Are Christians "robbing God" and therefore are "cursed with a curse" according to the Old Covenant Law (cf. Malachi 3:8-9) if they do not pay a compulsory tithe? Or, is everyone already under a curse who is under the Law (cf. Galatians 3:10). Didn't Christ already redeem His New Covenant people from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13)?
Managing Money for God's Good, our Own Good, and the Good of Others: Sermon number 4 of 5
"Old Covenant Tithing, or New Covenant Giving"
Starting out this morning, I want to briefly tell a story about a discussion that occurred in a restaurant between three pastors. One pastor was a Presbyterian; one was a Baptist, and the other was a non-denominational pastor. During a lull in their conversation, the Presbyterian pastor commented that membership was down among his denomination. "It's a sign of the times," one of the other pastor's said. There was another lull in the conversation. Then the Baptist pastor commented, "You know, overall, giving is down among Baptist churches." There was a nod of understanding as the other two showed solemn concern. Then the non-denominational pastor chimed in, "Well, I must admit that both membership and giving have been down in our church." During the whole time, a waitress standing nearby had overheard the conversation. Not catching herself in time to control her tongue, she blurted out, "It sounds to me like it must be getting too expensive for folks to join a church nowadays!" This story is supposed to be a joke. But, there is a punch in the punch line that I want us to consider: A lot of people actually think it is too expensive to join a church nowadays. This should lead us to wonder:
How can this be, when membership in the expansive church has been completely paid for already through Christ's purchase on the cross?
The reality is that all who are spiritual members in the broader church have had the full price paid for them to be there. Then there is the local fellowship:
Is it too expensive to join a local fellowshipping body which is the household of God, the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth, as is outlined in 1 Timothy, Titus, and other places?
How can this be, when there is no place in the New Testament that says that a Christian must pay any amount of money to join in, and commune with, a local fellowship?
Certainly then, it is too expensive to join any church that requires you to pay money to be a member. Unfortunately, that kind of cost of contingency is exactly what is being charged in churches all over the world today. I am talking about the fact that there are churches that require you to tithe to be a member. Some will put the contingency in something called a "Membership Covenant." To be a member, you must swear, according to their covenant, that you will continuously pay tithes from your total income. We know that God, in His New Covenant, wants His people to give to meet ministry needs, but is the compulsory tithing system the way to do it? This morning I am going to answer that question as I preach on this very important subject. Keeping these things in mind, I ask you to prepare your heart to learn, along with me, in this sermon titled,
Managing Money for God's Good, our Own Good, and the Good of Others: Sermon number 4 of 5
"Old Covenant Tithing, or New Covenant Giving"
[prayer]
I want us to recognize some important biblical principles for understanding the difference between Old Covenant tithing, and New Covenant giving. This means I am going to need to lay a Scriptural foundation, and then we will build upon it. The first principle deals with the foundation.
/1/
The first principle that we must understand, as Christians, is that we are not under the Old Covenant. This is foundational. You are under God's New Covenant in Christ who is the Covenant incarnate, Isaiah 42:6, 49:6-8, 55:3-4. You do not want to be under the Old Covenant--in fact, you can not really be under it, though you can adopt some elements of it to bring yourself under bondage. Let me explain. That Old Covenant was the Law of Moses that was given at Mount Sinai in the desert about 3500 years ago,
"27 Then Yahweh said to Moses, 'Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.' 28 So he was there with Yahweh forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments." Exodus 34:27-28
The covenant that we want to be under is the New Covenant that we actually are under. It is the "eternal Covenant" (Hebrews 13:20) that God had planned to replace His old one with all along. God was simply waiting for His appointed time to do it. The New Covenant is what was established in Christ's blood and resurrection 1500 years after the Old Covenant. From our point of view, it was established about 2000 years ago. As we proceed in laying the foundation for this teaching on the tithe in this first point, there are some things we need to know about that Old Covenant. It is also known as the "Mosaic Law." It was composed of somewhere close to 613 law statutes. God's people in that old program were required to keep all of the statutes. Ten of those statutes of the Old Covenant were recorded on stone tablets. According to Paul the apostle, there is a distinct purpose for the knowledge of the Old Covenant Law that applies to us today. But, you and I need to know that the Law's purpose for us today is limited. For us who are in Christ:
a) The Law is meant for memory, but not for method.
b) It is meant for revelation, but not for regulation.
With this in mind, a primary purpose that the Law serves for us today is that it teaches us that when people were under it, sin increased. Actually, the Law of Moses came in so that the transgression would increase. We read in Romans 5:20,
"20 The Law came in ...
[Why?]
... so that the transgression would increase;
[A lot of mistaken folks think that the law came in so that sin would decrease; but the Scriptures declare the exact opposite. We read more,]
... but where sin increased, grace [In the New Covenant] abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:20
[It is through the Old Covenant Law, given to the Israelites, that the knowledge of sin came, and with it, so did the increase. This is why we read in Romans 7,]
"7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "You shall not covet." 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead." Romans 7:7-8
God has revealed these things about the Old Covenant Law in His word because he wants us to understand them. He wants us to understand the nature, the distinction, and the application, of His different covenants throughout history. Whether it be the earlier ancient covenant that He made with Abraham, or the later ancient Mosaic Law Covenant, or the New Covenant which is in effect now, God has revealed them to us in His word. As history progressed along, God demonstrated His pre-planned will that He unfolded at the proper time. God established a New Covenant. He also declares that it is superior to the Old Mosaic Law one. Further, God says that the Old one is "obsolete." There are three passages concerning this that are my favorites. I like to call them
"The Three Musketeers of New Covenant Theology."
The Three Musketeers of New Covenant orientation are 2 Corinthians 3, Galatians 3, and Hebrews 8. We are going to need these guys for a robust approach to this whole tithe issue. The way we marshal this loyal team together is we first go to 2 Corinthians 3. We go there first, and then we proceed through the chapter, verse by verse. The best way to study scripture is verse by verse, in context, and in flow of thought. When we get to verse 7, we see that Paul references the
"letters written on stone." 2 Corinthians 3:7
Paul is talking about the "tablets" I just read about in Exodus 34:27-28. The commandments on the stone tablets are most commonly called the "ten commandments" (the decalogue). It is the ten on stone tablets, which are part of the other more than 600 commands of the Old Covenant Law. Now we need to ask what the ministry of the 10 commandments was according to verses 7 and 9. Let's look,
"7 But if the ministry of death, in letters written on stones, came with glory, ..."
[What kind of ministry was it? It was "death." Now continuing in verse 8]
"8 how will the ministry of the Spirit
[This is the ministry of the New Covenant]
fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation ...
[The Old Covenant Law is the ministry of what?--"condemnation." Continuing,]
had [at one time] glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness [New Covenant] abound in glory." 2 Corinthians 3:7-9
The Ten Commandments are a "ministry" of "death" and "condemnation." The ministry we are under is the ministry of the Spirit, grace, life, and peace as our Sabbath rest. Now we see why we do not want that old defunct ministry of the Law of Moses. Remember, it was a "covenant." We continue to verse 14.
"14 But their [certain Israelites--their] minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the Old Covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ." 2 Corinthians 3:14
That Old Covenant is the Law of Moses. It is not the New Covenant of the Messiah. With this Musketeer, we see that the New Covenant is the ministry of the Spirit. We read the Old Covenant's words too every time we read Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and other Old Testament passages, but the veil is lifted for the elect. The "hardened" read it for regulation. The veiled read it for method. We read it for revelation and for memory. In verse 8, we are told that the New Covenant actually has more glory than God's Old Covenant Law codes. The ministry of God's New Covenant is a ministry of God's imputed righteousness in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:21. That is why it abounds in glory, verse 9. It surpasses any glory that the Old Covenant may have had, verse 10. The Old Law Covenant fades away, along with its glory, but the New remains in glory, verse 11. The reason is because it is all summed up in perfect Christ and His perfect work as sacrifice and risen Lord. From here, we go to the second of the Three Musketeers. It is Galatians 3. We read,
"10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform them.'" Galatians 3:10
The contrast is that being of the works of the New Covenant, by grace through faith, is to be under a blessing. To be under the works of the Law is to be under a "curse." You and I do not want to be under a curse. Paul goes on,
"11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, 'The righteous man shall live by faith' 12 However, the Law [of the Old Covenant] is not of faith; on the contrary, 'He who practices them shall live by them.' 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us--for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'--14 in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:11-14
@1 Jesus Christ purchased all of "us" who are saved from the ______________________ of the Old Covenant Law of Moses. Galatians 3:11-14
The blessings that were promised to Abraham before the Mosaic Law covenant, are bestowed upon those who are in Christ's New Covenant. The New Covenant means blessing. The Mosaic Law Covenant means cursing. Paul goes on with more details concerning the Law and how it relates to us in verse 19,
"19 Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed [which is Jesus Christ] would come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our guardian [the word means a "child's-tutor"] to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were immersed into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, [In His New Covenant] then you are Abraham's descendants, heirs according to promise [thus partaking in the blessings of the ancient promise to Abraham]."
@2 We become sons of God through ______________________ in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26
What I am doing is laying a vital foundation for properly understanding the subject Old Covenant tithing, and New Covenant giving. This is the foundation for this sermon, and so it is necessary to go over these important, yet elementary, facts. There is still some more. The third Musketeer is Hebrews 8. I'll read from verse 6
"6 But now He [Christ] has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. 8 For He finds fault with them when He says: I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt."
Paul goes on, and we read in verse 12,
"12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.' 13 In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."
The obsolete Old Covenant was fulfilled at the cross and resurrection in Christ. What we have just seen is the first principle summed up in three strong passages. I like this Musketeer metaphor. In respect to it, when I think of the three Musketeers, I think of them having their D'Artanian. I like to refer to the D'Artanian of New Covenant Theology as being Romans 10:4,
"Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Romans 10:4
@3 Christ is the _____________ of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4
Sometimes I like to bring another often overlooked Scripture into the mix. It is Paul's amazing announcement of his famous New Covenant Theology quote that is in His first recorded sermon. He made the paradigm shattering announcement in Pisidian Antioch in his ministry debut, where, speaking to his ethnic Israelite brothers at their synagogue, he said,
"38 Therefore let it be known to you, [Israelite] brothers, that through Him [the crucified and resurrected Messiah] forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the [Old Covenant] Law of Moses." Acts 13:38-39
I could spend hours presenting volumes more on this, but these are adequate. So this is the first principle: We are under the New Covenant. We are not under the Old obsolete Covenant, nor the curses that go along with it.
Keeping all of these things in mind, we want to know whether the requirement of the compulsory tithe is supposed to be a New Covenant requirement. As we determine this, we need to know what a tithe actually is. The word "tithe," literally means "tenth." Whenever you hear, or read, about the tithe, what is being referenced is giving one tenth of your income. This is important to know. It is the reason you might hear a tithe teacher say,
"I don't care what you do with the other 90% of your income, as long as God gets His 10%."
Sometimes you may hear,
"The 10% of your income that you give to God is a reminder that 100% of everything belongs to God already."
Actually, 100% of everything that God has entrusted you with does belong to Him, but this is not the reason why people teach compulsory tithing. It is important to know that tithe teachers use the Bible to support teaching the tithe. When they do, they will often quote the Old Testament book of Malachi. They tell you that if you fail to tithe, then you are robbing God, and so you are cursed with a curse. It is not usually taught that if you don't give everything that you have away, then you are robbing God, even though we are reminded that "100% of everything belongs to God." That is not an effective way to present the teaching. Instead, Malachi 3 is quoted concerning a prophecy for the Israelite nation under the Old Covenant Law, and the curse that goes along with it. Using the passage to teach the tithe brings fear. It scares Christians into a compulsory system. We read,
"8 Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you
[meaning, Israelites, called "Judah" Malachi 2:10-11]
say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and Contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!" Malachi 3:8-9
Nobody wants to rob God, right? Further, nobody wants to be cursed with a curse either. We will get back to this prophecy to the Old Covenant nation of Judah in a moment. At this point, I want to say plainly that churches nowadays who are teaching the compulsory tithe, are doing so based upon an Old Covenant legal practice. They are teaching that you will be cursed if you do not come under the curse of the Old Covenant law as Paul calls it in the New Covenant Musketeer of Galatians 3:10. No, I am not confused. Those who teach the compulsory tithe are confused. Let me repeat what I said:
They are teaching that you will be cursed if you do not try to bring yourself under the curse of the Old Covenant law.
It is an effective teaching on their part, but it is a wrong teaching on every part.
/2/
This leads to the second principle that we must recognize, and embrace: The tithe teaching is root-bound in the Mosaic Law. The whole doctrine starts with the Old Covenant command that every year the Israelites were required to give 10% of all they produced as something called "the tithe of the Levites." The foremost thing to know about the tithe of the Levites is that it was a tax. The tithe of the Levites was a tax to pay for the Levite's, priestly, and governmental, operations under the theocratic rule. It was their support. The Levites were not allowed to own anything. They also received no inheritance, Numbers 18:20; Deuteronomy 12:12, 14:27. They were separated from the rest of Israel in full service of the Lord, Numbers 3:5-10, 3:39-45, 8:14-19, so it was necessary for all the other 11 tribes to support the Levites in their work through this tax system ordained in the Old Covenant Law, Numbers 18:21-24. Even some of the Levites had to do this too. There is a reason. All the priests descended from Levi, so this made them Levites; but, not all Levites were priests. Only the Levite descendants of Aaron were priests. If you were of the tribe of Levi, but were not a priest, then you would get supported by the tithes from the people because you did government things like police work, management, and so forth; but you were still required to pay your own tithe too. You would pay a tenth from the tithes (you were receiving from everyone else) to your fellow Levite brothers who actually were priests, Numbers 18:25-31. It was a complex system, but we can see that there was a reason for the system. The main point is that this is what the modern tithe is based upon. It is based upon God's complex taxation system, that He outlined in His Old Covenant Law to Moses, to fund the Levitical-managing, and priest-duty, processes of His Old Covenant theocracy. But remember, the whole system was very complex--in fact, much more complex than most people realize. We are going to look at the pertinent details. As this unfolds, we will see that even though this is already an Old Covenant tax system, there is more to it than the mere 10 percent that is often referred to. It gets complicated, but try to follow me. The long arm of the Law stretches out far, and we are only at the shoulder. What I mean is that in addition to the tenthing for the Levites, there was also another tithe--yes another tenthing of the people's income. It was required from the Israelite tribals every year. That tenthing was the one God required for the annual pilgrimage, and the feast day celebrations, Deuteronomy 14:22-27. So, you see, there was more than one compulsory tithe, which is a very important point. But, there is more. In addition to those two tenthings of an Israelite's income, there was also the mandatory tenthing that had to be paid every third year. At the end of every third year, called appropriately enough, "the year of tithing," Deuteronomy 26:12-14, the people were required to pay a tenth of their income to aliens, orphans, and widows, Deuteronomy 14:28-29. When we break all of this down, honesty and consistency demonstrate to us that people who teach the Old Covenant tithe, for New Covenant Saints, should be teaching that you must pay at least 23.3% of your income in mandatory giving per year!
How many churches are teaching Christians that they must pay 23.3% percent of their income to the church to not be robbing God?
Yet to be consistent in their biblical hermeneutic, they should teach every tithe of the Law, and not just one select tenthing found in the in-between verses. Remember, it is said that to not do so, is to incur the curse of Malachi. But hold on just a moment. There is still more that had to be done to keep from robbing God. We must not forget the Law's mandate which required that every male had to contribute a half shekel for the temple tax every year. So, we must add the half shekel contribution in too if we are consistent. But listen folks; we are now only to the elbow of the long arm of the Law. Along with the various tenthings, and the half shekel mandate, blood-sacrifices were also required. A blood sacrifice had intrinsic value. It was like money. It was an asset, without spot or blemish, that was given away. But I am still not finished. The typical tithes of the Old Covenant would be made up of produce, like crops and livestock, and so each person in a tribe would divide out his tithes from the fruit of his labors. We may ask,
Why is this such a big deal?
The reason that it is a big deal is because according to Leviticus 27:31, if you redeemed your tithe (which means that you sold your crops or livestock for money to tithe instead of giving the produce) then you were to add 2% more to it. Instantly, this would mandatorily transform your tenthing to twelthing--to 12%. The point is that a 23%, or even 12% tithe is not taught today as something compulsory for Christians to give. The inconsistency is clear. The reason for the inconsistency is because the whole modern teaching of the compulsory tithe is based upon a contrived doctrine, bad hermeneutics, and arbitrary proof texting, which all finds it's roots in arbitrarily, and selectively, borrowing Old Covenant language and practices. The tithe requirement is not commanded in the New Testament anywhere. God does not want His church to give according to the Old Covenant mandates to Israel, and that includes all the various tithes. But God wants us to give. The Spirit wants you, and I, and all Christians, to give according to His New Covenant as is expressed in the New Testament Scriptures. For example, like in respect to 2 Corinthians 9:6-8,
"he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;" 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
@4 He who sows seeds bountifully in giving will _______________ bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Notice that our model for New Covenant giving, is to give money bountifully, as purposed from your heart. Further, you are to do it cheerfully. Also, you are not to do it grudgingly. The main thing that I want us to notice is that New Covenant giving is "not" to be "under compulsion." Whenever a church today teaches you that you are bound to the compulsory mandate of the tithe, then they are not teaching New Covenant giving as a fruit of the Spirit, in love. They are teaching the opposite. This leads me to the final broader principle. In it, I will spend the remainder of the sermon, refuting the various arguments that are offered for the modern tithe teaching.
/3/
The third principle is that all arguments for bringing God's New Covenant Christians under the compulsory tithe are refutable, and fail. Further, they can be demonstrated as specious. I will address the first defense of the Old Testament tithe that is typically used.
--A--
It is where the Bible mentions that Abram gave a tenth of war spoils to the priestly king of Salem. We read in Genesis 14,
"18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. 19 He blessed him and said, 'Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.' He gave him a tenth of all." Genesis 14:18-20
Tithe teachers use this event to point out that Abram tenthed a gift here before the time of the Law of Moses. Because Abram gave a tenth of war spoils to Melchizedek, the priestly King of Salem, they say that this proves that this is also required of Christians. The first thing I want to get out of the way is the fact that there is no rule anywhere that states that because someone did something before the Law, that you later find in the Law, then we must do it too after the Law as if it is a rule. For example, circumcision was practiced by Abram. Later, circumcision was required as part of the Law of Moses. Does this fact now necessitate that all Christian's must circumcise their male children? The answer is in the New Testament,
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. ... For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." Galatians 5:6, 6:15
Clearly, to merely point out something that was done before the Law that later on is in the Law, means nothing, in and of itself, as a supposed principle, in terms of compulsory New Covenant activity today.
We also need to recognize that there is no instruction in Genesis 14 that states that anyone should, by necessity, tenth their income to someone else. Further, there is no instruction to tithe in the Bible before this passage either. Another consideration is that this event is not a command, or a decree, or anything like that. It is not a precept, and, there is no kind of remote precedent for it in scripture prior to this event. Abram is not even asked by the king of Salem for anything. It is simply something that Abram chose to do on his own; but for a reason. Further, this is the only time that we find Abraham giving a tenth of anything during the 175 years of his recorded life (175 was his age at death, Genesis 25:7). Recognizing that this is a history account, we need to also recognize that the event itself negates the modern teaching of the tithe. You say,
"What do you mean?"
Keeping all the facts that I have mentioned already in mind, when we read about this event in context, we discover the important details about what happened that negate using it for a modern teaching for the tithe. Here is the picture of what happened: Various kings went to battle against some other kings. King Bera of Sodom, and king Birsha of Gomorrah, were two of the kings. When the battle got heated, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled their cities. So, the enemy kings came in and took the spoils; they captured Abram's nephew, Lot, and took his possessions in the process, Genesis 14:11-12. Abram was concerned about his nephew, so Abram got his own men together and went after the enemy who captured Lot. Abram defeated the enemy, and so we read,
"16 He [Abram] brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people." Genesis 14:16
Think about this. Abram now has everything. He has everything from the armies he defeated. He has everything from the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah that ran away. After this happened, Melchizedek spoke a blessing over Abram. Melchizedek explained that it was God who delivered the enemies into Abram's hand. It was directly after this statement concerning God's miraculous enablement in victory, that Abram decided to give Melchizedek a tenth of "all" the goods, which according to Genesis 14:20-24, included the possessions of the king of Sodom. We must recognize the importance of this detail. Abram did not give Melchizedek any of Abram's own possessions. He gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods taken in the battle. He gave them in apparent recognition of the victory belonging to God. You see, Abram did not want any of those items to begin with. When Bera, the king of Sodom, told Abram to
"take the goods for yourself," Genesis 14:21
we read that Abram refused. So, you see, Abram never claimed ownership of any of the money that he gave away. He refused Bera's offer; but he wanted the young men, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, who went with him into battle, to take their share, verse 24. It might seem a little complex, so here is the breakdown:
a) Abram owned no property of the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah before the war.
b) He refused to take any of the Sodomite's goods after the war. So, he tells king Bera of Sodom that he isn't going to "take" any of Bera's property because Abram doesn't want Bera to say that he helped prosper Abram, Genesis 14:23.
c) Nevertheless, Abram turns around and gives Melchizedek 10 percent of king Bera's, Lot's, and king Birsha's, property, in recognition of God's delivering hand, thus kicking up the OPM principle to a whole new level!
d) The young fighting men, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre also get a percentage of it all, and we have no indication that those three men tithed any of it after it becomes their own income.
So, we recognize that clearly this is a historic record of a one time event where a man gave other people's money away. It is not a teaching or command that supports the modern notion that Christians must necessarily tenth their income. Furthermore, modern theories of tithing do not teach you to give other people's money away in tenthing to a church or religious organization like Abram did with Bera's money. The conclusion is that to use this passage to teach that Christians are required to tithe, is to apply a wrong interpretation to support a false doctrine.
--B--
The next reference that is used to say that Christians are to give a compulsory tithe is another citation from history that is outside the New Covenant. It is an Old Testament account that is found in Genesis 28,
"20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, 21 and I return to my father's house in safety, then Yahweh will be my God. 22 This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You." Genesis 28:20-22
Modern day tithe teachers point to this passage, and then assert that this is more proof that Christians must tithe. Again, we must notice the very important detail: This passage does not teach that people must give a compulsory tenth of their income. Further, Jacob is not commanded by God to do any of this. Jacob came up with this vow on his own with no indication that he had been doing this beforehand. In fact, the indication is that, suddenly, after the amazing dream that he just had, he decides that giving a percentage of what God gives to him, is a pious thing to vow in appreciation. The indication is that this was something new that Jacob promised to God that was contingent upon certain qualifications in Jacob's vow. Jacob says that after he is given the things in his vow, "then" the Lord will be Jacob's God, and the stone that Jacob sets up as a pillar will be God's house, and then Jacob says he will give back to God some of what God had given Jacob--which is a tenth. Surely Jacob expected these things, and yet, they are the qualifiers for his reason for the tribute of appreciation. Finally, the Scripture does not tell us where Jacob would have given a tenth. Notice that. Would Jacob have burned it in some sort of sacrifice ceremony? Would he have given it to a priest that is according to some unrecorded order, like Melchezidek? Nobody knows. The rest of Genesis is silent. There is an account of where decades later, Jacob poured some liquid and oil on a rock as an offering to God at Bethel, Genesis 35:14. I have not heard of a modern tithe teacher teaching that Christians must erect rock piles, and then pour wine and oil on them as compulsory giving practice, yet precedence is what is usually claimed in quoting the other passages that record giving a tithe to the Lord. The main point is that there is no precedent here at all for the compulsory tithe teachings today that are given as imperatives.
--C--
This leads me to the tithe teacher's reference of another event in history that is outside the New Covenant. It is the reference to the Malachi passage that I mentioned earlier. I mentioned the curse in Malachi. Here is the other part of the passage in Malachi 3:10,
"10 'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,' says Yahweh of hosts, 'if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.'" Malachi 3:10
How many of you realize that this is the most often preached passage in the Bible to bring Christians under the Old Covenant Law of the tithes? Let me put it this way;
Malachi 3:10 is to modern tithe teachers, what John 3:16 is to evangelists.
Of course there are some similarities to the abundance that God gives us Christians as we give to others, which we find in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Galatians 6:6-7 and so forth, but the differences far outweigh the similarities. When we recognize that God has been rebuking the children of Jacob here, Malachi 3:6 ("Judah" 2:10) as well as the Levitical priests (Malachi1:6, 2:1, 2:4-9, 3:3 etc.), we understand that this is an Old Covenant rebuke to God's Old Covenant people for not keeping the Law statutes. When we read this in context, this is clearly seen,
"7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them.'" Malachi 3:7
Notice that the rebuke has to do with turning aside from God's Old Covenant Mosaic Law statutes. So God says in the next sentence,
"Return to me, and I will return to you, says Yahweh of hosts. But you say, 'How shall we return?' 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house." Malachi 3:7b-10
The whole Israelite nation had been robbing God by not abiding in the full statutory mandates of all the Old Covenant Law codes of the tithes. This is the point of Malachi's prophecy to Israel. God said that if they would abide by the Mosaic Covenant and do what they were supposed to, and pay the full tithes and contributions, particularly to go into the Levitical storehouses, then God would bless them, cf. 1 Kings 7:51; Nehemiah 10:38; 13:12. Later, Malachi prophecies the end of the Old Covenant age, and the ushering in of the New Covenant age. But, he also says to those Israelites there,
"4 Remember the Law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel." Malachi 4:4
Again, I can not over emphasize that this is a Law of Moses issue. It is an issue that the 3 Musketeers and the two passages I gave at the beginning, quickly and easily dispatch away forever. The main point is that this is not to be considered one of the best passages to support a New Covenant tithe requirement. Rather, it is one of the worst--along with the rest. Christ's local fellowships of His New Covenant church are not the Levitical storehouses; the compulsory Old Covenant tithe is not how we are supposed to give, and the curse of the law for Christians is not the one in Malachi, but rather would be the curse as is stated in Galatians.
--D--
This leads to the last point in refuting the Old Covenant requirement. It is the reference to Jesus rebuking the Pharisees (the teachers of the Mosaic Law) before He inaugurated His New Covenant at the cross. We read the account of Jesus' rebuke where He says,
"42 But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." Luke 11:42
The enforcers of the Modern tithe point to this verse because Jesus mentions the Pharisee's practice of tithing minutia according to the Old Covenant. The problem with using this verse is that Jesus is in His Old Covenant at the time He rebukes the Pharisaic teachers of the Law. The Pharisees are also in, and under, His Old Covenant Law at the time. Jesus, who is the promised Covenant incarnate, had not yet instituted His New Covenant through His blood at the cross, and in His resurrection. Further, the context is that Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees who prided themselves as the strictest Mosaic Law keeping sect. Jesus is pointing out that they religiously tithe little pieces of leaves; but they avoid what really matters. They "disregard justice and the love of God;" He goes on saying, "but these are the things you should have done." Jesus does not tell the teachers of the Law that they should not tithe. Of course they should have tithed. They were under the Law of Moses at the time. It was the active, and operating, covenant during Christ's pre-cross ministry. Nevertheless, this was not a New Covenant teaching by Jesus that mandates that His future church must tithe too. So, this passage, like the rest, is erroneously used to support teaching the modern compulsory tithe.
The summation, is that we, Who are in Christ, are not under the compulsion, nor the curse, of the Old Covenant. We are to give under the New Covenant, and we are to give based upon a different motivation. It is the motivation expressed in passages like 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. We are to give abundantly, which can be 10%, or less, but it can also be more--even 100%, which you won't find mandated in the Law. Giving 100% of an income, (like a man I know who gave 100% of his income one time) to a ministry of God's word, is something that comes from the heart. We are to give "bountifully" as God's blessing to others. It is the redeemed heart that is manifesting love, which as a fruit of the Spirit, helps you determine what bountifully means in each situation. In this way, God blesses us bountifully also. It is to be cheerful, happy, joyful giving, because this is also a fruit of the Spirit. This means that our giving is to never, ever, be done grudgingly. I hope this series on money has been blessing you, and will continue to bless you. I plan on preaching the last sermon in this series next week. It will be on the proper way that God wants His children to Give. [prayer]
@1 Jesus Christ purchased all of "us" who are saved from the ______________________ of the Old Covenant Law of Moses. Galatians 3:11-14
@2 We become sons of God through ______________________ in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26
@3 Christ is the ________________ of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Romans 10:4
@4 He who sows seeds bountifully in giving will _______________ bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
