Giving - God's Way

To tithe or not to tithe? Why should I give? Who should I give to? Is it under Law or Grace?

There are actually 5 areas / examples of giving exampled and repeated in both the Old and the New Testament, tithing is only one aspect of what God wants us to do in this area of giving.

#1) Tithes
#2) Offerings
#3) Apostolic giving
#4) Alms giving
#5) A lifestyle of generosity

Let's talk about tithing first...

It has been my own personal observation that many of the people who struggle in the area of giving, do so because they have succumb to the false teaching that tithing is "under the law". They think that because we now live in a New Covenant of Grace (which we do) - tithing, because it originated in the Old Testament, is part of Law and not Grace. A simple study of Scripture reveals to us that tithing was actually an act of Faith that was exampled 400 years before the Law was given and had nothing to do with the Law.

In Genesis 14:20, Abram gave Melchizedek (the High Priest) a tithe, 10% (tithe means a tenth) of all he had recovered, the spoils of war. This is the first mention in Scripture of a tithe (a tenth) being given to those who function in a priestly office. A few verses later, in chapter Genesis 15:1 it says that after "these things" - this act of Faith - tithing, the Lord came to Abram and began to establish His covenant with Him. It was a covenant that was based on Faith and not a covenant that was based on Law. God says, "I am thy shield (I will protect you) and thy exceeding great reward (your reward will be great)." All of this took place 400 years before the Law was even revealed. His tithe was his connection to the covenant.

God's intention for the children of Israel was for them to act on this covenant of Faith but it was because of their rejection of Him (God), that 4 centuries later, He had to relate to them through the Law. Abraham, the Father of Faith, operated in New Covenant before the Old Covenant had even happened.

This Old Testament act of Faith called tithing - is repeated before the Law was given and after the Law was given.

Just because you find it in the Old Testament doesn't mean it is Old Covenant and just because you find something in the New Testament means that it is New Covenant. When you are reading Scripture, it is VITAL that you not only pay attention to the timelines, the Scriptures before and after the verse you're reading but also to the culture going on around that moment.

A New Testament example for the tithe can be found in Matthew 23:23. The Pharisees are very careful to tithe even on the smallest amount of increase that comes into their lives but that they do so, hypocritically, because they ignore more important things: law, justice, mercy and faithfulness. Jesus says you should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things. What is He saying here? Jesus is warning us of doing things for outward show while ignoring the motivations behind why we do what we do. He (Jesus) is assuming that tithing is a normal part of a believer's life. It's never a question with Jesus as to whether tithing is to be done or not.

Now let's look at it from a simple, more practical stand point. What was the purpose of the tithe? (There were more than one kind of tithe) In Genesis 14 it was for the support of the priest of God. In Numbers 18:20-26 it is re-established that it was for the priests who served in the Tabernacle. In verse 21 it says, "As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will pay them for their service in the Tabernacle from the tithes from the entire land of Israel." In verse 25 & 26 the Levities are told to receive the tithes from the Israelites and they are to give a tithe of that tithe they received to the Lord as a gift, which represented their (the priest's) harvest offering.

Malachi the prophet points out that tithes (plural because there were more than one kind of "tithe") are for very specific needs, the tithe for the storehouse, is not for us to decide where it goes. This tithe (your 10th) is not for supporting other ministries outside of your local church.

Never was this tithe used for any other purpose than the support of those who served in the Tabernacle. Whenever money was needed for buildings or stuff inside the buildings (Tabernacle, temple, houses of worship) --- offerings were received. On top of that, offerings were given (over and above the tithes) on many occasions for various feasts, festivals and sacrifices to the Lord. The number of times that tithes and offerings are repeated in the Old Testament - before the Law and after the Law was given - are too numerous to include in this particular post.

OK, continuing on this theme of the practical purpose of the tithe... we've already seen that Jesus Himself established it in Matthew 23 and we can safely assume that those who functioned as elders in the New Testament Church were also supported by the tithe. Their salaries came from the tithing of the New Testament believers.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 (I've added the Greek words and definitions) says, "The elders (presbyteros = term of rank or office) who rule well are to be considered worthy of double (diplous = twofold, double. From the root words, dis = twice and pleiōn = greater in quantity) honor (timē = a valuing by which the price is fixed. From the root word tinō = to pay, to recompense, reward), especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, You shall not muzzle (Chacam = to stop up) an ox when it is treading out the grain, and again, The laborer is worthy of his hire.”

There isn't one translator who disagrees that this passage is talking about their salary. The NLT says that elders who do their work well should be paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. The Scripture verses before and behind this one deal with finances in taking care of people. How to take care of widows, your family and Elders in the Church... you're instructed to take care of them well.

One of the Greek words that describes the function but not the title of an Elder is "Poimain," in Acts 20:28 Paul says to the elders of the Ephesians Church to be sure that you feed and shepherd (Poimain) God's flock, His Church... This word is where the word "pastor" comes from. So someone who functions in a pastoral or shepherding role in the New Testament Church and does their job well is worthy of double honour (the Amplified says, "of adequate financial support"). Nowhere do we see that this adequate support or double honour came from any offering that was collected.

Those two verses are related to and taken from content within the following Scripture verses:

Deuteronomy 25:4, “You shall not muzzle (chacam = to stop up) the ox when he treads out the grain.”

Luke 10:7, “And stay on in the same house (oikia = an inhabited edifice, a dwelling - from the root word oikos = the house of God, the tabernacle) eating (esthiō = to consume) and drinking (pinō = what serves to refresh, strengthen) what they provide, for the laborer is worthy of his wages (misthos = dues paid for work, reward). Do not keep moving from house to house (church to church).”

And then there are:
1 Corinthians 9:14, “[On the same principle] the Lord directed that those who publish the good news (the Gospel) should live (get their maintenance) by the Gospel.”

1 Corinthians 16:1-2, “NOW CONCERNING the money contributed for [the relief of] the saints (God's people): you are to do the same as I directed the churches of Galatia to do. On the first [day] of each week, let each one of you [personally] put aside something and save it up as he has prospered [in proportion to what he is given], so that no collections will need to be taken after I come.”

Now none of those verses say a specific amount to pay the Elders and those who work in the Church, all we know for sure is that those who were of that House, brought a tenth to that House. 100% of that tithe stayed within the House for taking care of the ministry personnel, etc.

In the Old and New Testament we have different examples of offerings, some of which we've already covered above i.e. church property, stuff inside the buildings, stuff to run the place, etc. put into today's terms: rent/mortgage, light bill, office supplies, sound equipment, banquets... it was all done through offerings - over and above the tithe (which is the word for a tenth).

Here's another one... Apostolic giving. Acts 4:34-37, "For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet."

Here we have the first example of apostolic giving, where money was given to the apostles for them to distribute to those in need. This was the type of giving mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 when he reminded the Church at Corinth as he did the other Churches about the offering being collected to help the Christians who were suffering in Jerusalem, many of whom had lost everything. Another example of apostolic giving is found in Philippians 4:10-20 where Paul himself is being supported by an offering.

The 4th type of giving we see exampled is Alms giving. In Acts 3:2 we see a beggar asking for financial help, or alms. In Acts 10:2-4 & 31, Cornelius' gifts to the poor were noticed by God. In Acts 24 when Paul is giving an account of himself before Felix the Governor, Paul mentioned that he came with alms to aid people that were in need.

The 5th type of giving that we see exampled in the Old and New Testament is not a specific but a general lifestyle of generosity which in essence encompasses all the previous 4 types of giving I've already mentioned. In the book of Acts we see radical examples of people giving; people selling houses and properties to give in the form of an offering for various needs.

In our day and age, I've rarely seen a person who struggles with the idea of giving 10% of all their gross income (before tax), give anything that comes close to this radical example. What I have seen, unfortunately, is people who have not made God, the Lord of their finances - use "tithing is under the Law" - as their excuse for not being responsible in their local house of worship. In the majority of cases it is because of overspending and the resulting pressure of debt that causes people the mental struggle with regard to giving. It other cases it is a poverty mentality caused from a fear of lack that says, "I won't have enough if I give". It's really a shame that many pastors have to struggle financially (many taking multiple side jobs) because people in local churches do not understand that Scripture gives us a clear pattern of how to support those who minister in the local church. But how will they know unless they are taught? And that is the responsibility of the elders in the local church.

The ideal is for every church and every believer that tithes support ministry staff (in their own local church body) and everything else including buildings, hydro etc. be supported through offerings. On top of the other two, every believer through their local church should lay offerings at the feet of those who function in an apostolic role in their lives for the furtherance of the Gospel internationally and for the support of those in desperate need. If a church (and believer) is doing all 4 already, it is safe to assume that they are being generous in every area of their life with the other resources we aren't even touching on. Including everything they are a steward over... their time, their talent and their treasure.

On another note, the principal of "seed time and harvest" is evidenced from Genesis to Revelation and is something that applies to this area of our finances. There should be an expectation in our heart as a good steward that if we sow we will reap, in some cases 100 fold return. But what I have seen is that many people have given with the wrong motivation. They've not given out of relationship with God, out of love for Him or because they simply trust Him but they've given with the motivation to get something in return. They've put the cart before the horse. Matthew 6:33 says we need to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing things and being right) and then all these other things, the stuff we need - that we worry about, will be met. The motivation can't be reward... the motivation has to be relationship!

The reality is, Paul - the apostle - spent a lot of time teaching on this principal of seed time and harvest in relation to our finances. There were times when serving the King (God) he found himself with little and there were times when he found himself with much. He learned in any and every circumstance to be content with the things that he had. His motivation was based on relationship and not on reward. Where many Christians get frustrated today is because they don't understand that there are seasons in seed time and harvest. In some seasons they will plant and in some seasons they will reap. In the seasons where they have to plant, they have to be careful to not eat their seed. When you really get this ball rolling, the reaping and planting begin to overlap each other to the point where you are always sowing and always reaping. Blessed to be a blessing. Prosperity for a purpose.

The ideal is our motivation be correct like when Paul challenged the church in Corinth in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15, specifically in verse 7, which is an apostolic giving moment. Paul teaches us that each one of us should give as we purpose in our own heart, not grudgingly, sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joy-filled) giver. This is where Grace comes in our giving. This Grace in giving can be applied to all 5 areas. Many Christians have been left with a sour taste in their mouths because tithes and offerings - which should be received in Grace - have been received under compulsion, out of necessity or desperation.

So if you find yourself in the place where you are giving grudgingly or out of necessity or not giving at all... or according to the Biblical pattern, then you need to meditate on these Scriptures (and others) until your mind is renewed and you are transformed in your thinking. Get to the place where you can trust your heavenly Father in your finances of which He talks more about than He does about heaven, hell or prayer.

Giving to the Lord is a generous, spontaneous and joyful act in response to the Grace that God has done in our hearts. It is a privilege and a wonderful continuation of our worship!