Nigerian Pastor says it is a sin to pay your 10%

According to the president of Covenant Singles and Married Ministries, the payment of tithe is a sin!

What he said.

Pastor posted an article on Twitter where he shed major light on what tithe is really about.

He wrote:

“For hundreds of years, Christians incur the wrath of God by paying and receiving tithe. Though the doctrine of tithe is popular and generally accepted in Christianity, it’s a wrong doctrine. It’s actually a sin to pay tithe and it’s equally a sin to receive tithe in Christianity. The doctrine is generally accepted because of the misinterpretation of some tithe related scriptures.

"A misinterpretation of a scripture can lead many generations astray. In like manner, the misinterpretation of tithe related scriptures has led many Christian generations astray. Before explaining the true meaning of the scriptures, it’s important I first explain what tithe means.

"Tithe as an English word means one-tenth or 10 percent. Tithe in the scripture means a mandatory 10 percent of one’s increase (Deuteronomy 14:22).

"There were basically three types of tithe practised by Israelites.

"First, was the Levitical tithe or the first tithe (Numbers18:21–24), and it was given yearly to the Levites. This first tithe is the doctrine of tithe practised by Christians.

"The second tithe was called the tithe of feasts. In this kind of tithe, the person tithing would eat the tithe himself at a place the Lord will choose for him This tithe was done in the first year, the second year, fourth year and fifth year of the seven-year cycle (Deuteronomy 14:22–27).

"The third tithe was the poor man’s tithe, which was done in the third and sixth year. In this kind of tithe, the person tithing would give the tithe to strangers, widows, fatherless and Levites to eat and be satisfied (Deuteronomy 14:28–29).

Amongst the three kinds of tithe, Christians wrongly practice the first one, which is also called the Levitical tithe. I will quickly show you why it’s a sin to pay or receive tithe in this dispensation."

Here is his proof.

"When God gave the commandment of tithe, He clearly stated who would pay the tithe; who would receive the tithe; and the purpose of receiving the tithe. He said the tithe would be paid by Israelites (except those from the tribe of Levi). He said that only the Levites were permitted to receive tithe and also said it was for their service in the tabernacle of the congregation. God actually gave them the tithe as an inheritance (Numbers18: 21–24).

"For you to be eligible to pay tithe, you have to come from any of the tribes of Israel, apart from the tribe of Levi....

"Though Gentile Christians are children of Abraham, we were not given any tribe. As long as you don’t have an Israeli’s international passport, you are not eligible to give tithe. The instruction was very specific.

"Second, if you are eligible to give tithe, you are permitted to give the tithe only to one set of people called the Levites....

"The Levites are simply those from the tribe of Levi. Even in the New Testament of the Bible, the scripture clearly tells us that only the Levites are permitted to receive tithe (Hebrews 7:5). If you give your tithe to non-Levite, you are going against God’s instruction. And it will be counted against you as a sin.

"I will also like to state that there is nothing like spiritual Levites. We may have spiritual Israelites but not spiritual Levites or spiritual Benjaminite. I will also like to state here that priests did not receive tithe from the Israelites. The Israelites gave their tithe to Levites and Levites would then give 10 percent of the tithe to Priests (Numbers 18:26–28).

"Third, for you to be eligible to receive tithe, you must be a Levite. It’s very clear in the scripture. When a non-Levite receives tithe, the person has gone against the instruction of God. Such person has committed a sin. If you are not from the tribe of Levi, then you are not a Levite.

"There is nothing like a spiritual Levite. This explains why Jesus Christ, who was from the tribe of Judah, didn’t receive tithe from anyone. Apart from the fact that Jesus didn’t ask the Israelites to pay tithe to him, He still encouraged them to continue paying their tithe. In Matthew 22:23, He rebuked the Pharisees that they pay tithe, which is less important, and leave the more important things like justice, mercy and faithfulness. He then encouraged them to do both the less important ones and the more important ones. In other words, He encouraged them to continue paying tithe to the Levites. That was simply the law. Only Levites could receive tithe.

If Jesus Christ who was from Israel couldn’t receive tithe because He didn’t come from the tribe of Levi, how then can a non-Israeli pastor from Africa or America be entitled to receive tithe? This also explains why Apostle Peter, Apostle Paul and the other apostles couldn’t receive tithe from anyone. Though they were men of God, they couldn’t receive tithe because they were not Levites.

"It will also interest you that presently we have some non-Levite Jewish Rabbis who are in charge of synagogues but do not receive tithe. Though they are Rabbis and are “physical” citizens of Israel, they don’t receive tithe because the law does not permit them. Any non-Levite who receives tithe sins grievously against God.

"Finally, tithe cannot be paid or received in this dispensation because the purpose of giving tithe to Levites can no longer be fulfilled now. Why did God command that tithe should be given to the Levites?

"Levites were given the tithe simply because they serve at the temple of congregation. But because the temple has been destroyed, the Levites can no longer serve at the temple. So, even if you are eligible to give or receive tithe, you cannot give or receive tithe now because the temple has been destroyed.

"Do you know that no Israelite pays or receives tithe today? Yes, they have stopped giving tithe until the temple is rebuilt. Please note that when the temple is rebuilt, Christians will still not join the Jews in paying and receiving tithe because the tithe system was not created to cater for Christians. Rather, it was created to cater for Levites. This explains why the early Christians who existed before the temple was destroyed neither paid nor received tithe."