Freedom from Tithing
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Explanation of Protest Coin
Statement on Protest Coin: Old Testament tithing only food, not money.
Explanation: There are only two one-time acts of tithing before the Law of Moses. These two examples of tithing before the Law of Moses do not reveal the practice of on-going tithing. They are both one-time acts. Abraham does not tithe from his own increase but from the spoils of a war. He returns the 90% to the original owner who is the King of Sodom. Abraham is simply paying Melchizedik for taking care of his men after this war. He is not paying him from his own wealth but from the King of Sodom's wealth. In the case of Jacob, we don’t know exactly what he did but it does seem that he is promising to tithe once if God blesses him. Of course, this is exactly opposite of what the Church teaches. The Church teaches that that God will bless us if we tithe. Jacob says he will tithe if God blesses him. Neither Abraham or Jacob seems to teach their family to tithe. In the case of Jacob, he has a particularly righteous son, Joseph, whom God uses in the financial realm. In the ten chapters in Genesis devoted to Joseph, he seems to know nothing about tithing. He simply does as God reveals to him. The Church’s practice of ongoing, repetitious tithing simply cannot be validated by two one-time acts before the Law of Moses. They are not similar to what the Church teaches about tithing.
The only place in the Bible where ongoing, repetitious tithing can be found is in the Law of Moses. Those who were farming or practicing husbandry in Israel had a lifetime obligation to tithe from the food that they produced. This ongoing food tithe to support the Mosaic Levitical ministry is often borrowed from the Law and spiritualized to justify repetitious money tithing in support of Christian ministry. This justification is not found in the New Testament.
Christ only makes three statements about tithing. None of these statements say that His disciples should tithe anything. Christ first statement, repeated in two Gospels, is spoken to the Pharisees not to His disciples. (Mattthew 23:23, Luke 11:42) In that statement, Christ says that the Pharisees should continue to tithe mint, dill and cummin. This is a tithe of food not money. He also says that this tithe of food is a part of the Law and says that it is not even an important part of the Law. His other statement is about a self-righteous Pharisee bragging that he tithes. Christ says that the other man who was not tithing who humbled himself was justified in the sight of God. The self righteous tither was not justified in the sight of God. This is hardly an encouragement for Christ’s disciples to tithe money.
While the writings of the apostles in the New Testament often speak of generous giving, they are silent about ongoing tithing of anything. The first apostolic council in Acts Chapter 15 is also silent about ongoing tithing of anything but releases Gentile believers from any aspects of keeping the Law of Moses.
In the Law, money was never used to tithe only food. In fact, when someone wanted to use money rather than bring the produce (food) to Jerusalem, God required a 20% penalty to be added. (Leviticus 27:30-31) In other words, God discouraged the tithing of money.
There are three tithes in the Law of Moses. None of these tithes were money. One of these tithes was the poor tithe of food collected every three years and stored locally for those in need. This is the tithe that Malachi wrote about. Malachi is a Jewish prophet living under the Law of Moses speaking for God to those living under the Law of Moses. Malachi was not speaking to Christians. The writers of the New Testament do not quote from Malachi Chapter 3. Malachi Chapter 3 is often quoted to teach that Christians are obligated to tithe to support the Christian ministry. However, this is a misuse of this passage since it speaks to collecting the poor tithe rather than the tithe that was taken to Jerusalem three times a year. it is noteworthy that Malachi Chapter 3 says "bring the food". It does not say "bring the money". This passage is spiritualized and the meanings of the words are changed to teach Christian tithing of money. Nowhere does the New Testament change the legal obligation of tithing food for some agrarian Israelites in the Law to money tithing for all Christians.
This transformation of the food tithe to a money tithe is done by teaching that our harvest is our income and bringing us under a spiritualized form of the Law of Moses. This kind of teaching has been done since the Dark Ages. In the Dark Ages a false transformation occurred as ideas were borrowed from the Old Testament. Ideas such as priesthood, burning of incense, sanctuaries, making sacrifice, and tithing were borrowed from the Old Testament, transformed and made "Christian". Tithing of food was transformed into tithing of money in support of a separate "priesthood" that did not exist in the early Church. After all, all Christians are now priests according to the New Testament. Who supports you with a tithe?
Explanation: There are only two one-time acts of tithing before the Law of Moses. These two examples of tithing before the Law of Moses do not reveal the practice of on-going tithing. They are both one-time acts. Abraham does not tithe from his own increase but from the spoils of a war. He returns the 90% to the original owner who is the King of Sodom. Abraham is simply paying Melchizedik for taking care of his men after this war. He is not paying him from his own wealth but from the King of Sodom's wealth. In the case of Jacob, we don’t know exactly what he did but it does seem that he is promising to tithe once if God blesses him. Of course, this is exactly opposite of what the Church teaches. The Church teaches that that God will bless us if we tithe. Jacob says he will tithe if God blesses him. Neither Abraham or Jacob seems to teach their family to tithe. In the case of Jacob, he has a particularly righteous son, Joseph, whom God uses in the financial realm. In the ten chapters in Genesis devoted to Joseph, he seems to know nothing about tithing. He simply does as God reveals to him. The Church’s practice of ongoing, repetitious tithing simply cannot be validated by two one-time acts before the Law of Moses. They are not similar to what the Church teaches about tithing.
The only place in the Bible where ongoing, repetitious tithing can be found is in the Law of Moses. Those who were farming or practicing husbandry in Israel had a lifetime obligation to tithe from the food that they produced. This ongoing food tithe to support the Mosaic Levitical ministry is often borrowed from the Law and spiritualized to justify repetitious money tithing in support of Christian ministry. This justification is not found in the New Testament.
Christ only makes three statements about tithing. None of these statements say that His disciples should tithe anything. Christ first statement, repeated in two Gospels, is spoken to the Pharisees not to His disciples. (Mattthew 23:23, Luke 11:42) In that statement, Christ says that the Pharisees should continue to tithe mint, dill and cummin. This is a tithe of food not money. He also says that this tithe of food is a part of the Law and says that it is not even an important part of the Law. His other statement is about a self-righteous Pharisee bragging that he tithes. Christ says that the other man who was not tithing who humbled himself was justified in the sight of God. The self righteous tither was not justified in the sight of God. This is hardly an encouragement for Christ’s disciples to tithe money.
While the writings of the apostles in the New Testament often speak of generous giving, they are silent about ongoing tithing of anything. The first apostolic council in Acts Chapter 15 is also silent about ongoing tithing of anything but releases Gentile believers from any aspects of keeping the Law of Moses.
In the Law, money was never used to tithe only food. In fact, when someone wanted to use money rather than bring the produce (food) to Jerusalem, God required a 20% penalty to be added. (Leviticus 27:30-31) In other words, God discouraged the tithing of money.
There are three tithes in the Law of Moses. None of these tithes were money. One of these tithes was the poor tithe of food collected every three years and stored locally for those in need. This is the tithe that Malachi wrote about. Malachi is a Jewish prophet living under the Law of Moses speaking for God to those living under the Law of Moses. Malachi was not speaking to Christians. The writers of the New Testament do not quote from Malachi Chapter 3. Malachi Chapter 3 is often quoted to teach that Christians are obligated to tithe to support the Christian ministry. However, this is a misuse of this passage since it speaks to collecting the poor tithe rather than the tithe that was taken to Jerusalem three times a year. it is noteworthy that Malachi Chapter 3 says "bring the food". It does not say "bring the money". This passage is spiritualized and the meanings of the words are changed to teach Christian tithing of money. Nowhere does the New Testament change the legal obligation of tithing food for some agrarian Israelites in the Law to money tithing for all Christians.
This transformation of the food tithe to a money tithe is done by teaching that our harvest is our income and bringing us under a spiritualized form of the Law of Moses. This kind of teaching has been done since the Dark Ages. In the Dark Ages a false transformation occurred as ideas were borrowed from the Old Testament. Ideas such as priesthood, burning of incense, sanctuaries, making sacrifice, and tithing were borrowed from the Old Testament, transformed and made "Christian". Tithing of food was transformed into tithing of money in support of a separate "priesthood" that did not exist in the early Church. After all, all Christians are now priests according to the New Testament. Who supports you with a tithe?