From Timothy Keller’s book ‘Counterfeit Gods’.
There have been times when people have come to me as their pastor, and asked about ‘tithing,’ giving away a tenth of their annual income. They notice that in the Old Testament there are many clear commands that believers should give away 10 percent. But in the New Testament, specific, quantitative requirements for giving are less prominent. They often asked my, ‘You don’t think that now, in the New Testament, believers are absolutely required to give away ten percent, do you?’ I shake my head no, and they give a sigh of relief.
But then I quickly add, ‘I’ll tell you why you don’t see the tithing requirement laid out clearly in the New Testament. Think. Have we received more of God’s revelation, truth, and grace than the Old Testament believers, or less?’ Usually there is uncomfortable silence. ‘Are we more ‘debtors to grace’ than they were, or less? Did Jesus ‘tithe’ his life and blood to save us or did he give it all?’ Tithing is a minimum standard for Christian believers. We certainly wouldn’t want to be in a position of giving away less of our income than those who had so much less of an understanding of of what God did to save them.
Counterfeit Gods, Hodder and Stoughton, 2009, pg 62.
There will also be those who will come and quite happily announce that they ‘tithe’. Try to affirm them for giving what they believe is the bare minimum that God requires of them without disobeying Him. Encourage them so that one day they will give with a spirit of gratitude and generosity and not fear.
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I do not know what your church does with its money, so I shall not presume. But I mourn the tithes gone towards the efforts of spiritual materialism. New gym, bigger buildings, big fancy displays….
I’ve had alot of people tell me that they can’t afford to tithe. I try to graciously correct them by pointing out that everyone can afford to tithe, that they just choose to spend their money on other things.
Another point to consider with regard to tithing is how gracious and benevolent God has been in providing us with this kind of principle. If He had said nothing, even the most generous of givers would have no idea what he or she could bring to the Lord who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The church would be divided between people who were worried that 70% was not enough, and those who were happy to place an open hand over the bag and flick the bottom “chink” when it passed by!!
I keep reading a lot about tithing and most of what I have read is so at variance with what is obtained in scripture. There is simply no verse of scripture that calls the tithe the minimum giving standard for Christian believers, that’s purely man-made!
No matter how hard we try to re-enact this tithe giving scenario in today’s church, we would keep failing each time because we have actually redefined it’s meaning outside of the bible. Tithes, according to the bible was “A TENTH” of crops and livestock from within the land of Israel alone. Completely at variance with our so called 10% rule today. Let’s look at this from scripture
22 “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. 23 Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God. 24 “Now when the Lord your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of worship he chooses for his name to be honored might be too far for you to bring the tithe. 25 If so, you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the Lord your God has chosen. 26 When you arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want—cattle, sheep, goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your household. 27 And do not neglect the Levites in your town, for they will receive no allotment of land among you. 28 “At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town. 29 Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all your work. Deu 14
The scope of the tithe never extended to money, hence our attempt to mandate today’s believer to tithe is actually unscriptural. We cannot find any scriptural evidence that the early church practised it either.
Scripture encourages us to give ANYTHING we are happy with just as long as we are giving it willingly and cheerfully. No 10% is put forward as an absolute minimum.
Where do you come up with the conclusion that no one gave less than 10%?
1. Only crops and animals were tithed on, which means carpenters, blacksmiths, doctors, bankers, tax collectors . . .etc did not give a single cent from their occupational income towards tithing. Leviticus 27:30
2. The poor received tithes and did not pay them. Deuteronomy 26:12,13
3. A portion of the tithe was spent on the Israelites themselves Deuteronomy 14:26
4. Abraham gave a tithe from his the spoils of war, and not from his personal wealth. Hebrews 7:4
5. The Israelites were only required to give less than 1% from the increase of the spoils of war. Numbers 31:27-30
Thanks for the comments, everyone.
The point of the quote and my comment after it is that in Christian terms spending time trying to figure out what is the least amount of money we can give to Kingdom work is self defeating.
I’m sure most of you would accept that there are some Christians who give ten percent of their income to the church, and not one cent more when they could easily afford more, because they’re giving what they believe they have to give and they’re motivated by fear.
If the least they thought they could get away with was one percent or twenty percent they’d pay that instead.
What makes some people happy is to give the least amount they can.
So, for those of you who don’t know me, I am trying to cultivate Christian generosity and joy in giving.
Am sorry if I sound rude, that is not at all my intention but shouldn’t generosity be a voluntary thing? If people are unwilling to part with their cash, why do we think it becomes our responsibility to invent doctrines to exact it off them?
If people do not decide of their own free volition what they want to give and grudgingly give because they are being pressured, do you think God would reward their efforts? Look at what scriptures say to that effect
10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. 12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 13 Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. 15 As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.” 2 Cor 8
If they are happy to give, God will reward them and if they are not they will also get their reward from God. It is simply not our responsibility to ensure they give.
Hey Tony, what part of the UK are you from?
I’m currently listening to updates of the Australian cricket team playing Pakistan at Lords, while recovering from just getting home from having a surgeon poking around in my back.
My tradition affirms that there are some parts of the Old Testament that we consider all people should follow, and there are other parts that New Covenant people should follow, while other parts have been fulfilled in the work of Christ.
This varies from tradition to tradition and denomination to denomination.
I can appreciate your position about there not being a biblical figure that is a standard for giving, I fellowship with folks who hold similar positions.
But generosity is different. I’d like to think that we’re a lot closer to one another on the subject of generosity.
Generosity is a Christian thing. To me it would be like making love for other Christians a voluntary thing, or worshipping God.
Again, Keller’s and my points focus on the area that people generally ask, by a variety of means, what is the least that they have to give. People ask if they have to go to church if they’re a Christian. People ask how often they have to go to church to be a Christian.
The superlative encouragements of the New Testament just don’t accomodate finding the least that we have to do.
The saints of Macedonia, who Paul references in the verses immediately before those that you quote, gave out of poverty.
That was what made their giving noteworthy, and Paul contrasts their situation with the more ample situation of the Corinthians.
I’m sure we both note that he does not set a level for them to give, (why would he limit them to a figure like ten percent), but it seems plain to me that Paul is advising them that they should be giving something, and their happiness, though referenced, is not the sole factor that he places before them as they consider how much to give.
Great post. It always amuses me how Christians try and work around giving freely, within the framework of the Tithe. The New Testament stands as God’s Word because it does not negate or contradict the Old Testament Law and Prophets (e.g. Matthew 5:17-19). I think this concept is difficult for modern believers to come to terms with. Jesus does not set us free to do as we please…He frees us to a life of sanctified/faithful obedience to the Law/Word of God.
I have enjoyed finding and reading your blog.
And your point Trev? Since the New Testament does not negate the Old Testament, then we must insist that every male be circumcised, all must obey the sabbath all Adulterer. We just cannot pick and choose which of the Old Testament laws we decide to follow, it is all or none!
Tony – we both know you are grasping at straws here and building up a straw man. If Christ Himself says He came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets and not one jot will be abolished then we need to consider that in our hermeneutic and how we conduct our exegetical considerations of the NT. I nowhere stated we can cherry pick what we like of the OT.
My point is that the OT was never negated by the NT. Nowhere in the NT does it say so. If we understand the NT in the framework and context of the OT we can see how the one is greater than the other in a number of ways and stands on the shoulders of the other.
If the OT law is null and void what forms the basis for our morality and how we should live within the kingdom of God? If it is promptings from God, how do we know these promptings are correct and holy?
Jesus addressed the Pharisees about this specific tithing issue in Matthews Gospel. Nowhere in that exchange did He intimate the abolishment of the tithe, rather He rebuked the Pharisees for not doing the weighty matters and giving what they were to supposed to.
Trev- and you say am grasping at straws! I still ask you the same question I asked earlier – since the law has not been “abolished”, should we then compel every male to get circumcised, uphold the Sabbath, stone every adulterer etc.?
Was tithing part of the moral law or the ceremonial law? Of course Jesus did not come to abolish the law but came to fulfil it! In him every aspect of the law finds its fulfilment thus freeing us from the Law and its consequences.
You completely missed the boat on Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees in the book of Mathew. He was in no way commending their tithing practises but was expressing concern for their lack of consideration for the weightier matters of the law. He was basically mocking them because they were very meticulous in tithing mint, anise and cumin which were worthless items while they neglected the weightier matters of the law. Besides, the Old Testament laws were still in full effect because Jesus had not yet gone to the cross and he was addressing Jews who were already under the law and not gentiles who were never given the law to begin with.
And your point Trev? Since the New Testament does not negate the Old Testament, then we must insist that every male be circumcised, all must obey the sabbath and all Adulterers must be stoned. We just cannot pick and choose which of the Old Testament laws we decide to follow, it is all or none!
Hi Gjware,
Am actually from the Midlands. I think I see your point about Christians just doing the bare minimum and that, me thinks is the problem with the tithe doctrine! Some may feel they have done all that’s required when their give their 10% even though they could afford to give way more than that. Hence the first step towards true generosity is having a good relationship with God. Once that is in place, it is becomes easy to follow His promptings on what to give, whom to give to and how to give.
Unfortunately however, many preachers who advocate the tithe do this out of fear! They are afraid that people would not give off their own free will and as such they resort to the safety net of the false doctrine of the tithe to ensure they get a steady revenue stream. You tend to see a horrible trend with churches like these – they make tithing a condition for membership and/or leadership, shun and criticize those who do not tithe all in a bid to level guilt on them and make them tithe compulsorily. They are just not confident that God can stir the hearts of the people to give towards “HIS” work just as God stirred the hearts of the children of Israel to give towards the building of the tabernacle. Moses had to beg them to stop.
God will never fund anything that is for man’s glory and I think that is where many of these pro-tithe preachers fail. They pursue personal agendas and build their own empires. And since God is not in it, these preachers rely on their own strength to raise funds. They use this ruse of “abundant blessings from tithing” to capture the hearts of gullible and vulnerable Christians who bluntly refuse to read their bibles.
This doctrine is so bad that instead of breeding generous Christians, it actually breeds selfish Christians! Christians who give because of what they want to get! I once visited a blog where it was written that it is not right to take money from your tithe to help a person in need. I was shocked and really appalled!
I’ll stop here for now because I think I am beginning to talk too much. God bless.
Pro-tithers have singled out one of the many forms of giving in the Old Testament and have piggy-backed it onto the ‘universal principle’ clause to make it binding. Pro-tithers won’t even concede to the inconsistent pattern in the 4 points listed below, which were taken from the Old Testament.
1. NOT EVERYONE GAVE FROM THEIR INCREASE
Some, such as farmers & herdsmen tithed off their increase, while others such as doctors and carpenters did not tithe from their occupational increase. (Leviticus 27)
2. EVEN SOME WHO DID GIVE FROM THEIR INCREASE GAVE LESS
There were times when giving from increase was under a tenth (Num. 31:9, 27-30), and sometimes it was a tenth (Genesis 14:20, Hebrews 7:4)
3. NOT EVERYONE GAVE FROM THEIR OWN WEALTH
Israel’s tithe was only allowed from animals or agriculture (Leviticus 27), while Abraham’s tithe was allowed from the spoils of war. (Gen 14,Hebrews 7:4)
4. THE REQUIREMENT TO TITHE DID NOT EXIST UNTIL THE MOSAIC LAW
At one point tithing was voluntary (Genesis 28:22), but at another point it is mandatory (Leviticus 27).
The Lord encourages and rewards generosity. Tithing was meant to celebrate the abundance we have been supplied with and ensure that we use some of that abundance to help the poor, because someday we might be poor and need help. This is not rocket science!
Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15)
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)
Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Galations 6:6-10)