What is a Tithe? Is it money, gift or animal? What is a tithe?
The bible defines itself.
In how to study the bible we have learned the ‘first mention principle’.
We use this principle to know meaning of words as used in the Bible. In the first mention of a word, the bible explains the meaning.
Using the first mention principle let us answer the question; what is a tithe?
What is a tithe?
The word tithe in the Bible is first mentioned in Genesis chapter 14.
Abraham was the first person to tithe to Melchizedek king of Salem.
Gen 14:20: And blessed be the most high God, which has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him tenth of everything.
A Tithe is a tenth of everything.
From Genesis chapter 14, we see that God had delivered everything into Abraham’s hands and Abraham gave a tenth of everything. Many people ask what to tithe and what not to.
You tithe what is yours, what has being given to you, what is in your hands.
You cannot tithe a loan, a mortgage, a rent etc because it is not yours but belongs to a different entity. What you tithe is your salary, what you have earned, what is yours.
Many Christians do not differentiate an offering from a tithe.
What we give on Sundays is not a tithe but an offering. Offerings can be given any time anyhow anywhere but for a tithe, No!
You only tithe when you have, when God has placed or delivered into your hands. There is no defined designated time to tithe but only when you have the tithe.
What to tithe
If I earn $10, I should give $1 as my tithe. If I earn $500 I should give $50, and if I earn $0, what should I tithe?
If you do not have anything to tithe, if God has not delivered anything into your hands, what are you to tithe? You just have to ask God to give you to be able to tithe.
Many churches today are money oriented pushing Christians to tithe each day and night even when they have nothing in their hands. They teach that tithing is only monetary; that you tithe must be money.
When money was not on the world, what did people tithe? What did Abraham tithe?
Tithing must not be monetary. Tithe anything that God has delivered into your hands without looking at its monetary value.
To tithe or not to tithe is your choice and decision. Let no person force you.
I went to a church which before the service begins each Sunday they first preach tithing, asking people to give quoting bible verses.
A church like this is a tithe oriented church, caring of the tithe not you. If you go to such a church, run away.
A good church feeds the sheep with the word not asking for tithing.
Therefore, what is a tithe?
A tithe is a tenth of everything
The big question is; must we tithe? Has God said that we must tithe? See Should a Christian Tithe
God bless
