Why I quit tithing

[JamesOrlando]

Check out this short, well-written article:

http://www.larrypoolespeaks.com/why-i-quit-tithing/

So the question I have is:, what is more important - following the legal terms; or doing as this guy did and following your Christian heart?

Is this really an issue of law, or of love?

of 10% or of 'whatever works'?

[ClubV12]

Along with tithes the additional offerings of the Jewish economic system totaled about 25%.

Sister White says there is MUCH we can learn from their economic system. Spiritual lessons that go well beyond tithing issues. I have found this to be the case in my life.

[phkrause]

Along with tithes the additional offerings of the Jewish economic system totaled about 25%.

Sister White says there is MUCH we can learn from their economic system. Spiritual lessons that go well beyond tithing issues. I have found this to be the case in my life.

There's lots we can learn from there economic, Sabbatical, etc., systems, which were set by God. Unfortunately they didn't keep to any of them for very long.

[ClubV12]

I suspect the bigger problem was they kept ADDING to them! :)

[phkrause]

Exactly, like everything else!

[Narcah]

Is there any new testament example of tithing?

[Restin]

Instead of tithing to the GC, I spend lots of money on DVD blanks, copier paper, printer toner, address labels, etc. This is for a mass mailing of the Three Angel's Message to whole zip codes around the USA. And some members of the church would rather help me with this where they know exactly how their money will be spent: for direct literature evangelism rather than air-condition bills for huge SDA church buildings, etc.

I've been told this is wrong, just to send tithe & offerings to the GC and leave it up to God. I can't decide, so I go ahead and help with the mailings.

[Gail]

In the olden sanctuary days the tithe was meant for the priests and Levites, as they did not receive an earthly inheritance in the form of the Promised Land.

As time went on, the priests became corrupted, invoking a curse from God on the house of Eli. But it sounds like those just before the Exile were no better, and in Jesus' time- well, you know what they did to Him.

But even though I know this I have never run into an injunction for God's people to withhold or reallocate the tithe (has anyone here? I'm open to more light on this, too). The poor widow's 2 mites, sacrificial as they were, were accepted by Jesus as her gift to God Himself.

As we pray for God to stretch and multiply our offerings, we can pray that our portion be protected and used appropriately.

I hope that this tidbit adds to your storehouse of knowledge, Restin. I applaud your conscientiousness! God knows your precious heart. :)

[LifeHiscost]

Quote:

we can pray that our portion be protected and used appropriately

And I'm sure, knowing this petition to be in agreement to God's will, we can rest assured the protection asked for will be fulfilled according to His plan.

God cares!

[LifeHiscost]

NARCAH

Look up

In Matthew 23:23 and In Luke 11:42

and LUKE 18:12---Hebrews 7:5,6,8,9

these are all NEW testament verses

dgrimm60

Thanks, dgrimm60, for those quotes. I hadn't read them for some time and it was helpful to me to fasten down another promise of our Lord. Seems I read in the SOP that all our Lord's commands are promises.

" (John 14:15). Ten Commandments—Ten Promises—The ten commandments, Thou shalt, and Thou shalt not, are ten promises, assured to us if we render obedience to the law governing the universe. “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Here is the sum and substance of the law of God. The terms of salvation for every son and daughter of Adam are here outlined "

(Manuscript 41, 1896). {1BC 1105.1}

God cares!

[Aliensanctuary]

We can expect to be paying some kind of tithe in the next life, probably in our roles as sharecroppers feeding the city-dwellers and Temple-workers. I suppose that's why it was set up in this life---to show us what is to come, along with baptism, prayer, and so on.

[nuff sed]

We can expect to be paying some kind of tithe in the next life, probably in our roles as sharecroppers feeding the city-dwellers and Temple-workers. I suppose that's why it was set up in this life---to show us what is to come, along with baptism, prayer, and so on.

I seriously doubt it....Nuff Sed

[phkrause]

I seriously doubt it....Nuff Sed

I agree 'nuff sed

[LifeHiscost]

I was reading in the book of Exodus during the last week and found the only ones that were to bring a gift before the Lord were the ones who were designated by God as the "willing", spoken of over and over when addressing Moses as to what to tell the people. There's no doubt in my mind, each person who gives out of love and gratefulness, will receive at our Father's hand, far more in care from Him than can be necessarily monetized or expected.

"“Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.

“If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’"Luke 10:5-9 NLT

God cares! Jesus saves!

[Guest Donny]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I wanted to add to this conversations a couple article, which I found helpful? Especially in reply to "Restin".

 

http://www.seventh-day.org/tithe.htm

 

It basically says, we are responsible for where our tithe goes. NOT to stop paying, but to choose wisely where it goes. have a read please. 

 

here's the complete article. if you wish to read further.

https://www.stepstolife.org/libreria/jgrosball/financegodsarmy.pdf

[whbae]

Malachi 3:8  Will one rob God?  Yet you are robbing me! But you say, "How are we robbing you?"  In your tithes and offerings!  Bring the full tithe into the store house ........   NSRV

Edited September 22, 2015 by whbae

[Sojourner]

I don't agree that the conference office is representative of 'the storehouse' in Malachi. The Levitical Priesthood and its financial structure and support ended when the curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two. Every believer is a priest in that sense and there is nothing that anyone who considers themselves to be a religious priest can do that can bring you into a relationship with G-d.

The model given to us in Acts is "sacrificial Giving" which for some is more than a 10% tithe and others less, and for others such as the widow and the unemployed to be provided for by the church members. My feeling is that the New Testament is pretty clear that emulating the priesthood system into the Pastoral system of today is not in keeping with Scripture.

 

 

[jbal7]

I'll admit that I've basically quit tithing, not because I don't believe in it but my funds are so low.

Consider this, say I make $1000 a check and $950 needs to come out to cover due bills, how then can I give %10? My checks really are this way right now. 95-99% of what I make goes to bills. Other expenses, like food and gas my wife covers. So how can I give 10% if it's not left to give? Would God rather me just give the money and have faith He'll cover the bill when it comes due? Of course I know He can! But would He want me to do this...I think to the story of the women who gave her last $ in the Bible, I suppose I should too. Anyone else been in this type of situation?

[Aliensanctuary]

We can't be certain that any denomination is accurately representing the Kingdom of YHVH. Thus, I like Restin's approach, posted above. I still stand behind my comments from 2013 about earthly tithing pointing us to tithing in the Kingdom. There, our tithe won't be money, but products from the land used to feed those living in the City and the Temple.

[Green Cochoa]

3 hours ago, jbal7 said:

I'll admit that I've basically quit tithing, not because I don't believe in it but my funds are so low.

Consider this, say I make $1000 a check and $950 needs to come out to cover due bills, how then can I give %10? My checks really are this way right now. 95-99% of what I make goes to bills. Other expenses, like food and gas my wife covers. So how can I give 10% if it's not left to give? Would God rather me just give the money and have faith He'll cover the bill when it comes due? Of course I know He can! But would He want me to do this...I think to the story of the women who gave her last $ in the Bible, I suppose I should too. Anyone else been in this type of situation?

It appears to me you've answered your own question, but you asked one that leads to a nice story.  I won't give the name of the lady, for the sake of privacy, so let's just call her Charlotte.

Charlotte was a new Adventist, barely baptized.  Still learning about our beliefs, she visited our home on Sabbath afternoons for awhile and studied with my mother.  One such afternoon, my mother decided it was time to teach Charlotte about tithing.  Surprisingly, no one had told her about tithe before.  However, when she learned about it, she told my mother that she could not possibly tithe, because she would have no money left for food after her bills were paid.  My mother said, "bring your bills and everything over next week and we'll look at it together."  She did.  As my mother helped to do the math, she found that what Charlotte said had been true.  In fact, if she paid tithe, she would have just $5 for food for the entire month!  Knowing that God promises to bless us when we pay tithe, and knowing that it is an obligation that is just as binding upon us as any of our other bills, my mother encouraged Charlotte to go ahead and pay the tithe.  In the back of her mind, she thought she might have to help give Charlotte some food or something when she ran out!

Charlotte, as soon as she got her paycheck, sent the tithe in right away.  She didn't wait to take it to the church on Sabbath--she sent it straight to the conference office by mail!  Her live-in boyfriend, who was not Adventist and had not been baptized when she was, told her not to do it.  But she paid the tithe anyway.  That month, their housemates who had helped to share the rent with them moved out.  However, when they left, they had already paid their part for the month and they left the refrigerator full of food.  They had just enough food to make it to the end of that month.  

Again, the boyfriend told Charlotte she better not pay the tithe, but again she sent the check straight to the conference office as soon as she had been paid.  This second month, God provided in helping her to find cheaper housing much nearer to the university she was attending, which saved travel expenses as well!  Again, they had just enough to make it to the end of the month--and my mother never had need of helping them!

The third month, she paid the tithe again.  This time, the government gave her a much larger grant for her studies than she had expected, and yet again she had sufficient to cover all of her bills.  By this time, her boyfriend had changed his tune.  "Don't stop paying the tithe!" he exclaimed.  I don't think she did, either.

God keeps His promises.  We're the ones who think cheating Him will benefit us--against all reason.  How patient He is with us!  But how much better off we should be if we would but take Him at His Word and trust Him fully!

Oh….one more part of the story that may be of interest to some.  She later commented to my mother that she had paid tithe in a Sunday church before and had never had this kind of experience.  "You have to pay it to the Adventist church," she said.

[JoeMo]

The local conference isn't the only "storehouse" out there for God's tithe.  If the tithe is supposed to be for the ministry of spreading the gospel and supporting gospel workers, there are plenty of mission organizations out there who are as deserving as the conference to receive tithe.  I'd rather donate to a mission that is taking the gospel to people who have never heard of Christ than to a mission whose main purpose is to convert other already dedicated believers to a different denomination.  People need Jesus more than they need a denomination.  Unfortunately, a majority of tithe collected goes to support work in places where the majority of people are already Christians.  I think this is a spiritual injustice to those who have never had the opportunity to even hear the name of Jesus.

[jbal7]

21 hours ago, Green Cochoa said:

Oh….one more part of the story that may be of interest to some.  She later commented to my mother that she had paid tithe in a Sunday church before and had never had this kind of experience.  "You have to pay it to the Adventist church," she said.

I like the story. It defiantly takes faith to tithe sometimes. Still I have to admit, some of the ways she was aided I don't think i would like, but I suppose that's where trusting in God comes into play. As for only paying it to the Adventist church...eh I'm not so sure. 

[Green Cochoa]

12 hours ago, JoeMo said:

The local conference isn't the only "storehouse" out there for God's tithe.  If the tithe is supposed to be for the ministry of spreading the gospel and supporting gospel workers, there are plenty of mission organizations out there who are as deserving as the conference to receive tithe.  I'd rather donate to a mission that is taking the gospel to people who have never heard of Christ than to a mission whose main purpose is to convert other already dedicated believers to a different denomination.  People need Jesus more than they need a denomination.  Unfortunately, a majority of tithe collected goes to support work in places where the majority of people are already Christians.  I think this is a spiritual injustice to those who have never had the opportunity to even hear the name of Jesus.

I agree with most of that.  If you try to earmark your tithe for a foreign field, it won't go there.  But if you send it directly to that field, it will.  Any of our church conferences or missions would be part of the "storehouse."

[JoeMo]

10 hours ago, Green Cochoa said:

Any of our church conferences or missions would be part of the "storehouse."

I'll step out dangerously and go one step further.  There are plenty of non SDA missions in the 10-40 window that are deserving of tithe and offerings as well.  Iris Global and Global Mission Awareness are two of those organizations IMO.  My favorite SDA one is Adventist Frontier Missions (AFM).

[Robert]

On 9/22/2015 at 3:31 PM, whbae said:

Malachi 3:8  Will one rob God?  Yet you are robbing me! But you say, "How are we robbing you?"  In your tithes and offerings!  Bring the full tithe into the store house ........   NSRV

Okay, this whole tithing issue is problematic.  When I attended church I tithed, but I did it out of selfishness and/or fear.  

Selfishness because the more I gave, I was told, the more blessings I would receive in return.  

Fear because if I didn't tithe I would be "cursed with a curse".

Both reasons seem very legalistic to me.  So in 1997 - the year I stopped attending a local SDA church - I wrote on the tithe envelop: "Giving to get is not giving, it's being self-centered". In other words giving to get is sinning because, after all, sin is selfishness. 

Now don't get me wrong I think you should try to support your local church, but making it a salvation issue is very legalistic to me and belongs to the camp of salvation by works.  

My two cents