About New Testament Tithing
While the New Testament says little about whether or not tithing is necessary, much can be inferred by examining the philosophy of giving espoused by Jesus. In Hebrew, the word "'tithe" translates to mean "from 10 or 1/10." Contemporary Christian churches often suggest that their members give 10 percent of their income each week as an offering to God. Is this consistent with teachings of the New Testament? While several Old Testament scriptures describe the importance of the tithe to the Jews, should these same passages be faithfully applied to Christians as well?
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History
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At the time Jesus began his ministry, the tithe was far from a new concept. Tithing was a familiar concept to Jews who had lived 1,500 years before Christ's birth. The book of Leviticus thoughorly outlines the concept of the tithe, decreeing that "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD (Leviticus 27:30)." Furthermore, people could repurchase anything they had offered as a tithe, so long as they were willing to pay an extra percentage in exchange for the privilege of buying it back. This was a loophole for many farmers who were instructed to offer the best of their animals or harvest as a tithe, in honor of God. For a small price, they could repurchase these offerings and then resell them for a profit. Jesus was not impressed with such attitudes toward holy offerings.
Effects
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Jesus shared with his followers a transformative philosophy regarding the way a church and its members should handle finances. Rather than to limit support to the church, Jesus questioned why followers gave so little to support God's will, about which so many followers expressed a great deal of passion. For example, when a rich young man approached Jesus and said he was eager to do anything possible to receive eternal life, Jesus challenged him by saying, "Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven (Luke 18:22)." Jesus spoke in this way because he knew that "Your heart will always be where your treasure is (Luke 12:34)." One of the reasons the early Christian church was able to survive was because people pooled their resources. When a husband and wife in the early church sold some of their land and secretly attempted to pocket some of the proceeds of the sale, they were quickly admonished by the Apostle Peter, who said: "How is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land (Acts 5:3)?" This husband and wife were criticized not for refusing to tithe but rather for holding back a portion of what they had received--clearly illustrating that the concept of the tithe had dramatically changed.
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Misconceptions
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Tithing is not simply a spiritual insurance plan. Some people tithe so they can be let off the hook for behaving sloppily in their relationships, in the workplace or even in their attitudes toward God. This is far from the purpose of tithing. The tithe is an offering, not a purchase of protection. It is a way for people to pitch in their resources to help God's community. Jesus condemned the way that certain religious leaders of his time clung to the tithe as a tool to alleviate sin, remarking with dismay, "You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment--the absolute basics!--you carelessly take it or leave it (Matthew 23:23)." An obsessive attention to detail should not overshadow our responsibility to live good and caring lives.
Significance
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Jesus appreciated the quality of a person's giving far more than the quantity any person was able to give. For this reason, Jesus felt that the manner in which a person tithed was of even greater importance than the act of tithing. For instance, Jesus disapproved of people "blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity (Matthew 6:2)!" Obviously, whether they gave a small or large amount of money was of secondary importance to the fact that they were only giving to make themselves feel more important. Jesus commended a poor widow's act of generosity, however, as she gave only two small coins. The significance of her act was profound since she could barely afford to contribute her coins--while others who gave had plenty of money left over after giving: "All the others gave what they'll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford--she gave her all (Mark 12:44)."
Warning
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Beware of where you give your money. While flashy TV evangelists may appeal to your emotions if you're disheartened with insomnia at 3 a.m., they don't deserve your money. The truth is that "the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10)," and greedy behavior either from a TV personality or yourself is certain to produce a poor result. The purpose of giving a tithe is not to boost someone else's finanaces or your own, but to promote the will of God in the world. Affiliate yourself with people who are serious about promoting God's will. A few of them may be running television or Internet-based ministries, but many are not.
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Resources
- Photo Credit James Withers
