Giving 101: A Crash Course on Biblical Giving, Part 2

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here's why.

The following is an excerpt from The Secret of Generosity, an excellent book on what the Bible says about the power of generosity. This is a continuation from my previous excerpt.

The following items, though very important, are not things that I could call essential with any sort of biblical authority.  That being said, I hope you consider each one of them carefully.

To tithe or not to tithe?  Well, I almost pulled it off.  I wrote a book on generosity and made it halfway through the last chapter before bringing up “the T-word”.  In my experience as a writer in the realm of Christian finance, nothing stirs the pot like the word “tithe”.  For some, the word encompasses their entire understanding of biblical finance, for others it's a mandatory action of all true believers, and yet to another the word is nothing but a legalistic, manipulative ploy of greedy pastors.  There is a lot of confusion around this topic to say the least.  On account of this polarization, I will do my best to give a balanced interpretation of the tithe for modern Christians.

What was the tithe?  The simple answer to this question is this:  ”Tithe” literally means “tenth”.  In the Old Testament, God commanded Israel:  “Set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.” (Deu. 14:22)  The tithes were used to support the Levites who performed the work of the temple.  Plain and simple:  A tenth (or tithe) ”is the Lord’s.” (Lev. 27:30)

The more complicated answer to this question is that there actually were three separate tithes.  One tithe was a contribution to the Levites to do the work of the Lord (as mentioned above).  The second was a tenth of all to be set aside and consumed during the various feasts and religious ceremonies throughout the year (Deu. 12).  The third was collected every three years to help provide for the Levite, alien, orphan, and widow (Deu. 14:28-29).

What should we think of the tithe?  This is not an easy question to answer.  Interpreting what the tithe means for Christians has gone in many directions.

First, the continuance of the tithe is never directly confirmed or rejected in the New Testament.  There is not a passage in the New Testament that specifically instructs followers of Christ to continue or to stop tithing.  In light of this, we can’t say absolutely that Christians are supposed to mimic the tithe concept or abandon it all together.  To best answer this question, we must consult the whole counsel of scripture.

Christ said that He did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17-18), and the New Testament teaches that the Old Testament is still God’s word and still written for our instruction (Rom. 3:31, 15:4).  Therefore, we must ask:  What is God trying to teach us in the practice of tithing?  What is the heart, or principle, behind the command?  Regardless of what we may think about the practice of tithing, the New Testament confirms the idea that we are still called to support those who do the work of the Lord (Gal. 6:6, Rom. 15:27, 1 Cor. 9:11-14).  Where to go from here is where the division begins.

Biblical interpretations of tithing:  Historically, many Christians have chosen to obey the command to support those who get their living from the gospel by following the Old Testament model.  They conclude that they are going to give a tenth of the product of their hands (income) to the modern-day house of the Lord (church).  Hence, a Christian who does this “fulfills the Law” not by abandoning the practice of tithing but by doing it willingly.  In essence, the Law required a contribution, and Christ in us fulfills this legality by putting generosity in our hearts in a way that we willingly give a tenth—and perhaps much more—to support the work of the Lord.  Obedience has transitioned from external to internal, from physical to spiritual.

On the other hand, many Christians argue that the practice of tithing is fulfilled in Christ and no longer relevant.  Believers are freed from the Law to prayerfully discern how to go about supporting the work of the Lord rather than following the tithing model.  We are free in Christ to pursue a different approach to the biblical call to give.

I believe that both of these viewpoints have an anchor in sound, biblical wisdom.

Unbiblical interpretations of tithing:  There are a few interpretations of tithing that I do not believe are supported by scripture.

First, we can't say with biblical authority that all Christians have to tithe.  In the freedom of Christ, a believer may choose a different approach to giving.  It's important to note that we make the same error going in the opposite direction when we insist that all Christians should not tithe—teaching the practice as an inferior approach to giving.  The decision to implement tithing into our giving life must be left to prayerful reflection and study of scripture, not an ultimatum leaning in one direction or the other.

Secondly, I do not believe that the freedom of the new covenant permits us to make giving a matter of personal preference.  Grace did not appear to make obedience optional.  It is true that God desires our giving to be from a willing heart, but this has everything to do with transforming our heart not excusing us from obedience.  If we use the freedom found in Christ to justify keeping greater portions of our resources for ourselves, we have a distorted understanding of grace.

Finally, tithing is not necessary for salvation.  This is blatantly unbiblical.  Our eternal destiny is not determined by our financial decisions.

Pros and cons:  As with many things, the practice of tithing has advantages and disadvantages.  On one hand, tithing can show that our approach to giving is consistent, premeditated, intentional, and disciplined.  It can speak strongly of our devotion and is relatively easy to do.  On the other hand, tithing can become legalistic, heartless, thoughtless, and has the potential to feel more like a bill that has to be paid than an investment in God's kingdom.  In addition, it tends to create its own ceiling rather than allowing the Spirit to determine the top of our contributions.

To wrap up our discussion on tithing, I'd like to tell a story that illustrates the perspective with which I think Christians should approach this very opinionated practice.

When our daughter Ansley was approaching her second birthday, Jordan and I decided to build her a play kitchen.  Jordan found plans, pictures, and dimensional measurements on a popular website.  I would build it, and she would paint it.  Simple enough.  Being a typical male, I took one glance at the pictures, wrote down the dimensions, and started making saw dust.  After several hours, Jordan came out to see the end result.  As if any of us didn't see this coming, I failed to build the kitchen according to the plans!  A heated disagreement ensued.  I had built the kitchen three inches shorter than specified.  Refusing to concede to this reality, we went back and forth regarding whether the twenty inch height parameter referenced the height of the counter or back splash.  Sadly, I have to admit that the argument had more to do with whether or not I was right (which I wasn't), than anything to do with our daughter's birthday present.  After all, did we honestly believe that Ansley would or wouldn't appreciate her gift because the height of the counter was three inches higher or lower?

I think the same could be said about tithing.  Does it really matter if one Christian tithes and another doesn't?  As long as both are following the Lord's leading and giving generously, does their methodology really matter?  Like the story above, we tend only to care whether or not we are right in this theological debate and loose all sight of the fact that we are supporting the work of the Lord.  Let us agree to disagree and follow the Lord's Spirit as He guides our giving.

Comments

[Cindy]

I make a tithe our minimum for giving. The danger of tithing is that you might think you've done everything you need to do, but when you're very blessed, 10% ain't much. I'm certain that if I didn't insist on that floor for our giving, we wouldn't give enough. A tithe is a great place to start.

[Orville]

Hi friend. You mentioned in your well written and exposed article that the new testament is silent on tithe, when actually in two places in the new testament is the record of a conversation Jesus had had with Pharisees were He actually gave his approval to the act of tithing. Mathew 23:23 and Luke 11:42. He tells the Pharisees that they give a tenth, but neglect love, mercy, justice, faithfulness; and they essentially should practice all. Is an interesting passage. I don't think that it should be imposed, but definitely not ignored. At least a tithe is a place to begin. When we understand God's grace, I am a firm believer that God will move us to more than 10%. The idea of giving is to help remove selfishness from our hearts.

[stoihi]

There’s no New Testament writer that says we no longer pay Tithe. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus says woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you pay Tithe of the mint and anise and cumin but you’ve omitted the weightier matters, justice, mercy and faith. Then He goes on to say these you ought to have done, and not leave the other undone. Well the other was Tithe. He says I’m not saying don’t pay Tithe, but don’t forget about justice, mercy and faith. Christ really answered the question on Tithe in that statement – He says do not leave the other undone.

[Rob @ Dollars and Doctrine.com]

Orville & Stoihi,

(Author of article). Great point. What I say in the article is that the tithe is "not directly confirmed or rejected in the New Testament. There is not a passage in the New Testament that specifically instructs followers of Christ to continue or to stop tithing." While Jesus makes mention of the tithe and the passage you reference seems to infer that there is no reason to stop tithing (I discuss this pasasge in another part of the book), Jesus, nor the apostles, ever address the tithe as a specific command. So, I do not disagree with you both, I think you make an excellent point. What I meant in this selection is that the command to continue or stop tithing is never specifically and directly addressed; whereas, generosity is discussed in a variety of manifestations all throughout the New Testament.

[Brian Jewell]

Lots of great points here. I tend to fall into the camp that believes that God wants His New Testament church to tithe, but I agree, it's not a matter of salvation. Still, I think the sad thing about Christians who don't tithe is that they are missing out on some of the blessings that God promises for people who are faithful to tithe. Check out Mal. 3, and you'll see that tithing was a command that came with a great promise.