What does the bible say about tithing and offering? Where should they go?

John MacArthur, head of the Master’s Seminary, is internationally know for his radio broadcast program Grace To You. From

http://www.holytithe.com/macarthur.html#tithe

He says:

God's pattern for giving is not tithing in the New Testament.

It isn't even tithing in the Old Testament.

It never has been tithing,

it never will be tithing.

Why would he say this? Maybe because the tithe:

Only food, NO MONEY! COMMANDED BY GOD from Law of Moses:

1st TITHE.

Numbers 18:21 commands this tithe for Levites.

Leviticus 27 30-33 = crops & animals in herds/flocks.

Why? – Compensation substituted for land inheritance.

2nd.

Deuteronomy 14 22-27 = of crops, + add firstborn animals, take to yearly feast.

Why? - “that thou may learn to fear the LORD thy God always”.

3rd.

Deuteronomy 14 28-29 = of crops, kept home, & invite Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.

Why? - feed poor

WHO EXACTLY FOLLOWS God?

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BEFORE THE LAW OF MOSES: From Adam and Eve, 2500 years TOTAL, one record of a tithe and one promise to tithe:

NEITHER tithe or promise to tithe was commanded of God.

The recorded tithe:

Gen 14:21 Abram tithes from war conquest, a war fought to return his kin.

Gen 14:23 This windfall cost Abram nothing! He never kept any of it!

King David would NEVER give to God, what cost him nothing - 2 Sam 24:24

NO ONE TITHES FROM THE SPOILS OF WAR today!

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The promise to tithe:

Gen 28 Jacob vows to tithe, no mention is made if he EVER, EVER did, or how (how would one tithe land?) or to whom.

WHO KNOWS HOW JACOB TITHE? HOW CAN THEY SAY THEY FOLLOWED HIS EXAMPLE?

There are a large variety of things that can be translated into English as "tithes"

even more different offerings

Some go to poor people, others to Levites (this tribe had no farms of its own - they relied on the tithes for a living and in return served as teachers and caretakers of holy places)

(Numbers 18:21 - 28; Deuteronomy 14:27 - 29)

Some are a way for God to force a person to go on vacation (Deuternomy 14:22- 26)

Tithing (giving 10% of your income) was basically an Old Testament concept. If you read Malachi chapter 3 you will see that they are invited to bring the tithes to the storehouse (of the temple). Some have equated this to income tax, but the same book of Malachi compares what is given to God with what is given to the governor. So they are obviously two different things.

The New Testament doesn't speak of tithing as such, but in I Corinthians 16 it says to give according to your prosperity - personally I interpret that as a percentage - and my own take is that under grace I can be more generous than under the law. In I Corinthians 9 it talks about joyous generosity - meaning we just keep giving because we love to do it. So if you don't want to give, don't bother. God doesn't need it as such. I mean don't give out of legalistic obligation. But try to develop a heart, by God's grace, that wants to give more than it wants to keep.

Where did the give in the New Testament? It seems that pretty much everything they did in the NT was in local church context. Paul wrote to local churches, encouraging the Corinthians, for instance, to raise money for the Jerusalem Christians, and Paul would go around and pick it up.

It's not that you "owe" money to the local church. But we have the privilege of cooperating together with God's people in a local setting to do God's work, which includes generosity.

The church does its work through its members. A lot of it costs money. If a church wants full-time personnel (such as teachers, pastors, etc.) then the church needs to pay for that.

In Galatians chapter 6 we read that he who is taught should share of his goods with he who teaches him. The church is not a theoretical entity. It is simply a group of people who gather together to serve (worship and serve are synonyms) the Lord together. If they have expenses that some other church wants to help out with, that's fine, but it's their responsibility. Meaning the members' responsibility.

My wife and I have the following practice: We give a fixed percentage of our income to the local church we are a part of. We also contribute to other needs - missions, humanitarian needs, etc. - totally apart from that. However we are aware that the church to which we give our fixed percentage is also contributing to many of those needs out of what we give them. So we don't diminish what we give to our church, in order to support other needs.

In the Bible the first tithe went to the Levites, the second they ate when you went to the festivals that they were required to attend and the third went to charity.

At my church the tithing goes to the pastor's salary (which is only about $400-500, sometimes less, because we are a small, poor church). Whatever is left over goes towards a Christian charity, church outreach, or to someone in the church in need.

Offering can also be in the form of your time, i.e. active participation within your congregation, serving people out of love, etc.

Acts 20:35 - In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Mark 12:41-44 - And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

2 Corinthians 9:7 - Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 8:1-7 - We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Also, we give because God gave to us

John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Edit: it's true that tithing is under the laws of the Old Testament, but in the New Testament (where all my verses are from...) giving in general is very apparent. Tithing plays into that. Saying tithing isn't applicable in the NT is like saying the NT doesn't say anything about homosexuality.

tithing was a part of the mosaic law given to the nation of israel (leviticus 27:30-32) christians are no longer under the mosaic law (romans 10:4)

God Does Not Command Us to Give 10% or Any Fixed % of Our Salary or Property

Tithes were required by God from the Israelite farmers and ranchers (see Deuteronomy 14:22 and Leviticus 27:30). Tithes were agricultural produce and not money (and they had money back in those days). The tithes were used in the temple, for festivals and for helping the poor.

There were 3 tithes from some of the Israelites and a 4th from the Levites to the Levite priests.

1) The Levitical tithe required those who raised crops (not everyone and not all professions – just those who raised crops) to give 10% of that to the Levites. This tithe occurred 6 years out of the 7 year cycle. It also required those that raised 10 or more animals to give each tenth animal that passed under the rod to the Levites. If a person raised less than 10 animals, they were not required to tithe.

2) From what was given to them, the Levites in turn had to give a tenth of the very best to the priests.

3) The festival tithe required that those who raised crops or animals to set aside 10% for the annual festivals.

4) The Poor tithe occurred only in the 3rd year of the seven year cycle. This was set aside for the poor.

Now about Christians and tithing, God never established a set standard for Christians to give. The principle of 10% of earnings being required of believers is not taught in the Bible. Giving should be done out of freewill and love and sometimes God puts it in our hearts to give much more than 10% and it doesn’t have to be just money. We are to be led by the Holy Spirit. Giving should be done cheerfully from the heart (2 Corinthians 9:7) for the honour and glory of God, to help the needy (Hebrews 13:16, Acts 20:35, Matthew 25:35-45, Acts 6:1-4, 1 Timothy 5:1-16) and to support GENUINE Christian pastors and ministries who would use what is given to them for GODLY PURPOSES AND NOT FOR WORLDLY PURSUITS (1 Corinthians 9:7-14, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, Acts 2:44-45, 4:32-37, 1 Corinthians 16:1-3, 2 Corinthians 8:1-13, 1 Timothy 6:17-19).

Just as the animal sacrifices were replaced under the New Covenant by the great sacrifice of our wonderful Saviour and Lord, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:27) and circumcision was replaced by circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:29), Old Covenant tithing was replaced by giving cheerfully of what one (who is being led by the Holy Spirit, of course) has decided in their heart to give (2 Corinthians 9:7). Examples of what we can offer are: food, money, clothing, furniture and our service as Christians. We must use wisdom and make sure that the things we offer are needed. Some ministers use others' hard earned cash to embellish their churches and feed their worldly desires.

It’s clear that God never told us that we should be giving 10% (or any fixed %) of our salaries. Those who preach that Christians are to give 10% (or any fixed %) are wresting the Scriptures to conform to their belief at the expense of the truth. An individual may teach this false doctrine due to one or more of the following:

• Ignorance

• Fear of ridicule or disapproval of others who support this teaching

• Not wanting to admit what they always taught was wrong

• Love of money (1 Timothy 6:10)

Applying Old Testament practices in the New Testament is in essence, placing those who hear them under the bondage and curse of the Mosaic Law (Galatians Ch. 3).

Any one who teaches that we are to follow Old Covenant regulations are subverting the souls of those who hear them:

Acts 15:24

Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

If you’re teaching others that God commands this, no matter how good the intentions are, it’s a sin. It’s time to break free from the false doctrine of believers being required to give 10% (or any fixed %) of their earnings, and take a stand against it.

2 Corinthians 9:7

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

http://www.cnview.com/on_line_resources/christians...

http://www.letusreason.org/doct54.htm

REDEMPTION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

Because mankind is incapable of meeting God’s standard of perfection necessary to abide in God’s presence (Romans 3:19-20,23), God sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the total debt for the believer’s sins and mercifully credits to his account Christ’s righteousness (Romans 3:21-28,5:1-11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Jesus’ gracious act of atonement was complete and covers all sin (Colossians 2:13-14; 1 John 1:9). Salvation is not based on good deeds but according to the mercy of God (Titus 3:4-5). Believers are justified by faith; it is a gift by God’s grace (Romans 4:3-8; Ephesians 2:8-9). A true, living faith will result in a desire to live a holy, loving life of good works (Ephesians 2:10; Galatians 5:6; James 2:14-26), but failure to be absolutely successful at righteous living does not negate the believer’s justified status.

If you sincerely say this prayer, your sins will be washed away, you will be redeemed to God, be saved from eternal torment and inherit the Kingdom of God:

"Dear Jesus,

I am a sinner.

I repent of my sins.

Please forgive me and save me by your shed blood;

come into my heart.

I want to receive you as my own personal Lord and Savior.

Amen"

https://victoryinjesuschrist.wordpress.com/