“Tax Deductible”

Friday, November 24, 2017

Are christians supposed to tithe?  If so, can you prove it in the Old and New Testament… prove it with more than one Scripture in the New Testament?  Please!!!

Sincerely,
Ten Percent Off

Dear Ten Percent Off,

The New Testament and Old Testament teachings on giving are similar… but not the same.  The Old Testament was very specific that giving should be a minimum of ten percent (Deu 14:22).  The word ‘tithe’ means ‘one-tenth’.

However, the New Testament teaching is more generic.  Though ten percent is a good rule of thumb (after all, the Old Testament is given to us as an example – 1 Cor 10:11), christians are simply told to “give as they have prospered” (1 Cor 16:1-2).  God tells us to be cheerful givers (2 Cor 9:7), but He never specifically says how much christians should give.  That is an issue of wisdom and is left for each individual heart to work out for itself (Php 2:12).

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