Thread: More about tithing

Originally Posted by papabrett

2 Corinthians 9:7

Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver

i think that pretty well sums this whole thing up n a nutshell......


a tither nor a lender do not b......
1st wheeze chp 14:1

no tithing envelopes were ripped up n the writing of this post....

Tithing is clearly taught in the Scriptures. Jesus put His stamp of approval on the practice. Tithing had been established before the law but was codified into the law. Jesus said it was good. He is the Eternal Son of God and no matter who he said it to, it is good and I can depend on it to be true for me too. He is not a respecter of persons and cannot be. If he came back today he would say it is good. He has not changed His mind. The Eternal principles taught by God are applicable to all because He the Son of God has approved. That is good enough for me. With Jesus the context is always God to man. We must rightly divide the truth. But many are blind and cannot see. Their opinions are their gods.
Jesus was not an Old Testament prophet. O no! He was God in the flesh. He was the God-Man! When he speaks the eternal truths he taught will forever be true.

The church father Irenaeus (130-202) on tithing :

“And for this reason did the Lord, instead of that [commandment], `You shall not commit adultery,’ forbid even concupiscence; and instead of that which runs thus, `You shall not kill,’ He prohibited anger; and instead of the law enjoining the giving of tithes, to share all our possessions with the poor; and not to love our neighbors only, but even our enemies; and not merely to be liberal givers and bestowers, but even that we should present a gratuitous gift to those who take away our goods”

“And the class of oblations in general has not been set aside; for there were both oblations there [among the Jews], and there are oblations here [among the Christians]. Sacrifices there were among the people; sacrifices there are, too, in the Church: but the species alone has been changed, inasmuch as the offering is now made, not by slaves, but by freemen. For the Lord is [ever] one and the same; but the character of a servile oblation is peculiar [to itself], as is also that of freemen, in order that, by the very oblations, the indication of liberty may be set forth. For with Him there is nothing purposeless, nor without signification, nor without design. And for this reason they (the Jews) had indeed the tithes of their goods consecrated to Him, but those who have received liberty set aside all their possessions for the Lord’s purposes, bestowing joyfully and freely not the less valuable portions of their property, since they have the hope of better things [hereafter]; as that poor widow acted who cast all her living into the treasury of God.

This page discusses various church fathers and their views on church finances (I'm not endorsing the site as such) :

http://www.tithing-russkelly.com/id15.html

Justin Martyr (c. 150) (from the area of old Samaria) wrote, "And the wealthy among us help the needy...when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgiving, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succors the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us" (First Apology, chap. 67). In accordance with the first century Scripture, "presidents," or church leaders, are only capable administrators, and not necessarily pastors or teachers of the Word.

Justin's writings only use the word, "tithe," four times: twice from Matthew 23:23 to point out that the Jews did not like Christ, and twice from Genesis 14:20 while proving that Melchizedek did not require circumcision (Dialogue with Trypho, chap. 17, 19, 33, 112).

It seems that tithing is never mentioned in the context of Christian practices until some time during the 200s and it wasn't established as a Christian practice until even later, and then the institution of the singular tithe was formalized by the RCC during the 500s.

The pattern seems to be that the further they departed from the power of the early Church and toward a more organized structure ala the RCC, the more interested they got in organizing church finances around an Old Covenant levitical model, just it was simplified from 7 tithes in 3 years down to a single tithe.

Unless someone can quote a church father from the first two centuries of the church who advocated tithing (according to any system) as a Christian practice ?

Tithing was practiced before the law.

Originally Posted by Nikos

Tithing was practiced before the law.

and the new covenant stands where n all this?

Originally Posted by wheeze

and the new covenant stands where n all this?

It's the Nikos dance. If someone talks about the law then Nikos jumps to before the law and if someone talks about before the law then Nikos jumps to the law.