Is it necessary to pay tithe?

Is it necessary to pay tithe?

 

Mark 12:41『And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury』

In the Old Testament, God told the people to pay tithes. The command to pay tithes is based on the law. Leviticus 27:30 says, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.” Church people today find the basis for tithing based on this regulation, and they also look for the origins of Abraham's offering to Melchizedek after the war or Jacob's vow before the law.

 

Jesus explains tithing again in Matthew 23:23. 『Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.』

If you look at the Greek in bold, ταῦτα [δὲ] ἔδει ποιῆσαι κἀκεῖνα μὴ ἀφιέναι.It is translated as “This should have been done, and that should not have been abandoned.” Pastors say, “Jesus said to do this and that, so one must still tithe.” This word points out something from the past. Jesus looks at the Jewish leaders and points out, “You should have done this and that, but you failed to do so.”

 

Jesus is saying that although they tithed thoroughly, they actually abandoned the righteousness, humanity, and God that the law speaks of. These words point out facts from the past.

Tithing contains the meaning of “wait for Christ,” and since Christ has not been found, Jesus tells the Israelites in Matthew 23:23 to find Jesus Christ.

People think of tithing only for worldly goods. However, it makes us realize that the ultimate meaning of tithing is that we are “beings who must spiritually return to the kingdom of God.” Saints offer eternal sacrifices to God in Christ. Therefore, the saints became spiritual living sacrifices and gave spiritual tithes. Those who have entered into Christ are those who are united with Jesus Christ on the cross. So he gave all of himself (tithe) to God.

Giving one-tenth (tithe) is the concept of giving everything, and giving one-tenth represents everything. Although believers give material things, it is a concept of giving of oneself. Since Christ has come into this world, those who are in Christ have now given everything to God.

However, those who still say, “You must tithe your material goods,” are the same as not believing in the coming of Christ. Those who still talk about tithing material things have never offered spiritual sacrifices to God. Church people only talk about tithing in terms of material things, without even knowing its spiritual meaning.

Jesus gave everything to God on the cross. Those who are united with Christ who died on the cross believe that they have given themselves entirely to God. So, by offering themselves in Christ, believers receive salvation from God. When a saint offers himself, he also becomes a person who died on the cross.

The church building is not the kingdom of God; it is merely a place where saints gather for the kingdom of God. However, it is true that there is a financial burden when using a church building. So, in order for church leaders to maintain the church building, they cover it with donations. These include church building maintenance costs, pastoral fees, etc. However, from the perspective of a pastor who runs a church, he would secretly hope to bring in a lot of money.

Sometimes, pastors say, based on Matthew 23:23, “This is a mandatory regulation according to the law, so tithes must still be paid,” and they even boldly use tithe envelopes. They also say that believers' property belongs to God and should be used for the kingdom of God.

Anyone who forces tithing is like someone who does not believe in the coming of Jesus Christ. However, the finances needed to operate the church building must be met through donations from believers. Therefore, "those who are forced to pay money to the church under the concept of tithe based on the law" are the same as "those who do not believe in the coming of Christ." Therefore, it is right to donate money to the church according to one's capabilities as an offering, not as a tithe. How much to do is up to the person donating money.

The important thing is to please escape from the net of the law. Believers must realize “how wrong it is for pastors to still wrap the net of the law on believers, preventing them from becoming free people.” Money may be important to them, but Jesus died to the law for believers and gave them freedom from the net of the law. If pastors still have legalistic thinking, they will have nothing to do with Christ.