The Truth about Tithing

Bishop Riggen teaches from Leviticus 27:30-32 on the moral obligation of tithing, arguing it is not merely an Old Testament practice but a New Testament requirement. He explains that within the Law of Moses there are three categories—civil, ceremonial, and moral—and that tithing belongs to the moral law, which remains binding because God's morality never changes. He demonstrates that tithing predates the Law, citing Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek 420 years before Moses and Jacob's vow to tithe 280 years before the Law. He argues that if Abraham is our father, we should do his works, including tithing. In the New Testament, Jesus affirmed tithing in Matthew 23:23, saying not to leave it undone, and in Matthew 22:21, commanding to give God what is God's. Paul taught it in 1 Corinthians 9, applying the Old Testament principle of ministerial support to the New Testament church, and the writer of Hebrews mentions tithes being received in the present tense. The bishop emphasizes that failing to tithe is robbing God (Malachi 3:8-10) and makes one a thief who cannot inherit the kingdom of God. He also clarifies that the tithe is for the livelihood of full-time ministers, not building maintenance, and that offerings above the tithe are where true giving begins, as the tithe is merely returning what already belongs to God.