Should a church request or collect tithes?

   The "tithe" is defined by God as a tenth, "And all of the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of tree, is the Lord's, it is holy unto the Lord...and  concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even whatsoever passeth the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord" (Lev. 27:30-32). We further read a purpose for the tithe: "And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation" (Num. 18:21). Because the tribe of Levi had no inheritance in the new land, as did the other tribes, the  "tithe" of the other tribes went to support them.

   The law of the tithe was, of course, a part of the law which God gave to Israel through Moses. That law was "nailed to the cross" (Col.2:14) and died when Christ died. That law, which included the laws of the tithe, animal sacrifices, sabbath days, feast days, etc., was taken away in order that the New Testament (that of Christ) could be established (Heb. 7:12,17-18; 8:6-13; 9:12-15; Rom. 7:1-7) The tithe was not a gift or a free will offering under the Law of Moses, it was a TAX in every sense of the word. Instead of taxing believers today, the Lord instructs us in His gospel that each Christian is to "lay by him in store, as he may prosper" (1st Cor. 16:2). Instead of telling us a set amount, or percentage, the Lord instructs: "Let each man give according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2nd Cor. 9:7-8).  As our Lord said, "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

   Because the law of "the tithe" was taken away with the other parts of the old law, does that mean it is wrong to request or collect tithes today? The answer is rather clear, yes it is wrong for a church to request or collect tithes. The church has no role in the tithe system or any other Old Testament mandate. For the church to request or collect tithes is a tacit acceptance of the practice and poses the question, what will the church do with the money? Tithing is more then collecting 10%, it also consist of a proper use of the funds. The law of Moses does not allow for man to decide what to do with the tithe, it was to be used for a specific purpose, the support of the tribe of Levi. For the church to deviate from this purpose shows contempt for the Word of God. To many of this current generation it may seem a minor issue, but our desire should be one of respect for the Word of God and not a liberal attitude towards it.

Addendum (4-10-2016)

  The following remarks concern some troubling trends I believe are becoming all to common at the South Baton Rouge Church of Christ.

  Periodically over the last couple of years I have noticed that during the passing of the collection trays certain overhead images have been displayed stating that now was the time for the gathering of the tithes and offerings. At first I dismissed it as an oversight by the leadership, but as the months passed it kept reappearing. At a meeting about another issue, I asked about this and was surprised to hear their response.  I was told that there was nothing they could do about the overheads since it was a set pattern of images that the church paid a media company named "Graceway" to use. My reply was simple, why not change the image or company. Their answer was that it was not changeable and had to be used as made. Believing that answer  rather glib I pressed the issue. To my dismay I was told that the leadership sees no problem with the notion of requesting or collecting tithes as long as it is not forced. My answer was basically the same as this post and turned to another topic. After the meeting I pulled up the Graceway Media website and found that all of there images are changeable. I felt lied to by the elders, all of them since they were all in accord with the answer given me. 

  After seeing the "tithes and offerings" images again, I entered into a short e-mail discourse with Mark Hadley. Again the same answers were used, both that the leadership had no control over the overheads and that it was a moot issue since they saw no problem with requesting tithes as long as you define tithing as giving in a "rhythm". It is this cavalier approach to scripture that concerns me the most. My intention with this letter is not to cause dissent but to point out what appears to me a willful act of disregard to a clear Biblical teaching. I have no desire to discuss this during worship services but if any brother or sister would like to respond they may do so by posting a comment on this blog or contacting me personally.