What is the difference between tithes and offerings?

Response

When distinguishing between tithes and offerings, it is crucial to first grasp the concept of tithing. Many Christians today mistakenly consider their contributions to the local church as tithes, when in fact, they are offerings. The term “Christian tithing” is inaccurate because Christians are not bound to comply with the tithe command given to the Israelites under the Mosaic Law. The tithe was a mandatory practice under the Law, requiring all Israelites to give 10 percent of their earnings and produce to the tabernacle/temple (Leviticus 27:30;Numbers 18:26;Deuteronomy 14:24;2 Chronicles 31:5). The New Testament does not command, nor even suggest, that Christians adhere to a legalistic tithing system. Paul instructs believers to allocate a portion of their income as an offering, distinct from a tithe (1 Corinthians 16:1-2).

God required the Israelites to show honor by offering Him the first fruits of what He had given them. Leviticus 27:30 declares, “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD.” The 10 percent tithe was a command for the Israelites and thus an obligation. With Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, He fulfilled the Law’s requirements, rendering the mandatory 10 percent tithe obsolete. Insisting on its continuation is, in part, a negation of Christ’s sacrifice and a regression to the notion of justification through works and legal observance. The first fruits o

Offering found its fulfillment in Jesus. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” «But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. », (1 Corinthians 15:20).

An offering is that which is freely given by Christians to the work of the Lord, the local church, and/or ministries and missions. But offerings are far more than simply the check we write on Sunday. We are to offer much more to God than our monetary resources. Romans 12:1 exhorts us to offer our bodies “as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God” as part of our worship. Romans 6:13 gives the reason for offering ourselves: because we are “those who have been brought from death to life,” and, as such, we are to “offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.” God is not nearly as interested in our monetary offerings as He is in our submission and obedience. The truth is that He doesn’t need our resources to accomplish His plans and purposes. After all, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills «For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. », (Psalm 50:10) and needs nothing from us. What He desires, however, and what He values, is the heart that overflows with gratitude and thanksgiving to the God who saved us and who gives us all things, knowing our needs before we even ask «Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. », (Matthew 6:8). Such a heart gives generously, willingly, and cheerfully in response to the love and grace that abound in Christ (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).