Tue, Nov 25th - 4:02PM

Tithing

Tithing:  Foundational Building Block of Carnal Mega-churches

And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he [was] the priest of the most high God.  And he blessed him, and said, Blessed [be] Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:  And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.  Gen. 14:18-20

And all the tithe of the land, [whether] of the seed of the land, [or] of the fruit of the tree, [is] the LORD'S: [it is] holy unto the LORD.  Lev. 27:30

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.  Matt. 23:23

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.  Luke 6:38

But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.  2Cor. 9:6,7

          I have listed here five passages of Scripture, which appear to me to encompass the Bible’s instruction on tithing and the concept of giving under both the Old and the New Covenants, as well as God’s economy before the establishment of the Old Covenant under Moses.  The seemingly strongest argument presented by proponents of tithing today is along the lines that since Abraham gave a tenth of his spoil from a battle with five enemy kings to the priest Melchizedek, tithing pre-dates the Old Covenant.  This being the case, tithing is, therefore a principle that transcends the Law, even though it was a commandment under the Law, and it  applies today for New Testament believers as well.  I admit that there is a certain consistency to this argument, but it is flawed from the beginning.

          It is true that the practice of tithing was mentioned in the Bible before the introduction of the law under Moses.  A fuller implication of Abraham’s tithe-giving is given in the N.T. book of Hebrews.  We not told that Abraham was commanded to give the tithe to Melchizedek, but that he did so willingly out of respect for his office and his gratitude to God for this victory.  To imply that because this O.T. father of faith did this, tithing is somehow a universal principle and a requirement for New Testament believers is to stretch the Scriptures quite much.  Actually, the discussion of tithing in Hebrews, both of Abraham’s as well as the tithe commanded under the law doesn’t really pertain to tithing itself.  It is rather a well-reasoned argument to Hebrew Christians concerning the priesthood of Jesus Christ and His preeminence as priest in superceding the Levitical priesthood, which was symbolic.  In no way is it an argument for tithing under the New Covenant.  In fact it would help dispute tithing and all other legal requirements imposed by the Mosaic Law.

          The next proof-text used by contemporary tithers is Jesus’ harsh rebuke of the Pharisees for their blatant hypocrisy in following the letter of the Law strictly (namely by their meticulous tithing), while at the very same time they were willfully forgetting the very essence of God’s eternal Law.  The Law was given to the Israelites through Moses, it says as a school master, until the revelation of the Son of God, and the fullness of grace that He would bring.  (Gal. 3:24,25)  In this regard, the law pointed to Christ, it codified God’s moral precepts, providing external rituals as guidelines and a constant reminder to the people of His holiness and their need to partake of that holiness.  Tithing, Sabbath-keeping and all the other external requirements set forth in the law served this end.  This is not to say that the moral precepts encased within these ceremonial requirements were done away with in the inauguration of the New Covenant established by the shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross.  In his condemnation of the Pharisees Jesus was speaking of people who were under the law, and pointing out their double standard and blindness to the true purpose and meaning of the law.  The confusion concerning tithing today arises, I believe in thinking of it and the Sabbath as moral, rather than ceremonial requirements.  There certainly are underlying principles in these old Covenant commands to tithe and to keep the Sabbath, but they must be understood and rightly interpreted for us living under a new Covenant.

          Now, this confusion in the minds of an average reader of the Scriptures is very convenient for those who like to build human organizations, which require professional staffing and the acquirement of real estate for their perpetuation.  The Roman Catholic Church is, of course the classic, historical example of such organization-building for the supposed furtherance of the kingdom of God.  All of its many abuses in this age since the time of Christ’s departure from the earth, and its horrible persecution of His true believers should be testimony enough of the fallacy of this idea that large religious organizations are necessary for Christians to practice their faith.  But the self deception of the Pharisees, and of the Roman sacerdotalists and sacramentalists has spilled over into the so-called Protestant/Evangelical churches of today as well, in a number of ways.  New Testament tithing is an essential means for the establishment of large organizations and all that goes with them.  St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome was built on the indulgences of countless European peasants during the time of the Reformation.  Likewise, the apostate edifices of today, commonly known as Mega-churches have been founded and flourish, largely by the tithing of their members.

The Perversion of New Covenant Giving

          Jesus said, “Give and it shall be given unto you...”  He also made a number of statements concerning the heart of man and its inherent wickedness.  One must conclude from an honest reading of the New Testament that the motives for giving are as important, if not more so than the act of giving itself.  Giving for a selfish reason must be as wrong as not giving at all.  The Lord’s statement here promising a reward for giving should not be an incentive for selfish giving, nor for an assured reward in this present life.  It is clear from Christ’s and the apostles’ teaching that giving must be for a pure motive with no expectation of reward now, but later in heaven. 

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matt. 6:21,22

The apostle Paul speaks of those who suppose that “gain is godliness” and then states emphatically that “godliness with contentment is great gain.”  1Tim. 6:5,6  It is not only the so-called “health-wealth” teachers who are guilty of the “perverse disputings” the apostle speaks of here.  Church growth proponents as well as purveyors of certain, supposedly Christian business principles sometimes are just as guilty of distorting the truths in these verses. 

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.  1Tim. 6:9

This is not to discount the principle that there are often immediate rewards for giving, but these rewards must never be the motive for giving if the giving is to be a spiritual act.

What then, is the common thread of error that pervades both the modern teaching on tithing, as well as these contemporary “entitlement” concepts of financial prosperity for professing Christians?  It is simply greed and selfishness.  The false notion that investment of financial (or other) resources in religious causes such as charity, individual needs of others, etc., will yield a temporal, rather than an eternal reward is the pitfall that many fall into today.  We can look blindly at the great fortunes that have been amassed of late, primarily by these false teachers, and the corruption that has followed in their wake.  We can also turn a blind eye to the hollowness and the spiritual emptiness of these large churches, notwithstanding their numerous programs to involve people in meaningful activities.  The founder of one of these great edifices here in Colorado Springs was recently exposed in a great and prolonged deceit, and yet most of that church’s members continue on in their corporate “mega-church” folly.  I’m not saying that tithing was the basis for that man’s fall, and I must speak with some measure of humility, as I myself fell greatly in a similar fashion some time ago, though I was not an appointed church leader in any way at the time.  Although large church organizational structures are not expressly forbidden in the New Testament, there certainly isn’t any warrant given there for them.  On the contrary, wisdom and experience would point to the contrary.

          Tithing is therefore, not a concept for those who would participate in a truly New Covenant fellowship.  It is interesting that those Christians who attempt to live in a very practically holy and separated way in this world are commonly derided in many of the so-called “seeker-friendly” churches today as being “legalistic.”  Yet, the legal tenet of tithing is strongly taught in some of these morally loose congregations.  Two statements in Malachi are often cited:

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.  Mal. 3:8

 (See also Mal. 3:10 for the promise of temporal reward, which was actually a part of the Old Covenant)

Legalism seems to have different meanings to different people, and is employed for different purposes.  However, the imposition of tithing as a command for New Testament believers is definitely a form of Hebrew legalism.  We know that the Old Covenant was a foreshadowing of the New.  It can be rightly stated that the Old Covenant is the New Covenant concealed; and the New Covenant is the Old Covenant revealed.  This is true in several ways.  The Old was replete with external requirements and regulations, whereas the New expresses a new principle of living with inward holiness, not to exclude outward separation as well.  But the outward expression of this new inward holiness is more than a mere code of ceremonies and activities.  Jesus explained it well in the Sermon on the Mount.  Sin is in the heart, and though it is forbidden in practice, it is likewise forbidden to harbor it in the heart.  Hebrews tells us that the ceremonies are fulfilled in Christ and therefore done away.  The Sabbath is an inward posture of rest had by God Himself, and to be entered into by His people.  The externals with regard to activities all have their significance, but must be the result of individual inward conviction as led by the Holy Spirit, not the outward constraint and regulations of men, as was so blatant in the Jews.  Tithing and giving are under this new principle.  Paul states this new principle very succinctly:

But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.  2Cor. 9:6,7

Certainly New Testament believers are responsible for the various needs in the church and in its appointed shepherds.  However, the specifics of giving need to be determined by the individual, based upon his faith and love, not on some rule, such as an exact ten percent of one’s income as a basis.  Yes, there are those who adhere to this rule of law, and out of a perhaps pure desire are blessed in their giving.  But to lay tithing on others is not Scriptural and not kind.  God’s true work will go forward without the strict tithe, as it always has.

          Finally, we must go back again to the motives of the heart.  Under the Old Covenant the Jew gave out of compulsion, but sometimes with a pure heart in respect to the commandment.  Today, we give from an inward compulsion that is empowered by faith and accompanied by joyfulness, knowing of God’s full provision for us.  Laying the law on people always reflects on the motives of those who do so.  The fruit of this can be observed today in all of the foolishness and carnality of many of the large, Evangelical churches in our country.  We must ask ourselves  whether these super-organizations are truly necessary for the simple Christian life.  The answer to this question will then help us to see what it has taken to erect these monuments to men.  Tithing has had its place in those schemes.