DOES GOD COMMAND TITHING?
Does God command and require of His church
a tithe to be set aside to do His great, spiritual work, and to help the widow
and the fatherless and the poor of His church?
If God has commanded a tithe of one's salary,
or increase, does He command a 10%, 20%, or 30% tithe? If God commands 20% or
30%, why does He misname it and call it a tithe, meaning a tenth? Yes, but many
will say but the Bible speaks of tithes, more than one. God says bring to Him
the tithe of the corn (grain) the tithe of wine, the tithe of the oil and
honey, the tithe of the livestock. The tithe from each one of these products
were referred to as tithes in the plural from all of these products, but
still consisted only of a tenth of all their increase and no where in His Word
is the tithe referred to more than one tenth.
The words 1st, 2nd or 3rd
tithe, or another tithe, or additional tithe cannot be found in God's teaching
and command to His church.
The tithing command and teaching of God in
all of today's Christianity, and Churches of God has been, and is today a
classic example of man adding to and deminishing from
the Word of God, which God commands man not to do. It reads in Deut. 12:32, "What thing so ever I command you" observe
and do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it."
When man adds or diminishes from God's
commandments, then they become man's commandments and not God's commandments,
which are commandments Jesus warns His disciples to beware of in religious
leaders' teaching, Mat 15:9.
Some of the ministers of the churches teach
in circles by going around and around, like a dog chasing his tail! They will
say one thing in one sentence, and in another sentence, teach against what they
have first written. They will teach that tithing may be right and Biblical, and
even quote a Scripture or two to support it, and then turn right around in the
next breath of sentence and say, "But God does not require it!" In
their circle of teaching on tithing, they will teach it is a Christian's
duty and responsibility to support the preaching of the Gospel, but then
turn around and say that the church should not feel
they are commanded and required by God to do so, by a
God commanded tenth, or tithe. They teach that God gives us no Scriptural proof
of such a command nor does His Word
confirm that He has given such a command. They will then go up one better on
God and teach that a free will offering is the way to give, which they
teach supersedes and is better than God's way of His commanded tithe and special
offerings. God says very plainly in His Word when you follow such a false
teaching you are stealing from Him by not setting aside His commanded tithe and
offerings!
This is a classic example of church
ministers bearing the fruit of one of the trees of the two ways of life that
God set before man in the beginning. The forbidden tree permits gives
these ministers, as the god of their life and church, the right to choose good
and evil as set by their own standard. This is the tree that they have chosen
to live by in their life, and they are influencing others to do the same. When
one lives by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he becomes the god of
his own life to choose what percentage of his salary should
he give to God's work, and for helping the less fortunate, not God's 10%
tithe, plus offering, which God has commanded. This is all part of the fruit of
their tree choice of life God forbid them to partake of which permits
them to compromise the tithing commandment and His other commandments.
Whenever a ministry, or church, diminishes or adds to God's Word, he is showing
to all the church what tree he is eating and living from in his life.
Some of the teachers and ministers know for a
fact, that God in His Word does command tithing. But, they likewise diminish
from God's Word by teaching that God meant for the law of tithing to be
required only for that special people of that day and its not for today, or they teach tithing is only for farmers with their
agricultural and livestock products, and was not meant to be a tithing command
from money from other work and services of today's society. Their teaching
thereby makes God a respecter of persons with His law and commandments
concerning tithing. Of course this is nothing new in the ministry, because some
of their high-ranking ministers for years have been practicing this lie, sin,
and deception about God being a respecter of persons concerning His law. They
believe they are above the law, by believing the law and commandments of God was
not for them in their sins of adultery, fornication, breaking and profaning
the Sabbath, idolatry-man worship, hating their fellow minister, and not
tithing by their picking and choosing the
commandments they will keep, and that the law was meant to be obeyed
only by the lowly sheep. God is not mocked. Everyone will be judged for
his own commandment breaking in the judgment. You can write it down.
The producing of food products from farming
has always been the foundation profession of life, even though church people
and today's society have become almost totally
detached from agriculture and livestock farming. Most seem to believe
food is grown in a food super market. Everyone, unless they are of the starving
nations, still depends heavly
upon this profession by eating 2 or 3 meals a day from products from the farm.
So then why would God not use this foundational and basic profession, which
provides the basic necessity for life, as the example to teach and explain
about His tithing commandment for all services and works of increase? Really,
aren't ministers and members alike, with all their "religious
and college gained knowledge" trying to find a loophole
so they can feel guilt-free by not tithing on their work and services, and
still believe they are living by God's tree of life, Mat. 3:10 --"And
now also he axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which
brings not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."
Certain other ministers go so far in their
teaching of deception about God's commanded law on tithing that they teach that
God does not require His church to tithe, and that it is not a sin to not
tithe, because as they say, "there is no
Scriptural proof in all of God's Word that God commands tithing." WOW!!!
If there is no command for tithing with all that God says in His Word
about tithing, then there is no command to do or not to do anything man chooses
to do. These ministers precede to begin with Abraham, where God has not yet
written out the law on tithing in His Word, and continue through the Bible, to
the letter written to the Hebrews, with their words and comments of subtlily and lies, trying to refute, disprove and openly
reject God's clear, plain Word about His command to tithe. This is a
clear cut example of heretical teaching that diminishes from God's Word and displays without any question, which tree they are
eating from and that is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God
says will result in death.
In these ministers' research on the subject
of tithing, they did come to see plainly that it is not in God's Word to
require from the church a 2nd and 3rd tithe, but in their research and proving,
they end up throwing the baby (commanded tithe) out with the dirty bath water
(added tithes), by saying God does not command any tithing! This is clearly an
example of diminishing from God's Word and demands a penalty for such teaching.Then you have on the other hand, ministers and
church organizations that have been teaching a deceptive 2nd and 3rd tithe requirement
for many years. This is a clear cut example of
adding to God's Word, resulting in the evil deed of oppressing the poor of the
church.
These ministers, through this sinful
teaching, have created the foundation for their church ministry, and this ministry
creation was not by God's spirit but a ministry that was founded on man's
commands of added extra tithes. These extra tithe commands exacts hard worked
for money from the sheep to support their ministry, their family, and
their perverted work of preaching a perverted gospel, and all of this is put
upon the poor sheep of the church to work, provide, and to support them and
their sacred cow taught belief system. All of this provides for their lavish
living much above the lowly sheep living and lifestyle. This is nothing less
than what the Pharisees was doing in Christ's day of adding to the law of God,
and everyone should know what Christ said to them in Mat.23:32
"You serpents, you
generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?
Scriptural Proof That God Commands Tithing
God plainly and clearly says in in Lev. 27: 30-32, "All the tithe of the land, seed of
the land, or fruit of the trees is the Lord's and is holy unto the
Lord"(to be set aside for Him and His work). Is this
Scripture proof that God commands tithing? God
says again in Deut. 12:11, "Then there shall be a place which the Lord
your God shall choose to cause His Name to dwell there: there shall you bring
all that I command you: your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes,
and the heave offering of your land, and all your choice vows which you vow
unto the Lord." In Deut. 26: 12-13, God says again that after a person
tithes all his increase the third year and has given it to all that God
commands it to be given, that you have obeyed His commandments, and have not
transgressed them. Is this more Scripture proof that tithing is the commandment
of God. This teaches that it is a sin if you don't tithe. Here God
states His will and His law by His Word, that if a person has tithed all from
his increase, he has not sinned, transgressed God's law.
God reaffirms His tithing commandment
by saying to the Levites and the whole nation that they have robbed (stolen)
from God by not setting aside His tithes and offerings, Mal.3:8--"Will a
man rob God? Yet you have robbed me. But you say Wherein
have we robbed you (by teaching there is no scriptural proof that tithing is a
law? You have robbed me in tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a
curse: for you have robbed me, even this whole nation.This
sinful act not only breaks God's tithing commandment but it also breaks God's
8th commandment-- "You shall not steal." Is this further scriptural
proof that God commands tithing? In the new testament
what did Jesus Christ say about tithing in Mat 23:23--Did He reaffirm His
tithing command by saying tithing was not to left undone, meaning the tithing
commandment was to be kept, obeyed. Is this further new
testament proof that God still commands tithing?
Yes, but many will argue Paul and the other
apostles never brought up the word tithing in their wiritngs.
The only one that did was the writer of the letter to the Hebrews but he did
not put his name to that letter. Why? And why didn't the other writers not bring up the word tithing in all of their
writings? Wasn't it because tithing to the Levitical
priesthood was still going on and there was a work in the temple still going on
and for any one to bring up the word tithe to try to redirect those Levitical priesthood tithes to the now new testament
ministers and priest would be words of war against those servants. The most
they would say was offering, or power to eat and drink, or don't muzzle the ox
that threads out the corn, or shouldn't we who sows spiritual things also reap
your carnal things, I Cor. 9:4-11. That situation
then is much like the situation in the churches of God today when person bring
up that a second and a third tithe is the creation of the ministry and not of
God's Word is tanamount to war and great persecution.
This third year is not for setting aside
another tithe that is taught and that is holy, such as an added third tithe,
but the tithe from all that had not shown an increase and products in the first
and second years, such as from cattle,
from fruit trees, and even from some herbs or vegetables after being
planted, which some plants, trees, and animals take 2 to 3 years before they
really start producing. It takes a baby heifer calf 2 to 3 years before there
is an increase from its life and production. It takes some plants 2 to 3 years
before they start producing. It takes fruit trees 3 years before they start producing.This 3rd year is the agricultural increase and
progressive growth of farming and cattle raising, and would simply mean more
tithe, that the tenth would be more that year and would be holy to God, and to
be set aside for the purposes that God commands them to used for the third
year.
These extra tithes in addition to be given to
the Levite the 3rd year, were also to be distributed to the widow, fatherless,
and the stranger in order to help them and strengthen them along in their life.
These were tithes from agricultural and livestock production, wine, honey,
fruit from their trees, oil, and everything that comes from the land. In
today's society in man's work after starting at his job he usually gets a raise
in pay every year or so and should likewise remember the church widow in need,
the fatherless of the church, and the poor of the church with his increased tithe rather than sending it to some
church organization with a ministry than has been created by brethren's money
given to them as a God uncommanded tithe. There was
only one tithe and that tithe was to collected at the
feast of each season and to eat of it before God at that feast except the third
year and it was to stay within the gates of the people.
God's command was for the Israelites to bring
all of their tithes from each of their farming products to the feast and to eat
and rejoice before Him to learn to fear Him and to learn not to fear man and
his commandments. This was not a additional 2nd tithe but the only tithe
and they were to gather and take it to the feast and eat of it before the Lord
and they were not forget the Levite, meaning the rest of the portion of the
tithe was to go to the Levite as his inheritance.
Everything man produces through work and
causes to bring about increase, comes from the land or the earth, and is sold
or traded for money as a medium of exchange. The
Israelites in some cases traded their tithe of agricultural products for money
and took the money to the feast to trade back for whatever their soul desired,
and the remaining tithe money went to the Levites as God had commanded. God
said all the tithe was to go to the Levites after it was brought to the place
and God chose to place His name, whereas, part of it, the only tithe, was used
to eat and enjoy in the presence of God at God's Feasts, in the presence of
God, the rest was to left to the Levites. After all, God said of the whole
nation of