In Matthew 23:23, Jesus told the scribes and the Pharisees that they should tithe, without neglecting justice, mercy and faithfulness. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t mean Christians have to tithe. Jesus was telling Israelites living under the Old Covenant to tithe. After all, Christ completely fulfilled the Old Covenant and initiated the New Covenant in His blood. The New Covenant doesn’t command us to tithe.
Old vs. new
A covenant is an agreement. God promised, “I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” This new agreement wasn’t going to be like the old one. Likewise, it was going to last forever. Well, the New Covenant was set in place by Christ’s blood. Naturally, the New Covenant has made the old one obsolete. His life, death, burial and Resurrection perfectly fulfilled the old agreement God made with Israel, so it’s no longer in effect. Of course, the entire Old Covenant has been done away with, unless any part of it is reiterated in the New Covenant. Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians commanded to tithe.
Cursed?
Under the Old Covenant, the Israelites were cursed if they didn’t tithe. This makes sense, because back then tithing was commanded by God. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law.” Put differently, Christians aren’t cursed if we refuse to tithe.
What about Abraham?
Sure, Hebrews 7:4-6 mentions that Abraham gave a tithe before the existence of the Old Covenant. That said, it was a one-time thing. He won a battle and gave a tenth of the plunder. His gift didn’t come from his own income. He gave away spoils of war, other people’s money. If anything, Abraham was setting an example for us on how to be cheerful givers.
Cheerful giving
In 2 Corinthians 9:7, we’re told what giving looks like under the New Covenant: “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” In other words, we give voluntarily as we are led by the Holy Spirit. In Acts, we learn how early Christians freely shared what they had with each other. Giving was based on helping those in need. As for those who run house churches, lead meetings or are engaged in some other ministry, there is nothing wrong with asking for financial support. Paul asked for financial support, but only when he needed it. At times, he worked to support his ministry and he was never a burden.
Financial blessing is normal for Christians
In Mark 10:29-30, Jesus promised the following:
“Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
If we follow Jesus fully, He will bless us with a wonderful family and the means to support them comfortably. This blessing will lead to persecutions, but in the end, we’ll have eternal life. It’s definitely worth it.