7th December, 2012

JIM REIHER

Tithing is the practice of giving 10 per cent of your regular income, to God’s work. To “tithe” means a give a “tenth”. There is debate about whether or not the tenth should be before or after tax. There is also debate as to whether the tenth should all go to the local church or if some of it can go to worthwhile charities and para-church organisations. But what there is no debate over, for many Christians and churches, is the obligation to tithe.

However, Christians are never taught to tithe in any of the New Testament writings – never! Christians are meant to be generous and cheerful givers and everything we have is God’s. But in the New Testament, Christians are not taught to tithe.

10 PER CENT? Jim  Reiher argues that following the practice of tithing just 10 per cent will leave you short-changed. PICTURE: Cyndi Papia (www.sxc.hu) "Just because something was done before and after the laws of Moses came into operation does not mean it is a timeless principle and that Christians should live that way! Christians follow the teachings that are given in the New Testament."

Some preachers and numerous books spend a lot of time arguing for tithing. Some even go so far as to say that it is not just an Old Covenant requirement, but it is actually a timeless principle of God: “Tithing, I believe, is an eternal principle… Some things clearly belong in the Old Covenant promises, while others are New Covenant promises, but the eternal principles were established in the beginning of time…” (Brian Houston, You Need More Money, pp. 67,68).

Unfortunately, the author of that quote never makes it clear how something is identified as only an Old Covenant principle, and how other things are identified as New Covenant principles. He makes no further discussion on how to identify things that are “eternal principles.”

Why is tithing seen an eternal principle? Well, perhaps it is because there are references to tithing before the laws of Moses. Some prosperity teachers will talk about the principle of giving first fruits to God. Such actions were seen in the lives of the sons of Adam, in Genesis 4: 3-5. Also Jacob gives a tithe of his goods to God, in Genesis 28: 20-22. And Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of the spoils of war, mentioned in Genesis 14. These events all happen before the Law of Moses was given, and so prosperity teachers may decide to conclude that we have eternal principles operating.

But there are significant problems with this line of thinking. Consider:
1) There are a lot of things that are recorded in the book of Genesis – all happening before the laws of Moses were given. Are we meant to live by all those practices? For example:
• All the patriarchs kept flocks of animals. Maybe good Christians should do the same and teach that it is a timeless principle that God wants us to keep flocks.
• Many of the patriarchs also had more than one wife, and that continued after the Law of Moses as well. Perhaps polygamy is the way we should live.
• Alcohol was consumed by great men of God before the law was given (Noah even got drunk on one occasion). Alcohol was also consumed under the Covenant of Law, and into the New Testament. Perhaps it should be seen as a timeless principle that we should drink alcohol?
• The patriarchs often built stone monuments for God to commemorate God’s care or provision. For example, in the same passage where Jacob gives a tithe, he also builds a stone pillar to God. That practice continued after the Law of Moses came as well. So perhaps it is a timeless principle that we should be constructing stone monuments every time God intervenes in our lives.

Just because something was done before and after the laws of Moses came into operation does not mean it is a timeless principle and that Christians should live that way! Christians follow the teachings that are given in the New Testament.

2) Regarding the so-called “first fruits” offered by Cain and Abel, we can not conclude that it was a 10 per cent gift. There is no mention of how much of the flock was brought to God by Abel, or how much of the crop was offered by Cain. The text only says, “Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock” (Genesis 4: 3-4). There can be no justification to assume that it was 10 percent. That is guesswork. It is reading into the passage our own thoughts based on the later laws of Moses and our understanding about tithing.

3) When Jacob gave a tenth of all his things to God we see the first biblical example of tithing. It is hard to know what he actually did of course. There was no temple, no tabernacle, and no priesthood to give it to. Where did Jacob put the ten percent? Possibly he burned it as a sacrifice to God on the very stone that he was setting up. So should our tithe literally be burned up? Who decided that it should go to a church? The Laws of Moses regulated tithing and then it went to the care of the priests. But when it was a so-called “timeless principle,” it did not go to any organisation or building or priesthood.

4) Abraham giving a tenth of his spoils of war to Melchizedek is not a very good example of tithing! Read Genesis chapter 14. Melchizedek was the king and priest of Salem - the old name for the early city of Jerusalem. He had been sympathetic to Abraham and his allies when they went to get Lot back. Perhaps he gave some kind of support that helped Abraham in recovering Lot from the kidnappers (see 14: 17-18). The chapter certainly gives the impression that Melchizedek somehow helped Abraham at this time. Abraham, in giving Melchizedek 10 percent of the spoils of war, was possibly giving him his pay for that support or help. The help given may have been provisions or men and arms. It seems pretty clear that Abraham did not continue to give one tenth of his other possessions to Melchizedek. It seems equally clear that Abraham did not give a tenth of his possessions away again. So he was not a regular tither.

Does the New Testament Teach us to Tithe?
Ultimately we need to ask: Does the New Testament teach Christians to tithe? Using the Old Testament is not helpful unless the New Testament reaffirms it. So what does the New Testament say?

One of the most incredible things about the New Testament is that it never commands the follower of Jesus to tithe. In fact, it barely even mentions tithing. There is one key place in the Gospels where Jesus mentions it. The same verse and story it is found in, occurs in both Luke and Matthew: see Luke 11: 42. (There is also Jesus’ reference to tithing in a parable He tells in Luke 18: 12, but this is not a good add for tithing. In the parable of the tax collector and Pharisee, tithing is a part of the hypocritical religious life. It is clearly not being commended here. Of course, to be fair, the right use of tithing is not being discussed either).

But when He does mention it in the Luke 11: 42 passage He is not telling Christians to tithe. "Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone." He is speaking to Pharisees and Scribes who thought they were the great God pleasers with their lifestyle. Jesus tells them that they think they are good because they tithe, but they miss out on the most important things: mercy and justice and love. He gives them a hard time for their hypocritical lifestyle.

Some teachers look at this verse and completely misunderstand it. The context and its actual significance are both handled wrongly. Jesus is speaking to people who were living under the Old Covenant – the Pharisees and the Scribes, and He is telling them that they have missed the essence of the Old Covenant in their obsession with small details. He tells them that they should have been pursuing the most important things such as justice and love of God. He does add, “without neglecting the other” – that is without forgetting to tithe as well. But the tithing becomes secondary and of lesser importance.

Still, Jesus did say to the Pharisees and Scribes not to neglect the tithing if they are pursuing the love and justice ideals as well. Does that mean Jesus is telling Christians to tithe, so long as we keep it in the right perspective? No. It means he is telling people who want to live under the Old Covenant that they should get things right in their lives if they really want to live the Old Covenant as God would have wanted it: put love and justice first and then keep the details of the law as well. When Jesus spoke these words He was not addressing His disciples as He was when He spoke the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7). He was not addressing the 12 in the upper room as He was in the four chapters of John’s Gospel (13-16). He was not addressing the disciples just before His ascension. He was not giving His followers kingdom teaching. He was talking to His critics – people who were determined to live under the Old Covenant. And to show how badly they had failed at doing even that, Jesus demonstrates how they don’t keep the important matters, only keeping the trivial. He tells them that they should be keeping the most important things without neglecting the lesser ones.

But what about Christians? Should they tithe? Christians should be generous givers and they should see that all that they have is really God’s. We are stewards of all we have. It is all God’s. And so we should be radically generous givers. Ten per cent is more often a comfortable cop-out than a genuine sacrifice of joy. We can and should be giving more than that! (And some people won’t be able to give that amount and they should not feel guilty about it). Christians do not have to tithe. Some choose to use the figure of ten per cent as a useful guide – and they give that amount to their church. But that is not compulsory, nor is it required by God, nor is it the pathway to prosperity. For some, it is simply a way of giving a practical and helpful amount to their local church. For others, that is not enough. And for still others, it is too much and the basic needs of their family would not be met if they tried to give it all the time.

In all the letters of the New Testament, there is not one reference telling Christians to tithe. Not one. And Paul writes two whole chapters in II Corinthians on the topic of Christian giving. Two whole chapters are dedicated to the principles of giving! If you would expect to see something about tithing in the New Testament, it would surely be in that solid section on dedicated teaching about giving. Surely! But does tithing get a mention? Not even in passing. If you examine those two chapters, you will see that Paul wants us to be generous and cheerful givers, but he never says we should be tithers. Tithing is an Old Covenant principle. It is not a timeless principle. It is not required of Christians. More is required of Christians. Everything.

The New Testament does not teach tithing. Some teachers try and try to make us think it is a Christian obligation. It is not. What is the call then for the Christian? Radical discipleship! Everything we have is God’s. We are accountable for 100 per cent of it all. Tithing was a system to keep the priests fed and alive so they could function in the tabernacle and later the temple. Jesus was the final once-for-all high priest who did away with the priesthood that stood between people and God. Now we have direct access to God through Jesus himself. In fact, the New Testament calls all believers a race of priests (I Peter 2: 5,9; Revelation 1 :6). If we really want to carry over the principle behind tithing, then we should radically care for fellow believers (the New Covenant priests) – and make sure they are never in need.

The above article has been adapted from Jim Reiher’s book “The Eye of the Needle: Discipleship and Wealth” (UNOH, Melbourne, 2006).

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