To tithe or not to tithe...

There is much discussion these days in my heart surrounding the topic of tithing.  Is it still applicable today? What is the New Testament position on tithing? Should I be giving ten percent of my income to my local church? If you are in a church or have been a part of a church then I am certain you have also thought about this topic. Make no mistake, tithing is biblical, but understanding the context for the tithe is an important place to start. 

God is always after the heart, He always has been.  He wants us to live not under a law, but under freedom.  Freedom In Christ to do what is right, to be generous and extravagant. He has made a way for us to walk in freedom and liberty because He is not the new covenant by which we live in and through.  I really liked the way this article describes it.  I hope it helps you as well. Be blessed and be generous.

The following is taken from www.gci.org on Tithing:

Under the old covenant, tithing was required for the support of the old covenant ministers. The Israelites were required to give 10 percent — and their blessing was only a physical one! Christians in the new covenant have much better blessings — spiritual ones. How much more willingly ought we to give in thankfulness for the eternal blessings we have in Christ Jesus?

The Israelites were commanded to give 10 percent under a covenant that could not make them perfect (Hebrews 7:19; 9:9). How much more joyfully should we give to God under the new covenant? We have the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which does cleanse our conscience (9:14). And yet it seems that in America today, even though we have so much more than the Israelites did, people give on average a much smaller percentage. Many people give less to the church than they spend on luxury items. Some people cannot give very much, but many people could if they wanted to. God calls on us to examine ourselves, to examine our priorities, and to be generous.

The old covenant gave us condemnation; the new covenant gives us justification and peace with God. How much more should we be willing to give freely and generously so God’s work can be done in the world — to proclaim the gospel, to declare the new covenant ministry that gives us true life, and gives that message of life to others?

People who entrust their lives to Jesus Christ do not worry about whether tithing is commanded in the New Testament. People who are being transformed by Christ to be more like Christ are generous. They want to give as much as possible to support the gospel and to support the poor. Christians should give generously — but giving is a resultof their relationship with God, not a way to earn it. We are given grace through faith, not through tithing.

Some people act as if Christ liberates us from the law so that we can keep more physical blessings for ourselves. That is false — Christ liberates us so that we can be free to serve him more, as loving children and not merely as slaves. He frees us so we can have faith instead of selfishness.

When it comes to money, the real question is, Is our heart in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we putting our money where our heart is? We can tell where our heart is by seeing where we are putting our money. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” Jesus said (Matthew 6:21).