Pinapagod mo na naman ako sir ...
mahaba na naman ang explanation ko diyan ...
First, the short answer:
Tithing is Mosaic Law for ancient Israelites. It does not apply to Christians.
Now, for the long answer:
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What is a tithe? 10% of everything you get? Wrong.
22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.
24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:
25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose:
26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. (Deut. 14: 22-27) Ancient Israel had 12 tribes --- Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin.
Who receives tithes? The Levites (the tribe of Levi).
Who gives tithes? The remaining 11 tribes.
Why? Because the Levites are a priestly tribe. They do not have any property. No land, no animals, no seed. Therefore, the Levites must rely on the other 11 tribes for sustenance.
You are not an ancient Israelite. Therefore, you do not have any obligation to tithe. Your pastor is not an ancient Israelite form the tribe of Levi. Therefore, he has no authority to receive tithes.
How much is the tithe? 10% of the increase of your agricultural produce.
You have 10 sheep. After 1 year, you have 20 sheep. You tithe 1 sheep (10% of the 10 new sheep), not 2.
In the same example, can you tithe 3 sheep? No. The law says 10%, which means exactly 10%; not more, not less.
Si pastor, pag less than 10%, bawal. Pag more than 10%, sabi ni pastor --- Ay OK yon! Lalong magaling!
You inherit a large amount of money from a dead grandmother. Do you tithe 10%? No.
How much of your inheritance do you tithe? Zero. Inherited money is not an increase of agricultural harvest.
What do the Levites do with the tithe? They consume only 90% of the tithe, but 10% of the tithe that they received must be tithed to God by giving it to the priests.
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord’s offering. 27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites.
From these tithes you must give the Lord’s portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the Lord’s portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.’(Num. 18:25-29)The Levites were not exempt from tithing.
They receive 10% from the 11 tribes, then they give 10% of the 10% to the Levitical priests.
Does your church tithe 10% to its ministers, or does it just give them salaries that are much less than 10% of the total tithes?
How often is the tithe paid? Once a year.
Hindi naman siguro once a year lang ang tithing sa church ninyo?
At the end of 3 years, all of the tithes from the 11 tribes must be given away to the poor and to the local Levites. None of it is brought to the temple for the Levitical priests:
28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. (Deut. 14: 28-29)Does your church give away all of the tithes for year 3? Or does it keep all of it for itself again?
If the tithe is not given in full, is that considered stealing from God? Yes, if you are a part of the 11 tribes of Ancient Israel. No, if you are a Christian:
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. (Mal. 3:8-9)That was a law that applied only to Ancient Israel:
4 “Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. (Mal. 4:4) The law was "
for all Israel" only; Christians excluded.
What is the law for Christians? Give voluntarily and cheerfully:
7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” (2 Cor. 9:7-9)That's not tithing. That's freely giving to those in need.
Tithing is compulsory and must be exactly 10%. Fail to tithe correctly and you will be cursed.
But the cheerful giver can give any amount, so it's voluntary. No curse, whether you give less or more than 10%.
Pero si pastor, sabi pag less than 10% ninanakawan mo ang Diyos. Pero pag more than 10% --- Haya-hay! No problem! Mas lalong magaling, kasi babalik sa yo yan, siksik, liglig at umaapaw!
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Why do so many sects insist on applying the Old Testament law on tithing when it clearly does not apply to Christians?
Siyempre naman. Ang laking pera non, ano... How can they resist?
