Why You SHOULD NOT Tithe!

This week, we shall look into the reasons why tithing is not a requirement for modern believers. By examining the divisions of the Mosaic Law and their fulfilment in Christ, we will see why certain practices, including tithing, were necessary under the Old Covenant but are no longer applicable under the New Covenant. Next week, we will further explore this topic by delving into why tithing MUST not be practiced, emphasizing the theological and scriptural foundations for this position.

The Mosaic Law, as presented in the Old Testament, is a complex and multifaceted legal system given to the Israelites through Moses. It is traditionally divided into three distinct parts: the Moral Law, the Ceremonial Law, and the Civil Law. Each of these components served a unique purpose within the religious, ethical, and societal framework of ancient Israel.

The Three Parts of the Mosaic Law

Understanding the three divisions is crucial for interpreting their applications and relevance today.

1. The Moral Law

The Moral Law comprises the Ten Commandments and other laws that dictate ethical behaviour and moral principles. These laws are universal, timeless, and continue to hold significance in the New Testament. They set forth fundamental principles of right and wrong, guiding human conduct in accordance with God’s will.

Matthew 5:17-18 (NIV): “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”

Romans 13:9-10 (NIV): “The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.”

2. The Ceremonial Law

The Ceremonial Law includes regulations pertaining to religious rituals, sacrifices, festivals, and the duties of priests and Levites. These laws were designed to facilitate atonement for the failures (sins) of Israelites in fulfilling the Moral Law.

Leviticus 4:20 (NIV): “And do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering; in this way the priest will make atonement for the community, and they will be forgiven.”

Leviticus 5:10 (NIV): “The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.”

3. The Civil Law

The Civil Law governed the daily life of the Israelites, covering regulations on property, family relations, and societal conduct. Examples include laws governing property and theft (Exodus 22:1-6), judicial procedures (Deuteronomy 16:18-20 and Deuteronomy 19:15-21), loans and debts (Exodus 22:25-27 and Deuteronomy 24:10-13), and sanitation and public health (Deuteronomy 23:12-14 and Leviticus 13-14).

These laws were specific to the social and cultural context of ancient Israel and are considered changeable. In modern times, countries have constitutions that guide their societies in such matters, and the New Testament commands Christians to be subject to these governing authorities.

Romans 13:1-2 (NIV): “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

2. 1 Peter 2:13-14 (NIV): “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.”

Tithing in the Context of the Ceremonial Law

1. The Purpose of Tithing

Tithing was part of the Ceremonial Law, designed to support the Levites who were fully occupied in the work of atoning for the sins of Israel.

Numbers 18:21 (NIV): “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.”

Deuteronomy 14:27-29 (NIV): “And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own… Then the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”

Nehemiah 10:37 (NIV): “Moreover, we will bring to the storerooms of the house of our God, to the priests, the first of our ground meal, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees and of our new wine and olive oil. And we will bring a tithe of our crops to the Levites, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all the towns where we work.“

The Levites had to continually offer sacrifices prescribed by the Ceremonial Law, which could not make man perfect.

Hebrews 10:4 (NIV): “It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

Hebrews 10:11 (NIV): “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.“

2. The Demands of the Ceremonial Law

The Ceremonial Law required that the sinner bring an animal or crop to the temple in Jerusalem for sacrifice to be handed over to a Levitical priest.

Leviticus 17:5 (NIV): “This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.”

Deuteronomy 12:5-6 (NIV): “But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.”

3. No money was demanded in any atoning sacrifice, as it is the blood that makes atonement.

Leviticus 17:11 (NIV): “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”

Hebrews 9:22 (NIV): “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

The Sacrifice of Christ and the End of the Ceremonial Law

1. In the New Testament, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross has done away with the Ceremonial Law of Moses.

Colossians 2:14 (NIV): “Having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”

Hebrews 10:9-10 (NIV): “Then he said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

2. Christ’s sacrifice is superior because it was done once and has forever perfected believers.

Hebrews 10:14 (NIV): “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Hebrews 9:12 (NIV): “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”

Tithing and the New Covenant

Since Christ has done away with the Ceremonial Law, tithing is no longer necessary. There are no longer Levites or a temple in Jerusalem to bring tithes to, even if it were a requirement. The New Testament teaches that believers are now under a new covenant, one that is based on the sacrifice of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In this new covenant, the emphasis shifts from ritualistic practices to a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. As such, the principles of giving in the New Testament focus on what Christ did on the cross and not what the Levites did in the temple.

Paying tithes in the New Testament is not only a complete misunderstanding of the Gospel but also a departure from its core principles.

1. Tithes were required to be taken to the temple in Jerusalem and nowhere else, as prescribed in Deuteronomy 12:5-6, which states, “But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place, you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.”
2. Pastors are not priests who atone for our sins as the Levites, who received tithes, did under the Old Covenant. The role of the Levites, as described in Numbers 18:21-24, was unique to the sacrificial system of atonement that has been fulfilled and superseded by Christ’s sacrifice.
3. Tithes were never in the form of money, only animals and crops, as indicated in Leviticus 27:30-32, which specifies, “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord.” Thus, the New Testament practice of monetary tithing reflects a misunderstanding of both the scriptural and contextual foundations established in the Old Covenant.

The Gospel of Grace

The Gospel of Jesus Christ centres on the grace and freedom that believers receive through His sacrificial death and resurrection. This New Covenant of Grace liberates Christians from the ceremonial and ritualistic obligations of the Ceremonial Law which includes tithing. By insisting on tithing as a compulsory practice, one reverts to a legalistic framework that Christ came to do away with and transcend. This legalism undermines the transformative power of the Gospel which calls believers to live out their faith through dependence on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the guidance of the Holy Spirit rather than through adherence to the regulations of the Old Covenant.

Conclusion

Understanding the divisions of the Mosaic Law and their implications helps clarify why certain practices, like tithing, were necessary under the Old Covenant but are no longer applicable under the New Covenant. Christ’s ultimate sacrifice has fulfilled the requirements of the Ceremonial Law, bringing us into a new era of faith and practice. As such, tithing, which was part of the Ceremonial Law meant to support the Levitical priesthood and temple services, SHOULD NOT be practiced by modern believers. Insisting on tithing as a requirement is a misinterpretation of the Gospel and a departure from the freedom that Christ has secured for us through His perfect and complete sacrifice.