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God, who loves mankind, has given us the Bible as a guide to salvation. God allowed all the books of the Old and New Testaments to be written through many prophets. God’s people should observe all the laws and ordinances recorded in the Bible, which contain God’s love and desire to bless and save His people.
All the regulations of the New Covenant, such as baptism, Sabbath, Passover, and the veil are the laws of life that God’s people must follow. Tithe is another regulation. Some people mistakenly consider tithe as a donation to the church; however, it must never be regarded simply as secular material. We should understand that tithe is an important law of truth which profoundly impacts our salvation.
The Correlation Between God’s Law and the Salvation of Mankind
God recorded many laws and regulations in the Bible to ultimately grant us salvation.
“I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien.” Hos 8:12
God’s great love that guides His people to the Kingdom of Heaven is contained in the law. In the same way, 2,000 years ago, Jesus made the New Covenant in Mark’s upper room to redeem His beloved people from their sins.
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” Lk 22:19–20
Jesus established the New Covenant for us through His blood. However, what would happen if we disregarded all the laws and regulations of the New Covenant, ignoring God’s love?
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers [you who practice lawlessness, NASB]!’ ” Mt 7:21–23
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil [those who commit lawlessness, NASB]. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” Mt 13:40–43
The people who practice lawlessness by ignoring the laws of God in the Bible, such as the Sabbath and the Passover, cannot enter Heaven. If someone neglects to obey the laws of God, which were established for the salvation of mankind, they will grow further and further away from Heaven.
Tithe Is a Law of God
Tithe is also closely related to our salvation. God established the law of tithe to give us hope for spiritual blessings and to help us continue moving forward toward the Kingdom of Heaven.
God is the Creator of all things. Actually, everything we use on earth for our lives is borrowed from God. The meaning of lifting up our tithe to God is much more than simply offering physical material. When we participate in the law of tithe, our hearts return to God, and we acknowledge that He rules over the heavens, the earth, and all things.
We can trace the origin of tithe back to Abraham.
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Ge 14:18–20
After defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, Abraham rescued his nephew Lot. On his way back, he met Melchizedek, the priest of God. When Melchizedek blessed Abraham—the forefather of faith—with bread and wine, Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of his possessions with gratitude.
This history serves as a reminder that God’s people should offer tithes to God. The spiritual descendants of Abraham are God’s people who follow Christ—the reality of Melchizedek, who grants the blessing of eternal life through the bread and wine of the New Covenant. The example of Abraham was passed down, and in the time of Moses, the regulations for tithe were codified. Tithe, an offering of a tenth, was consecrated to God when it was given to Levi’s descendants according to the order of Aaron.
“ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.’ ” Lev 27:30
“I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting.” Nu 18:21
Some people insist that the law was abolished in the New Testament times and it is no longer necessary to tithe. However, Jesus taught that tithing should be observed even in the New Testament times.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” Mt 23:23
[A]nd he asked them, “Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?” “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Mt 22:20–21
In regard to the law of tithe, Jesus repeatedly taught, “Give to God what is God’s.” Neither in the Age of the Father and of the Son nor in the Age of the Holy Spirit did God ever abolish the law of tithe. Even today, in the Age of the Holy Spirit, we must carry out God’s holy will and fully abide by the law of tithe.
God’s Blessings Through Tithing
God commanded us to offer our tithes, which belong to God. The law of tithing contains God’s love to bless those who obey it.
“Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ In tithes and offerings. . . . Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty. Mal 3:7–12
God has promised to bless abundantly all who practice the law of tithe, saying that they will not have room enough for the blessings that He promised. Only in regard to tithe did God allow the people to test whether they would be blessed or not. Through the history of Abraham and Jacob—the forefathers of faith, we can also confirm that great blessings are promised to those who practice the law of tithe.
Through the words of truth—“A man reaps what he sows,” we can understand that tithe guarantees blessings for all who put this regulation into practice. Tithing is also a way for those who have turned away from God to return to Him. On the contrary, those who ignore the law of tithe commit the sin of robbing God and cannot help but depart from God’s loving arms.
At the end of the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, right in front of the land of Canaan, the whole nation of Israel could not be blessed and was defeated in war due to the sin of Achan, who had stolen sacred materials. This incident serves as a warning for all the saints throughout the world who are striving for the fulfillment of world evangelism (Jos 7:1–26).
The saints, who hope for salvation in the Age of the Holy Spirit, must not violate the law of tithe. When all the people of God honor and cherish God’s laws, the work of the gospel will be carried out throughout the world according to God’s plan.
“When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the LORD decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the LORD our God?’ then say to them, ‘It is because your fathers forsook me,’ declares the LORD, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law.’ ” Jer 16:10–11
“I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ Therefore hear, O nations; observe, O witnesses, what will happen to them. Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words and have rejected my law.” Jer 6:17–19
When tithe is consecrated to God, the gospel can bring forth good fruits, which will not fall before their appointed time. Furthermore, the blessing of being praised by all nations will be fulfilled according to God’s promise. Even though God has prepared such great blessings and commanded us to obey the law of tithe, many people forsake the law of God and do not follow it. God warns that they will receive disaster and punishment. We must not disregard this stern warning from God.
Let Us Receive Heavenly Blessings by Following Abraham’s Example
God is the owner of the universe and considers the earth as a drop in a bucket. Is there anything that God is lacking, that He would need something from us? God worried that His beloved people would lose their heavenly citizenship, being led astray by material possessions. So, in order to take hold of our hearts, God established the law of tithe.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Mt 6:19–21
Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 2 Co 12:14
God has given the law of tithe to grant the eternal inheritance of the glorious kingdom to those who are living a life of faith, only looking forward to Heaven. Realizing this, let us give our hearts to God through our full tithes. There must not be any foolish souls who end up losing eternal blessings by considering this law as insignificant and regarding transient materialistic possessions as important.
God appeared as Melchizedek for our salvation and blessed us with eternal life through the Passover bread and wine. Dedicating our full tithes, let us turn our hearts toward God who has given us eternal life. As the people of God, let us all follow the example of Abraham who practiced tithing faithfully and was blessed. By doing so, let us establish the Kingdom of God throughout the whole world.