THE TITHING CON GAME - PART 1

 

FREEDOM FROM THE LAW

Read also:

Part 2 :   Abraham's Voluntary Tithe
Part 3: Jacob’s Tithe
Part 4:The Hidden Truths about Old Testament Tithing 

Wickedness at Work

The Guilt

You have been tithing faithfully every month but still get that funny feeling that you might not have done enough, still not blessed or something just don’t seem right?  Be consoled.  You are not the only one who gets this feeling.  See if the reasons are found here.

Would you have it that I first heard about tithing from a Muslim?  That was in the days before I became a Christian. He told me about the General Manager of a factory in the state of Seremban, where we were going in to conduct a 2-day training program “Do you know that  the GM is a Christian and he pays 10% of his salary to his church?” . And I said “Wow! He must be a very committed believer to do that”.  In those days I did not know that this was a thing called tithing.

I am kicking off this site with one of the most controversial topics in church today, and everything after this will be sweet and easy.  Yes.  I am going to speak out against the tithing con game. Yes - Tithing is a con game! 

“Horrors! How dare you?”, you say.

I know, I know..... you are afraid of losing your blessings if you don't tithe.  I know. I know, even worse you will be charged with robbing God, and God will curse you and shut you out.  I know, I know .... you will question me "How can the church survive if we don't tithe? Don't you realize our churches do not receive any allocation or aid from the government?"

Why don't you hear me out first?

This is going to take pages to explain.  And I will have to put it out in parts.  Today I am focusing on the book of Galatians.  Check it out.  Don’t just believe what I write.  So here goes.  Let me get 3 things straight:

1. I am not telling you not to give your 10% to your church.  Give it. Give 20% or for that matter give 90% of your income even, like the example of the Colgate boss which many pastors love to shove down your conscience.   It's your money.  You can do what you like with it.  So don't accuse me of telling you here not to tithe. 
2. I am just saying this "You must not tithe with the wrong motives, or under guilt or fear"  Yes.  We are being enticed to pay tithe out of greed.  That’s wrong motive.  We are being twisted, pounded and pulverized into paying tithes out of a guilt and fear.  This is not cheerful giving.  This is not sincere and godly giving.  This is sinful giving. 
3. I am also saying that if you pay tithe by law, you sin.  The church that receives the tithe sins.  The pastor that receives the tithe sins.  Everyone sins - that is if you are tithing by law.  But if you are tithing with a cheerful heart you do not sin, neither does the church nor the pastor who receives the tithe!  Confused? Read on then.

Moses' Tithe and The Book Of Galatians

 Moses brought the law, the bible says so.  The Jews say that there are 613 laws.  I am not so sure how accurate this is, but I will just take their word for it here.  The law was for the Jews whom Moses had brought out of Egypt under the direction of the LORD.  Tithing was one of these laws.

Now I ask you this, "Are you a Jew who came out of Egypt?" No? Then what is your business paying the tithe of Moses?  If you must tithe, don't it as a law.  Even the Jews today do not tithe, they only pay "tzedekah"  ( now you know where the Malay word "sedekah" originated from.). Check with Rabbi Simmons here.   If Jews don't pay tithes, why are you paying tithes?  Go send an email to any Jewish rabbi now and find out for yourself.  Jews do not pay tithes these days because the temple no longer exist, and the Levites are not serving anymore in the temple.  And you cannot give tithes to someone who is not a Levite.  Paul was no Levite.  Neither was John or any apostles. They were not qualified to receive tithes. Even Jesus did not receive tithes.  And so history tells us that tithes were not collected by the church until a decision at the Council of Macon in AD 535.  The Jews today know that to tithe these days is to sin.  You think you know the law better than the Jews?

Read Leviticus 27:30 carefully and you will find out that tithe must come out of the land.  Read the book of Numbers 18:21 carefully and note that God has given to only one people, i.e. the children of Levi. Read  Deuteronomy very carefully, and you will discover tithes must be in the form of food raised in the holy land only.   It was to be paid only when the Jews have entered into the promised land.  Jews were not paying tithes during the time in the wilderness.  If you think they do, show me one verse that says so.

In Galatians, the apostle Paul clearly says that you are under grace and not law. And to those Galatians who chose to follow the law on circumcision, he said that if anyone chooses to circumcise under the law, then he must follow the whole law!  Therefore, the same applies to you today.  If you want to tithe under the law, you must also follow all of the law.  What we can understand from Galatians is this.  If you want to circumcise for health or traditional reasons, or for cosmetic reason ( what an inappropriate illustration here ), go ahead!  But if you want to do it in conformance to Moses Law ( meaning you feel convicted, guilty, sinful, less blessed, or even cursed for not doing so), then you are obliged to follow all 613 laws.  See Galatians 5:3! 

So if you are tithing because your pastor burns you with the fear of being cursed or robbing God, then you are tithing under the law.  You too, are now a debtor to the whole law.  You cannot even keep one law faithfully over your whole Christian life, how are you going to keep all 613 laws?  Is it a wonder that Paul said this in Galatians 3:10  “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”

And see also what Paul has to say about those going back under the law: “Gal 5:2  Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.”  So, if are tithing by law, in a similar vein Christ profit you nothing.  Worse yet is: Gal 5:4  Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Check out also what James says about breaking the law:  “Jas 2:10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”  And so, if you keep the law of tithing, while you continue to tell little fibs here and there, you are offending the whole law anyway.  By the way, how sure are you that you actually tithe 10%? Did you remember to tithe on your bank interest?  What about your stock dividends? How about that little profit you brought down from the outing at the casino at Genting Highlands? (Oooops!)

So there you are.  Can you now understand that uncomfortable feeling even though you have paid your tithes?  You must have been doing it under law.  Galatians say you will be cursed if you follow the law of Moses. 

Finally, this should clear you of any doubt of the unpleasant truth of the tithing con game: Gal 3:13 “ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” meaning – you don’t have to follow the law anymore.

Other related Questions

(1) Why Are You So Against Tithing?

I am not. I am only against the practice of willfully twisting people's conscience to pay anything.  I am even more against the slew of wrongful additional teaching to squeeze ever more, not content with 10% alone.  I am against mixing up firstfruits with tithing, and giving with tithing.  I am against untruths.


I am against pastors bringing Christians under the law of Moses again.  To bring a believer back under one law is to cause that believer to be subject to all the laws.  Galatians 5:3-4 says so.  A pastor preaches that no one should observe Sabbath because observing Sabbath is under law, but he will have no hesitation preaching tithes although tithe is also under the law.  Is that not being inconsistent.  I ask, what is your explanation for this inconsistency?

(2) Why Do You Say Pastors And Church Sin For Receiving Tithes?

Okay, let get this clear.  If a pastor preaches that not tithing draws the curse of Malachi, then he is preaching Moses Law, not grace.  Now since he is preaching law, then the law must be observed to the letter.  In which case, no gentile pastor or organization is entitled to receive the tithes.  The tithes were given by God in Numbers 18 to the Levites who tend to His tabernacle.  Therefore, other than a Levite, nobody is entitled to receive the tithe.  When a gentile pastor receives the tithe under the law, he sins against the law.  However if a pastor receives a voluntary tithe, he does not sin.  See?  I had one pastor who said that he is the Levite priest of today.  I guess he did not read book of Hebrews that says that Levite priesthood is no more, replaced by the Melchizedek priesthood.  And he carries a “Reverend” title.  More about this “Reverend” thing later, if I remember.

And where is the temple?  The bible says my body is the temple and so is yours.  The bible never says the church is the temple. If it does, it must be a new edition bible.  Anyone who says the church building is the temple is lying or allegorizing.  And where is the storehouse?  The storehouse is in the temple which is my body, not the church.

(3) How Can The Church Survive Without Tithes? 

Believers and church members are free to give free will offerings as is taught in the New Testament.  And surely God would not let a church that does His will to suffer lack? 

But what if the church is doing less than the will of God?  Maybe that is why there is a fear that God will not bless that church.  In this case then, man must take over from God and give Him a helping  hand like Abraham did, right?

But if a pastor preaches faith in God from the pulpit, does he himself not have the faith in that very same God that He who supplies all our needs will really supply the needs of the church as well?  I guess the preacher does not have the faith he teaches others to have.

Tithing is not a must. But giving is a must in Christian life.  We must teach Christians to give, and to give willingly and in love.  No God-loving Christian will want to see his own church fail. Neither does any Christian want to see his pastor and family go hungry and suffer from needs.  Give with a cheerful heart.  Give hilariously. See 2Co 9:7.

But we need to remember also that there are many poor Christians who can hardly pay monthly bills. It takes a very cruel and greedy pastor to put guilt and fear into such poor people in order to squeeze a few tens of ringgits from their miserly income.

(4) Who Says We No Longer Have To Follow The Law?  What About 10 Commandments?

The bible says so.  Not me.  The bible.  I counted at least 12 verses that say so in the New Testament.  Look at Romans 10:4 and Eph 2:15 as examples.  I am a bit lazy now to count out the rest and list them for you here.  You go do some homework for yourself, but take my word for it. Not less than 12 times.

And about the 10 commandments.  10 years ago as a new Christian, I was challenged by a pastor to state categorically that I do not have to observe the 10 Commandments anymore.  I shrank off sheepishly then, not knowing the scriptures.  Today I would ask him if he has circumcised himself, or why is he not observing Sabbath.  He did not seem to realize then, and I think he does not even now, realize that he is not observing the 10 Commandments either.

(5) Why Do You Say People Are Paying Tithe Out Of Greed And Fear?

If you pay RM1 and expect RM3000 in return from the Empat Ekor lottery, how different is paying RM200 in tithes and expect thirty-fold, hundred fold in return?  Greed is greed.  You pay less and expect more in return.  Empat Ekor doesn’t guarantee you any returns.  Neither does paying tithes in this manner.  Now that’s gambling with your tithe money.  There is an element of uncertainty.

And if you are paying tithes because you think that you would lose your future blessings if you don’t, is that not fear?  You are to fear God, but surely not in this manner.

Note that Israelites were to pay tithe on the blessings they had received, i.e. they paid on the increase of the harvest and the flock.  Israelites did not pay any tithe for future blessings.  And just in case you happen to be thinking of book of Malachi again about  God challenging the Israelites to see if He would open the windows of heaven if the paid their tithes, do note the earlier verses says that God had by then already closed their blessings.  Your pastor never highlighted this to you before?  Of course he won’t.  But you’re supposed to read the scriptures for yourself.

(6) Why Am I Not Robbing God If I Do Not Tithe?

For one as a New Testament Christian, you are under grace not law. The law was for the Jews, and the Jews had declared their acceptance of the laws at the foot of Mount Sinai, and with it the blessings of obedience as well as the curses of disobedience.  See Deuteronomy 28.  And so comes the curse uttered by Malachi.  But as for you, can you rob God of something you never promised?  Did you ever swear an oath to pay a tithe to God?  Malachi 3 is one of the most abused chapters in the bible.

Secondly you are a descendant of Abraham by faith and an heir to his promises by faith, are you not?  When did God ever close your window of blessings? Does God need to open the window of blessings on you that he never closed in the first place?

Thirdly, our God is a blessing God.  He blesses the believers and the non-believers.  How else do you explain the great numbers of non-Christian millionaires and billionaires?  Now if God won’t bless people who don’t tithe to the church or His kingdom, why are there so many millionaires and billionaires non-believers? On the other hand, why are there so many Christian tithe-payers who still live from hand-to-mouth after years of faithfully paying tithes?

(7) How Should I Tithe When I Do Tithe?

Just give.  Give with a cheerful heart as what your heart has purposed to give.  See 2Cor  9:78. Give after you have ensured that your own family has enough to eat and needs are covered.  The bible says that a man who does not care for the needs of his family is worse than a pagan.  The bible does not say the same thing about caring for the church with money.  The bible never puts the church above is own family.  Putting God before family, yes.  Along this line, putting God first in our lives is therefore not the same as putting the church organization first.

(8) Why Call It A Con Game? 

When someone knows that something should be done and continues to do it, it is nothing short of a con.

Tithing per se is not a con game.  As long as anyone gives a tenth of his income, he can be said to be tithing.  Remember the word tithe actually means “a tenth”.  Tithe does not mean “tax”, or “payment” or “contribution”.  It means “a tenth”. Period. 

But the manner in which people in authority in the church strong-arm innocent believers into paying tithes instead of giving tithes is a con game.  When an organization knowingly misuses ignorant preachers to twist payments where it should not be done, it is a con game.

Greed coupled with guilt, causes churches to call in visiting pastors to preach tithing, and to put curses where curses don’t belong.  If the strong-arm method of preaching tithing is correct, why call in outsiders to do it?

Most pastors in the first place got conned ( pity them) into the concept of compulsory tithing while still under training by their respective denominations.  So they go on to blindly teach and preach it because they never study the scriptures properly.  They learned from man.

Some got wise, and you will notice these pastors never preach tithe as compulsory. 

Others got wise, but became wiser even when they figured that if they do not twist consciences with guilt and pour fear into lustful hearts for monetary blessing, people might be very insensitive to the prompting of God to give.  They might not give anything at all.  So a little deviousness is in order.

Many such cons are perpetrated to squeeze money.  Yes, the church needs money and we should give.  But should we be squeezed into it? 

The Poor Don't Tithe, They Receive It!

Do you know that in the Old Testament the poor don’t have to tithe?  Really? Yes, and go read Lev 27:32 carefully. Note that it says that “whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD”.  What if a poor man has only 9 sheep, does he tithe? Does any sheep pass under the rod?  So when pastors say even the poor must tithe, it is a con.  It is the 10th sheep that is taken, not the 1st.  But your pastors want the first one.  I have more to say the coming “Unpleasant Truths about Israel’s Tithes”.

See also:

Deu 26:12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.

Therefore if a pastor preaches tithing as a voluntary free-will giving, I have no quarrels with him.  The moment he preaches the curse of Malachi or the closing of the windows of blessing by God, or give RM1 and get heavy returns I consider him ignorant of the bible at best and a con-artist at worst.  And the bible does warn us against con-artists working within the church.  See 1Peter 5:2.

The unpleasant truth is that vast majority of Christians have been had, and many preachers have been less than truthful in your preaching.  


Joh 8:32  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

                                                                                                                            

THIS HERE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY

Nope.  This is not a picture of some temperate forest.  It is in Malaysia, taken in the month of June in Cameron Highlands.

Every year from April to July, some of the trees in Cameron Highlands would sprout new leaves, bringing spots of orange and red into the forest green.

During this period, certain trees would also be flowering, adding some yellows and whites to the scenery.


Lovely.