I came across this article on the internet and thought it was a good, Scriptural presentation on the subject of giving and tithing. It does not have the usual hype or condemnation usually found in such articles. I don't remember where I copied this from.
The History of Tithing
The modern definition of tithing is giving 10 percent of one’s income to a religious organization. During New Testament times “tithing" referred to the Jewish practice of giving 10 percent of one's crops or animals to support the Temple. The words tithing" and “tithe" come from an old English word meaning tenth.
Genesis 14:20 contains the first Biblical reference to the practice of tithing. After Abraham is victorious in a battle against some neighboring kings, he gives a tithe of his spoils of battle to Melchizedek the high priest of Salem. It is important to note that Abraham tithes voluntarily and, as far as we know, he tithes only once.
It was not until 500 years later (circa 1400 BC), after the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, that God instituted a law requiring the people of Israel to tithe (
Numbers 18:21-26). The purpose of the tithing law was to provide support for the priests and Levites who served in the Tent of Meeting. Another law requiring each Jewish male to pay an annual temple tax had a similar purpose to the tithing law (
Ex 38:26). The Tent of Meeting was where the priests administered sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins committed by the people of Israel.
In about 950 BC, King Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem to replace the Tent of Meeting (
1 Kings 6 – 10). Upon completion of the Temple, the priests and Levites relocated their sacrificial ministry from the Tent to the Temple. The people continued to support the priests through tithing and the temple tax.
From this time forward, the Jewish people practiced tithing with varying degrees of compliance until the last Temple was destroyed by the Romans around 70 AD. With the destruction of the Temple, the ancient Jews ceased tithing as there was no longer a Temple or priestly ministry in need of support.
The Christian Church emerged some time before the destruction of the Temple . Almost all of the first Christians were of Jewish descent, many of whom struggled with understanding how their new faith in Jesus impacted their practice of Judaism. The Letter to the Hebrews was written to such Jewish Christians. It taught that the Temple was no longer necessary, as forgiveness of sins now came through faith in the death and resurrection of Christ, not through the sacrificial ministry of priests in the Temple (
Heb 10). It follows that if the Temple and the priests were not necessary, tithing to support them would also not be necessary. Considering this, it is not surprising that there is no record of Jewish Christians tithing to the Temple after the foundation of the Church. Additionally, the New Testament does not contain any command that Christians tithe.
References to tithing in the New Testament are limited to
Matthew 23:23,
Luke 11:42,
Luke 18:12 and
Hebrews 7:8-9. The verses in Matthew and Luke are spoken to Jews still subject to the tithing laws, not to Christians. In these verses, Jesus questions the priorities of Jews who place a heavier emphasis on tithing than on charity, mercy and the like. The author of Hebrews refers to tithing to make the point that Christ is greater than the Jewish high priest (
Heb 7:8-9, see also Matt 17:26). The author does not instruct Jewish Christians to tithe. To do so would contradict the main theme of the letter which is to prove to Jewish Christians that the resurrection of Christ renders the Temple obsolete.
Soon after Pentecost, with the help of the Apostle Paul, the Christian faith spreads beyond Israel and many Gentiles become Christians. (Jews refer to non-Jews as Gentiles). The first Gentile converts to Christianity were often “God-Fearers." God-Fearers were Gentiles who appreciated Judaism and attended Jewish synagogue services, but did not convert to Judaism usually due to the circumcision requirement. As God-Fearers did not undergo circumcision and convert to Judaism, they were not expected to follow the Jewish Law, meaning they were not obligated to tithe, pay the temple tax, obey the sabbath and the like.
In each city the Apostle Paul visited, he evangelized the local synagogue first, resulting in God-Fearers and Jews converting to Christianity. These new Christians formed local churches in homes (
Acts 8:3,
Rom 16:5, 1 Cor 16:19,
Col 4:15, Phm 1:2). Paul and his colleagues repeated this process in several cities, founding churches in Galatia, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Philippi, Colossae and elsewhere.
As Paul traveled from city to city, he would instruct his churches remotely through letters. These letters make up the bulk of the New Testament. Some of them were likely written prior to the destruction of the Temple (e.g. 1 Thessalonians and Galatians). Paul insists that Gentile Christians (including God-Fearers) reject circumcision and subjection to the Jewish Law (
Gal 5:2-6). It is not surprising then, that Paul never suggests that Gentile Christians begin tithing to the Temple or paying the Temple tax. Nor does Paul--or any other New Testament author-- institute any system similar to tithing for the support of the Church.
Since there was no New Testament equivalent to tithing, a question arises regarding how churches were supported. During New Testament times, churches were not institutions. They did not have dedicated buildings or full-time leaders supported by attendees. Instead, churches were similar to modern day home groups. They met in homes with leaders who had means of income other than congregational support. New Testament churches, in other words, had no costs of operation.
Just because they did not tithe does not mean that the early Christians neglected supporting their leaders or giving to Charity. Paul teaches that apostles had the right to request financial support, a right Paul himself did not exercise because he did not want to burden the congregation (
1 Cor 9:14-15). The churches also routinely supported widows, orphans and other poor people (
1 Tim 5:9,
Acts 2:45,
Acts 6:1). Paul placed a special emphasis on supporting famished Christians in Jerusalem, asking the Corinthian Christians to take a regular collection for a time to support them. Before asking this, he reminds the Corinthians that the collection is voluntary and not a command (
2 Cor 9:7). In summary, whether to apostles or charity, the early Church gave freely as they had means, not because of an expectation or religious requirement that they give a fixed percentage of their income. The Church continued with this voluntary approach to giving for over three centuries.
to be continued in part 2
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