There are basically two schools of thought on the subject of tithing in the New Testament. There are those who believe that tithing was given under the law and is, therefore, not for us in the church age. And there are those who hold that tithing began before the law and, thus, continues into the church age.

Those who argue against tithing today say that we are not supposed to tithe because:

• Tithes were paid to Levitical priests, of which we now have none, Heb. 7:5;
  
• Tithes were given to sustain the Levites and the priests, Neh. 10:37-38;
  
• Tithes were taken to Jerusalem, Deut. 12:5-6, 11;
  
• Tithes were brought to the storehouse, Mal. 3:10; and
  
• A portion of the tithes from farming and ranching was eaten, Deut. 14:23.
  

However, the first instance of tithing came years before the law. Abraham was the first man to tithe. He gave Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God, a tenth of the spoils that he recovered from Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him (Gen. 14:17-20; Heb. 7:1-2).

In Heb. 7, we see the significance of what Abraham did. He demonstrated that:

• Tithes were paid to a priest that did not descend from Levi, Heb. 7:6;
  
• The priest to whom tithes were paid lived forever, Heb. 7:8;
  
• Levi, who was in the loins of Abraham, paid tithes to this priest, Heb. 7:9-10;
  
• Because the Levitical priesthood was not perfect, it was necessary that Jesus Christ, our high priest of the tribe of Judah, should come, Heb. 7:11-14; and
  
• Our high priest, Jesus, lives forever like Melchizedek, Heb. 7:15-17.
  

Thus, when a man tithes in the New Testament, he is not tithing after the order of the Levitical priesthood. He is tithing to the Lord after the example of Abraham in Gen. 14. And, indeed he should do this because he is giving to God what already belongs to God. According to Lev. 27:30, "the tithe … is the Lord’s." So, it is rightfully His regardless of whether you are under the law or not.

In observing Christians and their finances over the years, we have seen a truth confirmed over and over again. Christians who tithe are consistently in better financial shape than those who don’t. Some Christians in financial difficulty and have decided to begin tithing, not knowing how they were going to get an additional ten percent when they didn’t even have enough income to meet all of their bills. Miraculously, it seems, God fixed their finances so that they could meet their tithe and all of their other financial obligations. This should not come as a surprise (2 Cor. 9:6-11).

Hope this helps,

Pastor Welder