21/07/2020
CONFRONTING THE BRUTAL TRUTH ABOUT TITHE, TITHING.
Tithing is a volatile topic,and of late, has become very controversial,so much so,that even those controverting over tithe have still failed to tell their audience the truth, the whole truth,and nothing but the truth.
Much as I believe that every christian should pay tithe,but it is also right for us to properly,and diligently educate the people on the right and sound doctrine.
On the one hand,we know,unequivocally, that tithe is ''law'' and that,in Christ, we are no longer under the Law(Romans 6:14).
In fact,let me lightly arouse your curiosity,as a matter of fact three distinct forms of tithing are practiced in the Bible, but only one is legitimate for BELIEVERS.
*(A)Tithing as a covenant.
This practice of tithing was specific to Israel as the covenant people of God.
It was part of the Mosaic law,(Leviticus 27:30-33,Numbers 18:21-32,Deuteronomy 14:22-29).
Under the covenant, God promised to bless Israel materially for obedience and conversely, to judge them (strip them of their prosperity) for disobedience (Deut.28:15 - end, and Malachy 3:8-12).
This model of tithing has no direct relevance to us as new testament believers. In Christ,we live under a covenant. Our lives are not governed by the written code,but the indwelling Holy Spirit who writes His ''laws''on our hearts.(Galatians 5:18;Hebrews 8:7-13).
*(B)Tithing As Legalism.
The Bible describes a second kind of tithing that is both condemnable and,I fear, far too common- tithing as legalism.
In Jesus days,it was the religious leaders who practiced this perversion of Israel's covenant tithe.
Christ condemnation of legalistic tithing was absolute(Matthew 23:23-24).
'' Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for you tithe mint
and anise and cu**in, and have
have neglected the
weightier matters of the law: justice
and mercy and faithfulness.
These you ought to have done without
neglecting the others. You blind guides
straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel'' (Matthew 23:23-24)
In His relationship with Israel, God intended that the tithe be an avenue to blessing.
The religious manipulators of Jesus' day turned the blessings into burden.
Instead of expressing faithfulness of God- and oneness of heart with God for ministry and the poor- the tithe became little more than a means to satisfy religious obligations. Such satisfaction leads to pride(Luke 18:9-12) and in the end,restrict giving. After all,once our ''obligation'' is satisfied, what more could God want? It is no wonder Jesus so strongly denounces legalistic tithing.
Yet, how easily the sin of the Pharisees can become our sin too.
We all know that effective ministry requires money - money comes from God's people.
Believers need to give - for both their own sake and the sake of the kingdom.
Since they need to give,we need to preach and teach about giving. When we do,however,we must be careful not to turn blessing into burden. We must refuse to preach tithing as legalism.
So Whats The Alternative.
*(C) Tithing As Worship
In the scripture, ''tithing as worship'' was practiced to both the establishment of tithing as covenant and the perversion of ''tithing as legalism''.
The principle of ''tithing as legalism'' is pre - law.
It is established in Genesis 14:17-24 where Abram gives a tenth of his plunder to Melchizedek, King of Salem. Melchizedek in turn, blessed Abram.Hebrew 7:1-10 defines the significance of this acts, declaring that it is the superior who blesses the inferior, and the inferior who pays the tithe to the superior.
''Tithing as worship'', is first an act by which we acknowledge that God is both our superior(Sovereign Lord) and the source of all blessing.
Tithing as worship does more than acknowledge God. It expresses our personal allegiance to Him. See Genesis 28 10-22.
Here,God reals Himself to Jacob in a dream. In response, Jacob vows,''the Lord shall be my God ...and of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to You''.
For Jacob,the ''tithe as worship'' became a natural expression of his decision to follow the God of his fathers.
In the same way, tithe as worship becomes an almost instinctive way for us to express our allegiance to the God of our salvation.
Tithing As Thanksgiving
Tithing as worship is Thanksgiving. It expresses overflowing gratitude towards God.It breaks free from guilt as the motivation for giving.
Its ultimate focus is the condition of one's heart -not the percentage of one's income.
On the topic of percentages,I find the words of John H.Walton and Andrew E. Hill to be practical. They wrote, how we are to show our gratitude to God other than by giving back a portion?
If 10% was considered an acceptable portion by God as an expression of gratitude, then, why should we view it any differently today?
We might consider 100% as a bench mark just as it is considered 15% as bench mark for tipping in most civilized countries. The extent of customers gratitude and appreciation is demonstration in size of the tips.
It will be considered the ultimate rudeness or the consummate insult to leave no tip at all .
So it is, to God, if we return no portion to Him in addition, there are occasions when the situations calls for a contribution exceeding the bench mark.
Again,it must be said - ultimately,tithing as worship isn't about percentage of income, its about the overflow of one's heart 2 Corinthians 8:5 is clear. When we first, give our selves to the Lord,any act of giving Him - whether above or below the ''Bench mark''.
How Then Can We Communicate This?
a. Recognize that ''tithing as covenant'' has no direct relevance on new testament believers.
b.We acknowledge that ''tithing as legalism'' is just plain sin - both for those who practice and those who preach it.
c. Only the principle of ''tithing as worship'' remains legitimate for believers to practice and preach.
