing that may benefit you;

1. Tithe or Tight: http://www.dipotepede.com/2008/03/27/tithe-or-tight/

2. Windows of Heaven: http://www.dipotepede.com/2009/02/24/windows-of-heaven/

I hope this help,

I cannot imagine where you get the backing to say all the things you said in that blog. Your description of how the various parts of man function etc. IT all just seems like you pulled it out of thin air.

dipotepede:

Money is a very funny thing and God understood how this may bring confusion so he warned man not to worship Money.

I have written some articles on tithing that may benefit you;

1. Tithe or Tight: http://www.dipotepede.com/2008/03/27/tithe-or-tight/

2. Windows of Heaven: http://www.dipotepede.com/2009/02/24/windows-of-heaven/

I hope this help,

No it didn't.

@ttalks and others
As much as I may like scholastic study of scriptures,I’ll still prefer if we obeyed the word of God in simple trust and obedience.All this show me where attitude,and then we have to comb from this passage to this and that passage and then we now decide after it seems we’ve been pushed to the wall,I’m not sure that is faith.The Word of God is plain,both old and new testament.infact the old testament was in greater circulation during the time of the early church and that was what they all read and lived by.And the Word of God still is that THESE OUGHT YE TO HAVE DONE(Matt 23v23).Thats clear enough.Tithes ought to be done.Those words are in the Bible.Those are the words of Jesus.Those should be enough for any real Christian.
Only maybe 2arguments remain.One is the weak argument that Jesus was talking to Pharisee.Its weak because whatsoever was written was written for our learning.Its an argument of convenience for the self life/flesh when we begin to say that was written to only Timothy,that was written to Corinth alone,that was written to Pharisee or Sadducee.The Word of God is for us.We could as well say that for God so loved the world is written to Pharisee,or that many are called and few are chosen is for Pharisee,or render to caesar the things that are caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s was speaking to Pharisees.So many other passages and parables where Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees but it was penned down as the good news(gospel) for us.
The other argument is that the way we pay tithes today is not the way they paid tithes in the old testament.That brings up Deuteronomy 12 and co.I’ll like to say again.Tithe is simply a tenth,one tenth,1/10 .And it is a tenth of anything,it doesn’t have to be fruits or animal produce.It also doesn’t have to be money.Its just a tenth of anything.Abraham gave tithe of spoils i.e a tenth of spoils.
Hebrews 7:4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
Heb 7:6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
Jacob promised to give tithe/a tenth of all that was given him. Genesis 28:22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Again I say,it doesn’t have to be of mint or rue or goats.It could be a tenth of what you believe God gives you.Thats why you can give tithe of your salary,of your profit,of your income.
The word tithe is usually written in plural which is an indication that it is not singular. What I’m saying is that it should clearly show that there’re different types and kinds of tithes.Tithe is itself a form of offering/giving.There are different types and kinds of giving as well.In the same way,Offerings should suggest to you that there are different kinds and types,not just one offering.For example there is burnt offering,drink offering,wave offering,sin offering and so on.They are different types but they are all offerings.All forms of giving.There are also different kinds of offering.One can offer praise,offer your heart,offer your time,talent/skill,yourself,your money.they are all offerings.the gist is that in the same vein,there are different types of tithe/tithes.

I’ve previously asked how it is possible to eat something(tithe) by yourself and at the same time give the same thing (tithe) to someone else.I got a foggy answer,because its not possible.Like they say,you can’t eat your cake and have it back.The passages are not contradicting one another.Its simply that there are different types/kinds of tithes(one tenth).There were some to be eaten by the individuals and their family and co at a specific place i.e in Jerusalem see below
Deuteronomy 12:6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:
Deu 12:7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.
See verse 17a and 18a for emphasis
Deu 12:17a Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock,
Deu 12:18a But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates:

There was another tithe(simply one over ten of your profit/produce/increase) that was to be eaten at home by the individuals and others.
Deuteronomy 14:28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
Deu 14:29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
This one is at home,within your gates,different from the one eaten at Jerusalem.This was was even every 3 years I think.See also
Deu 26:12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled

I don’t know if you can see already that there are different tithes.Yet,these above tithes are different from the tithes paid in Jerusalem.There’s a tithe paid in the temple,not eaten by you but paid.Jesus said ye pay tithe,the Pharisee when praying said “I give tithe”.This one is not the one that was eaten, This one was given,paid to the temple.

Nehemiah 13:11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.
Neh 13:12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
It was brought to the storehouse,to the treasuries.This one was said to belong to God.
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.
Lev 27:31 And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
This is the tithe that was given to the Levites by God.
Numbers 18:21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
For the service of the tabernacle.The children of Levi were made up of Gershon,Kohath and Merari.Aaron and his sons were from under Kohath.They were the priests.The Levites remaining were to take care of the services of the tabernacle.
Num 18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
Of course not all of them were in the temple, they were between the ages of 30 and 50 I think.Others were the neighbours that must be catered for by the other Israelites along with widows, poor and co.
Num 4:39 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the service, for the work in the tabernacle of the congregation,
So from the above,we can see that the tithes were simply different 1/10s.I think it was a beautiful way to curb greed and coveteousness,and stop the rich getting richer and richer while the poor was getting poorer.Imagine if every rich man was to give out and share 30% of His income with others,before thinking of his own needs?It all still boils down to giving.A Christian gives.A Christian doesn’t need all the conviction and surety in the world to give,especially to them of the household of faith.

@Image123,

You've listed so many passages about tithes,but it still does not change the fact that tithes are tithes and were a law unto the Israelites.They're all the same thing no matter the different forms in which they were handled.The levites had a commandment from God to deal with/handle/take the tithes of the people.The tithes were a law unto the people within the old covenant.

When Jesus made the statement in Mattew 23:23 to the pharisees,he meant that the tithes too ought to be paid.He said that because he expected everybody to keep to the requirements of the law/old covenant because it was the existing covenant then.

But Christ's death and resurrection brought about the end of that covenant and established a fresh and new covenant which is in force till today.That simply means that the old and it's requirements which include tithes are no longer necessary and have been done away with.

Several verses in the bible point out this fact.
Eg. Galatians 3:23-25,Romans 10:4

Love can be shown without tithing and giving can do a whole lot of things without the inclusion of tithes.The new testament supports giving of various kinds but not a fixed stipulation of tithes.

And besides,
@Image123,

The argument against the tithe you guys pay is not rooted in the fact that it might be different from that of the bible.
The main thrust of the argument is that tithes(the same or the different types) were all part of the law/old covenant;that is a proven fact from the bible and not any form of speculation.

The law/old covenant is not part of the Christians' requirements with God since a new covenant/agreement is in place.
The argument against it is not because some people find it difficult to pay it or whether some people are just pissed off about pastors who advocate its payment.
The argument is because Christians are not supposed to be paying tithes.
Some might say, "leave us alone to pay our tithes." but the reason why we do not leave u alone is because we need to sound it clearly to you that:

Galatians 5:1-4
(1) Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
(2) Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
(3) For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
(4) Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

It is very clear from this passage immediately above that carrying out a requirement of the law as a Christian such as circumcision;or in this case,tithing,makes one a debtor to do the whole law(everything in it;which we know u tithe payers aren't doing) and this makes such a person to fall or be cut off from the grace of God.

This is the basis of our argument.
Tithes are of the law.Christians are not under the law.

Proof that Tithing is of the law:

Levicticus 27:30-34
(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.
(31)  And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.
(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.
(33)  He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.
(34)  These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

Deuteronomy 14:22
(22)  Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

Malachai 3:10
(10)  Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Hebrews 7:5
(5)  And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

Above are a few verses showing that tithes are of the law.

Now below,are proof that Christians are not under the law:

Romans 6:14
(14)  For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Galatians 3:23-26
(23)  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
(24)  Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
(25)  But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
(26)  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 5:18
(18)  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Romans 10:4
(4)  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Hebrews 8:8-13
(8 )  For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
(9)  Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
(10)  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
(11)  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
(12)  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
(13)  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.
The above verses are also a few that show that we as Christians are not under the law.

2Corinthians 3:6-11
(6)  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
(7)  But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
(  How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
(9)  For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
(10)  For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
(11)  For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.


The truth is that there are commandments from God to people to tithe,but the question is,"Is that commandment to us Christians or those that were under the law?"
The answer is that the commandments to tithe were to those who were under the law just as every other commandment within the law was to those under the law;it is not refering to those those under grace.Such is clearly indicated by:

Romans 3:19
(19)  Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Now,to those who still feel that tithing is part of a Christian's walk with Christ, this is what you need to be thinking about:

Galatians 3:1-14
(1)  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
(2)  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
(3)  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
(4)  Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
(5)  He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
(6)  Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
(7)  Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
(8 )  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
(9)  So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
(10)  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
(11)  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
(12)  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
(13)  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
(14)  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The religious nature of most people prevents them from smelling rot in a system even when you shove their nose into a heap of crap.
Its unfortunate that many of us embraced christianity and were fed distorted and half truths encouraging us to become believers and not thinkers or researchers.
I'd rather give more than 10%of my income to help the needy, orphans, widows and the like I see around me than hand it to some institution that has other priorities in the name of God.

@Image123,
I really do commend your effort towards studying more on what you believe and stand for. At this rate, I believe you are not very far from finding the truth.

PRE-MOSAIC TITHE
Although I still get surprised at some of the arguments you make; for instance, you speak of Abraham and Jacob giving tithes but you fail to understand that these men gave tithes out of their own freewill and it is not on record that they continued doing same neither did they pass it on to their children. Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils of war to Melchidezek, a practice which was common at that time even among pagan nations (I suggest you do a study on that). This is very much similar to the feet washing argument, but a good study of old Jewish culture sheds light on so many gray areas of the subject.

Jacob made a promise to God to give a tenth of all that God would give him; that was between him and God just as Jepthah  In Judges 11 vowed to God that if he were victorious in battle, he would give to God whoever came through the doors of his house upon his return from battle. So it is very clear that what these two men did were not anything close to ‘paying tithe’.

THESE OUGHT YE TO HAVE DONE, AND NOT TO LEAVE THE OTHER UNDONE
You also do not accept the argument that Jesus was only referring to the Pharisees when he said:

“ 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.” Matt 23:23
Well, what better explanation do you have? Jesus was talking to a people who at the time were still under the Mosaic law. When he healed ten lepers in Luke 17:12-19, he sent them to the priest; this was the requirement of the mosaic law (read Leviticus 17)

During his ministry, Jesus gave instructions to his disciples; When you read the book of acts or some of the epistles of Paul, you’d find some of Jesus’ instructions being carried out by the disciples. An example is the breaking of bread, Jesus said: “This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 of course we read in the book of Acts that the disciples actually did it. If the disciples tithed, how come there is no record of it directly or indirectly.

PAY VS GIVE
If you say ‘Pay’, then it means there is a debt or obligation which is the case with the mosaic tithing which the Pharisees practiced. They were debtors of the law and so using the verb ‘pay’ is not inappropriate, however, you may also use the verb 'give' to also describe the same action. In the case of Abraham and Jacob, it was not said that they paid a tenth, instead the verb ‘give’ ‘gave’ was used this is because it was not an obligatory action. So what I'm saying in essence is in the context of this subject, you can use 'pay'/'give' where there is an obligation but you may not use 'pay' to describe a non-obligatory action

Regarding Tithes/Tithing.

I believe giving tithes is not so much as an old testament vs new testament issue. It is simply a question of choice and obedience. Let me explain.

1. It is your choice whether to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or not. Jesus said a man must be born again but there are several people who have made the choice not to believe Him or surrender their lives to Him and they are still alive today and several are very rich too, in the way the world counts riches.
2. It is your choice whether to bring 10% of your income to the church. It is not compulsory that you do it, you do it only if you believe that God has commanded that you do so. To be sure about this, I suggest that you read your bible and pray to God for understanding. You see, each one of us are individually accountable to God for what we do with our lives. Each of us will account to God for our choices, so it is better to act based on your own convictions and faith.
3. I believe that God wants me to bring my tithes to His house. I believe that He made the 100% available to me and i consider it a privilege to bring a fraction of it to him. That is my choice. I am not a pastor but like everyone else, i have access to the bible and my study of it and fellowship with God has convinced ME that I am to obey God in this and every other area.
4. I feel the underlying issue is that our money is so important to us that any discussion regarding our spending it is always going to be agitated. It is true that some people have established churches for the sole reason of getting rich through the members' tithes. Once again, several have succeeded and have become rich as a result. As I said, they too will give account. It is the same way an armed robber or corrupt leader will give account.
5. If you do not believe that God wants you to bring your tithes to Him, then don't do it! your obedience should be based on faith and not fear. The people who give tithes out of fear are not worshipping God with it. It is possible for God to reject an offering that is not from the heart .

Bekus,

God did not expect us to have varying understandings of his word.He expects a unified understanding of the word that is why we are admonished to study to get the proper understanding.

It is not about what u believe about the word but about what the word communicates as a whole.

Proper study of the word of God reveals that God did not and is not commanding Christians to tithe.The commandment to tithe was within a past covenant that isn't in force and it was directed at a selected set of people.

If u believe u are commanded to tithe,then I have to say it boldly that u have a wrong belief.

This is not about personal belief;this is about what the word says.
And if u are a Christian,u are to obey what the word communicates as a whole;personal feelings,convictions or beliefs aside.

ttalks,

1. Of course there is only one TRUTH. As i said, we each choose whether to obey it or not.

2. There will always be arguments regarding the understanding of God's word even amongst Christians. This has been the case right from the time of the early Christians and I'm sure you know that. Again it boils down to what you choose to believe. The problem is not with the Word/Truth, it is that we each try to understand it through the eyes of our individual experience(s).

3. I do not accept your 'boldly' and wrongly purporting to tell me what to or not believe. You see, you don't have that right or authority over me for the simple reason that I am not accountable to you. That is the exclusive preserve of the Holy Spirit . It is like an atheist telling you that you have a wrong belief because you believe in God and he/she doesn't. A catholic could also call you deluded if you believe in the second birth and he/she doesn't. A pentecostal could also be right in scoffing at a catholic who builds an altar to Mary. Kapisce?

Religious doctrines are dogmas-- just believe don't question.

pay tithe
sow seed
pay offering 
thanksgiving
do lunching,  etc

is all about choices. Remember pastor go chop and feed their families

bekus:

ttalks,

1. Of course there is only one TRUTH. As i said, we each choose whether to obey it or not.

2. There will always be arguments regarding the understanding of God's word even amongst Christians. This has been the case right from the time of the early Christians and I'm sure you know that. Again it boils down to what you choose to believe. The problem is not with the Word/Truth, it is that we each try to understand it through the eyes of our individual experience(s).

3. I do not accept your 'boldly' and wrongly purporting to tell me what to or not believe. You see, you don't have that right or authority over me for the simple reason that I am not accountable to you. That is the exclusive preserve of the Holy Spirit . It is like an atheist telling you that you have a wrong belief because you believe in God and he/she doesn't. A catholic could also call you deluded if you believe in the second birth and he/she doesn't. A pentecostal could also be right in scoffing at a catholic who builds an altar to Mary. Kapisce?

When a person claims to be a Christian and chooses not to do as the guideline of Christianity(the word of God) says, such a person cannot rightly claim to be a Christian.

Nobody has any right or authorithy over any body in this issue, but that does not stop one from stating a fact about a situation. You can choose to accept it or not.
If we say that people can choose to believe as they feel they can, there would have been no need for the people who laid down the gospel to ask us to earnestly contend for the faith,watch out for false doctrine and false teachers and rebuke them that promote false doctrine.

This issue about what the bible says about particular things is very easy. If a person honestly decides to study properly,the right message will be gotten.
And as far as Christianity is concerned,ur own opinion or experience about something does not count;only what the word of God says is what counts.

Choosing to do what the word of God says implies one thing - being a Christian
Choosing not to do what the word of God says implies one thing - being a non-Christian.

A Christian lives by the truth of the word of God; a non Christian lives by his or her own understanding of issues.
So,if anyone claims to be a Christian,and then does stuff or believes stuff which are contrary to the Christian belief,he/she is sure going to get rebukes and bold faced statements which say that he/she is wrong.

The plain and simple truth is - those who believe they have a commandment from God to tithe as Christians are very wrong.

Ttalk,you don't need to bother yourself on this matter, from what i'm reading, some people can never change no matter what you say or do. Whatever they hear or know first is what they hold on to whether right or wrong. Lord have mercy! But my question is ,why are these people not still observing the sabbath? why are they not offering burnt offerings?

One must understand that laws which were layed down back in the day were for those days only. Times change and people change along with time. We can not take every thing word for word i the Bible. Some things we have to take into consideration the reason for the commandments or the rules. Ex. Years ao, women were not allowed in the temples or synagogues while on their cycle because of poor hygiene.The smell alone would run men away and that wouldn't seem right in a Godly place. Now today we have sanitary pads to hide odors and no one would even know when that time of month is here. So we wouldn't take heed to that rule today even though some still do. So it is with tithes. These rules are still taught by the Christian Churches, but other religions don't teach this.

I've never paid tithes before. Yes I've given an offering here and there to various Churches, but that's because I believe those pastors are putting my money to good use. I can't see members of a Church tithing all their lives by givimg 105 of their earnings and they areliving worse than the people who don't give at all. Something is wrong here.

I do not want to get into the controversy of tithes because argument do not edify but I pray that God will bring all of us to the knowledge of the truth

I think there is too much emphasis given to tithing by churches these days. The emphasis on giving money in church these days is quite alarming and because of the religious settings with which this is practise, one is always forced to ask God alone to judge.

If Christ and the apostles collected 10% of the monthly incomes of their followers on a regular basis, they would have been richer than king Solomon. I have read in several places in the bible where Paul was admonishing the corinthian church and other churches he planted, thanking them for feeding and sheltering him. If he collected 10% of their incomes regularly, I think he wouldn't have needed their shelter and food.

I am not against ppl giving 10% of their income as tithe, but the manner and the opulence that we see Men of God today tells that the whole process has suddenly changed to business.

Please donate to a motherless babies home or disabled home if in doubt.
tithe gbukwe nu onwe unu there.

Well i see some tithers are bent onbeing mis-led. But i submit it doesn't hurt to acquire bible based knowledge. For those who are genuinely interested in knowing the whole bible based truth about tithing please checkout this article on the truths about tithes: https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-113108.0.html