Study References & Quotes On

The Following List of Reference Quotes Present - Churches, Bible Colleges, Bible Commentaries, Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, Respected Authors & Ministries that DO NOT Teach Monetary Tithing as a Mandate or Clear Doctrine of Scripture Applicable to the Church. It is Recommended That You Read the Forward/Introduction By David A. Yeubanks to Understand the Intended Purpose of This Site. God Bless You. You can download the full PDF version of this list of quotes (great for easier printing) by clicking this link: TithingReferences(TruthForFree.com).pdf

[Note: Comments in Italics & Brackets are my own - David A. Yeubanks - unless stated otherwise]

The Encyclopedia Americana (s.v. "tithe"):
"It (tithing) was not practised in the early Christian church but gradually became common (in the Roman Catholic church in western Europe) by the 6th Century. The Council of Tours in 567 and the 2nd Council of Macon in 585 advocated tithing. Made obligatory by civil law in the Carolingian empire in 765 and in England in the 10th Century... The Reformation did not abolish tithing and the practice was continued in the Roman Catholic church and in Protestant countries (until it was) gradually replaced by other forms of taxation. The Roman Catholic church still prescribes tithes in countries where they are sanctioned by law, and some Protestant bodies consider tithes obligatory."

Hasting's Dictionary of the Apostolic Church:
It is admitted universally that the payment of tithes or the tenths of possessions, for sacred purposes did not find a place within the Christian Church during the age covered by the apostles and their immediate successors.

The Encyclopedia Britannica (s.v. "tithing"):

The Christian Church depended at first on voluntary gifts from its members

 

Jake Barnett - Wisdom and Wealth, p.192):

Our proclivity to teach tithing is just one aspect of our tendency to prefer rules to freedom. But the New Testament concept of giving is so beautiful that it is difficult to understand why we resort to legalism. It appears that we feel that God made a mistake in this area, and fear that our churches would suffer financial difficulty if we followed the Biblical pattern...

 

Catholic Encyclopedia of 1912 p. 259 (s.v. "tithe"):

In the beginning [provision] was supplied by the spontaneous support of the faithful. In the course of time, however, as the Church expanded and various institutions arose, it became necessary to make laws which would insure the proper and permanent support of the clergy. The payment of tithes was adopted from the Old Law, and early writers speak of it as a divine ordinance and an obligation of the conscience. The earliest positive legislation on the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in 567 and the Canons of the Council of Macon in 585.

 

The New Catholic Encyclopedia (s.v. "tithe"):

The early Church had no tithing system ... it was not that no need of supporting the Church existed or was recognized, but rather that other means appeared to suffice.

 

The New Catholic Encyclopedia (p.12):

 

"In the Deuteromic code the tithe is limited to grain. wine and oil (Deu. 12:6, 11, 17; 14:22). These texts more or less equate the tithe with other ritual offerings and sacrifices." [223] "No law of tithing is found in the New Testament, although the principle of church support is laid down in Matt. 10:10 (see also Luke 10:7) and echoed in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14."

 

The New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia (re: tithing history):

In the Christian Church, as those who serve the altar should live by the altar (1 Cor., ix, 13), provision of some kind had necessarily to be made for the sacred ministers. In the beginning this was supplied by the spontaneous offerings of the faithful.

 

[Please note that according to Catholic sources based on historical documentation, the saints including any leadership were supported solely by freewill giving, not the tithe, from the time of the Apostles and for about 500 years, until the Catholic church reinstituted it. They in fact became the appointed priesthood and in many places that were controlled by the Catholic church. It became a state or provincial law that tithing was required. - Additional Comments by Vicki Dillen of the Seek God website]

 

New Bible Commentary, Inter-Varsity Fellowship, p. 222:

[Acts 18:1-4] It was regarded as proper for a rabbi to practice a manual occupation so as not to make monetary profit out of his sacred teaching.

 

[1 Thess. 2:9] This policy [working night and day] not only reflected a desire to be financially independent of those among whom they ministered, but it also marked them off from the ordinary religious traffickers of the day, and showed the converts a good example.

 

[2 Cor. 11:8] Paul is really indicating that he did not receive wages at all for preaching the gospel. If what was given him for his support by other churches was to be regarded as ‘earnings,' then he had in effect ‘robbed' them since the service given was not to them but to the Corinthians.

 

[Heb. 7:18] Also, the priesthood was so fundamental to the Old Covenant between God and His people (the whole relationship was constituted in dependence upon its ministry), that any change in the order of priesthood must of necessity imply and involve a change in the whole constitution; i.e. it implies nothing less than an accompanying new, and indeed better, covenant.

 

Easton's Bible Dictionary:

It cannot be affirmed that the Old Testament law of tithes is binding on the Christian Church...

 

Spiros Zodhiates, Th. D. - Key Word Study Bible (comments on Malachi 3:7-15, p.1173):

This passage is often used by those who advocate "storehouse tithing"; that is, bringing the "tithe" into God's storehouse (the local church), rather than giving it anywhere else. They suggest that gifts to ministries other than the local church should be above the "tithe." Certainly the "storehouse" in Malachi represents the temple or a building in the temple complex. However, the OT "tithe" or "tenth" cannot be reasonably equated with ten percent of gross salary or wages which most earn today. Above all, giving should be a matter between the Holy Spirit and the believer, not a regulation. The "tithe" may be an adequate guide for determining how much some people could give (indeed, for many in a prosperous society, it is probably an inadequate level), but the amount of giving must be a personal decision. The Apostle Paul wrote that God examines the motives for the giving, not the amount (2 Corinthians 9:7).

 

C. I. Scofield - Scofield Reference Bible:

2 Corinthians 8 and 9, "In contrast with the law, which imposed giving as a divine requirement, Christian giving is voluntary, and a test of sincerity and love.

 

Wycliffe Bible Dictionary of Theology (s.v. "tithe"):

The silence of the NT writers, particularly Paul, regarding the present validity of the tithe can be explained only on the ground that the dispensation of grace has no more place for a law of tithing than it has for a law on circumcision.

 

David Dunlap - Biblical Tithing (plymouthbrethren.org):

What, then, does the Old Testament teach about tithing? The Bible does not command tithing in Genesis. Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and others were not commanded to tithe, but all brought free-will thank offerings to the Lord. "And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock" (Gen. 4:3-4). This was a free-will offering; there was no command to offer, nor is there a command concerning the percentage of giving, nor were there requirements, amounts, stipulations, and frequency commanded concerning this offering. In Genesis 8:15-20, after the flood subsides, Noah immediately makes plans to offer a sacrifice unto the Lord. "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Gen. 8:20). Noah offered a voluntary, spontaneous, free-will offering from out of the overflow of his heart. Again there is no standard, command, or percentage required by God. From the beginning of biblical history, free-will sacrifice appears to be the pattern of giving for the people of God.

 

David Dunlap - Biblical Tithing & God's Plan For Giving Today (plymouthbrethren.org):

 

Generosity has been said to be the grace of kings. In a former day only kings could extend such a grace, yet today generosity and a willing heart is God's plan for giving. Under grace God has not asked the Christian to merely give a tenth of his income. If a Christian wanted to follow the example of Israel, he would not be required to give merely a tenth of his income, but rather 25 % of his income. The Israelite tithing-taxation system is not God's design of giving for today. Yet God desires the Christian to give generously to the poor, the needy, and the work of God. Indeed, many Christians do give abundantly and sacrificially to the work of God; in some cases, well above the standard of Old Testament Israel... Today the principles of giving are not burdensome, complex, and rigid. Funds need not be solicited, but are to be voluntarily and generously supplied by committed Christians. The Christian is one who is to give: regularly, "Upon the first day of the week"; individually, "let every one of you" ; proportionately, "As God has prospered him"; bountifully, "He that sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully" ; and finally, cheerfully, "God loves a cheerful giver". Today, our free-will offerings, from grateful hearts, are God's plan to advance the cause of Christ and His church. May the Spirit of God liberate our hearts to give unto Him abundantly.

 

Chafer, Lewis Sperry, Major Bible Themes, Revised, rev. John Walvoord (Grand Rapids: Academie Books), 253-55:

In matters pertaining to the giving of money, the grace principle involves the believer's recognition of God's sovereign authority over all that the Christian is and has, and contrasts with the Old Testament legal system of tithing which was in force as a part of the law until the law was done away with (John 1:16-17; Rom. 6:14; 7:1-6; 2 Cor. 3:1-18; Gal. 3:19-25; 5:18; Eph. 2:15; Col. 2:14). Though certain principles of the law were carried forward and restated under grace, tithing, like Sabbath observance, is never imposed on the believer in this dispensation. Since the Lord's Day superseded the legal Sabbath and is adapted to the principles of grace as the Sabbath could not be, so tithing has been superseded by a new system of giving which is adapted to the teachings of grace, as tithing could not be.

 

C. Their giving was not by commandment [1 Cor. 8:8], nor of necessity [2 Cor. 9:7]. Under the law, a tenth was commanded and its payment was a necessity; under grace, God is not seeking the gift, but an expression of devotion from the giver. Under grace no law is imposed and no proportion to be given is stipulated, and, while it is true that God works in the yielded heart both to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13), He finds pleasure only in that gift which is given cheerfully, or more literally, "hilariously" (2 Cor. 9:7)....

 

D. The early Christians, first of all, gave themselves. Acceptable giving is preceded by a complete giving of oneself (2 Cor. 8:5). This suggests the important truth that giving under grace, like giving under the law, is limited to a certain class of people. Tithing was never imposed by God on any other than the nation Israel (Lev. 27:34; Num. 18:23-24; Mal. 3:7-10)....

 

F. God sustains the giver. God will sustain grace-giving with limitless temporal resources (2 Cor. 9:8-10; Luke 6:38). In this connection it may be seen that those who give as much as a tenth are usually prospered in temporal things, but since the believer can have no relation to the law (Gal. 5:1), it is evident that this prosperity is the fulfillment of the promise under grace, rather than the fulfillment of promises under the law. No blessings are thus dependent on the exact tithing....

 

Mike Oppenheimer, Let Us Reason:

The Pharisees said they have faith but they were more interested in the money, in fact Jesus said: "Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him." ( so did Judas John 12:5-6). Then Jesus scolded them saying "what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God," and He then summed it up by giving another parable--the rich man and Lazarus. The poor man entered where the faithful were, finding rest in Abraham's bosom but the rich man entered torment. The rich man was punished, not because he was rich but because he lived for self, he had no compassion for poor Lazarus whom he walked by and ignored each day as he sat by his gate.

 

The weightier matters of the law, what are they? The Christians are to focus on giving to those in need. "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mk. 12:31; Gal. 5:14). "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). The principle is to help others, especially the less fortunate brethren (following in principle Deut.14,26)

 

You'll notice that those promoters of tithing will always use the Old covenant law to justify their teaching this method of blessing. What the prosperity teachers do is bring people out from grace and under law. Under the New Testament covenant there is no specific amount required to give, you determine the amount you can freely give. "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver."

 

Dana, H. E., The New Testament World, 3rd. ed., rev. (Nashville: Broadman, 1937), 149, 217, 221:

Among the Jews professional life was limited. The one widely extensive profession was that of rabbi, if profession it might be called, for most rabbis followed some trade or secular pursuit for a livelihood, while devoting all the time possible to the study and teaching of the law. . . . Every Jewish boy was expected to learn some trade. Rabbinic tradition declared that "whoever does not teach his son a trade is as if he brought him up to be a robber" (p. 149).

 

The prevalent use of tents [by travelers] made the tent-making trade a lucrative occupation. One belonging to the same trade-guild, religious cult, or having any other personal relationship to any resident of the locality could nearly always find welcome more or less genuine in a private home. . . . This was the prevailing manner in which the first Christian missionaries were provided for, though likely the entertainment was tendered them without cost (cf. 2 John 10-11; 3 John 5-8) (p. 221).

 

C. F. Pfeiffer and E. F. Harrison - Wycliffe Bible Commentary:

[WBC; 1 Cor. 16:2] "By him" is probably a reference to the home; giving was to be private giving. . . . This system would revolutionize present church customs! Paul's carefulness in money matters should be noted. He never appealed for money for himself and did not even desire to handle money for others if there could be the slightest question about it.

 

[WBC; Matt. 10:8-9] These ministrations were to be performed freely, without charge, for their authority had been received in this manner. These instructions apply only to this specific mission of limited duration.

 

[WBC; Acts 18:1-4] It was customary for Jewish rabbis not to receive pay for their teaching, and therefore, Paul, who had been raised as a rabbi, had learned the trade of tent-making.

 

[WBC; Acts 20:34] Paul reminded the Ephesians of his custom of making tents not only to support himself but to provide for the needs of others with him. He quoted a saying of the Lord which is not recorded in any of the Gospels, about the blessedness of giving. . . . The main objective of giving in the early church was to provide for the needs of the poor brothers rather than to support the preaching of the gospel as is the case today.

 

Rev. Paul Winslow of Valley Bible Church in Spokane, WA:

In the New Testament there is no mention of believers paying tithes, nor any command that they do so. This makes sense since the Body of Christ is a spiritual kingdom, not connected to any land at all, but spread throughout the whole world, its members being neither Jew nor Greek but a new race of people in Christ Jesus. Therefore, it makes no sense for believers to pay a tithe which was largely used in the Old Testament for maintaining a system of priests, since all believers are priests and do not need a go-between themselves and God. Actually, believers are to consider that all they own and receive economically belongs to God. For example, we are told we are not our own but are bought with a price. Further, we are told that we are stewards of all that God has given us, and that He has the right to tell us what to do with our time, resources, income, etc. It may be advantageous for a New Testament believer to decide to give the Lord a percentage of his income as a sort of guide or planned program for giving, and that percentage might be 10%. But such a plan or percentage should be arrived at through prayer with the Lord Himself, rather than an automatic acceptance of the Old Testament tithe. Furthermore, New Testament truth makes it very clear that all believers are responsible to care for widows and orphans and to extend hospitality to strangers in whatever age or social economic structure they live in. Obviously, this varies greatly depending on the individual circumstances of a Christian. At one point he might be a slave and totally unable to do much in this area, and at other times a Christian may have the freedom and capacity to do a great deal in this area. In conclusion, it is my prayer that the Lord will guide each person in his stewardship of resources which the Most High God has graciously provided us.

 

Valley Bible Church of Spokane, WA - Church's Financial Statement (from website):

 

Our goal is for the Lord Jesus to be Lord of our church body, and to have Him directing VBC the way He chooses. As a result, Valley Bible Church has no senior pastor, chairman of the board, or system of hierarchy. The elders perform the role of "finding the mind of the Lord for this local church", and are simply a channel for the direction of the Body... New Testament principles of giving form the guide for our financial policy. Those who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ are asked to prayerfully consider the needs of the ministries of VBC and give as the Lord Himself directs. Stewardship of money and assets is equally as important and spiritual a matter as any ministry we may be involved in. Love for the Lord and for His work constitutes the proper motive for giving or for ministering. We believe the Lord has called this local church into existence, and therefore we look to Him to supply our needs. The believer in Christ has the privilege and responsibility of giving as the Lord directs, thereby investing material assets to produce spiritual eternal dividends.

 

Pastor Jim Catlin of Valley Bible Church in Spokane, WA (excerpt from a personal response letter to David Yeubanks) emphasis added by Pastor Catlin:

 

In fact, we NEVER mention the subject [of tithing] in the Body! However, we have talked about how to handle the resources that God has entrusted to us in a righteous way. As an example of where we are a little 'different' on that account is illustrated in our recommendations regarding monthly bill paying. Many Christian financial advisors say that you should 'give to God first,' you know, the idea of first fruits, and then you pay off everyone else. Well, we humbly disagree because we believe that it is Biblical to pay for those things that you already enjoyed the benefit from that month like electricity, gas, water, sewer, basically retire your 'monthly debt', and then give to God. Would it be right to make your payment to God while your neighbor who offered you a service or a product in advance, trusting that you would reimburse them, goes unpaid? [E.g. Psalm 37:21: "The wicked borrow, and do not pay back..."; Romans 13:7 - "Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom..."; etc.] I know. It is a minor point, but we are not very 'orthodox' when it comes to money matters. But as long as we are Biblical, to the best of our humble intentions, we don't mind if we don't go with the flow. One other 'unorthodoxy' is our lack of a membership list. In reality, no one is a member of our church. If God leads you here, then fine. If He leads you to become involved, fine. If you leave to serve Him in another place, fine. But a membership list tends to put pressure on the Body to perform. It says, "Hey, you're a member so you better act like a member." Sadly, that usually translates into the obligation to give. And sadder still, into an obligation to give 10% 'because it's Biblical'. Sigh. Okay, one more 'unorthodoxy': we don't keep records of giving. Now we're getting radical! I haven't run across ANY church that does this yet. Our reasoning is self preserving (from a spiritual warfare perspective): who could handle knowing what people give? Who could handle the temptation to condemn someone who is affluent but gives a paltry sum? Who could handle the temptation to make a saint out of the widow who outgives the majority of the Body because her amount is so sacrificial? Not me. And anyway, what do you legitimately need the information for? Not the IRS. We have gone through that before, and all we are compelled to do is issue receipts for any lump sum donations above $200 (or is it $250?). We write the receipt and only one person knows who and how much and then we organizationally 'forget' all about it. I've told this to many church administrators and they shake their head in disbelief! To this date, no one in leadership, not the pastors or the elders, knows who gives how much. And we LOVE it that way. 'Nuff about church finances. What a waste of attention span, wrestling over church finances, when we worship a God of INFINITE resources. The Kingdom of God has never wanted for money when, truly, the Kingdom of God was in need.

 

Ray C. Stedman - The Christian & His Possessions [sermon excerpt] (emphasis added):

Giving is not only to be persistent and personal and premeditated, but it is to be proportionate, "as he may prosper." Here is the New Testament replacement for the Old Testament tithe. In the Old Testament, believers were asked to give 10% of their income, a designated proportion, to the work of God. But, remember, that is the kindergarten practice of giving. Men had to be told how much to give, specifically; it was put on a legal basis. When you come into the New Testament you do not find the tithe carried forward. But proportionate giving is definitely taught. All that Paul is saying here is that as increase in prosperity comes there should be a corresponding increase in proportion. Not simply in the amount, it is not to be any longer 10%, but the proportion increases as God has prospered. Do not forget that in the New Testament we learn that the basis of our giving is that we owe everything to God. We simply owe everything to him. The carnal, careless Christian who really cares little about the Lordship of Jesus Christ snaps his finger at that kind of truth and goes out and does as he pleases anyway. But the man or woman, the boy or the girl, who has been to the cross and has been broken, who wants to please God in all that he does, is ready to walk in glad obedience to the Lordship of Christ, he will take time to consider what God has done for him and to calculate what he can do in response to the goodness and the blessing of God. That is to be the basis of giving. Now you can see that if we take this seriously it is going to make some demands upon us. It is going to change our habits. But in the light of the blessings that we receive from Jesus Christ we must not view these demands as burdens, but as privileges, for such they are.

 

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:

...the question as to whether to tithe from one's net or gross income is not answered in Scripture, nor is the question of whether to give it all to the local church or to include other ministries. We feel that such decisions should be based on personal conviction... It (tithing) is not mentioned in the New Testament except where it is describing Old Testament practices or in the Gospels where Jesus is addressing people who were under the Old Testament law. Note Jesus' comments to the Pharisees in Luke 11:42... A New Testament teaching on giving which may be helpful to you is found in 1 Corinthians 16:2: "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income." This passage brings out four points: we should give individually, regularly, methodically, and proportionately. The matter of your giving is between you and God, and He always takes into account our circumstances. He knows when they are beyond our power to direct and control. The important thing is that we see giving as a privilege and not a burden. It should not be out of a sense of duty, but rather out of love for the Lord and a desire to see His kingdom advanced. Second Corinthians 9:6-7 says: ‘Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.' The deeper question, you see, is this: What has priority in our lives? Is Christ really first--or do we put ourselves and our own desires first? Make sure Christ is first in your life, and then ask Him to guide you.

 

David Wilkerson - The Bountiful Servant (sermon excerpt - March 21, 1994):

I must warn you: If you focus on percentages with God, you might as well keep your money. God does not honor any gift that is not given in joy -- willingly, out of a heart overflowing with love! If you give only because you believe it is commanded -- or if you're always wondering, "Is tithing a New Testament concept, or just Old Testament?" -- your heart-attitude is all wrong! If you give 10 percent because the pastor asks it of you, that is wrong also. None of this gets to the issue -- to the heart of what it means to give! One man told me, "After I give my 10 percent, I can do whatever I please with the rest. And I expect God to bless me as He promised -- because I gave my tithe!" No! Many are able to give more than a tithe. And God wants us to give as we are able -- with generosity! There is no place for stinginess among God's people.

 

David Wilkerson - Letter To Friends of the Times Square Outreach (May 31, 1999):

 

The Holy Spirit has laid on my heart something I need to share with you. It is a loving warning from the very heart of Jesus, who said: Take heed, and beware of covetousness (Luke 12:15)... Peter warned that false prophets would arise and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you (2 Peter 2:3)... Peter warned us to beware of covetous ministers who would use the Word to exploit believers -- greedy preachers who would develop a false doctrine of avarice and greed... God's Word says of these rich, greedy preachers: Their judgment is near, and their destruction will not sleep (see 2 Peter 2:3). They have become blatant and arrogant in their greed. They now preach that you cannot receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit until you prosper. That's blasphemy! Beloved, do not listen to this false gospel. It is satanic. It comes from the heart of men who are light and frivolous, jokesters, greedy for more. Isaiah the prophet has their number: Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain (Isaiah 56:11). I thank God that he has promised to supply all our needs. And I do not want any believer's money to make me rich. We are rich when we have His peace and can live without fear all the days of our lives in holiness before the Lord! Thank you for your prayers and support for this ministry to the masses in New York City.

 

R.C.H. Lenski - The Interpretation of I and II Corinthians (p. 1170-1172) emphasis added:

The sowing is ever done on one idea alone, on the idea of blessings - blessings, praises to God; blessings, benefactions to men; return blessings to ourselves. On no other basis or principle does this sower operate. On this basis he reaps. He reaps all the blessings TO GOD and all those TO MEN, and he reaps THE RETURN BLESSINGS THAT GOD POURS OUT ON HIM... The Catholic exegesis finds work-righteousness here, namely the harvest as a reward of merit. But no man ever earned a harvest. God makes seed, soil, sunshine, growth, ripening, and even the brain and the hand to place the seed into the soil and to bring the increase home... Without a verb and with none to be supplied Paul adds: Each one just as he has chosen for himself in advance in his heart, not from grief or from compulsion. The verb is the perfect middle, its voice brings out the idea that the person choosed freely what he wants and would like to have for himself, whether he wants a sparing return or one that is running over with all kinds of blessings. 'In Advance,' fits the idea of sowing which is always in advance of the harvest... The two phrases point to source. In the whole matter of Christian giving nothing is EVER to be done from grief; no one is to be sorry about letting anything pass out of his hands... Nothing is ever to be given 'from compulsion,' from a feeling that one is forced to give, that he is being robbed... Paul wants nothing but VOLUNTARY gifts for his great collection. He here sets forth voluntariness as being the only true motive and principle of Christian giving. It actuated the apostolic church (Acts 2:44,45; 4:22); it has ever distinguished true Christian giving. A large amount of giving has been vitiated by not being free and voluntary. A large number have had no faith or too little faith in complete voluntariness. They fear that this will not bring the needed and the desired sums. So they devise substitutes, all kinds of systems, schemes, and methods that seem to promise more than the giver's own entirely free volition. Instead of depending wholly on such volition and stimulating it by means of pure gospel motivation as Paul does here, they use a little or great deal of legalism which acts as pressure, or they stoop to worldly, often rankly worldly, methods. So Christian voluntariness declines more and more. The odor of legalism and of worldliness makes the 'gifts' so obtained nauseating in the nostrils of God. The harvest of real blessings is lost... All legalism in giving or securing gifts is Romanistic. No one has yet surpassed Rome in this direction. Many who think they hate Rome yet imitate Rome, and they should give Rome due credit although they fail to do this. Tithing is Jewish. Applying a little Christian varnish changes nothing. Paul was reared as a Jew. If tithing could have been Christianized, the man who could and would have done it was Paul, and no better opportunity offered itself than this great collection which he planned for all his churches simultaneously. Paul shunned tithing. All the apostles shunned it. Not one word of Jesus favors it. His very mention of tithing is severely derogatory (Mat. 23:23; Luke 11:42; 18:12). The only other mention of it in the New Testament is purely historical (Heb. 7:5-9). Is this not enough? More than enough! 'Each one just as he has chosen for himself in heart!'

 

R.C.H. Lenski - The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (p.907-909):

 

The scribes and the Pharisees were rigorists when it came to the easy features of the Jewish regulations. They demand that tithes be paid of even the small flavoring herbs of which a family might grow a few such as mint, dill, and cumin (obsolete: cummin), the later being like anise seed but larger and used to a greater extent. But they dismiss, as needing no attention at all, the real moral, spiritual parts of the law; and here Jesus again mentions three points [justice, mercy and faithfulness]... All three refer to our relation to our fellow-men. All three are both virtues of the heart and acts that grow out of these virtues. All three are achieved by our covenant relation to Yahweh Eloheka (Mat. 22:37) [the Lord God to whom we are to love with all of our heart, soul and mind], who by means of His covenant grace plants the law into our inward parts (Jer. 31:33) [writing His laws upon our hearts]. These parts of the law are weightier, essential, even as they are valid for all men and for the church of all times, compared with the Levitical regulation of tithing which was intended for the Jews alone, especially the tithing of mere flavoring herbs. [Lenski continues by pointing out that one of the outstanding facts is that the Gospels mention tithing only a few times; three times in condemnation of the Pharisees - all three he comments to be "scathing in their severity" - and the other references, found in Hebrews 7:5-9 are identified as "merely historical".] All though all of the apostles were originally Jews, reared in tithing, with not one word did any one of them even intimate that in the new covenant the Christians might find tithing a helpful method of making their contributions to the work of the church. This strong negative is immensely re-enforced by the totally different method suggested by Paul when called on the churches for a great offering, 1 Cor. 16:1, etc.; 2 Cor. 8:4, etc. Exegetically and thus dogmatically and ethically the New Testament is against tithing as a regulation in the new covenant. Desire for more money also for more money in the church and for the church must not blind our eyes to the ways employed for getting more money... Jesus does not want to be misunderstood. The new covenant has not yet been inaugurated, he as well as all his hearers are still under the old covenant, and for that God himself had appointed tithing (Lev. 27:30, etc.; Num. 18:21; Deut. 12:6; 12:22-27). If that tithing be done conscientiously, even in little things, Jesus would not forbid it to a Jew. Jesus safeguards against perversions when he adds: "These it was necessary to do and those not to dismiss."

 

R.C.H. Lenski - The Active Church Member (p. 161-164) emphasis added:

 

God has given us His divine Law, and the spirit of Christ, which is the spirit of faith and love, freely uses God's Law as a regulator of the Christian life. As Christians, however, we are under the Gospel, and that means that with faith and love we voluntarily obey the Lord and seek to do His holy will. Legalism is the name for all spurious [plausible but false] law in the church. It is both the setting up of man-made laws in the church, and any obedience to such laws. Jesus declares: "In vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9). And St. Paul warns us: "Ye are bought with a price; be ye not the servants of men" (1 Corinthians 7:23). No church has a right to make laws by which bind its members; and no member has a right to obey such laws, and to allow his conscience to be thus bound. Both the church and the church member are legalists when they operate their church activities this way. The state may legislate; not, however, the church... Just as the Gospel alone rules in our hearts, so Gospel methods, or evangelical methods, should alone be used in our church activities. These methods use the power of faith and love alone, and no outward force. Hence these methods have the mark of Gospel freedom about them. The church member does what he does, of free will, gladly, gratefully, as a privilege. That is the evangelical method... The evangelical Christian goes to church from love of Christ, His Word, and worship. Only where the Lord sees this in the heart is He pleased... ...no mere outward performance satisfies the Lord, least of all doing what the Lord has nowhere Himself commanded. And worst of all, to try to buy His favor is to insult His blessed grace, through which alone His savings gifts can be made ours. Legalistic methods look especially promising when it comes to getting money for the church... Why not impose a tax on the members, say a flat tax of so much per head, or a tax according to the property of the members? Would not that insure the sum desired far beyond the evangelical method of voluntary Christian giving?... The trouble is, that though the money itself might be secured in such a legalistic way, the Lord has no use for it. The only money He will accept must come as a true offering made unto Him by willing hearts in faith and love. Such offerings can be gathered only by using evangelical methods, never by working legalistic ones.

 

R.C.H. Lenski - The Active Church Member (p. 175) emphasis added:

 

Wrong methods always tend to corrupt right principles, and thus hinder the blessings we ought to receive. Right methods support true principles, help to show how beneficial they are, and thus win the approval and blessing of the Lord.

 

Phil Enlow (Midnight Cry Ministries) - "What About Tithing?":

Many of our people give far more than 10% yet we don't even pass an offering plate and rarely is the subject mentioned. God has blessed us abundantly over the years and though we are small, we are debt free and supporting a worldwide outreach without resorting to begging. We give God the glory! ...Although it is often said in a trite way it is still true that we cannot outgive God. When believers learn to give to God in real faith they enter into an area of grace and blessing that will spiritually strengthen them and make them a blessing. Christians are cheating themselves in this and in many other areas when they fail to learn the Lord's ways and enjoy the unsearchable riches of His grace and the benefits of His great covenant.

 

William MacDonald - The Believer's Bible Commentary:

[BBC; Malachi 3:8-10 - emphasis added]

 

The NT teaches believers to give systematically, liberally, cheerfully, and as the Lord has prospered them, that is, proportionately. But no mention is made of tithing..."

 

[BBC; 2 Corinthians 9:5 - emphasis added]

 

There was no thought that these funds should be wrung out of the saints as by extortion but that it should be a manifestation of their generosity, given through their own free will.

 

[BBC; 2 Corinthians 9:7]

 

Each on is to give as he purposes in his heart. It will be necessary for him to consider what is necessary for his own immediate needs. He will have to think of just obligations which he will incur in the course of normal life. But then above that, he should think of the needs of his fellow Christians, and of the claims of Christ upon him. Taking all these considerations into view, he should give not grudgingly or of necessity. It is possible to give and yet not be happy about it. It is also possible to give under the pressure of emotional appeals or public ambarrassment. None of these things will do. God loves a cheerful giver. It has often been pointed out that our word hilarious comes from the word translated cheerful (hilarion).

 

[BBC; Ephesians 2:15 - emphasis added]

 

The church is new in the sense that it is a kind of organism that never existed before. It is important to see this. The NT church is not a continuation of the Israel of the OT. It is something entirely distinct from anything that has preceded it or that will ever follow it.

 

[BBC; Colossians 2:14 - emphasis added]

 

Paul now goes on to describe something else that was included in the work of Christ. Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. The handwriting of requirements that was against us describes the law. In a sense, the Ten Commandments were against us, condemning us because we did not keep them perfectly. But the Apostle is thinking not only about the Ten Commandments, but also about the ceremonial law that was given to Israel. In the ceremonial law, there were all kinds of commandments with regard to holy days, foods, and other religious rituals [e.g. circumcision, sacrifices, tithing, etc.]. These were all a part of the prescribed religion of the Jews. They pointed forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus. They were shadows of His Person and His work. In His death on the cross, He took all this out of the way, nailing it to the cross and cancelling it as a bill is cancelled when the debt is paid.

 

From the article "Thanks Be To God For A Nusiance - Martin Luther" emphasis added:

Luther loathed, too, the globalist tendencies he saw in the Church, and perceived money and capital transactions as fundamentally inhuman, (‘he who touches money, touches dirt') realizing profit at the expense of human beings. He thought men might create an economic system, which would preserve God's Creation and allow people to live together in a self-determined manner.

 

Martin Luther, The Reformer:

 

Learn from me, how difficult a thing it is to throw off errors confirmed by the example of all the world, and which, through long habit, have become a second nature to us.

 

Martin Luther (Sermon; August 27, 1525):

 

"But the other commandments of Moses, which are not [implanted in all men] by nature, the Gentiles do not hold. Nor do these pertain to the Gentiles, such as the tithe..."

 

From the doctrinal statement of the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil:

The Lutheran church does not force on its members rigid rules of behavior. Rather, we go by Luther's rule: "A Christian is a free person and master of all things - by faith. The Christian a servant to all things and to all people - by love"... The IECLB is supported through funds originating from voluntary contributions and gifts of the members of its communities destined for community and mission work. Their is no mandatory tithing, and church services, including baptism, weddings, sepultation, visitation, among others, are rendered free of charge.

 

Francis Frangipane Ministries (statement concerning giving to their ministry):

One way we discern where the Lord is directing us is through the support He sends from His people. Therefore we will make our needs known to our friends - but we will not manipulate, plead or beg for contributions. We believe that no financial need justifies dishonoring the Lord, His people or this work.

 

[It should be noted that Francis Frangipane is not personally opposed to the concept of giving a tenth of your income to the local church; however, his own ministry does not request support through this method. Additionally, Francis does not even receive a salary from his home church, which he also pastors, only a housing allowance which as he states, "...the housing allowance I receive, I then surrender to the work of the Lord. What my faith possesses my humility surrenders..."]

 

Dr. Eddy Cheong (re: tithing) emphasis added by Cheong:

Let me say from the very beginning that there is a distinct difference between giving to God and giving to "the church". Giving to God is a scriptural concept (Matt 22:21); Giving to "the church" could just be an emotional response to a well-orchestrated man-made appeal which is out of God's Will and God's Word. So it is important for us to study God's Word so that we are able to discern whether funds being solicited in a particular church are based on sound New Testament Scriptural principles. Prayer is the other means of helping to discern God's Will in a particular area of financial need (of such a church)... In fact, giving should be more appropriately termed "free will offerings" in the context of the New Testament Church, for Paul commanded us to give as we purpose in our heart (2 Cor. 9:7). If the amount is a fixed one, there will be no need to purpose in one's heart anymore!! I repeat there is no curse for "NOT TITHING" in the New Testament church (as is often implied on sermons from Malachi 3:10-12)... Our Lord has fulfilled all the requirements of the Mosaic Law and taken the curse of (not obeying) the Law away from us (Galatians 3:13). The New Testament Christian should abide by the teachings of the Apostle Paul (which has superseded Moses' Law.). Christians who insist on keeping the Law of Moses or part of it are under a curse! Gal 3:10 - "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.'" (NIV) Churches advocating tithing as compulsory are putting a curse on their congregations! So in summary, 'Giving' is a New Testament 'Church' Principle as opposed to 'tithing by Law' (by compulsion). Jesus clearly commanded (take note that it was not an option) that we have to give to God. Matt 22:21 - "'Caesar's,' they replied. Then he said to them, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's.'" (NIV) "What is God's" implies a fixed sum. BUT we must remember that Jesus made the above statement in the context of the Mosaic Law which was still existent in His Time. Further on in the epistles, the Apostle Paul qualifies this "giving" as "from the heart" and proportionate to the degree that one is blessed. He specifically spoke against "compulsion" (from sources outside). Manipulating a person to give (whether directly or indirectly) is a form of witchcraft... 2 Cor. 9:7 - "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (NIV) "What he has decided in his heart to give" clearly has to be some amount (not zero). It may be ten percent or more. Well, it may even be less, but give as the Holy Spirit directs your heart; NOT AS THE PASTOR DIRECTS YOU. This is the distinct difference between giving to God and giving to the church.

 

[Dr Eddy Cheong is a Christian minister from West Malaysia. He is author of two books and is also a medical specialist by profession.]

 

Gary Carpenter Ministries (from a message entitled: From Formula To Relationship) emphasis added by Gary Carpenter:

God loves to prosper His people. His prosperity has much more to do with your RELATIONSHIP with Him than it does LEGALISTIC FORMULAS. I suggest you ask yourself the following questions if you truly desire to walk in more of His abundance: ARE YOU SEEKING FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD? Do you spend daily time in the Word, prayer and periodic fasting to seek the will of the Lord foryour life's call in His kingdom? He has a plan for every member of His body. What is His plan for your life? What are you doing to find out what that plan is? ARE YOU GIVING A PORTION OF YOUR INCOME INTO GOD'S WORK? It will be hard to convince even yourself that you are very interested in what God is doing in theearth if you are not sowing a portion of your finances into the work of the gospel. Why do you want to prosper? To heap up treasure for yourself? To see souls rescued from Hell? Whose kingdom are you most interested in? His ... or yours? WHAT IS THE SIZE OF YOUR FIELD? Take inventory of your life. Is your field already producing maximum harvest? Is it already "wallto wall corn?" Is there any room for financial increase in the job you presently have? Has He already blessed your current field to maximum harvest? WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SOW LARGER FIELDS IN THE EARTH? Spend time in prayer and ask the Lord to show you if there are additional skills He would like for you to acquire. You will find Him to be very practical. He is a Living Lord and He is very capable of giving you precise instructions regarding what you should do. Of course, to obtain answers like these requires more of us than simply "plunking" our legalistic ten percent in the offering plate each Sunday. Answers to questions like these require TIME in fellowship with the Lord Himself through the avenues of the Word, prayer and fasting. NOW you are discovering the true path to prosperity. He prospers His people through RELATIONSHIP, not FORMULA! He desires your fellowship infinitely more than He desires your legalistic offering. For those who will spend time with Him and obey His leadership, there are no limits to the level of prosperity He can bring them to. Isa 48:17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

 

[Gary Carpenter is a minister to the body of Christ who expresses his calling as being Prayer, Teaching and Kingdom Finances. He is also a prophetic voice in the body of Christ and has a sincere heart to help teach Christians how to deal responsibly with their finances and, more importantly, to seek the Lord for His heart in such matters. All of his teaching tapes and printed materials are provided FREE to those that ask for them! His website expressly states that those who are blessed by his ministry should not feel obligated to donate any money to the ministry. He tells the story of how the Lord spoke to him regarding his ministry and said, "Take up no offerings from these people. Sell no tapes. Mail everything freely and do not even put in a return envelope. If you will precisely obey these instructions of Mine I will speak to the hearts of the people I choose to support both you and the needs of the ministry." He also talks about his initial hesitency to take his ministry to the Web because of what it may cost him financially to maintain this desire to provide all materials free to God's people. Of these concerns he struggled with he states, "My thinking was, 'Lord, what if a 100,000 people all write in for tapes at once? These tapes do cost!' I see now that this kind of thinking has a name... DOUBT AND UNBELIEF! I say now, HIS WILL BE DONE! I have learned from experience over the past two and a half years that the Lord certainly has the capability of financing whatever He wants done in the earth. Apparently, He wants this ministry done... NOW! Amen! So be it! The financial responsibilities are His, not mine. So now I move out in faith in Him toward blessing you--ministering to you--helping you--and praying for you--by His Spirit. Let His Ministry go forth through me, and then through you." Gary and his wife minister on the principle that freely they have received and so freely they give, trusting God to supply every need for His work. The ministry's website is located here: http://www.garycarpenter.org]

 

Michael Clark (excerpt from the article: He Shall Suplly Your Needs) emphasis added:

In 1970 my wife Dorothy and I went full time into a ministry that could not support us but I felt that it was God's call just the same. We were in that ministry for six years. The first year was the acid test. I prayed and fasted that the Lord would show me His will concerning quitting my job to go "full time," and thought I heard Him say to do so. I had the attitude that if God was my boss and husband, then He would meet our needs as we were obedient to Him. I went to work for Him and expected my wages to come from Him. These were terms that I could understand at the time and He honored my faith. In the first year, He met all our needs and not only that, He paid off our house and gave us a car. We even had a baby in that year and God paid off that bill, too! Often I would be handed a blank envelope with money in it. I never had to panhandle any of His people for the money, for I believed that this was not living by faith to do so. After all the Word says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Philippians 4:6, NASB). We are to first and foremost make our requests to God and not men. God honored my faith and never let us down. Grant it, at times he came up with the money for a bill at the very last minute, but that just stretched my faith and made it grow. By the end of that year we were totally debt free... I just wanted you to know that God is able to provide your every need from His riches in glory in Christ Jesus...

 

Michael Clark - The Law and the Church (teaching excerpt):

 

You see the early never taught tithing or many of the rules either written or implied in our churches today. They believed in the power of a changed life with its new heart to lead the believer into all righteousness. And they also believed that God would supply their every need from His riches in glory. Paul had to confront certain Jewish members of the church for trying to get the Gentile believers to start keeping the law. He finally had a show-down with them in Jerusalem and the outcome of it was the following decree. "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; that you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well (Acts 15: 28-29)." Wouldn't this have been an excellent time to lay down the law about New Testament tithing? If this was a legal decree coming down from the rulers of today's Churches and denominations, it would be at the top of the list! ...Don't people have faith in the ability of the Holy Spirit to lead, teach, and keep His people in the power of a changed life and to convict them of sin where necessary? To listen to the teachers in the Church today, you would not think so. Jesus promised to send us help in our walk with God. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth " ( John 16:13). "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you" ( John 14:26) [Also read I John 2:20 & 27] When we, as well meaning Christians, set out to help the Holy Spirit by giving our young charges in the Lord a set of rules to keep them on "the straight and narrow," we often cause more damage than good. I remember what a thrill it was to hear a young Christian tell me how depressing it was for him to try a marijuana cigarette again after he got saved. "I felt the peace leaving me and it was really a downer," he said. He had found out for himself how the Spirit could lead him into walking in truth. Paul warned the foolish Galatian church, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery"(Gal. 5:1)...

 

[Michael Clark served the Lord in the capacity of full-time ministry for several years in the 70's during the "Jesus People" Movement. Currently he lives in Bayview, Idaho and authors a number of prophetic teachings and articles and is not affiliated with any organized, institutional-style group. He is a broken vessel that has been used by Lord to touch lives through a resourceful website, personal ministry and has seen the miraculous power of Jesus touch lives through prayer. He has a strong message to the body of Christ to see intimacy with Jesus increase and move the Church beyond mere religious practice to radical relationship with God and a restoration of what it means to truly be the Lord's servant. His website is located here: http://awildernessvoice.com]

 

Tony Badillo - Tithing, God's Command or Man's Demand (excerpt from the book) emphasis added by Tony:

Here is an amazing paradox - incredible but true: Physical Israel received what is surely the most bountiful, most fruitful physical land in all the earth. With the possible exception of the Garden of Eden, there has never been a more productive land than the Promised Land given to Israel. Indeed, God "circumcised" it with rain from heaven. And yet... The heart of the Israelites themselves - the heart which is portrayed by the Bible as a piece of land or ground - proved itself worthless, barren unfruitful, and hard as stone - fit perhaps for growing only thorns and thistles. See now how God compares the heart of Israel as unfruitful. And what does this have to do with tithing? Simply that a literal ten-percent tithe was required to be paid from a physical land inheritance - a land which was, without question, very fruitful. It was a high-yield land. In essence, the literal land was circumcised by literal physical rainfall from an earthly heaven. But in contrast... Spiritual Israel (Christians today), have NO LITERAL LAND INHERITANCE and hence, NO LITERAL TEN-PERCENT TITHE is required - no, not at all. But you see, Christians too have a high-yield land. Christians too have a circumcised land. But this is a spiritual land receiving spiritual rain (the Holy Spirit) from the "heaven of heavens" which is God's throne. And it is this Spiritual Rainfall which gives this Spiritual Land the Spiritual Circumcision... Therefore, it is the spiritual fruit from this spiritual circumcision that God really wants - and not a literal ten-percent tithe return from a physical land! And THIS is the relationship between circumcision and tithing...

 

[Tony Badillo is a Christian brother, Bible teacher, and former member of the Worldwide Church of God. He is author of the book mentioned above and also authors a number of articles on church-related issues and has a heart for people who have been caught in the deceptive teachings of the WCG and also those who have been robbed of their Christian liberty by legalistic teachings in the Church.]

 

Hubert Krause and Orest Solyma - A History of Tithing from the Bible (excerpt from the book):

A Further Look at Matt 23:23-34: By their meticulous attention to the physical, in this case in tithing on the smallest of garden herbs, Christ described the Pharisees as "straining out a gnat"-a reference to their practice of straining out their water so they would not accidentally swallow a gnat, an unclean insect according to the Law. It was indeed laid down in the Law that a gnat was an unclean insect to be avoided, but the point Christ was making was that the Pharisees were unbalanced in their strict, legalistic application of the letter of the Law, to the detriment of its spiritual intent, its "weightier matters" (v 23). He condemned their attitudes and motives that were responsible for this legalistic application of the Law. Yes, the Levitical law of the tithe was still operative, and Christ did not dismiss their own adherences, though He did deal with their hypocrisy. However, the added implication of His words is that their tithing law was in His eyes also a "gnat" in comparison with the weightier considerations of the Law; that is, it was of minimal importance when contrasted with God's great Law of Love. Certainly, He took no pains to uphold it as having an ongoing universal application, for He could easily, in these verses or elsewhere, have expounded upon the subject. Instead, if we look at the parallel verses in Luke 11:41-42, we see that He commended the spiritual generosity of the heart and the giving of alms over tithe-paying (cp. Matt 6:1-4; 19:20-22). Christ was saying to let your heart-pure spiritual motives-determine your giving, both physical and spiritual, for this is a reflection of the love of God, rather than the compulsory tithe (Lk 11:42). It is interesting that Christ, while upholding the law of Moses, drew upon the tithing practices of the Pharisees to demonstrate their preoccupation with burdensome ritualism to the neglect of more important spiritual obligations. Principle and law, which have ongoing and intrinsic value, are the ammunition of rebuke rather than arrogant traditions.

 

Hubert Krause and Orest Solyma - A History of Tithing from the Bible (excerpt from the book):

 

Christ gave many discourses and parables with respect to monetary matters and financial stewardship, yet never once did He indicate that: 1.) either He or His apostles were to be the recipients of the Levitical tithe in the future; 2.) the Levitical tithe was obligatory for the Christian; or 3.) the NT Church He was building would be supported or financed by tithes. In the light of the fact that He, the High Priest of God, was the very cause for the changes in the Levitical law. The reality is that Christ could not legally have received tithes during His earthly ministry, as He was a Jew, of the tribe of Judah, not a Levite (Heb 7:14). The Levites/priests alone were entitled to receive such offerings and tithes. There is no evidence that He ever exacted tithes from anyone, and at one stage He had at least five thousand people following Him (Jn 6:10) from whom He could have perhaps done so. After all, the more people there are the greater the money. It was a fish that provided even the shekel for the temple tax (Mat 17:24-27). Please note these simple principles: Matt. 10:8 - "Freely you have received, freely give," is the message of the Gospel. Matt. 19:21 - The rich young man was to "sell what you have and give to the poor." Not to give to the temple or to the Levitical priesthood still functioning, neither to Christ, nor to His disciples. Isn't this an extraordinary demand? It is restated in Mk. 10:21 and Lk. 18:22. Matt. 6:2-4 - Christ said that believers were to give alms, to help the poor and disadvantaged. Lk. 6:38 - "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Give compassionately, generously, and voluntarily, and wisely but not because you are under coercion. Acts 20:35 - Luke records one of the great sayings of Jesus Christ which is not mentioned anywhere else: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." And the context is Paul speaking to a ministerial gathering at Miletus. Giving or tithing from feelings of guilt, fear, self-compulsion, coercion, or superstition can hardly be approved of by God. I remember as a lad being told that if I succeeded in doing 13 monthly benedictions I would be totally exempted from purgatory. Similarly, some believe that if they faithfully tithe, they will be given special material blessings. If one keeps buying lottery tickets one might win the lottery. These modes of belief and behaviour are based on superstition and covetousness. Giving is the outflow of godly discernment and belief without any expectation of returns (cp. Lk 14:12-14; 5:27-32). Christ's parables of the pounds (Lk 19:12-26), the talents (Matt 25:14-30), the shrewd manager (Lk 16:1-12), and other parables revolved around money matters (Matt 18:21-35). His teachings about Christian s