5 Reasons Why Tithing isn't Christian
Tithing can be a controversial topic within the Christian Church these days, but I have no idea why. There's no debate to be had. Tithing isn't Christian.
It’s taught and demanded by many churches, and assumed to be a valid requirement of Christians all across the globe, but mostly in the first world, where asking for money is even a worthwhile endeavor, but is tithing really required of Christians today?
Are the claims to Biblical authority made by so many Christian churches valid, or is the Body being duped? Let’s list the reasons why tithing isn’t Christian, starting with what I think the most important one is.
1. Jesus Paid Your Tithing on the Cross
The first and possibly most important reason why tithing isn’t required of Christians today, nor is it even Christian at all, is because Jesus fulfilled the law on the cross.
Most people when they think of the cross and Jesus’ sacrifice for the world by the shedding of His blood, they think of their salvation, their reconciliation to God, and Christ’s payment of their sins. What many of us fail to remember is that part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is also His fulfillment of the law.
Not only did Jesus pay for our sins and reconcile us to God by His sacrifice, but He fulfilled the old law, making the old covenant obsolete to Christians, and brought the New Covenant.
As Christians, we are free from the law and we have liberty in Christ. Tithing is a part of the Mosaic Law, which is not applicable to Christians, and was fulfilled by Jesus on the cross. He literally paid our tithing on the cross.
(Galatians 5:18; Romans 10:4; Luke 24:44; Colossians 2:14; Galatians 3:23-25; 3:13)
2. Tithing Isn’t Taught in the New Testament
The mental gymnastics that some churches and their pastors are willing to execute in order to justify mandatory giving is unconscionable, but nonetheless, they do it. The fact is, however, that the New Testament simply does not teach tithing as a commandment or requirement of Christians. Period.
Jesus never taught the law of tithing to the apostles, and the apostles never taught it to the Christian churches established under the new covenant. The few times the law of tithing is mentioned in the New Testament are mere references toward Scribes and Pharisees, but not to Christians or Christ’s disciples.
1 Corinthians 9:13-14 is commonly used by money serving churches to try and establish mandatory giving, but when read contextually and in its entirety, 1 Corinthians 9 actually makes greedy pastors seeking to make money on the gospel look really bad.
Verses 13-14 say:
“Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”
When read by itself, this does in fact appear to teach that we must give to those who preach the gospel, namely, our churches, but when read in context, that message disappears.
Continue reading after verse 14 (emphasis mine):
“But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.
Additionally, in verse 12, Paul says (emphasis mine):
“If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? (speaking of earning a living from his work)
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.”
So, on the contrary to what we are told by so many Christian churches, according to the Apostle Paul, while it is perfectly logical and reasonable for a Christian pastor and church to receive financial support for the preaching of the gospel, this is not a commandment for Christians to pay tithing. And Paul makes it clear that his reward is to preach the gospel free of charge. Any pastor worth his salt should feel the same way.
3. Giving is Between You and God
The Mosaic Law of Tithing is antithetical to the gracious and loving nature of our relationship with God under the New Covenant of Grace. It returns us to slavery and laws, rather than the freedom we have in Christ through the Gospel.
In Christ, we are led by the Holy Spirit, not priests, churches, or the traditions and laws of men. While the Bible is clear that Christians should be cheerful givers, this is not something to be regulated or tracked by your church, or anyone else.
It’s between you and God, not you and your church or your pastor. Jesus is our mediator, and no one else.
(2 Cor. 9:7; 8:3-5; Rom. 8:14; Galatians 5:18; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6)
4. We Should Give to the Poor & the Gospel
Generous and cheerful giving is strongly encouraged all throughout Scripture, and for good reason. Those who are filled with the Spirit and saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ naturally are generous and cheerful givers through their love for others and for God.
Money serving churches take advantage of Christians by using the Bibles’ many references to giving in order to manipulate them into giving to them. It’s important, however, for us to remember the context and the circumstances under which we are told to give in the Bible.