About tithes and willing offerings in the New Testament

Question:

Is it right to talk today in the Church about the term “tithe” or, is it more correctly to talk about “willing offering”? Or can we talk about both of them?

There is a New Testament verse in which Lord Jesus talks about tithing as something that must be done:

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. (Matthew 23:23)(NASB)

In the New Testament Christians are continually exhorted to generosity, helping the saints, to share all their goods with those who teach them God’s Word, to share the feelings of others, and other terms that are used in the sense of giving. Previously I wrote these two articles about tithes:

  • Do we have to tithe only to the church?
  • Should the Church receive tithe of a dirty gain?

Translated by Felicia Rotaru