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It may surprise you to learnt that Jesus had as much to say about money and possessions as anything else. Biblical teaching about money is very clear, very consistent, and quite radical. Given how much of our time is spent earning, spending, giving, saving or worrying about money, we need to know exactly what he said
Tithing
Most believers have been taught that tithing is a command of God for Christians today. But is it? Refuting common, misrepresented, and dragged out of context arguments used to persuade believers that tithing is biblically required
ONLY if the historical context is taken into consideration can it be determined what the Will-a-man-rob-God passage (Malachi 3:8) meant and why God chastised the Jewish people and accused them of robbing him.
Additionally, the modern-day church is often wrongly presented as the equivalent of the storehouse spoken of in Malachi 3:10. We need to understand what the storehouse was and how it was supposed to function
A careful reading of Malachi 3:5-12 shows that God was extremely concerned about the indifference of his people and their lack of care for those in need, i.e., widows, the fatherless, etc., (v. 5). Because they were being neglected God attempted to correct the people for their failing to bless the poor with necessary care.
Should The Church Teach Tithing?
The doctrine of tithing, in many churches today, has reached the level of a modern scandal. While on the one hand, most seminary-level textbooks and church theologians omit tithing, on the other hand, the practice is quickly becoming a requirement for church membership in the very denominations who insist on solid Bible-based doctrines. There is also increasing evidence that lay persons who question the legitimacy of New Covenant tithing are usually criticized as being troublemakers or weak Christians.
What The Bible Says About Money
Biblical teaching about money is very clear, very consistent, and quite radical. God’s ownership of everything is a foreign concept to most of us. We like to think of our money and our possessions. Yet the Bible makes it clear that God owns everything. All things were created by him and for him (Colossians 1:16). Everything belongs to him.
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