Tithing for most people means giving 10 percent of your income to the church. The topic of tithing is a very contentious topic and faithful Christians disagree on this. The issue of tithing is an important question but it is not the most important question. It is the kind of issue good Christians can disagree on and still have fellowship.
There is, however, an abundance of documented cases where the issue of tithing has been used to abuse, threaten, and bully church members into either giving money they don't have or expecting from God- in a transactional sense- the dividends of their "faithful sowing". This belief is antithetical to the Gospel. The kind of giving the new testament commends is very different to what many of us see and hear in our churches and I plead with you to hear me out as I make a case for why paying 10 percent is not required of new testament Christians and yet that is not an excuse to not give or be stingy.
This piece is a response to a conversation I had with a friend recently. He was genuinely disturbed about not paying tithe and he feared that his actions were contributing to his financial woes. In fact, he believed his action had even greater repercussions than just his financial problems; he believed that he was experiencing curses from God.
I believe his situation is not an isolated one. I once heard a well respected Nigerian preacher say that non-tithers are going to hell. It is evidence of the unfortunate abuses that happen in some churches as it relates to tithing and giving. These issues need to be addressed because they are symptomatic of a broader problem- a legalized religion founded on works.It fosters a Christianity that does not put its faith in the finished work of Christ but in what one can do to be justified of it. This way of thinking leads to Christians who put their faith in how “well” or “long” they pray or read their Bible or how many days they can fast in order to obtain favor from God (Luke 18:10-13).
The goal of this article is to introduce us to the kind of giving prescribed by the New Testament to bring us into meaningful worship. Many tithing Christians assume that those who refuse to pay tithes or place their name on their giving are generally people who refuse to give to their local churches. Whereas that might be true, it is not about whether you give the 10% or refuse to do so. It is about the understanding of what God expects from you as a believer concerning your attitude towards money.
The church of God must be financed, pastors must be paid, and missionaries must be funded. However, it must be done without compulsion, fear, or a false sense of worship. God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
Tithing has always been a thorny subject. For some Christians, it is not just a means of financially sustaining the church but a showing of one's true devotion to God. The point of this article isn't to discourage giving in the church but to prove a giving that is consistent with the new covenant. I will humbly ask all readers to pray about this subject, give this article a fair hearing, and, most importantly, prosecute every scriptural argument.
What is tithing in historical biblical context?
Tithe literally means a "tenth" in Hebrew. It seems to have been an ancient practice to give a quota (in this case a tenth) of one's possessions as a sign of generosity or goodwill.
The Bible described it as something practiced by the first patriarch, Abraham (Genesis 14:20-23) after returning from a victorious war. At this point, it isn't a law, so the bible refers to it in a descriptive sense. The next person the bible refers to as practicing this is Jacob (Genesis 28:20-22) who promises to give a tenth of his possession if God protects and blesses him. These descriptive texts give us an indication of the practice before Israel was formed as a nation. The practice will be codified in the Mosaic laws, generations later and used to govern Israel (God's chosen people).
It is from the Mosaic tithing law that most churches draw their reference from. The rest of this article will be aimed at carefully examining whether these tithing laws from the mosaic code apply to new testament Christians and if not, what type of giving the New Testaments commands of Christians.
The reason for mentioning the Laws is to lay the foundation on which we will assess the subject. This is an important point because it helps us understand who we are as believers and where we stand in Christ’s redemptive work. Before we continue we must address the covenants in a little more detail to understand and establish why believers obey some laws and not all laws.
Understanding the Laws in the Old and New Covenant
A covenant is a contract or agreement between two parties. It is the same word for testament. So our bibles can be referred to as the Old and New Covenant.
It is for no trivial reason that the bible is divided into the Old and New Testaments. It wasn't just a creative means by theologians to make the Bible an easy read. It's a distinction taught in the scriptures (Jeremiah 31:31-34/Ezekiel 36:26-27/2 Corinthians 3:6/Hebrews 8:8-13) to help us understand the central theme of the Bible; Jesus Christ and His redemptive work (The Gospel) in creation.
There is mention of several covenants in the Bible like the Noahic Covenant, Abrahamic covenant, and Mosaic covenant, but all these covenants fall under one big umbrella called the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant therefore was the pact God sovereignly entered into with specific people (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David) and later His chosen people (Israel) through Moses. The Mosaic covenant however became the principal covenant because it was the only covenant that was codified (organized into law). When you see the New Testament refer to “the Law'' it is typically making reference to the Mosaic Law.
The Mosaic Law was divided into three main categories; Moral (primarily the Ten Commandments as well as some other laws), Ceremonial, and Civil. The Moral Laws were the laws of God that established God's Holy nature and how man could relate to Him (God) as well as his fellow men. The moral laws are timeless and still applicable today as the New Covenant reinforces it (Matthew 5). The only law Jesus rescinds within the Moral Laws is in reference to the Sabbath (Mark 2:23). The Ceremonial Laws (a.k.a. the Sacrificial Laws) were the laws that instructed the Israelites on how to worship through the various sacrifices prescribed. They were rendered obsolete by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Finally, The Civil Laws set guidelines on Israel's civil society. These laws were also rendered obsolete as God's children were no longer a physical nation but all who were to be saved through faith by Grace in Jesus Christ. So apart from the Moral law, which we established as timeless and reinforced by the new covenant, the ceremonial and civil laws are no longer applied to us.
Romans 7:4-6- “You also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to him who is raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. We are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not the old way of the written code. (Please read: Romans 6:15/Galatians 2:19/Ephesians 2:15)
All the laws together were about 613. Below is a link to all the 613 laws in the Old covenant. I pray you find it resourceful.
We cannot understand our place in Christ without this basic truth: The Old Covenant looked forward to Christ and The New Covenant established the promise of our new spiritual birth in Christ.
Since we have laid the foundation, let us now delve into what the scriptures teach us about tithing.
Tithing in the Old Covenant
Tithing, like all the other laws in the Old Covenant, was definitive and specific in its requirements except where otherwise stated. In that regard, strict and careful adherence was required by the High priest, the priest and all of Israel. (Leviticus 10)
God expressly warns Israel not to add or subtract from the laws, Deuteronomy 4:2 -“Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you’. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you”. To the church of the New Covenant the same warning was given to highlight the seriousness of mishandling the scriptures (Revelation 22:18-19).
To elaborate what tithing was in the Old Covenant let me state what it was not.
Tithe was not MONEY but FOOD
The preceding point is important to note because for those who want to tithe according to the Old Covenant, must not only abide by the tithing laws in principle but in practice. That means, to remain consistent, they must not give money to their churches but everything prescribed by the tithing laws, i.e. food.
Was this because they did not have currency as a means for exchanging currency? No. Although it may not have been the main medium of exchange, there is sufficient evidence in scripture to prove that money was indeed used for trading purposes. Joseph's brothers sold him for money (Genesis 37:28). The Israelites were given the option to sell their produce (tithes) for money in the case where they couldn't carry their produce to the place chosen by God (Deuteronomy 14:25-27). The law forbade people from charging interest on a poor person because loans were to be an act of compassion and taking care of one's neighbor (Exodus 22:25-27). Abraham used money to buy the land he used to bury his wife which eventually became his own burial place (Genesis 23:10-18). So if God wanted them to tithe money, He could have clearly and consistently required it in the Law as He did for the Tabernacle (Genesis 25 & 26)
Based on the many references indicated, for anyone to claim money was not used in the Old Testament and therefore require us to change the tithing laws to suit our modern day needs would be a dishonest interpretation of scripture.
Does that mean we can't give money in Church?
No, of course we can. We can give money to our churches. Why? Because the New Covenant church is not under the Mosaic Law and therefore not bound by it. The church, though an organic entity, has also become an organization which needs funding to be able to run programs aimed towards the spreading of the Gospel. It is in this light that the New Covenant giving must be taught and encouraged. According to the New Covenant. Whenever we look to the ceremonial or civil laws- we must seek to learn the principle, and not to engage in the practice. We will address this more as we establish the historicity of the tithing laws.
The law prescribed specifics as to where the tithe was to come from (The Holy land, Israel), specific things to be tithed, specifics of what it was to be used for, and specifics for who could benefit from them.
From these additional scriptures we can see how far some have departed from the way tithing was outlined in the Old Covenant (please read entire chapters for proper context)
Leviticus 27:30-34
“One -tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees and every tenth animal from your herds and flocks”
Numbers 18:27-28
“And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. So you shall also present a contribution to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the Lord's contribution to Aaron the priest."
Deuteronomy 14:22-29
You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.
Deuteronomy 26:12
When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled.
2 Chronicles 31:5-6.
As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the first-fruits of grain and wine, oil and honey and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. 6 And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God they laid in heaps.
Nehemiah 10:37
To bring the first fruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities.
Please also refer to these scriptures (Nehemiah 13:5/Malachi 3:80-11/Matthew 23:23/ Luke 11:42)
No where in scripture does God define the tithe as money or instruct anyone to tithe anything obtained from outside the Holy land. The tithe was required to come from the Holy Land and be exactly what the law had prescribed. We also see that it was not meant only as a means of sustenance for the Levites and Priest but for the Orphans, widows, and tithers themselves who were told to go back and retrieve parts of their tithes when in need.
Why were the Levitical priests given tithes of produce and not money?
The 11 tribes were commanded by God to give tithes to the Levites because unlike the 11 tribes, the Levites did not inherit a land. They were exclusively ordained by God to be commissioned as Priests. God therefore constituted the tithing laws to sustain them. (Numbers 18).
Additionally, many scholars have pointed out that when you tally up all the giving of the Israelites in the Old Testament, the
ir tithes actually landed in the 20 percent range. This means that if our current tithing practice is enforced out of obedience to the Old Covenant, we should be requiring people to be giving more in line with what the Israelites did.
Giving in the New Covenant
The argument has been made that Jesus referenced the giving of tithes in Matthew 23:23 and that, therefore, suggests evidence to prove that He commanded us to tithe. However, the Scripture, like all other scriptures, must be read in context.
The New Covenant had not taken effect until Jesus had gone to the cross. Remember, the new covenant was only ushered in by his death and resurrection (Hebrews 9:15). Until then, He had upheld all the Old Covenant laws including participation in festivals such as the passover sacrifices, temple worship, and festival of dedication. (John 2:13-14/John 10:22)
Additionally, if we go with that premise, we have to say that Jesus also commanded us to leave our sacrifice on an altar and go be reconciled to your brother if you have an issue. We, as Christians, know we are not to offer sacrifices for sins. It seems plausible that Jesus upheld the elements of the Old Covenant before his death and resurrection. This being said, the scripture in which Jesus commands tithing is not an absolute commendation of tithing to the New Testament Christian.
So on what scriptural premise are we going to lay the foundation of the New Covenant giving? Does Jesus talk about giving? How about the Apostles? Yes, they did and their kind of giving was rooted in true worship.
Throughout the Old Testament Law, man's giving was out of an obligatory worship and not true worship to God (1 Samuel 15:22-23). His fallen nature could not permit him and that is why Israel kept failing God even though they had the Law to guide them. However, that was the exact purpose of the Law-to make man feel hopeless in His effort to try to please God. Our only freedom and therefore our only true worship is through the Justification of Christ who liberates us to give Him our best. (Romans 5:20/Galatians 3:23-25).
No longer do believers give out of duty or dread but out of the abundance of the love that they have been shown by God. In the New Covenant everything we do should be a demonstration of true worship, including our giving. It is not what you give that matters to God but the disposition of the heart you give with. Truly abundant hearts will give generously to their local churches but also will do what Jesus expects of all believers in Matthew 25:31-40.
Jesus’ teaching on giving was centered on the heart with which we give rather than the quota we give. Sermon after sermon he reiterates the need for believers to be generous, not only to our local church (the believers you worship with) but to the needy and your neighbors (such as the story of the good Samaritan).
(Matthew 25:31-40/ Mark 12:41-44/ Luke 6:38/ Luke 14:12-14)
By all means the New Covenant admonishes us to give. A giving that is far superior to the Old Covenant Law. A giving that is without threats or dread of curses. As for taking care of pastors, Paul makes a blistering defense as to why all churches must pay their pastors. In 1 Corinthians 9 (Please read the whole chapter) Paul himself defends his right to be supported by the churches, only to emphasize his choice not to receive support (Vs 15-18). This and other references (1 Corinthians 16:1-2/ 2 Corinthians 8) show you what our attitude towards our church should be as believers.
As New Covenant believers giving is a means of worship and worship is never coerced by God. Even unbelievers give and if God was to justify his blessings for us by how faithfully we give then some will be justified more than others and all would be unjustified in the end. God is not trading his blessings with the most consistent customer or the highest bidder. Do what you can out of the abundance of love he has shown you.
Giving is one of the ways we show our hearts treasure. Giving generously is one way to show that we love Jesus more than money. We do not give in order to earn God's blessings. The fruit that leads us to flee sexual immorality because we love Jesus more than sex is the same fruit that leads us to give generously. None of these are done to earn something from God but instead are done because we treasure God more than those things.
By all means give- give cheerfully, abundantly, and willingly! Before you go to church, set aside an offering as the scriptures admonish us (1 Corinthians 16:2), if you belong to a small church, lead the effort to get your pastor on a payroll proportionate to the church's financial might. Contribute to the financing of missionaries, evangelists and programs directed towards Soul winning.
This is admittedly a long post and if you do not take anything with you, here are three summary points which encapsulate the heart of this post:
The New Testament does not obligate believers to give 10% of their income to their church. To insist people pay 10 percent otherwise they are disobeying God is to place them under the law from which Christ freed them.
What the New Testament commends is a sacrificial giving that flows from a heart that has been moved by the gospel. To be fair, 10% cannot be considered as sacrificial for most Christians. For many, God has blessed them beyond giving just 10%
The New Testament giving model does not give believers an excuse not to give or to give less but rather places higher expectations on them to give abundantly. Not with the motivation of earning the approval of God but to show that they cherish Jesus more than money. This is, however, not justification for the kind of giving that is coerced out of people who are poor and going through financial difficulties. The New Testament exalts a cheerful giving because God loves a cheerful giver; not people who we coerce to the offertory table in the midst of all their grumbling.
God Bless You
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