Many Christian debate on whether tithing is still required after Jesus’ death and resurrection. But before I join the debate, let’s define what tithing is and is not.

Tithing Versus Giving
People often confuse tithing with giving, and they’re apt to use these words interchangeably like they mean the same thing. But Old Testament tithing is a far cry from New Testament giving.

Giving (Post Resurrection)
Biblical New Testament giving is just what it sounds like. It can be in any amount or in any percentage. And the amount you give is totally voluntary. It’s a relational thing entirely between you and God.

Scripture commands that we give. But each one of us must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Tithing
But when a pastor or legalist speaks about tithing, he is not talking about Biblical giving. Giving is voluntary. But the tithing they refer to is not voluntary. Nor is it about giving any percentage. What they’re talking about is the Biblical command in the Old Testament where every Jew must give 10% of their possessions back to their creator.  

Prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus, tithing was the law. Jews had to tithe for God’s favor. They could always volunteer to give extra money, extra food or extra property as a gift. But their first 10% was mandatory. It was legally required by Mosaic law. Note that the Mosaic requirement to tithe never applied to Gentiles. It was just for the Jews and the Jews alone. But for reasons never fully explained, pro-tithers believe the law on tithing still applies. And now they even claim it applies to non-Jews! Where they get this from is unclear. But it’s never mentioned in any Scripture verses that I can find.

Arguments for Tithing
Tithing proponents often refer to Malachi (Old Testament Mosaic law) to claim that if you don’t tithe, you are robbing God. They also claim that when Jesus was resurrected, all 613 laws were fulfilled and abolished…except for the tithe!

The reason they give is that tithing was around before the Mosaic law ever existed. Indeed, Abraham (the father of the faithful), gave Melchizedek a tenth of all his belongings and this was 600 years before Moses and the law. So their claim is that tithing pre-existed the law, and therefore it was never fulfilled or abolished by Jesus’ death and resurrection. Instead, tithing somehow lingers on today. So if you want to earn God’s approval, you’re looking for trouble unless you give God His 10%.

Note that Jesus Himself mentions the tithe at least twice, and it is referred to at least 6 times in the New Testament. In one instance, Jesus actually rebukes the Pharisees for not obeying the weightier matters of the law along with the tithe. So there’s no question that tithing was around even in Jesus’ day.

Arguments for Why Tithing Is No Longer Required
For the reasons below, I am completely against the tithe as a legal requirement. However, I see nothing wrong when you cheerfully give 10% simply because you want to.

Tithing References After the Resurrection
The pro-tithers hate to admit it, but the New Testament never once mentions that tithing is required after Jesus died and was resurrected. In fact, all New Testament tithe references concern events from before the Resurrection! Once Jesus took on all our sins and died, the law was fulfilled through Him. And when He was resurrected those who believed in Him were set free of the law. Indeed, if tithing was still required, shouldn’t post resurrection writers like Paul, Peter, John and James have spoken about it? Why were they all deathly silent on this matter?

Some insist that Paul never mentioned tithing because such would be obvious to his audience. In other words, the Jews of his day knew all about this requirement, so it would be like telling your own grandmother how to suck eggs. Useless.

But this argument falls flat when you consider who Paul’s real audience was. Paul didn’t just talk to Jews. Paul also evangelized to the Greeks, the Romans and various other Gentile cultures. Tithing would not be obvious to these people, who unlike the Jews, did not have 613 commandments to follow. Tithing would certainly have needed to be explained to them. And yet never in Paul’s letters did he once mention the tithe.

Tithing Before Moses and the Law
Pro-tithers insist that the tithe is still alive and in full force. They correctly claim that the practice of tithing existed at least from the time of Abraham and the Patriarchs. So expect to hear a lot about how even Abraham tithed to Melchizedek. But from there, pro-tithers use this incident to claim that the tithe is mandatory. This is a big leap in logic. Scripture says Abraham voluntarily gave 10% to Melchizedek. Yes he tithed, but it was never required of him.

Also, Abraham didn’t tithe to Melchizedek regularly. And certainly not weekly. Based on Scripture, we have every reason to believe this was a one shot occurrence. It was something Abraham did while passing through on his many travels.

In fact, before Moses and the law, we have no indication at all that tithing was done at regular intervals. At best, we have sporadic accounts of tithing such as with Jacob, but with no reason to believe this was widespread or a weekly practice. And even with Jacob, his act was completely voluntary. Jacob tithed 10% because he wanted to. Not because he had to.

Where Does the Weekly Mandatory Tithe Come From?
This is where it gets interesting.  

The first examples of weekly giving (post resurrection) are from the New Testament collections in Corinth. Here, Paul wanted to collect funds so he could help the Christians in Jerusalem. He then instructed the Corinthians as follows: On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

This would have been the perfect time for Paul to tell these ignorant Gentiles, “Hey, when I say “in keeping with your income, I mean you must give at least 10%, no ifs, ands or buts!” But Paul never mentioned a percentage. He never used the word “tithe” either. And we know that Paul, who was a former Pharisee, was very precise with all his instructions.

So it seems that to claim that tithing is both mandatory and to be done weekly, pro-tithers must selectively cobble together things from before the law, during the law and after the law. They must also ignore that the bulk of their supporting doctrine comes from Mosaic law, which is the very law Jesus abolished by His death and resurrection. This is the crux of it. The mandatory part of tithing died when Jesus died. So, even if you except that the tithe still exists in Scripture, all that’s left is the voluntary and sporadic tithing of the Patriarchs, coupled with the weekly giving practiced in the New Testament.

To get around this obstacle, pro-tithers attempt to reinstate the tithe through a special interpretation of the New Testament. For example, they may claim that the weekly collections at Corinth really show compulsory tithing. So now, this tithing, which before Moses was infrequent, totally voluntary and done by Jews, suddenly morphs into something that’s mandatory, to be done every Sunday, and applies to the Gentiles as well. That’s a lot of legal gymnastics. And it’s a huge pill to swallow.

Where’s their support for this? Why is it that Paul (an ex-Pharisee with a mind for detail) never mentions this tithe, not even in 1 Corinthians 16:2, or in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9?

In fact, if you read 2 Corinthians chapter 9 (verses: 7-8), Paul writes exactly the opposite of what these tithers are claiming! Instead of demanding 10% or quoting the book of Malachi on robbing God, Paul says instead that Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  So how does this support that the collection was mandatory and for at least 10%? Is Paul a liar? Was he talking to his audience in a special secret code? This is the leap you must make to believe that the New Testament actually reinstates the mandatory tithe.

Food for Thought
Isn’t it a bit ironic that our church pastors frequently mention the tithe for their own church programs? Yet for some reason, the super apostles Paul, Peter, John and James never did so?

The Mystery of This 10%
To me, this ten percent sounds very much like the Mosaic law in disguise. Except the pro-tithers don’t tell the whole story. According to at least one source, the Old Testament law required multiple tithes which would have pushed the total amount to around 23.3 percent.

Keep in mind, the tithers of today are almost always talking about money. But under the law, people were tithing their possessions too! And what about tithing our time? Tithers rarely mention that, do they? So why aren’t pastors and other pro-tithers demanding we contribute 23 percent instead of 10? If we’re going to be in bondage to the law, let’s do this thing right!

Giving After the Resurrection.
The scary part (especially for the legalist) is that God wants much more than just your money. He wants your heart. The Lord will not be bribed by your silly percentages or your reliance on numbers. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He’s not gunning for your money. He’s gunning for you. ALL of YOU. 

This means your time, your treasure, your devotion, your obedience. Your thought life! Even your willingness to be willing. And yet He knows our hearts wander. This is where His love and grace come in. Jesus can breathe life into your dry bones. And if you ask Him to, Jesus will give you a heart for cheerful giving.

You can’t please God by giving under compulsion. But you can certainly give cheerfully and joyfully. (no matter what the amount)

God has commanded us to be givers. His two greatest commandments are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. And to love our neighbors like ourselves. This cannot be done without some sort of giving. But there’s no formula to it. 

And when we give, it demonstrates our faith in God as our provider. Giving softens our hearts to the things that God cares about most. And better yet, when we give, it delights Him immensely. 

The Lord encourages us with material and non-material blessings when we give. And He warns us that we may lose out on blessings when we don’t give.  On a personal note, the Lord Jesus transforms my heart whenever I give to others. And often when I give, I receive great joy, love and understanding that is utterly supernatural.

 So there are plenty of good reasons to give. But you are not required to tithe!

Other Resources

7 Reasons Christians Are Not Required To Tithe

The Joy of Giving (Practical Tips)

Loving My Neighbor in a Post Covid World?
Practical giving during a world wide pandemic.

Can We Handle Prosperity?
Are we too small minded to receive God’s worldly blessings?

Giving Hilariously!
How to be a cheerful giver. Knowing who to give to and what to give them!

Cheap On Things But Lavish On People (Taking A Delight In Giving)
Is it OK to spend on others and come along for the ride? Or must you be a monk and always in self denial? How do you know when you’re too much in love with  this world versus having a joyful time?

The Joy of Creative Giving
Spice up your giving so that it’s fun, exciting and brings people together.