Posted on 04/09/2006 9:39:42 PM PDT by ScubieNuc
Should Christians tithe?
Recently, I was asked about tithing. Being like most Americans, I don’t tithe regularly. It’s not that I think I shouldn’t, it has more to do with my current debt. I’ve always felt that tithing would be a great thing to be able to do, but sadly, I have never been able to do it on a consistent basis. So, I decided to do a more thorough Biblical study on tithing, so that I could give an answer consistent with what God wants. What I discovered surprised me, so I decided to post what I found to see what Freeper’s had to say.
The first thing I did was look at all the verses with the word “tithe” in them. It occurs 14 times in 13 verses. The word “tithing” occurs 2 times in one verse. The thing that jumped out to me was that the word “tithe” occurs only twice in the New Testament ( Matt. 23:23 & Luke 11:42).
When you look at those events, in Matthew and Luke, Jesus is scolding the Pharisees, who have apparently mastered tithing, but have overlooked more important things such as judgment, mercy, faith, and the love of God. Now, Jesus does imply that tithing is good, but that it should not be done at the expense of more “weighty matters of the law.”
Now, when I looked at the Old Testament verses dealing with tithing, I also saw a familiar theme. Tithing was tied into the ceremonies and rituals given to the Nation of Israel after the Exodus out of slavery.
Tithing was used to build the tabernacle and the Temple. Tithing was used to set aside food. Tithing was to be used by those who would be serving in the Tabernacle or Temple. Tithing was as much a ritual as was the rituals surrounding the Sabbath. So then, how do we Christians today, who are under the New Covenant of Jesus, deal with the rituals given by God under the Mosaic Covenant?
I looked at the rituals of the Sabbath for an example. First, the Sabbath was a sign for the Nation of Israel and not for all people (Exodus 31:12, 13, 16, 17). Sabbath was a ceremonial law for the Jewish Nation. Sabbath was more then just the 7th day of the week, but also dealt with the 7th month (Lev. 23:24) and the 7th year (Lev. 25:4). In the entire New Testament there is not a single command to Christians to keep the Sabbaths. Why?
In short, the ceremonial laws were “nailed to the cross” because they were a “shadow” of Jesus.
Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Col 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
Col 2:12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Col 2:15 [And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Col 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:
Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ.
Next, I looked for examples of what the early Christians did. They didn’t give 10%, they gave it ALL!
Act 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
And
Act 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Act 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all [men], as every man had need.
I noticed a few points from their example. One, the church took care of its own house first. Two, it was unanimous. They voluntarily sold all their goods, pooled the monies, and distributed where it was needed among the Church. Once they had their own church finances taken care of, they could then focus on others who were outside of the church. This is not an example of reinstituting the rituals of the Old Testament.
The New Testament Church does give guidelines for leaders in the church, who are “stewards for God.” (Titus1:5-7) The KJV mentions “not given to filthy lucre.” This is translated from the Greek word aischrokerdes. This word means eager for base gain or greedy for money. It is clear that to be a steward of God, finances is part of the picture. However, there is no mention of tithing.
The New Testament church was an example of the following verses…
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
2Cr 8:5 And [this they did], not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
These verses point out that stewardship involves giving all of yourself.
Finally, I looked at what the Bible has to say about borrowing and debt. Borrowing is always involved whenever there is lending. Since lending is sometimes permissible, so is borrowing. Still, normally it is the righteous who are lenders rather than borrowers.
"The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty . . . to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none." (Deuteronomy 28:12)
"The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. . . . They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed." (Psalm 37:21, 26)
"Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice." (Psalm 112:5)
There is danger in debt.
"The rich rule over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender." Proverbs 22:7
"You were bought at a price. Do not become servants of men." 1 Corinthians 7:23
"No one can serve two masters. . . You cannot serve both God and Money." Matthew 6:24
The New Testament warns against debt.
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
There is a penalty for debt.
"All these blessings will come upon you if you obey the LORD your God:
". . . The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to . . . bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail.
"However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
". . . The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. He will lend to you, but you will not lend to him. He will be the head, but you will be the tail. Deuteronomy 28:2,12-13; 15; 43-44
Debt causes desperation.
Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."
Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."
Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards." Nehemiah 5:2-4
So, what is my conclusion? Tithing was part of the ceremonies and rituals given to the Nation of Israel after the exodus from slavery in Egypt. Tithing was not instituted by the early church examples given in the New Testament. Jesus never commands tithing. Tithing is not one of the “weighty matters of the law.” Tithing was a shadow that directed people toward Jesus.
So what is a Christian to do financially? One, is to recognize that all we have is to be used for God. That is not limited to money, but to our time, our talents, etc. Two, we need to take care of our brothers in Christ, even if it means greater sacrifice by some. Three, we need to take care of others outside of the body of Christ. Four, we need to get out of debt so that we can better provide for others.
Finally, I recognize that I am an un-schooled layman. Plus, I do not have my own financial house in complete order (debts). Therefore, I recognize that my study/conclusions may be biased to support what I want, as apposed to what Jesus actually wants. I am not seeking to attack certain traditions, rather to “speak the truth in love.” (Eph. 4:11-15) I think that 1 Corinthians 4:2 summarizes it best…
“Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”
Sincerely
I think your problem is with government policy for the last 50 years, not those who are receiving SS payments. They paid money in. The government spent it. They had as little control over those policies as you do over the current US deficit. Many of those receiving SS now worked hard their entire lives. They worked with the system they were given, which meant paying into Social Security, with the guarantee of receiving a small retirement later. To blame them for the current fiscal problems is unfair. You have a legitimate complaint which is shared by many, but please consider where you direct it. The US government is acting irresponsibly, not those receiving SS.
How have I twisted them? You stated that giving draw one God closer to that person, and I said God can not be bought.
>We don't do it (tithe)to get the blessings. We do it because everything we have belongs to God anyway; everything we have He has given to us.<
AMEN. We are so blessed by Him that we are moved to "pass it on" for Him. And tithing joyfully promotes The Great Commission.
ScubieNuc: I wasn't looking for a loop-hole when I did my research, rather a Biblical answer to an inquiring friend. What I found was another wonderful example of how Jesus has saved us from the burden of trying to fulfill the law.
So true. You understand well that nothing WE do can save us - tithing included. And certainly Christ is the only payment that will satisfy our sin.
Yet just because it does not have the power to save, does not mean tithing is unnecessary. Keeping the law does not save us, but the law still guides us in obedience. Obedience is the proper response to Christ's gift of salvation.
You say that tithing is not REQUIRED of Christians. Let me use a different illustration of obedience. The law says "you shall not steal". If you steal from someone, you can still be saved - Christ can cover the sin of stealing. But after you are saved, are you REQUIRED to not steal? Of course! The law is still in effect today! If you steal from someone after you are saved, Christ can STILL cover that sin. It does not mean that you can steal with reckless abandon.
Let me ask you this question. Do you think obedience is REQUIRED of Christians? Even though it does not save nor can you be perfectly obedient, it is REQUIRED of Christians.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.