Kleptomaniac

Did Paul Convert the Tithe to Money?

I'm amazed how preachers love to use Paul's references to giving as if somehow believers must pay ten percent of their income to the institutional organization. The fact is, none of Paul's writings address tithing. The tithe was holy to God throughout the entire Old and New Testament, but it was not money that was holy, it was livestock and crops Yahweh deemed holy in Israel. To continue to confuse income with the Lord's tithe is not scripturally sustainable. Paul never suggested that anyone in the first century pay him or the temple in Jerusalem a tithe from income. This is a fact because Malachi 3:8-10, says that the tithe was the required food in His house for the Levites to eat. However, Paul always encouraged believers to give from the heart by saying in II Cor. 9:7, “Each should give according to what he decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” As profound as Paul was, he made sure no one would misunderstand giving, so he used specific words in II Cor. 8 and 9, like ministration, collections, and gifts and never uttered the word tithe. The reason he never mentions tithing is because first century believers understood the tithe was edible and still belonged to the Levites.