08.07. Does the NT Teach Tithing?

7. DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT TEACH TITHING?

There are some who are inclined to argue about the tithe. They say it is not taught in the New Testament.

In Matthew 23:23 Jesus said, "Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

"These ought ye to have done," refers to the first statement, "Ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummim" No one says the tithe is the most important. Judgment, mercy, and faith are greater than tithing; but Jesus endorsed both.

Jesus Mentioned Tithe Once

Some would ask the question, "Did Jesus mention it anywhere else?"

We must answer, "No." There are two records of this same statement, but this is the only time the Master ever mentioned directly or used the word tithe.

Does that weaken the argument? No. How many times should Jesus mention a thing to make it true? The only time He ever mentioned it, He said, "Ye ought to tithe," and that is just as binding as though He had mentioned it in every chapter of the Gospels.

Paul The very tenor of Paul’s message to the Jewish Christians in Hebrews 7:1-10 is an endorsement of the tithe.

The statement, "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come," suggests taking the tithe from our weekly income for the storehouse of God.

Tithing -- Old Testament Law

You notice that Jesus, in speaking of tithing, referred to the law.

No one denies that tithing was the law of the Old Testament. The Scriptures say that Jesus came, not "to destroy the law ... but to fulfill it. The law is no more done away with in tithing than it is in judgment, mercy, and faith.

When they asked Jesus about paying tribute to Caesar, He answered, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." I quote from Leviticus 27:30, "The tithe is the Lord’s"; and Jesus said, "Render ... unto God the things that are God’s."