TITHING 103: TITHING AS ABRAHAM DID

TITHING AS ABRAHAM DID

The foremost reason some give for tithing today is because Abraham tithed. Abraham indeed tithed before the law and gave his tithe to Melchizedek. This tithe practice stems from two basic premises:

1.        That Abraham tithed.

2.        That the one he tithed to was Melchizedek – who was Christ.

The second premise is skewed because scripture does not in any place say that Melchizedek is Christ or was Christ pre-existing. But this essay shall assume that even premise 2 is true. In spite of these premises, I shall be showing that Christians are still not obligated to give a tenth of their income in the name of tithing.

We find the account of Abraham tithing in Genesis 14 and Hebrew 7. In the Genesis 14 scripture the bible records that Abram went to war and obtained war spoils. On his way back he was met by Melchizedek who blesses him and Abram gave him a tenth of the war spoils (verse 20). This singular account is used as the basis for Christians to tithe on their income. The argument is that God has always moved his people in every dispensation to give a tenth of what they owned. The trouble with this account is many but we can enumerate a few. First, the Genesis account shows that Abram tithed war spoils, not his personal possessions although scripture records that he was rich; neither did he tithe of his increase from farm produce or animals or his income. The next thing we see is that Abram gave this tithe once. We also see that what is left of the tithe is given away to the people who truly owned the goods. Now if this very example is to be practiced by Christians today, then Christians will have to tithe on war spoils. But even if we permit that war spoil can be converted to personal income, then this income is going to be tithed only once and the rest given away. If this is not practicable, then it is simply not practicable to tithe like Abram tithed in Genesis 14.

The “tithe because Abraham tithed” doctrine is based on the fact that the patriarch did something that many consider pious and thus we all who are of the faith of Abraham should do the same. We only need to read the well documented life of Abraham to realize that not all that he did can be imitated. Some were out rightly unchristian and others were simply either according to the custom of that time or were based on God’s personal dealings with him - things Christians are not obligated to do. For example Abraham left his father’s house for a place God will have him to go. Are all Christians expected to do this when they become saved? Abraham lied to protect himself from the people of foreign lands. This is clearly an unchristian thing to do. Abraham had concubines. Abraham carried out physical circumcision on himself and his household. Abraham went to war. Apparently, the things Abraham did were peculiar to him and his walk with God; it certainly cannot be used as a yardstick for all Christians of all times. Later in Hebrew 7 we see that in God’s wisdom and providential dealings, God led Abraham to tithe to Melchizedek because in the days to come Christ’s priesthood will be likened to Melchizedek’s and if Abraham could tithe to him and receive a blessing, it would prove that Christ’s priesthood was greater than that of Aaron – who at that time was in Abraham’s loins.

The other argument that is offered on Abraham’s tithing in Genesis 14 is the fact that Melchizedek was Jesus in His pre-incarnate form. If Abraham could tithe to Jesus, Christians must tithe to Jesus also through the Church, His body on earth today. This manner of thinking is very persuading and when it comes from a very respectable man of God on a pulpit with the microphone reverberating all over the place, it is difficult to think it through. But we have the freedom of doing so now.

What if Melchizedek is Christ, are we still obligated to tithe to him through the church? It is at this point I must refer my readers to the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 17:

1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.   2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly… 4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.   5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.   6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.   8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession;  and I will be their God.  9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.   10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee;  Every man child among you shall be circumcised.   11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin;  and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.   12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.   13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised:  and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.   14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people;  he hath broken my covenant…[/b] 23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham's house;  and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God had said unto him.   24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.   25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.   26 In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.   27 And all the men of his house, born in the house, and bought with money of the stranger, were circumcised with him. 

Some of the things that can be garnered from this conversation between God and Abraham are: 1. This was God speaking, giving conditions for which a covenant relationship could be entered into. 2. This covenant was marked by circumcision. 3. This circumcision exercise was before the coming of the law. 4. The condition for this covenant was passed unto all the seed of Abraham – that could include those of us who will live by his kind of faith.

By the time we would come to the New Testament and begin to learn church age doctrine, we find that circumcision, which is the hallmark of the covenant God had with Abraham, was not binding on Christians (Acts 15; Romans 2:28; Galatians 5:2). This circumcision which Abraham practiced was before the law; this circumcision was an express command from God’s lips; this circumcision was to be carried out by every seed of Abraham or they will be cut off. But when we come to the New Testament epistles, Paul tells us that if anyone is circumcised that person is cut-off from Christ (Galatians 5:4). How does this relate to tithing? Like circumcision, tithing was before the law. However, while circumcision had the express command from God’s lips, tithing did not (prior to the giving of the law). If however we wish to make a doctrine out of Abraham’s practices and say that because Abraham gave a tithe Christians are therefore obligated to tithe, then we must very well insist that because Abraham practiced circumcision, then all Christians must be circumcised (I have an intimation that this was the line the Judaizers pursued in Acts 15:1, when they insisted that gentiles Christians must be circumcised to be saved). But if we cannot say Christians are obligated to be circumcised, why do we insist that Christians are obligated to tithe like Abraham?

It must be understood that Paul’s contention was not specifically against the practice of circumcision (we see proof of this in his circumcising Timothy); rather Paul was insisting on distinguishing the New Covenant ratified by Christ’s blood from any other covenant, especially that of Moses. Paul never taught anywhere that you should not be circumcised according to the law but you can be circumcised according to Abraham. For him circumcision was circumcision regardless of whose example you are following (so the premise that you should tithe like Abraham tithed and not according to the law is flawed). Paul was trying to show us that the gospel according to Christ was very distinct from the gospel Abraham received and the one Moses received. There certainly were similarities between all of them. In the Abraham covenant and the Christian covenant you will find the matter of faith (alone) for justification. In the Moses and the Christian covenant you will find the matter of sanctification and holiness. In the Abraham and Moses covenant you will see these covenants coming prior to Christ’s physical presence on earth. But none of them are a continuation of the other; all of them were distinct and peculiar to the dispensations that God gave them.

So the fact that Christ came as Melchizedek and received tithes of Abram is no justification for Christians to tithe today. Abraham’s dispensation was peculiar and different from the Church dispensation. Under the time of Abraham it can be said that people could tithe war spoils. This changed by the time of Moses, as they could only tithe agricultural products. There is no evidence in all of scripture that by the church age tithe of spoils and tithes of agricultural products is now tithes of monetary income. If this had happened, God by the Holy Spirit would have inspired the writers of the New Testament to tell us; especially in the many scriptural passages that encouraged Christian giving. The fact that He was silent on these means that we should also. If indeed Melchizedek was Christ, it is easy to see that the dispensation of Abraham permitted giving of tithes of war spoils to him at that time; by the time of the church age, this has changed a great deal. The proof of this is shown in the fact that Abraham practiced circumcision in his dispensation; a practice that is no longer necessary in our dispensation.

To end this essay on Abraham’s tithing, I wish to draw my readers to the intent of God in instituting the tithes in the two dispensations before ours. The reason is simply because God will have his people to be givers. This principle is seen in Abram giving a tenth of war spoils willingly even after he had received a blessing from Melchizedek. It is seen in Jacob vowing to give also; although there is little evidence that he actually fulfilled this vow. And a vow is a willing action that is not binding on every person, so Christians are not obligated to tithe because Jacob made a vow. This principle is seen in the obligatory tithing of agricultural products by the Israelites as commanded by God. It is this principle that translates to free will giving in the New Testament church. In Acts 4, when the Spirit was moving men in Hs power to give, we did not see anyone give a tithe; rather people were giving 100%. What this means is that in the days of God’s power the people shall be willing. The question is not why are people not giving tithes today or are people obligated to give a tithe? The question should be why are people not willing to give today? Or where is the power that moved people to give as they gave in the days of the apostles? The answer is not far fetched. First, there is no power to move men to give. Many churches have mortgaged the power of God that can compel men to give for marketing strategies which they employ to get money off congregants. In the process people have become wise and have learnt wisdom in giving in church. Another reason might just be that people do not trust how church leaders use church finances as accountability has become incredibly difficult for Pastors these days. I find it hard to understand why church leaders think they can do away with not accounting for church finances before men they can see and think they would be able to do so before God who they cannot see in that dreadful day of judgment. 

In 2 Corinthians 8, the bible records that the Macedonian Christian gave out of their deep poverty. What propelled this kind of giving was the fact that these people had first given themselves to God and then could easily give what they had. When we teach free will offering, we are not teaching the miserly amount people give in church in the name of offering. We are saying let us allow God to work on men and see how they will give when these people have totally surrendered themselves and their finances to God. The reason why some kick against collecting only offerings (and not tithes) is because most people do not give; and only give when someone is breathing down curses on them in the name of paying a tithe. If this is what informs giving in church today, it is easy to see why many give and do not enjoy God’s blessing afterwards. God expects us to give and give without boundaries in this dispensation and that is why tithes were never taught as a Christian practice in all of the epistles.

We would do well to let Abraham’s one time tithing rest as it was never meant to be an example for born again Christians in this dispensation.

See other titles on this Tithing Course:
Tithing 101: http://yesufu.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-due-order-tithe-is-defined.html

Tithing 102: http://yesufu.blogspot.com/2014/03/tithing-102-tithing-as-doctrine-of-men.html