Against tithing in the modern-day christian church - Essay Example

? Against Tithing in the Modern-Day Christian Church: An Argumentative Essay Word Count 008 (4 pages) I. Introduction Tithing should not be practiced in the modern-day Church. There are several reasons for this, five good ones being the following: God does not dwell in churches made with human hands; the old Covenant cannot justify men through works and righteousness anymore; there would be less prosperity churches as well as their propaganda; the church can have a different approach towards giving than tithing; and the practice of tithing ended with the last book of the Old Testament in Malachi. These are just a few of the many reasons why tithing should not continue to be practiced in the modern Christian church. Tithing is an outdated notion which only serves to place a burden upon the people who have very little already—and casts a pall over the church as an organization that is only motivated by money and getting congregation members to handily donate or give to the Church. II. God’s New Covenant Dwells in a Body of Believers, Not a Physical Building Under the new Covenant, God does not dwell in churches made with human hands—but rather dwells within a temple that is made of the body of believers. This is significant because Christians should not be focusing entirely on the revenue that a church creates through tithing, but rather make it a situation where people can donate or give openly or anonymously—in whatever fashion they see fit that is in line with church standards. Additionally, now believers under the new Covenant are now God's temple—and as such, the issue of tithing and giving 10% of one’s income is not an option. Tithing was never taught to newly converted Gentiles in the first century within Jesus’s birth, so it can be considered an outdated practice. Not only that, but there is no spiritual application to tithing in the new Covenant, nor is it valid to assume that there must be tithing in the modern-day Church. Wherever one goes to church, one should not be harassed by the laypeople or the pastor to give ten percent of one’s income. Not only is this an outdated practice, but it’s also impractical, especially considering the state of the world economy. People are trying to save money wherever they can, and—while people should still be encouraged to give freely to the church if it is within their power to do so—people should not be bullied into giving such a large portion of their income over to the Church, an obvious fact. III. Christ’s Appearance Abolished the Necessity for Tithing People used to tithe in the church in order to ensure that the Levirate (the priests who were descendants of Levi) were taken care of in order so that they could serve the church. Therefore, ten percent of the peoples’ offerings went to the priesthood. To continue such a practice by supporting pastors with ten percent of one’s income is not only based on a Biblical concept that is now out-of-date, but also unnecessary. The old Covenant cannot justify men through works and righteousness anymore, as Christ has already come. Since Christ came to the world because he loved the world—God having given ‘His only [begotten] son’ to pay recompense for the sins of the world—it no longer became necessary for the old rule of tithing to continue to stay in place.1 Christ died in order to bring the new Covenant into fruition, thus becoming the fulfillment of the law. People no longer had to abide by doing good works and seeking righteousness in order to secure their place in heaven. That is not saying people should not do good works or continue to live righteously—but works and righteousness are evidences that a Christian is still practicing the faith. These are the fruits of righteousness, which ever Christian should display. This is more important than some fabricated obligation to “give God 10%.” Christ should be the focus in the Church’s congregation, with every church appropriately divining God’s message as the churches’ missions are developed into full-fledged visions.?? IV. Prosperity Churches Would Go Out of Business Prosperity churches are around solely in order to make the pastors rich, by preaching that people will gain prosperity through Christian living, and if people give freely to the church—including tithing frequently out of one’s paycheck. There would be less preachers and growing believers in the church due to the practice of tithing. Prosperity churches would face financial hardship without tithing. Believers would, in many cases, feel like they were not facing condemnation from God for not tithing. These prosperity churches would collapse. He who lives by the law, according to the Bible, should do “everything written” in the book of the law—but not tithing as it is not necessarily a modern, sensible practice.2?? V. The Church May Encourage Giving, Just Not Tithing The church can have a different approach towards giving an offering instead of tithing. Believers would definitely give more freely towards a Christ-centered church versus one obsessed with tithings and love offerings. Church members would live stress-free, and not have to feel guilty for not tithing. Tithing was, historically, never based on money in the old Covenant anyway. It is keeping in mind that tithing was given in terms of possessions and not necessarily money that changes the entire conversation about how much money congregants should give the Church, if any. VI. The Last Place Tithing Occurred Was in the Last Book of the Old Testament The practicing of tithing took place in the last book of the Old Testament for the final time. The book of Malachi speaks about the Jewish people tithing, which was not necessarily intended for the Gentiles. Malachi’s commandment to give overflowing offerings to receive from heaven is often used by prosperity church members to be guilted into giving tithes and offerings. VII. Conclusion There are several reasons why tithing is outdated and should be no longer used within the boundaries of the modern Christian Church, some of these reasons being the following: God does not dwell in churches made with human hands; the old Covenant cannot justify men through works and righteousness anymore; there would be less prosperity churches as well as their propaganda; the church can have a different approach towards giving than tithing; and the practice of tithing, it’s proven, ended with the last book of the Old Testament in Malachi. WORKS CITED The Holy Bible: New International Version. New York: Harper, 1983. John 3:16, Gal. 3:10. Read More