New Covenant Tithing?

Is tithing taught in the New Covenant? If Christians are directed to tithe in the New Covenant then the entire issue can be put to rest. Tithing is not taught to New Covenant believers.  Tithing is mentioned in the New Covenant but we need to look at those times it is mentioned in the proper context.

The most direct statement about tithing in the New Covenant is in Matthew 23:23 where Jesus told the Pharisees and the teachers of the law that they need to keep the law and not neglect the more important matters like justice , mercy, and faithfulness. So is that statement intended for us now? Absolutely not! Jesus was saying that they needed to keep the entire law which included tithing as well as burnt sacrifices and worshipping on the Sabbath just to name a few. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were attempting to prove how perfect they were by even tithing their spices. Jesus was exposing their hypocrisy. In fact the entire 23rd chapter of Matthew lists seven woes that Jesus was directing to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.

Jesus was both warning them about what they were doing and telling them the evil that they would be doing in the future with their ‘holier than everyone else, legalistic attitude’. Matthew chapter 23 is directed to anyone who believes and acts like the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

Jesus is not telling us now that we should keep the entire law. If so, then his death, burial, and resurrection were for nothing. Here’s the issue. Jesus had not died and rose from the dead yet so therefore the Israelites and anyone who professed to worship the God of Israel were supposed to be keeping all the laws. That was the correct thing for Jesus to say to them and the correct thing for everyone to do. There are many, many verses in the New Covenant that teach us that we are free from the law. Galatians 3:13-14 is one of them. Other verses include Romans 3:20-24 and Romans 6:14.   There are many other passages that teach us we are free from the law.    We are free from ALL of the laws that God gave to the Israelites.

The one other time that tithing is mentioned in the New Covenant is in Hebrews chapter 7. Even then, it does not teach us that we should be tithing but in the midst of a somewhat detailed explanation of Jesus as the great high priest, it mentions tithing in the current tense. Some have tried to use this verse to support their belief that Christians should be tithing. That is not what Hebrews chapter 7 is intended for.  Be sure to read the next section.