I wanted to ask for clarification on a couple of points, and
since I didn't print out a copy of your book I'll just wing it
and hope you can recall the page number.  

1. When Abram returned after the slaughter of the five kings,
do you really think that he stole the plunder? It would appear
to me that it was simply that, plunder. It wasn't ill gotten
gain or theft but more in line with restitution and subjugation
of his enemies. I don't recall anywhere where the scripture
refers to the spoils as theft?

2. One other point; In the references to Melchizedek on about
page 46 or so, you maintain that the when the change of the Law
became necessary that it was between Melchizedek and Jesus, I
believe the change of the priesthood refers not to Melchizedek
but to Aaron the High Priest, who of course was under the Old
Law. Melchizedek wasn't under the Law, Aaron was. When Christ
became our Priest in the New Covenant, the law must then be
changed.

Hi my brother in Christ,

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the book that you have written and made available on the net. I am an elder/pastor of a church who is the only one of the group who doesn’t believe in ‘tithing’, and have received much derision because of this. It is great to come across an article which puts into the words all the previous study that I have done in this area.

Just a couple of thoughts I had about the tenets you mentioned on page 12. With tenet 2 I’m not sure we can say “The tithe is money” as you have mentioned, the tithe was food. I know you are trying to say that the ‘intent’ was the same, but God was very specific that it wasn’t money. I wonder why God didn’t make it money in the first place? As we know money existed then. I think it was because the basic needs were meant to be provided for – but a profit couldn’t be made from it, and it couldn’t be spent unwisely. Why did God set up a ‘tithing system’? I think the spiritual connection for us is that as the ‘Royal Priesthood’ God is our inheritance and our ‘food’ will always be provided for us.

Nowadays we think it is OK to translate it ‘Food = money’, however ‘time = money’ also. Would ‘tithing preachers’ accept people’s gift of time rather than their gift of money? It is also significant that it was only agricultural produce that was tithed on.

Some people may have had other industries – fishing, etc and may have only had a small garden (eg. the herbs of the Pharisees) so the total amount some people gave would have been far smaller that the 10% of their total ‘incomings’. if this makes sense. So I don’t think we can say that ‘The tithe is money’ – as it never was – the only time it was converted into money was when the load was too heavy to carry – and then it was converted back into food at the other end. Does this mean that the church should pay our ministers only with food – of course not – because we are not paying a tithe in the first place! It is interesting that when the Jesus sent the Disciples out – the thing that was provided for them was food.

Anyway, these are just some of my musings on the issue. Another thing people don’t consider when using Abraham as our example is that he also gave away the other 90%. Thanks again, I will be taking your notes to our next meeting,

Yours in Christ,

Talitha

about how some preachers won't allow honest inquiry 

into this subject.

--Author, BDP

Hi, This is hard writing this to someone I don't know, but the
tithing issue isn't something we can just talk about to anyone.
So if you'll allow be to just get stuff off my chest I'd
appreciate it. 

Background:  My husband and I Love the Lord with all our hearts
and have had a wonderful relationship with Him for more than 25
years.  We were faithful tithers, believing all the scriptures
pertaining to tithing and taking them at face value because the
Preacher said so.  However, in the last few years thru careful
study of the scriptures and the leading of the Holy Spirit we
see that tithing is not relevant.  (Interestingly, I came from
the OT standpoint and my husband came from the NT and giving
point of view and yet we both arrived at the same conclusion.)
For the past year my husband has had several conversations with
our Pastor (very dear friends for 28 years) over this issue and
as friends.  There was never argument back and forth--just
talking over coffee--even tho' he does firmly believe in tithing,
but he always trusted him and told him on several occasions to
do what the Lord was leading us to do.  My husband, as a teacher
in the body, made it clear to our pastor that this wouldn't be
a topic he would begin teaching out of courtesy to him.  And we
haven't privately approached anyone in the body concerning our
views. Then one day a couple of months ago the Pastor really
caught him off guard and lamblasted (for lack of a better word)
concerning this issue, accusing him of being selfish and self
righteous.   

Now nearly every Sunday, besides the typical offerings, he
preaches on the importance of tithing and has made it clear
that if we (the body) don't believe this way we're wrong.
Each week as gotten more pointed.  Yesterday we were accused of
being spiritually proud and self righteous.  Today, written on
our marquee for the whole town to see was this:  Tithe if you
love Jesus, we've heard your honking. Unfortunately this has
literally sent me over the edge.  I feel this has turned into
a control issue.  My way or the highway.  We're in a dilemma
as to what to do.  We truly believe the Lord has set us in
this particular body and have been here 14 years.  I feel its
all gonna come to a head, yet we're adamant in what the Lord has
shown us concerning tithing.  My heart breaks at the thought of
leaving our "family", but I feel this is where it is headed
because we're not in "agreement" with the pastor.  Because
trust has been broken with our pastor, we don't feel like
we can sit down and talk with him about it for fear that it'll
be future sermon material as has happened in the past.  

I'm not seeking and answer from you, I just felt like if I
didn't vent this I would explode.  So there is no need to
reply unless you feel like it.  I will be working on the
forgiveness issues I now have to deal with.  

I never realized studying tithing would get us into so much
trouble, YET we are excited and are experiencing the freedom
that comes with not being bound by the law.

 And knowing that the Lord trusts us to hear his voice
concerning our giving excites us as well.  

Well, I'm sure you've heard this scenario many times, but
thanks for letting me vent.

A Lasting Ordinance

“This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”
Numbers 18:23

If any pastor actually teaches that the tithe is binding on Christians, he must base it on something in the Bible. Some proponents of a modern-day tithe, in order to validate it, point to the passage in Scripture that states that the tithe is a lasting ordinance for God’s people to follow. But, does this mean that God’s mandate to tithe is still in effect because it is a lasting ordinance? Of all the commandments in the Old Testament, 20 of them were deemed a “lasting ordinance”.  So, If anyone teaches that tithing is a binding practice because God called it “lasting”, then that person is not simply making a statement about the tithe but all the other “lasting ordinances” as well. That teacher is setting a precedent about how Christians should interpret the Old Testament. A close investigation of the facts will reveal that the tithe is certainly not binding because it was called “lasting”. The following chart lists every “lasting ordinance” in the Old Testament.

Lasting Ordinance                                 Reference
Passover–Feast of Unleavened Bread         Exodus 12:14,17,24
Oil for the Lampstand                                    Exodus 27:21
Priestly Garments                                            Exodus 28:43
Consecration of the Priests                            Exodus 29:9
Basin for Washing                                           Exodus 30:21
Fat Offerings                                                     Leviticus 3:17
No Wine for Priests                                         Leviticus 10:9
Day of Atonement                                            Leviticus 16:29,31,34
Sacrifice Instructions                                      Leviticus 17
Sacrifice of Firstfruits                                     Leviticus 23:14
Feast of Weeks                                                 Leviticus 23:21
Feast of Trumpets                                            Leviticus 23:31
Feast of Tabernacles                                       Leviticus 23:41
Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord               Leviticus 24:3
Blowing of the Silver Trumpets                    Numbers 10:8
Equivalence of Rules for Jew and Alien      Numbers 15:15
The Tithe                                                            Numbers 18:23
Water of Cleansing                                           Numbers 19:10,21
Temple Protocol                                               2 Chronicles 2:4
One-year-old Lamb and Grain Offering      Ezekiel 46:14

These are the 20 ordinances that the Law called “lasting”. In fact, the Hebrew word “ôlam” is more often translated into English as “forever” and “everlasting”, so the definite implication of the term “lasting” is permanence. What is relevant for the sake of the analysis here is that some proponents of the modern-day tithe claim that this designation is important. In the next chapter, I will make the case that the Law has been effectively abolished for Christians, so perhaps this chapter is superfluous given the fact that these ordinances are part of the Law. But for the sake of those that have been taught according to this idea, the purpose of this chapter is to reveal to how spurious the Lasting Ordinance argument really is. Those who are unfamiliar with this argument may wish to skip directly to the next chapter, but if you have been taught according to this notion, then let us consider the argument.

Using the methods of interpretation employed by those who use the Lasting Ordinance argument, let us suppose that parts of the Law still apply to Christians. One might suppose that all of the “lasting ordinances” would still be in effect, given their designation as “lasting”. However, it is obvious from their titles that not all the ordinances are still binding. The question is: How many of these ordinances lasted beyond Jesus’s death? I tried to find New Testament references to each of these commandments in order to ascertain the status of each (assuming that some might still be in effect). No less than 14 commandments (leaving out the tithe for now) were dismissed by the book of Hebrews in the 6th through the 10th chapters. These 14 ordinances pertained entirely or in part to either animal sacrifice or the Levitical priesthood:

Oil for the Lampstand                      Priestly Garments
Consecration of the Priests             Basin for Washing
Fat Offerings                                      No Wine for Priests
Day of Atonement                             Sacrifice Instructions
Sacrifice of Firstfruits                      Oil and Bread Set Before the Lord
Blowing of the Silver Trumpets     Water of Cleansing
Temple Protocol                                One-year-old Lamb and Grain Offering

I strongly encourage the reader to look up these 14 “lasting ordinances” and then read Hebrews 6:13 through 10:18. Read Hebrews with the aim of answering the questions, “What is the place of animal sacrifice in Christianity?” and “What is the role of the Levitical priesthood in Christianity?” I hold to the interpretation that Hebrews nullifies animal sacrifice and renders the Levitical priesthood obsolete. This is basic, fundamental Christian doctrine. Hopefully, after having read Hebrews, you will see that this is true if you did not know it already. [I will assume the reader is familiar with this portion of Hebrews for the rest of this book.]

As this pertains to the discussion at hand, already we see a different precedent being set: the label “lasting” does not necessarily mean that an ordinance is binding on Christians. In one regard, this is all that needs to be said concerning the tithe as being in effect because it is a lasting ordinance. Obviously, if the tithe is binding today, there must be some other reason for it. However, let us examine the remaining ordinances on the list.

Of the six remaining “lasting ordinances” on the list, five of them do not relate to animal sacrifice or the Levitical priesthood. Of these five, four “lasting ordinances” in the list have to do with Feasts or holidays, and none are practiced in the mainstream by Christians today. The four feasts are Passover, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Interestingly enough, it is traditionally held by scholars that three out of these four feasts were to have been funded by the tithe (or Festival tithe, if you believe in the three-tithe system). Only Passover is mentioned in reference to the Church.

1 Corinthians 5:7-8
Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast –  as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

Paul here is alluding to the Feast of Unleavened Bread which accompanies the Passover celebration. Since he is writing to a Gentile church here, it is interesting to note that he proposes keeping the old “Festival”. Does he mean that we as Christians should observe the Jewish Passover? Or is he referring to the Passover metaphorically? Based on his writings elsewhere in the New Testament, he is probably speaking metaphorically. In Paul’s letter to the Colossians we read:

Colossians 2:16
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

In light of this passage, participation of any kind in the Jewish Feasts is optional. In any case, Christians generally do not celebrate Passover; we celebrate the Resurrection. We do not observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread; instead we commemorate Jesus’s death through the sacrament of communion. As for the other three Feasts, based on Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Christians are not bound to observe them. So if it is true that the Jewish Feasts are obsolete, then the tithe that supports them is obsolete also. So does this mean that part of the tithe was cancelled and another part was preserved?

The only ordinance left on the list besides tithing, has to do with the equivalence of the Law’s application to the Israelites and the aliens who lived with them. Without going through the exercise of finding out if this ordinance has truly lasted, suffice it to say that this ordinance has no bearing on Christianity.

So that brings us to the “lasting ordinance” of the tithe. The tithe pertains directly, but not entirely, to the Levites. Let’s re-read Numbers 18.

Numbers 18:21–28
“I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving in the Tent of Meeting. From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and die. It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: ‘They will have no inheritance among the Israelites.’”

The Lord said to Moses, ”Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering. Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest.’”

The Levites were the mediators of the covenant between God and the Israelites. God provided a way for the Levites to devote themselves wholly to the work of the Lord through the mandatory giving of the other 11 tribes. But we know from Hebrews that the Levitical priesthood is obsolete. It is on the basis of Hebrews that 14 other ordinances are canceled. Does Hebrews permit the tithe to survive? Some point to this verse to support the modern-day tithe:

Hebrews 7:12
For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law.

How you interpret this passage of Scripture will affect your belief about the tithe. Proponents of the tithe say that the change of the law was to whom you give the tithe. Another way to interpret this passage is that the change of the law was that the tithe was cancelled, based on the fact that everything involving the Levitical priesthood became obsolete.

Keep in mind, though, that the tithe did not just support the priests; the tithe served multiple purposes. Part of the tithe went to the Levites, but another part went to the poor, and another part went to the individual for participation in the Jewish Feasts. The local church, by analogy, can only claim that portion of the tithe dedicated to the Levites under the notion that the change of the law was a change in the priests (or pastors) to whom the tithes go. Your local church, especially if it does not support the festivals, cannot lay claim to the portion of the tithe which was to have been eaten by the people themselves, because this did not involve the priests.

Without getting bogged down in the details, what I mean to show from all of this is that those who preach the tithe in general, and especially those who make reference to it as a “lasting ordinance”, are being inconsistent in Bible interpretation. In Christianity today, there is no attention paid whatsoever to the other 19 “lasting ordinances”. So, why would anyone teach that the command to tithe still applies today because it was called “lasting”? If the tithe is still in effect, it is in effect for some other reason. The men who “teach” in this manner are not actually teaching – they are misleading (and in some cases unfortunately, deceiving) their audiences. This kind of teaching does not help people study the Bible for themselves or bring them to true understanding. Those without the discipline to test these teachings, or any message for that matter (including this book!), against Scripture will fall victim to misunderstanding.

A more plausible argument is the one I mentioned earlier. It is the more general argument that there are parts of the moral code in the Old Testament that still apply to Christians. This will be addressed in the next chapter.

Here it is on a beautiful late summer’s evening in Colorado . . . I find myself putting the finishing touches on my book which I hope to soon publish on the web. I started writing this book over 6 years ago, and in that time I thought I’d seen and heard just about every angle on charitable giving out there, but tonight I had an extraordinary experience which I feel is worth mentioning in my book.

I was invited to Castle Pines, an exclusive golf club here in Colorado, to attend an event in support of the Chancellor’s Club fund for my alma mater. The deal is this: they provide a banquet completely free of charge, they tell you all the wonderful things happening at the university, and the guests are solicited for monetary contributions to the university. At least that’s what I thought the deal was. A few dozen alumni and myself mingled for several hours and I began to wonder when they were going to make their “pitch”. The cocktail hour had passed. The dinner hour passed. Finally, the Chancellor got up and spoke for only 15 minutes. (He flew in on a weekday in the middle of the fall semester to speak for 15 minutes?!?) He talked briefly about recent accomplishments of the university and its future goals. At the end of his brief talk, he answered a few questions and he said he would appreciate our support. “A-ha”, I thought, “now he’s going to make his pitch.” But, instead, he sat down and the evening was adjourned. I expected that one of the university officials would talk about the different levels of giving and their associated benefits. Something like . . .

“For a gift of $1,000, you can become a Silver Patron”
“For a gift of $5,000, you can become a Gold Patron”
“For a gift of $10,000, you can become a Platinum Patron”

[I’m making this part up about the Silver, Gold, and Platinum patrons. It’s just that I expected a gimmick of some sort. I expected some challenge or enticement to give.]

Well, they never made their “pitch”. So I then expected there to be some sign-up or pledge sheet in the foyer on the way out. Nope. There was nothing! I couldn’t have given to the university that night even if I wanted to.

On the way home I was wondering how it was that the evening’s events could be considered a “fundraiser”? How do they know I wasn’t just there for a free meal at their expense? How do they know I’ll follow up? How do they even know what my intentions are?

But the funny thing was that I wanted to give, and I will follow-up. What kind of weird manipulation was this that they got me to want to give without applying any pressure? How can a charitable organization survive without even giving me the opportunity to give when I feel the strongest urge to give? (You can tell I’ve been thoroughly conditioned by my experiences in church.) I was just blown away by the overwhelming trust my alma mater has in its alumni. I was blown away. I cannot remember feeling like this in “church”. I have not felt that a pastor trusted me or the other members of the congregation to this degree. Tonight, my alma mater treated me as an adult; whereas, I’ve usually been made to feel like a child in “church”.

Maybe all colleges have a special camaraderie and fraternity among the alumni. It seems that my university’s alumni have a special affinity for our alma mater. The Chancellor was simply relying on our fondness for the institution to be the thing that would ultimately cause us to give.

But aren’t we in a similar situation in the Church? Isn’t there a fraternity among believers? – a dedication to the cause of Christ, a deep desire to spread the Gospel to a dying world? If I have any affinity for my alma mater, isn’t a Christian’s love for Christ infinitely deeper? Don’t we want to give out of this love also? I really think we do.

The thing that made the events of this evening so hard to comprehend was the fact that this is a secular institution! How does the “world” understand and operate according to these principles but not the “church”?

How?

It is my hope that someday the Church of Jesus Christ will fulfill all that she was called to do for the glory of Christ on Earth.