Tithing was never preached or practised in the early new covenant church because the apostles knew that they were not under the law.   The purpose of the old covenant tithe was to feed the Levites and the poor in Israel.  God’s people are no longer restricted to a single nation, we are scattered throughout the earth.  The new covenant church fulfilled the purpose of the tithe (without the law) under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in a very simple way.  Those who had plenty, simply gave to those who had need.  It was motivated by love.

 

Acts 2:44,45 “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”

Acts 4:32  “ All the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own, but they shared everything.”......vs.34,35 “ There were no needy persons among them.  For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

This achieved the purpose of the old covenant tithe but was led by the Holy Spirit and given from the heart.  There was no preaching from the apostles about every believer giving ten percent of their income. It was simply those who had much, sharing with those who had little.  Those who had little were not asked to give - they were the ones who were receiving.

 

In 1 Cor. 16:1-4 and in 2 Cor. chapter 8 & 9, Paul writes to the brethren about a collection, which was intended to help poor Christians in Jerusalem.  These passages are often misrepresented as a demand for a tithe.

 

I Cor 16:1-4 “Now about the collection for God’s people.  Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.  On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a some of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.  Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to men you approve and send them to Jerusalem.  If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.” 

To be clear about this; Paul was asking the believers in Corinth to give to the believers in Jerusalem.   Those in Jerusalem were not asked to give at the same time, because they were the ones in need.  

When the church in Jerusalem began, it says that “There were no needy persons among them.” because “they shared everything.”  However, Paul is now collecting money from other churches to take to Jerusalem.  Why?

The reason for this is found in Acts 11:27-30.  “During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.  One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.  (This happened during the reign of Claudius).  The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.  This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul." 

 

Paul recounts this when on trial before governor Felix in Acts 24:17.

“After an absence of several years.  I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor”

So, what began in Jerusalem had spread further.  It says, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 2:44-45).  The believers in other regions were simply following the example of the first Christians by sharing with the needy believers in Jerusalem.

 

When Paul went to Jerusalem, and met with the other apostles he noted, -   “those men added nothing to my message"......vs.10. “All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” (Gal.2:6-10).  He had taken gifts for the poor with him to Jerusalem and the apostles simply encouraged him to “continue”.

 

His words to the Corinthians encouraged compassion and commitment, not obedience to any law.  

 “Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.  Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.  For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.  At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.  then there will be equality, as it is written ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little”. (2 Cor. 8:10-15)

Paul knew the old covenant scriptures well.  If he had been demanding a tithe, it would have been easy for him to simply quote a verse which clearly told the people to do exactly that.  Paul could easily have quoted, “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse” (Malachi 3:10), as many pastors now do.  Instead, he writes, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little”.  (2 Cor. 10:15).  This passage (from Exodus 16:18) rather than being about the tithe, is about how God provided “manna” for the tribes of Israel while they wandered through the desert.  Paul is highlighting the fact that God provided just enough for each persons needs.  Now he is asking those in the Corinthian church who had “much”, to share with believers who had “little” so that each one would have enough for there needs.

He says “your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need”  Paul is not demanding a ‘tithe’.  He says “each one of you should set aside a some of money in keeping with his income” but that “the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.”  In other words - he is not demanding that everyone gives the same percentage of their income.  He asks them to give, “according to your means”.  At the same time, he makes it clear that he does not want to over burden them by asking for too much, when he says, “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.” 

 

Paul does not know the circumstances of every believer in Corinth so he says, “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7) 

It is obvious that if you are told you must give ten percent of your income, you are “under compulsion”.

 

I know of cases where people have met with their pastor, to explain why they could not afford to ‘tithe’.  The pastor simply responded by telling them that they lacked faith.  These people had little choice but to leave that church.  How sad that is!  We are told to “remember the poor”.   Yet this pastor condemned the poor, by telling them that they lacked faith.  Once again it says, “your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need”.   God has already blessed us all with plenty, through each other.   Remember in Acts 4:32 it says “No one claimed that any of his possessions were his own, but they shared everything.”......vs.34,35 “ There were no needy persons among them.”

 

The Corinthians were giving to the poor “so that there might be equality.”

 

The ‘tithing’ policy of many churches does not promote equality in any way!  Here is a clear example of how hateful this policy is. -

 

Two men  each earn  $1,000. per week and are told by the ‘law makers’ that they must each give $100. per week to the church.  

The first man is single.  He inherited a house from his parents and he has no debts or dependants. He has plenty of spare time, which he spends in his back yard, growing vegetables to reduce his food bills.  In other words, he has “plenty”.   

The second man is married with four children.  He has a mortgage to pay and his wife does not work because she cares for the children and her sick mother in law, who lives with them.  In other words, the second man is “hard pressed”, even while earning the same amount as the first man.

 

In spite of their vastly different circumstances, the ‘law makers’ demand the ‘tithe’ from both.  Both of these men (under the policies of many churches) are told that they must give the same amount of money every week, even though one man clearly cannot afford it!  Does this sound like the “equality” that scripture is encouraging? 

Does it sound like “love”?  It is no wonder people have left these ‘churches’ feeling condemned by this hateful policy.  This is the exact attitude, which the apostle Paul denounces in his letter when he says, “One remains hungry, another gets drunk.  Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in?  Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?  What shall I say to you?  Shall I praise you for this?  Certainly not!” (1 Cor. 11:21-22)