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NASB | Malachi 3:8 ¶ "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Malachi 3:8 ¶ "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings [you have withheld]. |
Bible Question:
Howdee family This question is probably somewhere on the forum but I will ask it again. We need to pay tithes. Do we tithe on our net or gross, and why? In the Vine |
Bible Answer: Dear Appleseed, Greetings in Jesus' name! If we are to tithe at all, it should be based on our gross income. After taxes/expenses and whatever else we decide is none of God's business, many would be 'tithing' a thin dime! :-) '"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows."' Malachi 3:10 NASB. If we are going to 'test' God to see if He will open the windows of heaven (and He WILL!), then testing on the whole amount is common sense AND faith. Remember also that if there is food in His house, you get to eat it, too! The above verse is not adherence to the Law. It is a prophet speaking the oracles of God to those who will listen. It is not a command or requirement, or else! It is not a 'protection racket!' (as if God were the Godfather) The calamities HAPPEN! God is not going to send them! But God (don't you love those places in the Bible that start with "But God..."!?) in his grace rewards the faithful. His protection is not "or else!" but life plus abundant life! "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return." Luke 6:38 NASB Sure, it would be wonderful if we could trust ourselves to 'give freely!' But can we? Can we truly be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit to know *exactly* how much He would have us give? Frankly, I doubt it. History shows that Israel could not, and did not, even though it was spelled out clearly. Has the New Testament church a better track record? From the amount of cajoling and begging and threatening I see spewing forth from the pulpit these days, I don't think so. True, some churches do none of these things. Wonderful! The ones I see that don't harp on giving is because they teach the tithe and offering, simple and Biblical. Did Jesus say, "In the New Testamant you are still legally obligated to tithe"? NO! Did Jesus say, "You are now free from any form of tithes"? NO! Forgive me! I think I answered more than was asked! :-) In Christ Jesus, charis |