Tune in as Evangelist Jonathan Shuttlesworth broadcasts live on location, just outside of Orlando, Florida. Today’s topic: “Let’s Settle The Tithing Debate Once And For All.”

You must refuse to read and understand the Bible from a place of trying to adapt what it says to your culture. Don’t find yourself leaving out the parts of the Bible that you don’t like. Truth never gets old, and truth never gets tired. Don’t alter what the Bible says. At Revival Today, we do not have an “updated” view of the Bible.

Is tithing scriptural under the new covenant, or is it something that was part of the old covenant?

Malachi 3:6-12: “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me!“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”

Leviticus 27:30-24 “ ‘One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy. If you want to buy back the Lord’s tenth of the grain or fruit, you must pay its value, plus 20 percent. Count off every tenth animal from your herds and flocks and set them apart for the Lord as holy. You may not pick and choose between good and bad animals, and you may not substitute one for another. But if you do exchange one animal for another, then both the original animal and its substitute will be considered holy and cannot be bought back.’ These are the commands that the Lord gave through Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.”

There was never a time when man was allowed to consume everything that was given to him by God. Money matters to God. Remember the offerings brought by Abel and Cain. One offering was accepted. One was not. People have been getting upset over what kind of offering they think should be brought to God since early chapters of Genesis. Even before that- how did man lose his place in the garden? God told Adam and Eve that they can everything in the garden, except two trees and were told not to touch them. But they went and ate from the only two trees that they were told they couldn’t eat from. Was there a light consequence for this action? No, it actually ruined everything!

Are you a God robber?

Let’s answer this question- is tithing only practiced under the law? The answer is no.

Genesis 14:16: “Abram recovered all the goods that had been taken, and he brought back his nephew Lot with his possessions and all the women and other captives. After Abram returned from his victory over Kedorlaomer and all his allies, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley.) And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. ¹Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.
And blessed be God Most High,
    who has defeated your enemies for you.”

Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.”

Abram’s business was connected to God! Abram tithed 700 years before the law was given. Abram was not under the law- he preceded the law, and he was still giving one tenth of what belonged to him.

Genesis 28:20: “Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”

Jacob was tithing 400 years before the law! These scriptures show that tithing is an eternal principle- not a principle that only applied under the law of the old covenant.

Let’s look at the New Testament-

Matthew 23:23 “ ‘What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.’ “

Jesus taught that tithing is a baseline. Jesus says right there in the New Testament- “You should tithe yes”. Jesus makes it clear that we are to tithe as well as the more important things. Your righteousness should exceed that of the Pharisees. The Pharisees were not just tithers, they were careful tithers- even tithing off their herb gardens! How can you say that the instruction to tithe is not in the New Testament when Jesus clearly states “You should tithe yes” here?

Abram showed us, Jacob showed us, Moses brought it into the law, Jesus brought it over into the New Testament, now let’s look at after Jesus died and see what Paul said in Hebrews-

Hebrews 7:1-10 “This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,  and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.”

The Bible goes on to say that Jesus was made a high priest under the order of Melchizedek forever. This is important to understand because if it said that Jesus was made a high priest under Aaron, or under the Levites, than you could make an argument that tithing passed away with the passing away of the Levitical Priesthood- but the Bible does NOT say that. The Bible says that Jesus was made a high priest under the order of Melchizedek- whose priesthood is forever!

Tithing is an eternal principle. You cannot point to a single scripture that states that tithing has been done away with. God’s Word stands forever. You build your life on the Word of God- not a church who is excusing the way you want to live. If you want your life to be built on a solid foundation- build your life on what the Word of God says. God’s Word demands an obedience with your money. 10% of everything that comes into your hand belongs to God.

If you enjoyed this teaching on the biblical principle of tithing- be sure to check out Evangelist Jonathan’s book “Financial Overflow: 10 Bible Principles to Unlock Heaven’s Unending Supply.”

Revival Today broadcasts live from our studio Monday-Friday at 11:30am eastern on Facebook and YouTube- and on Christian Television Network at 12:30pm. We recommend turning on Facebook notifications and subscribing to our YouTube channel so you never miss a live teaching!