Posted on 02/24/2003 4:08:16 PM PST by anncoulteriscool
Does God require me to give a tithe of all I earn?
Two kinds of giving are taught consistently throughout Scripture: giving to the government (always compulsory), and giving to God (always voluntary).
The issue has been greatly confused, however, by some who misunderstand the nature of the Old Testament tithes. Tithes were not primarily gifts to God, but taxes for funding the national budget in Israel.
Because Israel was a theocracy, the Levitical priests acted as the civil government. So the Levite's tithe (Leviticus 27:30-33) was a precursor to today's income tax, as was a second annual tithe required by God to fund a national festival (Deuteronomy 14:22-29). Smaller taxes were also imposed on the people by the law (Leviticus 19:9-10; Exodus 23:10-11). So the total giving required of the Israelites was not 10 percent, but well over 20 percent. All that money was used to operate the nation.
All giving apart from that required to run the government was purely voluntary (cf. Exodus 25:2; 1 Chronicles 29:9). Each person gave whatever was in his heart to give; no percentage or amount was specified.
New Testament believers are never commanded to tithe. Matthew 22:15-22 and Romans 13:1-7 tell us about the only required giving in the church age, which is the paying of taxes to the government. Interestingly enough, we in America presently pay between 20 and 30 percent of our income to the government--a figure very similar to the requirement under the theocracy of Israel.
The guideline for our giving to God and His work is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver."
For further study: John MacArthur, God's Plan for Giving (tape series).
© 2000 Grace to You
No such prescription is given in the NT, rather there is the presciption, "God loves a cheerful giver".
Having said that, since God is the owner of everything, even our lives, the "tithe" is a good place to start.
Although the tithe is not a NT commandment, it does have a long history as a guideline in Christian churches. Probably it's because, as common sense tells us, it's awfully hard for many people to give anything! And everyone has 10% of something, even if it's not very much in absolute terms.
I think the most important aspect is not the recipient, but about our conversion, our being willing to give. We find that the more we give, the happier we are!
There was actually a third tithe collected every third year that was used to take care of the poor, widows and homeless. It's outlined in Deuteronomy 14:28-29...government taxes would seem to have more than taken over this.
Hebrews 7 seems to make the case that tithes shouldn't go to the Levitical priesthood because our priesthood has now changed with Christ as the high priest. Tithes still need to be taken by the church to fund the operation of the church of the church in it's work, namely the spread of the gospel and the teaching of the disciples. Paul affirmed this:
1Co 9:13 You know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple and that those who serve at the altar get their share of its offerings, don't you? 1Co 9:14 In the same way, the Lord has ordered that those who proclaim the gospel should make their living from the gospel.
Tithing is a huge test of how much faith one has. Ten percent isn't a whole lot of money.
Demanding the tithe invites least two problems: it introduces a hierarchy into the Body of Christ that seperates tithers from those who do not or cannot tithe, which gives rise to division and guilt; and more seriously, it confuses the assembly of the Body with the OT temple, which leads to further legalism. In an outgrowth of this second problem, an elder in our church recently made the statement that "he was sorry that the sin offering no longer needed to be given"! This is the leaven of the Pharisees still hard at work after 2 thousand years. A quick read of Galatians 3 or Hebrews 6 reveals the deadly peril of choosing the laws of the old covenant over the free grace of Christ.
Its not, is it ? - especially when He blesses us with so much more.
I see it as an act of humility, obedience & faith
It only seems right to give back some of what is already His -
Aside - we had 21 folk at Service this past Sunday (our lowest attendance ever)-
Travel advisories warned of no unnecessary driving -
yet over $1000 was collected in tithes and offerings-(our highest offering ever) and for that I am thankful
I love Gods humor
Do you tithe on your net or your gross? If you tithe on your net, you have placed Ceasar above God, because you have given Ceaser the first "cut". Have you considered the interest on your investments? Your 401K? For that matter, we have not merely received money from God. What of your time (2.4 hours per day)? Your home (1 in 10 square feet, or 1/10 of the value)? These things also are God's, given to you freely. Will you withhold them? Will you rob Him?
This is legalism, my friends, and Christ had something to say about it in Matthew 23:23:
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
The point here is that all that you own belongs to God already. You do not own it, and you cannot give it back (thanks, Woody). Practice good stewardship by cleaving to Christ and giving of all that you have generously as you are led by His spirit, and leave tithing to the Pharisees.
I have to laugh as Im thinking of Rev Lovejoy on the Simpsons telling the congregation "10% off the gross"
see your freepmail
Your point is well made - It has to be 10% off the gross -
He then went on to show from scripture that there is also a portion that we should be willing to give over and above our tithes called "fatih promise giving" This supports the missionaries, and special offerings. This is dealt with in 1 Cor. 16. So that actually some will give more then 10%, so less.
Becky
BTW, you've got mail.
First off, the word TITHE itself, according to the webster dictionary, means to give a tenth part, so the word itself literally means to give 10%, thus an amount is set.
Second, Titheing was present long before Moses wrote of it in Leviticus or Deuteronomy. Examples:
Genesis 14:17
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
14:19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
This shows Abram giving tithe to the priest of the most high God 1000 years before Moses put it into law.
Genesis 28:22
And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Here we see Jacob giving 10% of all he was given back to the lord.
In both instances, this was before there was a civil government of Israel to give money to. I'm not versed upon how the taxes were collected in Israel once it was established, so I won't argue for or against the idea that once the government of Israel was established, tithing and taxes may have been lumped into some form of combination collection that could have been 20% of the income.
If that was the case though, unlike the United States today, the 20%-30% that is collected today goes straight into government. Nothing is going to the church.
Another thing I find interesting with this article is that the writer didn't mention Acts 2:47-47 or Acts 4:31-34 where members of the church sold all they had and gave it to the church.
Jesus himself encouraged tithing and in Luke 11:42 and Matthew 23:23 he got onto the scribes and Pharisees for being sticklers of the law in regards of tithing, yet ignored other areas of the law.
A final comment. The tithe was just the minimum you were to give. 1 Corinthians 1-3 talk about collecting additional money from the churches of Corinth and Galatia in order to help out the church in Jerusalem.
Ten percent is what is owed to God, who has given us so much. We should be cheerful givers of this and more.
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