Is Thithing A Scripturally Based Doctorine or Practice Within The Church Today?
The truthful answer to this question may prove The truthful answer to this question may prove shocking.
MATTHEW: 23: 23;“Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin,”
Here we see that Jesus chastises for paying tithe rather than showing mercy to the needy.
Since tithing was first set up by God amongst the Hebrews as a sacrificial atonement, for sin, it is totally inappropriate for any “Christian” believer and follower to practice this.
As Christians we accept and believe that Jesus Christ, through his crucifixion becomes the one and only “Perfect Sacrifice” for the remission of all our sins, therefore there is no need to offer any tithe. Our faithful belief in the crucifixion becomes our sacrificial atonement for our sins, once for all time.
The only reason that “Tithing” is carried out today is thanks to the creation of the Roman Catholic Church. It was the Catholic church that re-introduced tithing, recognizing it for what it could become, a lucrative and easy way to dip into the pockets of the church and the people by making the people feel guilty for not giving unto God.
Tithing and its collection has become a business instituted by the Catholic Church, the only church to have its own bank the “Vatican Bank” and once the other Christian denominations saw the benefit of the collection, they too followed suit by taking up tithing.
Granted some of the monies collected goes towards the building of new church buildings, as well as the maintaining of the old ones, but one must ask the questions:
What good is my donation doing in helping the less fortunate? And
If my donation is to help the needy, why do I get a “Tax Receipt” at tax time?
Is not my reward supposed to be a heavenly thing, between God and me?
Indeed Jesus believed in giving “Alms” helping the less fortunate, but as Jesus tells us in ( MATTHEW: 6: 1-4; ) do so discreetly, so that only Our Father In Heaven knows of it.
Several hundred times in the Gospels Jesus mentions giving “Alms” to the less fortunate, he even goes so far as to say to one man to sell all that he has and give away all of the money from the sale to help the poor.
The History Of Tithing
The very first hint towards tithing we experience in the scriptures is in the story of Cain and Abel when both brothers bring forth an offering to God from the first fruits of their labour, a sheep from Abel and the first fruits of the ground, from Cain.
Almighty God introduces tithing to the Hebrew peoples who he frees from Egyptian captivity.
God instructs Moses, to instruct the people that ( 1/10 th. ) of everything is to be given up to the priests to be sacrificed in thanks for their freedom and as penalty or penance for their sinfulness, and God goes on to spellout how and what portions is to be given up, and the sacrifices for sinfulness were to be a burnt offering, in other words the priests were to burn it as a sin sacrifice.
God being God, had no need for the grains or fruits given as tithe therefore it is believed that the grains were stored in the “Temple Granery” to be used in times of need and the fruits and berries etc. were possibly shared back to the less fortunate, those who owned no lands nor had any form of harvest be it animal or produce.
The practice of tithing as a sacrifice or a penance for sin was carried on by the Jews of the time up to and including the time when Jesus came on the scene, but there is no mention in any of the ( 4 Gospels ) whereby Jesus suggests or recommends the continuation of this practice within his teachings, and there is no mention of the practice of tithing within the newly begun “Christian Church Movement” instituted by Jesus.
Tithing continues today as a ritual part of Hebrew or Jewish religion.