23 Reasons You Should Stop Tithing
By Justin Johnson of Grace Ambassadors
Among pastors, there is a terrible abuse of using law tithing to place the church back under the condemnation of the law. This must be stopped.“Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert entire households, teaching things which they ought not to, for the sake of dishonest gain.” Titus 1:11
Jesus taught the church of Paul’s dispensation a better way of giving without the law. This resource is not intended to dissuade giving generously to the Lord’s causes. God loves generosity as a reflection of your thanksgiving to Him. While this resource explains why Paul’s doctrine teaches you to stop law tithing, God does not teach lesser generosity.—2 Corinthians 9:7
1. We are not under the law of tithing. Tithing was part of the law. We are no longer under the law. (Rom 6:14)
2. Tithing was only for certain people. Tithing was only required of people who had increase from the land (farmers, etc) (Deut 14:23)
3. Tithes are food, not money. If someone wanted to turn tithes into money, they had to pay a 20% penalty. (Lev 27:30-33)
4. The church is not God’s covenant people (please read on, and even comment, before heresy is named). The old and new covenants were made with Israel and Judah, and so the requirements were never intended for Gentiles (Heb 8:8). Gentiles could be blessed by honoring Israel and worshipping Israel’s God.
5. The Levitical priesthood does not exist today. The most popular tithe today is the tithe that went to the Levitical priesthood (Num 18:21). There is no Levitical priesthood today.
6. The pastor does not replace the priest. Preachers and teachers in the body of Christ church are not priests. Christ is the only mediator (1 Tim 2:5).
7. We do not inherit Israel’s land. The tithe given to the Levites was because they had no land inheritance (Numbers 18:21).
8. Tithes are to be brought to the temple in Jerusalem. Jews today don’t tithe because there is no temple in Jerusalem to bring the tithes (Deut 12:5-11)
9. There are no more temple sacrifices. Since Christ paid our sin debt, there is no need to pay (tithe) someone else to do this service for us.
10. The local church does not replace the temple. Know ye not that you are the temple of God, not your building! (1 Cor 3:16)
11. The church does not observe required feast day celebrations. It was three times a year in Deut. 16:16. At certain feast days is where the tithes would be offered. One tithe even allowed you to stay home and spend it on what you desired (Deut 14:26).
12. Law tithing requirements were greater than 10 percent. Deut 14:28 is one example of the tithe on the increase every 3 years that was above the regular Levitical tithe. There are other required offerings also according to Mal 3:9.
13. The law of tithing is weak. A required tithe does not change the heart or the action. It always requests more, is not a gift, and is merely fulfilling an obligation (Mat 23:23, Gal 4:9, Rom 8:3)
14. Melchizedek doesn’t apply today. Abram’s tithe was taken from the spoils of his enemies in response to a unique blessing, and it only happened once (Gen 14: 18-19, Heb 7:4)
15. Law tithing obligates the doer to the entire law — (Gal. 5: 3, James 2: 10)
16. Physical blessings are no longer granted. The law tithe taught physical blessings to Israel from God for tithing (Mal 3:10). Without a covenant with God, a priesthood, a promise, or a temple tithing for profit will not work.
17. Christ has given the church all spiritual blessings. Those blessings are in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3)
18. Peace with God is attained without tithing — Rom 5: 1
19. God provides all our needs without tithing. Phil 4:19 says your needs are supplied according to his riches in glory in Christ. What you need is not physical, it is spiritual.
20. We work to provide for our physical needs in this dispensation. Paul makes it clear that if we don’t work we don’t eat (2 Thess 3:10). Mat 6:11 and Mal 3:10 are not effective now since the church today is not Israel. If we do not provide for our own today we are “worse than an infidel” (1 Tim 5:8)
21. The tithe was required. Giving today is not “of necessity” (2 Cor 9:7). This is an important distinction between generosity and obligation.
22. The law tithe places you under a curse. If you do not continue tithing then you can be cursed (Gal 3:10)
23. Christ has redeemed you from the law of tithing. Law tithing represents ignorance or negligence of Christ’s cross (Gal 3:13, 1 Cor 1:17, Gal 2:21).
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