Should New Testament Believers Tithe?

Summary

Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.

The frame text, and the stewardship starting point

• The frame reads the text the question turns on: malachi 3:10, god saying — paraphrasing — bring all the tithes (heard 'ties') into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and god offers a challenge: if you'll do this, i will pour out a blessing that there won't be room enough to receive it. Those who teach tithing — giving ten percent of your income to the lord — frequently quote this verse; others answer that it is from the old testament and does not apply to new testament believers, who are not bound by that provision of the law of moses. The question posed: what does the bible actually teach about tithing?
• His starting point: certainly and absolutely, the bible teaches good financial stewardship — it teaches that a hundred percent of what we have belongs to god, because god has given us life, health, strength, ability, intellect, and time; everything we earn is because of god. So we shouldn't think just a portion belongs to god: 100 percent belongs to god, and we should be good stewards of everything — not: if i give a certain amount to the church, i can spend the rest however i want; actually 100 percent of what we spend should be in accordance with biblical principles. The bible certainly teaches that we should give to god's house, god's cause, god's kingdom, and to ministers of the gospel — that's clear. The question then becomes: what's the exact mechanism?

Scriptures: Malachi 3:10

What a tithe is — and the principle before the law

• Tithing as such is ten percent of income — of increase. If you have a business, you may have operating expenses: tithing is not on all the revenue that comes in; you take revenue less expenses, and the increase is your true income; tithing is on that increase.
• It is true that the detailed system of tithing was given under the law of moses. However, tithing as a principle actually preceded the law: from the very beginning god's people were giving offerings and sacrifices. You see cain and abel giving: cain gave vegetables, because he was a farmer; abel gave a lamb, because he was a shepherd. Cain had a wrong spirit, a wrong attitude, and god didn't accept his sacrifice — but there was no question they were supposed to bring an offering to god, a sacrifice; even in a rural agrarian economy with little money, they were expected to give something of their increase, of what was produced by their labor, more than what they had before. That principle far precedes the old testament law. Abraham gave a tithe, ten percent, to the priest melchizedek; jacob, when he made a commitment to god, pledged: i'll give ten percent of my income to you. So godly people were not only giving sacrifices and offerings from the very beginning, but had a specific system of tithing.

The New Testament: no new system — Jesus commends, Paul argues

• In the new testament there is no new system instituted: no statement abolishing the ten percent — now seven and a half percent, or fifteen, or whatever you can do. In fact, jesus just assumed people would continue to pay tithes: in matthew 23 he talked to the jewish leaders — it's good that you pay tithes; you're so precise you even pay tithes on the mint in your garden. We would expect a farmer to pay tithes on all his wheat at harvest; but very few people growing a little mint for flavor would think: if i pick ten leaves of mint, i should set aside one and give it to the priest. Jesus told these religious leaders: you are so meticulous about keeping the law that you even pay tithes of the mint in your garden. He didn't say how ridiculous — he said: you should do that; but more importantly, you're neglecting justice and mercy. If you're so meticulous in the least detail, how much more should you be meticulous in the bigger moral issues? Interestingly, jesus did not say paying tithes is wrong or legalistic; he commended it — you should do that — but there are much bigger things.
• Then if you read first corinthians chapter 8 and first corinthians chapter 9 — and there are other passages — the apostle paul goes to great length: we should support the church, we should support needy christians, we should support preachers; those who preach the gospel have a right to live of the gospel, a right to be supported. Well, how is that going to happen, if our preachers and pastors should be supported by the gospel work? The new testament doesn't give any new method — so he feels tithing is still that method.

Scriptures: Matthew 23; 1 Corinthians 8; 1 Corinthians 9

Under grace, not legalism — generous, not minimal

• Now: we're not under the law; we're under grace. He doesn't say all the detailed instructions in the law of moses regarding tithing, first fruits, and offerings necessarily bind us as specific regulations — and he wouldn't say: if you don't do this you're going to hell, or if you miscalculate your tithes you're going to hell, or you didn't pay tithes on the mint in your garden, you're going to hell. Let's get away from that legalistic orientation.
• But let's go from the opposite side: we know god wants us to give. First corinthians 8 and 1 corinthians 9 and other passages talk about giving generously, giving as god enables you, giving according to your ability — so giving should be tied to your income in some way. And what would be fair for everyone? An absolute dollar amount would be ridiculously small for very successful people but unbearably large for people who are struggling. Looking at the principles of the new testament: we should give generously; we should give according to how god has blessed us; we should invest in god's kingdom and support god's kingdom, even if it causes sacrifice.

The schoolmaster's answer, and Abraham our father [captured text ends mid-sentence]

• When you put all that together — what are we talking about? Do you want to give the minimum god would really expect? Let's say there is no specified amount: do you want to give so little that god thinks you're stingy? He says: give generously. So how do we know what god thinks? Interestingly: under the old testament, the law was a schoolmaster to lead us to christ — it was a tutor. God said: i know you don't know what's fair, so i'm going to tell you what's fair: if everybody gives ten percent of your increase, that'll be fair — fair for the rich, for the poor; everybody can do that; if you don't have any income you're not obligated; and you can give offerings in addition to that. We already know the answer to what god considers reasonable, what he expects, what would be the minimum.
• So he doesn't look at the old testament, or the law of moses specifically, as a legalistic requirement for his salvation, but as teaching him. And long before the law of moses: we're children of abraham — both jesus and paul talked about children of abraham — and we're children of abraham by faith. Even if i'm not a jew and don't follow the law of moses, aren't i supposed to follow the example of my father abraham, the father of the faithful? Just based on the fact that abraham did it before the law, jacob did it before the law, moses did it under the law, jesus commended it in his earthly ministry, and paul said you've got to be generous even after the law: well, is generous giving even less than [the captured text ends mid-sentence here; see this record's truncation flag].

Scripture index: Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23; 1 Corinthians 8; 1 Corinthians 9.