Many Christians may have questions about tithing in the teachings left by Jesus Christ. You should know that in the New Testament, at least, there is no stipulation about tithing. However, in other parts of the Bible it is possible to understand its importance.
A true Christian needs to be generous in their donations of tithes to their church. As is taught in Acts 4:32-35, generosity is a way of showing gratitude and great trust in God, since the first followers of Jesus Christ offered much more than tithes.
A generous and correct tithe to your church should correspond to 10% of your total monthly income. This means that if you have a monthly salary of R$ 2000, you should offer at least R$ 200 to your church.
The tithe is intended to keep your religious institution running smoothly, to guarantee a quiet life for the religious leaders and also to fund the church's charitable services.
What is said about tithing in the New Testament, in the teachings of Jesus Christ?
The Old Testament gives clear guidelines on the importance of tithes for Israel. In the New Testament, there are some passages on tithing, but there are no rules imposed on this offering.
In the books of Matthew and also Luke, for example, Jesus was demonstrating the harmfulness of blindly believing in beliefs and rituals, without truly turning your heart to God. In other words, if you're not a generous Christian to the church, rituals and religious beliefs are worthless.
Moses
According to Moses, the priests had to receive tithes.
However, before this determination existed, there was already the offering of tithes, as seen in Hebrews 7:4-6: it is told about a priest called Melchizedek, who was a follower of Jesus Christ, who received tithes from Abraham. This offering was made generously, without Abraham expecting anything in return.
This is exactly how Jesus Christ expects Christians to offer their tithes to the church.
However, in the books of the New Testament there is no information to clarify whether tithing is valid for Christians. However, there is an emphasis on the importance of making generous offerings.
In 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 it is emphasized that the will to truly contribute to your church is more important than donating a huge amount of money just to gain privileges.
Responsibility
In this sense, keeping a church active is the responsibility of every Christian who attends church. Not being generous to your church is not welcomed by God. Helping the church financially is a way of receiving spiritual maturity in return.
Offering tithes to your religious institution is also a way of being grateful to God, a feeling that is very important to Him. When you offer part of your financial earnings to God (through tithes), you are demonstrating that you would not have good achievements and opportunities in life without Him.
It's a way of showing that you love God above all else, even more than money and material goods, according to Matthew 6:24. Although the New Testament doesn't have clear rules for tithing, it is recommended to offer a predetermined amount to the church each month (Corinthians 16:2).
This is a way of also helping you to organize your personal finances and be a responsible person with the financial resources that God offers you. Keeping your church and its religious leaders functional and stable at all times is the duty of every practicing Christian.
However, it is important to always offer your tithe with an open heart, generosity, without expecting anything in return, being grateful to God that you have the opportunity to help maintain the church, as well as supporting charity and love for others.
Character above all
It's worth pointing out that offering tithes every month to your church is not a guarantee of salvation. The reason God denied Cain's offering as a way of purifying his sins and worshipping Him was precisely because of his dishonorable attitudes and character. That's why just offering the tithe isn't enough.
This made all the difference for God to refuse the offering of Cain, who offered with wrong intentions, and to accept the offering of Abel, who was totally generous, humble and unpretentious, without any greed. The way you feel when you offer your tithes makes all the difference to true Christian conduct.
With a lot of faith and positivity, she writes for Pray and Faith, bringing messages and Divine teachings to everyone.