Does tithing complicate giving?
This article was originally posted at ChurchCentral.com
As often as I talk to individuals, congregations and others about Christian stewardship I rarely talk specifically about tithing. Most of us have suffered through enough sermons, testimonies, and banquets where the primary task was to convince us to tithe. I personally believe there are other ways, many ways, to encourage generous giving; and, frankly, the tithe is usually last on my list. There is plenty of Biblical content of which to speak without having to rely on the infamous rule of ten-percent.
My observation has been that a complicated approach to Christian stewardship is the last thing in the world most church leaders want. They want something simple and, no doubt, the tithe sounds like a winner. Unfortunately, even for those who adamantly insist that the tithe is a Biblical mandate for the church today, there are some things to think about when we make tithing the centerpiece of our stewardship teaching. It is quite possible that tithing could make things more complicated than we might assume.
Never Reaches Our Hearts
Tithing is often equated with showing up on time, wearing a tie, carrying your Bible, and volunteering in the nursery- assumed to be one of the requirements for being a good church member. During the service, tithing simply becomes a reference point; immediately after praise and worship and before we release the kiddos for children�s church. Stewardship sermons, Sunday school lessons, and small group curriculums may successfully convince us in our heads that tithing is the way to go; but rarely does tithing reach our hearts.
Difficult Place to Start, Wrong Place to Finish
The likelihood that an individual will transition from zero, one, or two-percent to ten-percent is simply unrealistic. In many instances, individuals who are unwilling to make this adjustment in their budget will simply choose not to give. When they refuse to take this enormous leap of faith, we miss the opportunity to encourage them to take smaller steps of faith. The tithe may simply be the wrong place to start. In contrast, there are also those who refuse to go any further once that leap has been taken. In the life of a generous steward, the tithe may not only be a difficult place to start but an especially disappointing place to finish.
Don’t Talk About My Money
Ironically, we will discuss all sorts of personal matters in the church with one exception – our finances. Tithing means ten percent which we assume to be ten percent of a person�s income. This simple formula makes tithing an especially vulnerable proposition for fear that one�s financial status will be discovered. This tendency might explain why some people of more humble means refrain from giving at all while those of larger incomes chose to give inconsistent yet substantial gifts during the holidays or during the tax season – all in an effort to conceal what our church culture has decided is the most private of concerns.
Tithing is about obedience, responsibility, our obligation to the church or to God – everything else we read in the Bible concerning gifts and giving is about grace received, generosity expressed, an act of worship, discovering the joy of giving, being a cheerful giver – giving always measures far greater an experience for the giver than the receiver. Unfortunately, when we try to force tithing into that experience, it get’s complicated.
All depends on who you ask. Among other things, I am fortunate to be a husband, father, son, friend, advocate, fundraiser, community leader, etc.
I’m not sure I agree or disagree with your position on tithing because I am not sure of your position. I do agree that there are other, perhaps better, ways to teach giving than by emphasizing tithing. However, I am somewhat confused by your statement that “tithing could make things more complicated.” It seems to me that teaching tithing simplifies things, although it certainly does not make life easier. It might actually complicate the way we live, but the doctrine seems pretty simple to me.
It is fascinating to me that those who oppose the notion of tithing point out the difficulty of moving from giving little or nothing to giving a full ten percent. I certainly understand the financial implications of such a change, but what about the spiritual ramifications. It seems that Jesus often asked people to stretch in their giving. He did not correct the widow who gave two coins when she could have obviously kept one for herself. He called His disciples to forsake everything to follow Him. He praised the woman who poured out the entire bottle of expensive perfume.
It seems inconsistent that people who claim to give their lives to Jesus find it impossible to give Him a tenth of their income. Of course, we would never want to suggest they sell a car or downsize a house or do without cable TV in order to make it happen. Tithing is a hard thing but so is turning the other cheek, going the second mile, forgiving those who have wronged us, and myriads of other things Jesus has asked from us.
I have never heard someone who has tithed for a significant period of time who has said it was wrong. They often talk about the difficulty. They usually speak of the blessings it has provided. I have never met one of these folks who say they wish they were not tithers. I agree that tithing is not the end of giving, in fact, for most of us, especially those of us in America; it is a tip of the iceberg. But, if we can’t give a tenth we will never get to where we should be.
The problem with today’s church is that we have coined our own “Christian” phrases and have ended up muddying the water and thus confusing ourselves in the process.
Let us for a moment set aside our own definition of the tithe and look at how it has been defined in the bible
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
There is simply no reference to tithing money in the above verse and you will struggle to find a tithe of money mentioned anywhere in scripture. With that out of the way, I think I understand what the author of this article is trying to say – people should give generously without looking at the so called “tithe” as the maximum to attain to.
The fact of the matter is the amount we give never commends us unto God rather God looks at the heart with which we give it. Hence Cain’s sacrifice was rejected and Abel’s was accepted and this had nothing to do with what was offered. We cannot say for certain that the widow who gave the copper coins gave at least a tenth but Jesus was drawing our attention to her willingness to give despite her situation. This too is in keeping with what Paul told the Corinthian church, “Anything you give is acceptable as far as you give it willingly and cheerfully.” This was also where Ananias and Saphira erred. They were quite unwilling to part with their money and they would not have died if they decided not to give anything at all.
In all of this though, what is most important is one’s relationship with God and if that is solid every other thing would fall nicely in place.
NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today.
Leviticus 27:30-33, Numbers 18: The First Tithe – a tenth of crops and animals and commanded to take the tithe to the Levites.
Deuteronomy 14:22-27: The Second Tithe aka The Festival Tithe – a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29: The Third Tithe aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe – a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat.
Now, tell me. Which of the above three tithes commanded by God does anyone follow today?
The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus didn’t tithe. Paul didn’t tithe. Peter didn’t tithe.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was equal percentage (a tenth). The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of equal percentage. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving ten percent.
at first i started reading the post and was thinking that his guy really gets it. He understands the legalities and roadblocks to spiritual growth that tithing brings to a Spirt led individual. But then i read the last paragraph. When i read that tithing is about obedience, i was confused. Is the author worried about people feeling comfortable to give, or is he worried about obedience?
- jared