This post is in a series called Practical Questions on Tithing. To see all my articles on tithing, click the link: Articles on Tithing.
Tithing is a contentious topic…
Last Sunday, I taught a message from Deuteronomy 26 which speaks about a gift of firstfruits that the early Israelites were to offer God after they got settled into the promised land. In that passage, there is also a comment on giving a “tenth” and there is also the use of the word “tithe.” My conclusion was that these three words, firstfruits, tithe, and tenth were all actually talking about the same thing, and so I taught on tithing and what it’s all about.
The problem is that tithing is contentious for two very big reasons.
First, tithing is contentious because we are talking about a very significant portion of our wealth. Tithing is defined as giving 10% of your income, and most people who don’t already have a practice of tithing find that number to be simply huge. As a result, there are a number of theories that have developed among Christians to either make the practice of tithing easier or less threatening, but in the process have also made the practice of tithing more confusing as different people have different perspectives on what it actually means to tithe.
Secondly, and this one is bigger, tithing is contentious because there are some people who view tithing as a requirement of the Old Testament that doesn’t apply to people following Jesus today. This approach often holds that even talking about tithing as a practice for believers today is akin to requiring circumcision or kosher living and is not just ill-advised but actually proclaiming heretical legalism.
Therefore, I want to answer some of the big questions about tithing in this article to clear the air on what I think the Bible actually teaches about the topic in as pragmatic and simple way as I can.
You might also want to read an article I wrote on my personal blog a while ago on the topic: To Tithe or Not to Tithe.
Let’s get to it.
Do I have to, I mean, isn’t tithing part of the Old Covenant?
There are two reasons why a person would ask this question. Of course, the first reason someone asks the question is that they don’t want to give that much money away, so they ask the question the same way a high school student would ask the teacher, “Will this be on the test?” The attempt to focus on whether something is a requirement or a suggestion is actually a way for a person to shirk a responsibility without feeling guilty.
That’s probably not the reason you asked the question, though.
The other reason someone asks this question is because they have read the Bible, specifically the parts of the New Testament where Paul says we are freed from the law. They look at the teaching of the New Testament and see how time and time again we are told to live in freedom, follow Christ, and trust his grace. We are told that doing good works will never get us into heaven and that our only hope for salvation is in the grace and forgiveness that comes through Christ. We are told that our efforts at living a righteous life are futile and that true maturity must be accomplished by simply abiding in Christ and allowing the Spirit to do his work in our hearts. Specifically, we see how Paul opposed the people who taught circumcision, eating kosher foods, honoring holy days, and other Jewish practices.
For someone who really pays attention to Paul, the question about the tithe is an obvious one: Isn’t tithing just one more Old Testament command that we can ignore?
Well, I can’t emphasize this next point enough, there are no commands in the Old Testament that we can “ignore.”
Don’t Reject the Old Testament, Understand it
Each command was given by God to specific people for a specific purpose and in each command we can learn something even if we are not required to keep that command today. The important thing for a believer to do is to learn what the original command was really all about. When we learn what the original command was all about and why God gave it to his people, we not only learn about God, but we also learn about ourselves and what life in God’s kingdom really is all about. This becomes clear when we pay close attention to how the New Testament actually talks about the Old Testament.
For example, Jesus himself declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), but the apostles later still affirmed that believers should not eat blood (Acts 15:29). Were the apostles being more legalistic than Jesus? Were the apostles ignorant of the truth of grace? Or worse yet, should we conclude that Acts 15 is not truly inspired scripture?
Well, those questions only arise when we don’t pay attention to the details. In Acts 15, we should pay attention to what the apostles actually said about the consumption of blood or meat from strangled animals: “You will do well to avoid these things.” In other words, the apostles were speaking softly about this issue. They were not creating a new law or endorsing the Old Testament command as a blanket legal requirement. In saying what they did how they did, they were affirming that it was spiritually okay to eat that kind of food, but that there were still specific reasons why it should still not be done. You should read the passage for yourself to see what their specific reasons were.
This same concept is echoed by Paul twice in his first letter to the Corinthians. He said in both chapter 6 and chapter 10, “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.”
Well, let’s get back to tithing. Are there any New Testament comments on the practice of tithing? Sadly, we only a few. Once, a fictional Pharisee in a parable brags about his tithing. Once, in the book of Hebrews, a comment is made about Abraham giving a tithe to Melchizedek to prove the point that there was a priesthood higher than the entire nation of Israel. However, let’s look at what Jesus himself said about tithing in Matthew 23:23 (echoed in Luke 11:42). Here’s what it says:
(23) “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. (24) You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
— Matthew 23:23-24 NIV
This passage shows up in the context of Jesus calling out the Pharisees for their ludicrous way of following the details of the Old Testament Law. In the context, Jesus is clearly identifying the fact that they were always looking for loopholes in the Law so they could do what God wanted them to do and also do what they wanted to do. Jesus was calling them out for their silly legalism that focused on tiny details while missing the big picture. In this specific passage, Jesus is recognizing that the Pharisees were tithing on all the tiny bits of personal property they had, but they would not do anything to further the cause of justice in their society. They had found a way to clear their consciences by doing the letter of the law while missing the heart of the law.
What many people would expect Jesus to say is something like, “Don’t you know that is the Old Way? I have come to free you and liberate you from the detailed commands of the Old Covenant! You can’t live that way anyway. You need my grace!” However, Jesus doesn’t say that. He says, “You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (my emphasis). In other words, Jesus there just reaffirmed the tithe, but he did so in a way that moved tithing out of the world of legalism and into the world of healthy behaviors. Tithing doesn’t get you favor with God (Jesus said “Woe” to them!) but it’s still something that should be done!
Therefore, if we understand the Old Testament through the lens of Jesus, his teaching, and that of his followers, it becomes clear that at least some of the Old Testament commands are reaffirmed in the New Testament with two major caveats: The Old Testament commands are never “salvific” (something that brings or is required for salvation), but they are reaffirmed as beneficial for one reason or another.
Tithing is one of those commands, and though it is only barely reaffirmed in one isolated passage, it is nonetheless affirmed by Jesus himself.
So, does a Christian have to tithe?
Well, let me be just a little snarky first before I answer this question. Does a Christian have to be baptized? Does a Christian have to take communion? Does a Christian have to ask God for forgiveness? Does a Christian have to believe? No matter how you answer those questions, I can take you to a verse to show you that you are wrong, and then, once I have convinced you that you are wrong, I can take you to other verses to show that your new perspective is wrong! The problem is in the question. We aren’t sure what “have to” means in the context of a relationship of faith and grace!
In our sinful self-seeking prideful hearts, we see “have to” as a burden that has been placed on us and one that we would much rather avoid.
But when you look at Jesus, he spoke of his obligation to do the Father’s will like it was internal. He had to go to the cross because he was internally motivated to do God’s will.
So I was snarky at the beginning because I wanted to ask you this: Why are you asking? Check your heart on that first before going further. If you can get that settled, you might not need to read further , but I’ll give some quick bullet point answers anyway.
- Do you have to tithe for gaining favor with God? No.
- Do you have to tithe to gain blessing from God? No.
- Do you have to tithe to receive salvation from God? No.
- Does tithing earn you brownie points with God? No.
- Does tithing form the basis for the giving we see in the New Testament? No.
- Is tithing based on some principle that predates the Law? Yes.
- Is tithing good for you? Yes.
- Do I have to tithe? Why did you mean by “have to”?
So here’s the answer as I see it: Should you tithe? Yes, not because it earns you favor with God, but because you have already received favor from God, and tithing helps you remember that.
In my next article, I’ll talk about some practical frequently asked questions about tithing.
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