One of the most controversial topics, if not THE most controversial, in the Bible is money. I have heard and read numerous times that money is mentioned more times in the Bible than heaven, hell, and love combined. I have seen sites promoting money get mentioned over 2000 times, others promote 800. Yet others claim 125 in King James version. In any case, there is no set number. But money and trusting God to get it are very important issues for Christians.
So what is a title? Is it relevant for today? Was it only for the Israelites? Do Christians have to pay it?
Tithing is defined as one tenth of the contribution. Therefore, to truly own, one must be giving up 10% of their income. Anything above 10% is called an offering in biblical terms. Anything below 10% is not a title. It may be a donation but it’s definitely not a title!
God promised blessings for those who tithed AND curses for those who stole his rightful titles and offerings. Deuteronomy, 2 Kings, and Malachi are great books in the Bible to see the blessings and curses that occurred for the Israelite people.
One argument I hear against tithing is that it was part of the Law. It was an old covenant direction that was obliterated under the new covenant. But if you want to be a little picky about this, the concept of the title predates the Law. In Genesis, Abraham (still called Abram at the time) offered the high priest Melchizedek 10% of the spoils of war that Abraham had just won. Both Abraham and Melchizedek were acknowledging that God had blessed Abraham with victory and spoils. Therefore, tithing was around hundreds of years before the Law was established.
Do Christians need a title? No. It is not a condition for making heaven. No one can buy their way into heaven. There is no legal requirement for ownership.
Should Christians headline? Absolutely! This is how Christians show their trust that God will take care of them. Let’s assume that money is a very important topic to God (according to the number of times it is mentioned in the Bible). Obviously, money is an important issue for every human being. So who do we as Christians acknowledge as the source of our money and general well-being? When we choose to put a few dollars in the offering plate when it arrives during the church service, we are showing that WE are the source. We earned that income and will keep it.
But when we truly award titles, we are acknowledging that God is our primary source. After all, ten percent is a sizeable chunk of our income that we need to let go of. But when we put that trust in God, He blesses us through unexpected income AND decreased expenses. He did not stop blessing the people when the new covenant was established. God’s mathematics is infinitely superior to our mathematics!