Greasy Hands, Clean Theology,
A Life Shaped by Work and Truth
Call Me Old School, But…
If a child can work a tablet, phone, or game console, they can work a broom, a mop, or wash some dishes. Just saying.
Believe it or not, when I was around six years old, my grandfather had me help him while he was pulling a car out of a ditch with his wrecker. My job? Hold my foot on the brake pedal while he winched the vehicle out. I thought it was great fun! The front wheels of the truck would lift off the ground over and over—it felt like I was riding a bucking bronco! By the time I was twelve, I was driving that wrecker myself, picking up and towing vehicles.
Even earlier than that, he had me using my little red Radio Flyer wagon to haul firewood from the pile to the hearth. I remember sitting on the greasy shop floor, wiping down tools and putting them back in order—by size, type, or kind—as he worked on cars and trucks. I wasn’t just “being busy.” I was learning.
To me, when a child doesn’t do chores—or when they reach adulthood and still avoid work—there’s a disconnect. That disconnect could be in the child, in the parent, or in their circumstances. Either way, people need to work. Not just to survive, but to discover something meaningful: At the end of hard work, there’s a reward. It’s called wages.
Nothing is free. Everything costs something.
This principle is why I never take money from churches when I’m asked to speak. Now don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing wrong with hiring someone to work in a church. Ministers and workers have to eat. But when a church hires someone as a “speaker” or “preacher,” that arrangement can get misused. If the church doesn’t like what that person says, they can treat them like an employee and say, “You’re fired!” But preaching the truth of God was never supposed to be a hireling’s job.
Let’s Talk About Tithing.
There needs to be a true understanding of why the tithe was instituted in the first place. Grasping the principle behind it is imperative. However, let me be clear: the tithe is not a New Covenant mandate or doctrine. It is not something that must be met or adhered to by believers under grace.
In the New Covenant, there is no tithe, because there is no law (Romans 6:14). For anyone to run back to Melchizedek and use that as justification to enforce tithing as a New Testament command is simply misusing Scripture. Nowhere in that part of Scripture does it command anyone to tithe. It was a symbol pointing to something far greater.
And I have no problem addressing this. It’s both bold and necessary for those of us in the Kingdom who are committed to truth over tradition. If you want to go deeper, keep reading.
Understanding the Origin of the Tithe
To understand the topic properly, you need a biblical view of the New Covenant and a clear understanding of why the tithe was ever instituted. We must go back to its principle, not just its practice.
The tithe was originally tied to a covenant under the Law, but even before the Law, we see it symbolically in the story of Abraham and Melchizedek. Abraham gave a one-time tithe, voluntarily—not because he was commanded to, but as a gesture of honor in a prophetic moment. It pointed forward to something greater. There was no divine requirement for him to tithe, and certainly no system built around that single act.
Later, under the Mosaic Law, tithing was formalized—but not as a financial offering to a church. It was an agricultural, territorial, and time-bound theocratic tax to support:
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the Levitical priesthood,
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the operation of the Temple system, and
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care for the poor and marginalized (Deuteronomy 14:22–29).
What Changed in Christ?
Under the New Covenant, the Law is no longer binding.
“Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be reckoned as righteous by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” (Galatians 3:24–25).
We are under grace and truth in Jesus Christ.
Therefore:
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There is no command for the tithe in the New Covenant.
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There is no Levitical system to support.
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There is no Temple economy to sustain.
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And there is no biblical requirement for believers to tithe financially.
To use Hebrews 7 and the example of Melchizedek to reinstate tithing is to misunderstand the purpose of that passage. Hebrews 7 presents Melchizedek as a type of Christ, not to enforce an Old Covenant practice, but to show how Christ’s priesthood supersedes that of Levi.
The very point of Hebrews 7:12 is clear:
“For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well.”
And with that change, tithing as a legal obligation also passes away.
So What About Giving?
In Christ, we are called to give—but not by law, not by manipulation, and not under compulsion.
“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” —2 Corinthians 9:7
This is not a lower standard. It’s a higher calling.
Giving in the New Covenant is not a debt we owe to a religious system—it’s a response of love, generosity, and faith.
📜 Benediction
May the Lord awaken in you the dignity of honest labor,
the joy of serving without strings,
and the freedom of living under grace, not guilt.
May your hands find purpose,
your heart remain teachable,
and your life reflect the truth that cannot be bought or silenced.
Walk boldly in the light of God’s Word—
not as a hireling, but as a faithful son or daughter of the Kingdom.
🙏 Ending Prayer
Father of Truth, Giver of Grace,
Thank You for Your unchanging Word and for the wisdom You reveal in both simple tasks and spiritual truths.
Help us to embrace the value of work—not for applause, but for purpose.
Deliver us from the bondage of legalism and tradition when it clouds the clarity of Your covenant.
Teach us to give with joy, to labor with integrity, and to serve without the desire for praise or payment.
Let our lives be evidence that Your grace is enough,
and may we lead others not through pressure, but through the power of truth and love.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Grace & Peace
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Dr. John Roberts THD