Tithes, tithing is not intended for Christians

"Unlike so many, we do not peddle the Word of God for profit.
On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,
like men sent from God" 2 Corinthians 2:17

"Every man according as he purposes in his heart,
so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity :
for God loveth a cheerful giver." (2 Cor 9:7).

Firstly, the New Testament is clear in that any amount a person gives will be first purposed "in his heart." This means that no believer can or should be told by anyone how much or how often to give (but he/she should study the Bible for direction of course). We certainly believe giving is a true scriptural mandate, but also believe that how much is between an individual and God, and only that which a person can give cheerfully, and not out of compulsion or manipulation.

Secondly, believers are to give primarily out of their abundance as God prospers them (1Cor 16:2), and NOT out of necessity - meaning that those who cannot afford to give (i.e., if they are at poverty level themselves, or deeply in debt) are never required to give any set amount. Such people are free to give sacrificially (to a church, the needy, or a Christian worker) if led by The Spirit upon occasion (such as those Paul praised for giving well beyond their true ability, to meet the needs of certain other brethren in crisis (2 Cor 8:1-5), and to help fund Paul's work and preaching of the gospel (Phil 4:10-18)).

Thirdly, we DO NOT teach “tithing” 10% of one's income, as this is NOT a New Testament teaching. Rather than publish a full "position paper" on tithing at this time, we post many links here for your edification. Study them out, and pray, asking God for full revelation on this issue, and what He may be calling for from you.

In short however, the Old Testament tithe was an offering from the increase from your land (i.e., agriculture - NEVER from your money) which was presented to the Levites, who no longer exist. Those who did not own land or did not work in agriculture (such as fishermen, like Peter, or carpenters, like Jesus), or those who were poor, were NOT commanded to tithe even under the Old Covenant! Before the Mosaic Law, Abraham once (in his whole life - not regularly) gave 10% to Melchizedek (Gen 14:17-24), but he gave only from the spoils of war - not from his own possessions, as Hebrews 7:4 also affirms.

Some interesting questions : Should NT believers who are taught to tithe based on Abraham's example likewise give back to the King of Sodom (Satan?), as Abraham did with almost the entire remaining 90% of his war spoils? Should NT believers require that God bless them first, before they tithe, as Jacob did? (Gen. 28:20-22) Actually, yes! 1 Cor 16:2! Should NT believers consume the tithe themselves, spending it on food, strong drink (KJV) and "whatsoever thy soul lusteth after," as well as sharing this food and "fermented wine" (NIV) with both the priesthood and with the fatherless and widows, as commanded by God in Duet 14:22-26? It's very interesting what modern teachers who impose the tithe on today's church do not tell you about the true purpose and practice of the tithe, isn't it?!

Jesus indeed affirmed that the Pharisees and Sadducees were required to tithe of their mint, anise and cummin (again, only from their agricultural increase : Matthew 23:23), as they were still under this Law - but New Testament believers are not. There is not one NT scripture affirming that Christians were ever commanded to tithe - or even that they did. All NT giving is via free will offerings without a set percentage. Note that Jesus did not abolish the tithe however ; Jesus regularly "upped the ante" on any topic He spoke of in fact, saying that our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees (Matt 5:20), who were only familiar with types and shadows of the full nature of the Kingdom of God. Typically, true New Testament believers way exceeded the tithe, giving all that they owned and even selling houses and property to meet the needs of the poor and needy in their midst (Acts 2:44-45). Those who regularly attend an AntiChurch know that any monies given as part of a regular offering (in secret, via our SASE system) go only to help widows and orphans and/or the poor and needy in our midst, and to fund missionaries and other workers whom we choose - as a group - to support.

New Testament believers are certainly permitted to tithe if they wish, but not required to under the New covenant.

Individuals are also taught in scripture to give to those who teach or minister to them (Gal 6:6 ; 1 Tim 5:18), but such gifts do not come from our general, or weekly, offering. Nobody in an AntiChurch receives a salary -- they do what they do because they are called to it, not because they are paid for it (but see our link The Worker is Worthy).

Remember, God is after your heartfelt obedience to His Spirit's leading, not your mechanical keeping of rules and regulations. For some, tithing would be an unnecessary and unscriptural (legalistic) burden; many others would be "getting off too easy" by "merely" tithing. Truly, 100% of all that you are – and have – belongs to the service and glory of Jesus Christ. How and when you - as a king and priest of the New Covenant - distribute it, and to whom, is solely dependant upon God's leading and your own heart.

"Will God rob a man?" No. Only false religious hucksters and well-intentioned but misinformed teachers will. Their paycheck depends upon it.

Titus 1:11 (KJV) "Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake."

Jer 5:27-29 (NIV) ..."They have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek... they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?" declares the Lord.

1 Thes 2:5 (Jer) ...Never at any time have our speeches been simply flattery or a cover for trying to get money.

2 Cor 2:17 (NEB) At least we do not go hawking the word of God about, as so many do...

2 Cor 2:17 (LB) We are not like those hucksters--and there are many of them--whose idea in getting out the Gospel is to make a good living out of it.

1 Tim 6:5 (Phi) ...among men of warped minds who have lost their real hold on the truth but hope to make some profit out of the Christian religion.

1 Tim 6:5-9 (NIV) ...men, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

1 Pet 2:1-3 (KJV) "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you... of whom the way of truth will be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words MAKE MERCHANDISE OF YOU" (2 Pet. 2:1-3).

See also this excellent compilation of scriptures regarding money in general, but not giving or tithing specifically.