”Thanks
be unto God for His unspeakable gift!”
On
the issue of tithing in the Church of Christ
Teddy Donobauer
2020
One
of the recurring themes in almost every Church
assembly is the matter of finances. Rare is the Church
that does not now and then find that the commitments of the
organisation outrun the giving of the members and/or the profit from
the various ministries of the church. (A
church may be renting out part of it’s building for rental income
for instance, or run a bookshop at moderate profit etc)
Almost invariably
this shortage of funding is met with a rally from the pulpit focusing
on the issue of tithing. And equally invariably the last OT book of Malachi
is drawn into the arena. Preaching is then done which challenges the
church to stop robbing God. Not bringing the full tithes into the
fellowship is such robbery. Secondary issues are: should this tithing
be based on gross or net income? Should we tithe before or after tax?
The most powerful punchline is always Mal 3:6 ”For
I, the LORD do not change: therefore you O sons of Jacob are not
consumed”. Unspoken
or spoken there is the insinuation that because God Himself
does not change then also
the
Old Testament law of tithing is unchanged and still in place. And all
our shortages, missing prosperity and lack of
blessing as well as our coming short in collections are a result of
our disobedience in the matter of tithing. We
are also made to know that there is a deliberate curse in operation.
Namely the curse that is best expressed in Deuteronomy 28:1-14.
As
compelling and emotionally powerful this preaching can be, and may of
course increase the giving to the common good of the fellowship, it
falls short of the entire New Covenant teaching. Malachi may be
useful for preaching
on tithing, but nothing in the New Covenant affords a basis for
teaching on
tithing.
The use of an Old Testament Law in order to
challenge the church of the New Covenant needs to be scrutinized in
the light of what the Holy Spirit says in the writings of the New
Covenant. And to a certain extent on what is not said. Because unless
the difference between the first and the last Covenants are
understood the use of Scripture
in support of the Old order must be challenged by the explicit
teaching of the New.
Jesus
and Tithing
It
is startling to note that on this topic the Lord himself had only two
comments to make. And both in relation to the last generation of the
Mosaic Covenant. After Malachi the so called silent 400 years
followed. In that time the Talmud was created and it had an elaborate
system of rules regarding tithing and giving. The effects of that
modification of the mosaic ruling is seen in two passages from the
life and ministry of Jesus.
First: 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.
”
Note
”Ye
pay”
aimed at and
including all the talmudic followers of tithing laws. Not once does
Jesus say to the disciples that they should be like them either in
their evasion of the scriptures by reinterpretation or in the matter
of tithing.
Second:
in Luke 11:42 the same event and meaning as in Matthew 23 is referred
to again. But the unique contribution of Luke is from chapter
18:11-13. Jesus relates something obviously not
uncommon:
”The
Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank Thee
that I am not as other men are: extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or
even as this publican.
I fast twice in the week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
And the publican, standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
Is there a single line from three years of ministry by Jesus either demanding, upholding or verifying the matter of tithing for the Kingdom or the Church? What Jesus did teach about giving is made very clear in the teaching that arose from the trap set by the scribes and pharisees about paying taxes. Jesus demanded to see that which was used to pay the tax. He was shown a coin with the image of the emperor. ”Whose image is that?” He said. ”It is the image of the Emperor”. ”Does that mean that it belongs to the emperor?” ” Then give to the emperor what belongs to him, and give to God what belongs to him.” What bears the image of God? Our (tithing) money or we ourselves?
When
you consider that the great comission was to teach everything that
Christ had taught to the coming generations then surely the
very omission of tithing
ought to raise a red flag before any OT preaching about tithing for a
New Testament fellowship is
attempted.
Objections
will be raised: Jesus
did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it.
He said that not
one iota or tittle would cease to be law.
Yes that is true. But
the application of that is very clearly NOT that the Church was bound
to continue fulfilling the mosaic law. Neither
the circumcision, nor the law of the Sabbath nor the ceremonial laws
were upheld by the church. The whole of Hebrews deals with the
finality of Christ’s fulfillment of the law. In
fact Jesus himself upheld the Sabbath law by deliberately breaking
it. The laws were not written for themselves but for humanity. Christ
himself came to fulfill
the law so that it no longer was a curse over sinners.
The
Apostles and tithing
What
Jesus what silent about, the sum total of the Apostles also kept
silent about.
There is not a single reference to the concept of tithing in the
entire
rest of the New testament except in Hebrews 9 where the events
of Genesis 14 are referred to and where Abraham gave tithing to
Melchizedik King of Righteousness from Salem. Are
we to teach that which is written or not?
Let
us examine first the issue of ”being
under a curse if we do not tithe.” Those
who maintain that the non-tithing of the church means that they are
still under the curse of the law need to read Galatians chapter 3.
They need to show what Romans chapter 8 means. To claim that a born
again believer may still be under
a curse as severe as that from Deuteronomy 28
and in the very condemnation of it, makes considerable havoc of some
weigthy doctrines. What happens to Salvation by faith if you are
condemned because of non-tithing? Where
is there room for remaining curses after Calvary? Is Isaiah 52-53
a mockery?
Gal
3:9-14 ”So
then, those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written: “Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
And the law is not of faith, but “The man who doeth them shall live in them.”
Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us
(for it is written, “Cursed is every one who hangeth on a tree”),
that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus
Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith.”
To
claim that the laws about tithing are to be upheld commits you to
keep all of the law. Because breaking one single one of them breaks
the whole law. James 2:10
”For
whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend on one point, he is
guilty of all.”
Ananias
and Sapphira Acts ch 5
Early
in the life of the Church the issue of finances arose.
The
belief
in the imminent
return of Christ occasioned what we may
loosely
call the ’communalism’ of the Jerusalem church. Many sold all
they owned and put the money into the common treasury. It was neither
demanded nor as far as we know taught. And it was certainly not
because of a teaching on tithing. In fact it was a free will offering
which appealed to many. It
is obvious that many who remained in Jerusalem after that Pentecost
were far from their homes and properties. Among many other dependants
the
church had Greek
widows depending on the church for daily food. (Which
caused the beginning of the diaconal ministry Acts 6)
The
generous giving by some of the members attracted the attention of the
afore
mentioned couple.
They sold their belonging and came to the church with it. As long as
it was theirs they had absolute jurisdiction
over it. And there was no coersion to give any of it. None of the
Apostles said to the church: ”Well
a tenth belongs to God so give that. The rest is up to you.”
It was because Ananias and Sapphira made a pretense of giving it all
while retaining some for themselves that they were caught out as
being liars. And their end was immediate. But not for not
tithing.
There
are a number of occasions right through the early Church
years where gifts of money were made ready for the church in Judea
and Jerusalem. Note: only for that Church. The persecution of the
Church
lead not only to the death of James and the dispersion of most of the
Church,
it also lead to a continual poverty. The persecutors would have
confiscated the treasury at the earliest possibility. Every
collection in the NT that is mentioned is for them. But never once on
the basis of tithing or out of such funds.
Paul himself
travelled and started church after church. But never once did he
teach on tithing. Had such tithing existed he could easily have asked
for assistance from the churches. He preferred to work day and night
so as not
to be a burden on any church. He considered that he had the right to
share in the material blessings in return for the spiritual blessings
he gave out. But never presumed on the institution of tithing for
that to be so. Had tithing been enjoined it is impossible to think it
was never mentioned.
What
did Paul and the others teach on the matter of giving? Precisely what
Jesus taught. A life of faith is not a life of ten percent to God. It
is a total 100% comittment. A death to the calculating old man. An
end to the ’tit for tat’ mentality of ”blessing from God only
in proportion to what you give to God”. It is Grace abounding where
sin abounds. This is born out so strongly by all his writings. Listen
to some of them:
” 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.
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.” Rom
12:1-2
Rom
14:6-12 ”He
that regardeth one day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that
regardeth not that day, to the Lord doth he not regard it. He that
eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that
eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not and giveth God thanks.
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether we live therefore or die, we are the Lord’s.
For to this end Christ both died, and arose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
For it is written: “‘As I live,’ saith the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’”
So
then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”
When
speaking of the gifts of the church he numbers the gift of giving to
the church out of material means as a ”gift of Grace” not an
obligation for all. Rom 12:6-13 ”Having
then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us: if
prophecy, let us prophesy according to our portion of faith; or
ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on
teaching;
or he that exhorteth, on exhortation; he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Have kindly affection one for another with brotherly love, in honor preferring one another;
not slothful in business; fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer; distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality.”
When
he comes to the Corinthian Church to collect their contribution to
the Church in Jerusalem he brings the matter into focus in a
wonderfully succinct way. He came expecting their gift. He found
something even more impressing.
2 Cor 8:1-5 ”Moreover, brethren, we want you to know of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: how in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing to give of themselves, praying us with earnest entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we had hoped, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God,”
There you have the core of NT teaching on giving. Membership in the church or any church is geared to ”taking upon ourselves the fellowship of the ministering to the Saints.” This comes from the concept of ”we are one body” Eph 1:23, 4:4, 4:14-16 and 1 Cor 12:20-27 ”But now there are many members, yet but one body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, “I have no need of thee”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary.
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
For our comely parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whenever one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Now
ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
Neither
Peter, John, Paul, James or any other of those who were filled with
the Spirit and wrote what the Spirit gave them ever said one word
about tithing. But they spoke volumes about giving ourselves entirely
to God, to not considering anything that we have as being our own. We
are never owners but stewards of God’s manifold grace. And being a
member of the body puts us under obligation to care for one another.
This
comes to a head in 2 Corinthians 9 where Paul
now tackles this very ministry to the saints by the saints. It is
hard to imagine a better opportunity to teach on tithing than this.
But not a syllable of that theme is here present.
2 Cor
9:6-15 ”Now
this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each
one must do just as he has purposed in his heart,
not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you,
so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an
abundance for every good deed; as it is written,
“He
scattered abroad, he gave to the poor,
His righteousness endures
forever.”
Now
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply
and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of
your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for
all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to
God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully
supplying the needs of the saints, but is also
overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of
the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God
for your obedience to your confession of the gospel
of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them
and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for
you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to
God for His indescribable gift!
Just
a mild exposition of this section will make it plain that giving is
not to be under compulsion (You must tithe!!) but out of gratitude to
God for all His mercy. Not on the basis of 10% but on the basis of
meeting actual needs known. And truly they who give with liberality
and out of a generous heart will not be shortchanged by God. He knows
what we have need of said Jesus while on earth. But our true needs do
not often coincide with our ”I
wants.”
We do reap what we sow. The
essence of the seasoned believer is that of Paul: ” I have learnt
to be satisfied both in abundance and in want.” Phil 4:12 ”I
know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live
in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the
secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and
suffering need.
A
common objection is this. ”Tithing is at least a way of training
people in giving regularly. Is that not a good thing? Saying that
everything belongs to God is an easy escape from giving anything at
all.” Both statements are true in their own way. The excuse is easy
and handy because after all we are also told that ’what happens
happens out of sight and no man knows what another man does between
himself and God’. And of course it is good to have a regular habit
of setting aside on the ord’s day a sum of money to be given. It is
when such a habit is elevated to spiritual duty and under the threat
of falling away from faith if not carried
out that the problem starts.
There are many sins of the flesh connected to our consumption and materialistic world. There are truly many ways in which we can reduce God to equal only our own belly. Indulging the flesh is the downfall of the rich young ruler who would not trade his riches on earth for riches before God in Heaven. The rich man who de cided to build bigger barns ”and live happily ever after” did not realize that the time was up for his soul to be confronted with God. Accountability to God is a red thread through the Scriptures.
Is
running a Christian organisation the same as ministering to the
Saints?
This
then is the ultimate issue. If we read the word of God we find that
God always supplies the needs for things that He asks. And
here is a clou: ”He gives them to the individuals who then are
asked to give back to God what they decide in their hearts to give
’without’ covetousness.”
If
we have donned a suit too large for our wallet then the tailor needs
to assist us in ”taking in the suit.” When the resources are
getting less then it may be time to assess what they are spent on.
Any
longlived
perceived need may be a blind spot.
Being
a member of a body means that my contributions are not voluntary. My
heart supplies blood to all members equally without discrimination.
Constantly,
come rain come shine. My
hand however has a different mode of giving. In
contrast to the heart the hands are idle at times.
But however the task of the member is the body needs it, so it is not
really a matter of doing my part when I feel like it only. Only if I
have given myself to the Head first will I give my body support too
with a comitted heart. As
a member of a Church I have actually said that I will agree with the
work of the church. That means that if the church has say 65 members
then the cost of running the entire
operation is to be divided by 65. My share is then 1/65th of the
annual budget. That
is my target for my giving and my praying. Agreeing
to expenditure is agreeing to upping my share of the cost. But then
of course the reality is that some have more and some less. And all
can only give according to what they have and not to what they don’t
have. So there will always be need for extraordinary offerings for
things not in the budget. That is where prayer and Faith has an extra
challenge. If
all are to be treated fairly then all will be treated differently.
Stewarding
the means is a most carefully undertaken task and is worthy of
respect. The handling of money among people of faith in God differs
however from that of those whose only hard and reliable facts are
their bank balance.
The Church
is never left in doubt by God about the reality that whom He calls He
also equips.
Teddy Donobauer.
