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Their Fabricated Tithing Doctrine
This is the big daddy. This is their sacred cow. This is the beating
heart of their evil empire. The crown jewel. The Death Star. The one
ring to bill them all. The pot of gold. Their matrix (into which they
want to plug you). Their Wizard of Oz. Their magic spell. Their special
power. Their secret recipe with the eleven herbs and spices. Their
Golden Goose. The very air upon which they breathe!
Question this doctrine and watch these money hungry pastors bare
their fangs. This is a teaching that they will bear no compromise on.
Tithing, or at least their own version of tithing, is their one true
love.
Here are some bullet points about tithing that these money hungry pastors don’t want you to know:
- The New Testament Church did not tithe.
- The New Testament does not teach tithing for Christians.
- Their favorite Malachi verses cannot be used for Christians since Christians are not under the law of Moses.
- Abraham’s one off tithe of his war booty did not set up a precedent for Christians to regularly tithe their income.
- The version of tithing they teach cannot be found in Scripture (see below).
- The “Storehouse” in Malachi cannot be equated to your local church organization.
- There are plenty of rich (money wise) Christians who do not tithe.
This would be impossible if their version of tithing was true.
- The New Testament teaching is that you decide how much to give, and
there are no rules about where it goes. You cannot be compelled to give.
It may come as a surprise to learn that their tithing doctrine is a
combination of twisted scriptures and wishful thinking, as opposed to
solid Biblical exegesis reflecting a central thrust of New Testament
teaching. Here is their tithing doctrine stated in a nutshell:
“Christians must give ten percent of their gross income only to their
church organization. If they do, then God will bless them for any
offerings they make to the church organization beyond this ten percent.
But if they do not give ten percent gross, then they are stealing from
God and God will curse them.”
There are variations of this teaching, and sometimes it is called a
“principle”, but the above definition contains the core essence of this
doctrine.
It is vital to grasp that tithing is not for Christians. Tithing was
part of the old law (of Moses) which was fulfilled (completed) by Jesus.
You know that Christians are not under the law of Moses don’t you?
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from
the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the
old way of the written code. – Romans 7:6
know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith
in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we
may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law,
because by observing the law no one will be justified. – Galatians 2:16
All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is
written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything
written in the Book of the Law.” – Galatians 3:10
New wine should not be put into old wine skins, nor should new
unshrunk cloth be used to patch an old garment; if you think you need to
obey the law of tithing then you need to obey the whole law (or you
will be cursed, Galatians 3:10).
What is more, this tithing doctrine they teach isn’t found in either
the New or Old Testament. Tithing in the old testament does not match
what these pastors preach – this unique tithe teaching is of their own
invention.
This is such an important subject that Cultwatch has a special
website TithingDebate.com dedicated to setting Christians free from this
fake doctrine. There are free books to download and articles to read.
Make sure you read our article “Should you give? New Testament Giving
Supported!”, because Cultwatch is not anti-giving. If you think tithing
is for Christians today, then you need to read TithingDebate.com
Tip: If you are struggling to feed your family or
buy them clothes, then understand that you do not need to give to the
church. You can still do so if you choose, but you should not feel under
compulsion since your family is more important. Also understand that if
you are poor then that does not mean God is cursing you, or that you
have done something wrong; this is an erroneous teaching these greedy
men promote to guilt you into giving. Remember, your duty is to your
family first. If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and
especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is
worse than an unbeliever. – 1 Timothy 5:8
Tip: Churches that push this erroneous tithing
doctrine will often try to enforce tithing via written agreements
(called covenants), and also by monitoring what people give (so they can
compel them to give more if they are not meeting the ten percent
target). First, grasp that these “covenants” are illegitimate and not
worth the paper they are printed on, because they contain false doctrine
(like tithing) and set up the pastors as a false authority over you.
God would not be party to a covenant that contains falsehoods, therefore
God was not party to the covenant you were pressured to sign, therefore
you are free from this burden. It is as if you never signed it. Second,
recording what you give and using that information to pressure you to
give more is wrong, the Bible implies that our giving is best done in
secret so that only we and God know what we gave. Don’t go to a church
where they monitor what you give. (note: some churches voluntarily let
you record what you have given via a numbered envelope system for tax
purposes. Done correctly, no one in the church will know what you gave.
There is nothing wrong with this kind of recording.)
Your Counter Strategy: Stop giving to that church
until they change their ways. That doesn’t mean to stop giving to Godly
works, we would encourage you to give as the Holy Spirit prompts you and
as you decide. But it is valid to protest false doctrine by refusing to
fund the system that promotes that false doctrine.
