Tithing vs. Giving
Friday, January 20, 2012 by Carlfred Giles
Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Proverbs 30:5 One area of preaching that will get me extremely hot under the collar is the inaccurate quoting of the tithing requirement of the Old Testament, and that in a New Testament church. In every other area, New Testament churches preach the doctrine of Grace. Ask any New Testament preacher if we are under the Law or Grace and they'll certainly tell you Grace, as it should be. However, these same men will eventually preach on the subject of tithing - an issue with no reference in the New Testament after the crucifixion except for instruction about Old Testament matters. The other times it's mentioned in the New Testament is when Jesus spoke in a negative context to the Pharisees of His day about their attitude for giving. Remember that our Lord's entire earthly ministry was under the Old Testament economy until the New Covenant was established the night before His crucifixion. Other than these references by Jesus, tithing is only mentioned in the book of Hebrews, and merely to explain the Old Testament system. Despite this fact, every preacher I've ever heard preach on the subject reverts from Grace to the Law.
