TO TITHE OR NOT TO TIHE
TO TITHE OR NOT TO TITHE
This week I promised I would answer the question, “Isn’t tithing Old Testament law?” I will answer this question with some commonsense thinking, practical wisdom, and with the word of God.
So is the tithe for us today or did it only apply to the Old Testament Jews? Malachi 3:6 says, “I AM the Lord, I do not change”. If God did not change, then when did His law change? Well Mike, we live under grace now and not the law. Think about it: can we say that because murder was forbidden under the law that it is now acceptable under grace? How about adultery? It was also forbidden under the law, but is it now acceptable under grace? My wife would tell you “nope,” and of course, she would be right. Why is she right? Because Jesus said, “If you hate your brother in your heart you have already committed murder” and “If you lust after a woman in your heart you have already committed adultery”. (Matthew 5:22,28) OUCH!
In Matthew 5:17-20 it says, “Do not think I have come to destroy the law or the Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill them.” Grace is not an excuse to disobey the law, rather because we are now the children of God, we desire to live a Holy and pleasing life unto Jesus, which results in us naturally wanting to live and obey God’s law.
I know what you might be thinking: This is talking about God’s moral law and it has nothing to do with tithing. You got me!! No, you didn’t! Let’s reason further. Did God’s natural laws change whether people lived under the law or grace? Let’s think about that for a minute. Take the law of gravity. It has existed since the beginning of creation and it has never changed. How do I know? Because I know if I jump off the top of a building I’m not going to float. I’m absolutely sure I’m going to hit the pavement and get very damaged. The natural law of sowing and reaping has also never changed. If you plant an apple seed, you are going get an apple tree in due time, and if you sow a lot of seeds, you’re going to get a lot of trees. There is a sunrise and a sunset, a day and a night; there are different seasons of the year. God’s natural laws did not change.
Finally, God’s laws of money never changed either. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, ”Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops [all of your finances]; then your barns will be filled to overflowing; and your vats will brim over with new wine. Let’s look at II Corinthians 9:6-11, “Remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘they have freely scattered theirs gifts to the poor; their 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 enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” This scripture doesn’t say anything about giving the tithe (10%), that’s true. But I don’t think it is saying you should give less than the tithe. I think it is expressing that we should be extremely generous giving above the tithe to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters.
You can read Proverbs 10:22, Malachi 3:10, Deuteronomy 28:12, Psalm 112:9. On and on the scriptures speak of the laws of money, and they have never changed. There are also negative laws attached to money as well, such as Proverbs 22:7.
Let’s conclude this blog by looking at the benefits of tithing. First of all, the tithe provides for the ministries and salaries of the church and missionary organizations. When we tithe, it stretches our faith in God as our Provider and helps to destroy a selfish and stingy spirit in our lives. And finally, the Lord promises to open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing on our lives and possessions.
My intent here wasn’t to give an exhaustive teaching on tithing, but to simply answer the question “Is tithing irrelevant for us who live under grace?” If you are interested in learning more about tithing, I recommend the two-book series The Blessed Life and Beyond Blessed by Robert Morris.