A Misleading Teaching in the Christian Community

 

By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D.

Have you heard someone say, "If you don't pay your tithe, you will go to hell"?

Excuse me, how can not paying a tithe send someone to hell? Is that even logical, let alone biblical? Our salvation is not tied to tithe-paying.

Think about this: If someone who isn't born again stumbles into your church, and the message they hear that day isn't the message of the Cross, but rather a loud proclamation from the pulpit that they are doomed to hell for not tithing... so this person rushes out, drops their tithe, but still doesn't know the message of the Cross—has they truly moved from hell to eternal rest? Really?

Brethren, the teaching on tithing has divided us. When a teacher of God's word tries to correct this narrative, that teacher suddenly becomes an enemy. This is the handiwork of the enemy himself.

Tithing must not be overemphasized above the message of the Cross. The Apostle Paul said, "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2, ESV). He didn't say, "I decided to know nothing among you except tithing."

This article is not meant to condemn anyone for wrong preaching, but to remind us that the source of eternal life remains God, through His Son, who said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, ESV). He did not say, "No one comes to the Father except through tithing."

If you pay tithes from now until the day of His coming without knowing Him, you are still not saved. If you want to be saved, you must know Him and the power of His resurrection.

Let me say this clearly: If you do not pay tithes but believe in the Son whom the Father sent to redeem you, your place is not in hell. You were not saved with tithes. It was not with perishable things that you were redeemed. Come on, let me hear you say it aloud: "I am redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb—a Lamb without blemish!"

Hallelujah! That's right. If you were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, then you have been "rescued from the dominion of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of His beloved Son" (Colossians 1:13).

Let’s be honest, this overemphasis on tithing didn’t start today. It has been building, and many of us have seen it twist the very purpose of our gathering. We come to church to find rest for our weary souls, to hear a word that will lift the burden of sin and the weight of the world. But sometimes, instead of that balm, we are handed a bill. The offering message, which should be a joyful moment of worship, becomes a tense period of collection, followed by a sermon that feels more like a spiritual shakedown. Is this what the early church died for?

I remember a story a brother shared with me. He was a new believer, fresh and hungry for God. He had just escaped a life of addiction and was clinging to the hope he found in Christ. One Sunday, the preacher spent forty-five minutes detailing the curses that befall the non-tither: financial ruin, sickness, family breakdown. The brother sat there, his heart sinking. He was a laborer, earning just enough to feed his family. He hadn’t even understood the concept of tithing yet. He left that service not feeling saved, but condemned. He felt like he had entered another system of works, another set of rules he was bound to fail. It took weeks for another believer to sit him down and explain the grace of God all over again, to untangle the message of the Cross from the message of financial obligation. How many have left the church because of this? How many are sitting in pews right now, giving out of fear, not faith? That is not the freedom Christ promised.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not against giving. The Bible is full of the blessings of generous giving. But we must separate the Old Testament law of the tithe, given to Israel—a theocratic nation with a Levitical priesthood—from the New Testament principle of cheerful, voluntary giving to support the work of the ministry and care for the needy. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Where is the cheer when the motivation is hellfire? That is compulsion, and God says He doesn’t want that.

The early church in Acts didn’t pass a plate demanding ten percent. They shared everything they had because their hearts were so full of love for Christ and each other that possession lost its grip on them. The focus was on the resurrection, the fellowship, the breaking of bread. The financial giving was a natural overflow, a result of the gospel, not a prerequisite for it. When Ananias and Sapphira sinned in Acts 5, it wasn’t because they held back a tithe. It was because they lied to the Holy Spirit. The sin was the deception, the desire to appear more generous than they were. The issue was the condition of their heart before God, not the percentage of their income.

This is the core of the matter: the heart. The law of tithing can be enforced without a changed heart. You can budget for it like a tax. But the gospel demands a new heart, a transformed nature that then expresses itself in radical generosity. When you understand the priceless gift you have received in Christ—forgiveness of all sin, eternal life, adoption as God’s child—your grip on your money loosens. You don’t give to avoid hell; you give because you’ve been given heaven. You don’t give to escape a curse; you give in worship to the one who became a curse for you.

So, what should we preach? We must preach Christ. We must preach the Cross until our people are so secure in their salvation, so overwhelmed by God’s grace, that their wallets open naturally. The solution to low giving in the church is not more hellfire preaching on tithing; it is more passionate, clear, and anointed preaching on the finished work of Christ. When people truly grasp what Jesus did for them, they will want to give. They will see it as a privilege, not a penalty.

The enemy is subtle. If he can’t stop the Church from talking about money altogether, he will push us to overemphasize it until it overshadows the main thing. He will have us majoring in the minors. Brethren, let us not be deceived. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing. Let our pulpits resound with “Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” Let our people leave our services secure in the blood that redeemed them, not anxious about the tithe they might have missed. The power to save, to redeem, and to secure our eternity is in the Blood, not in the bank note. Let’s return to our first love, and everything else, including our giving, will fall into its proper place.

I want to hear your thoughts in the comment section. How long have you encountered the teaching of damnation for not paying tithes in your local church? Does tithing truly hold that power? Let's hear your thoughts.

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