Transcription
Welcome to Apostolic Life in the 21st Century, a podcast dedicated to helping modern-day believers live out the teachings of the first-century church. This podcast is part of the teaching ministry of Dr. David K. Bernard. Dr. Bernard has dedicated his life to studying the Bible and helping believers apply its message to their daily lives. In Apostolic Life in the 21st Century, Dr. Bernard answers your questions about what the Bible teaches and how those teachings apply to everyday life. Thank you for joining us for this broadcast.
Malachi 3:10 quotes God as saying, and I'm paraphrasing, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in My house." And God even offers a challenge to His people. He said that if you'll do this, "I will pour out a blessing that there won't be room enough to receive it." Now, proponents of tithing, or giving 10% of your income to the Lord, they frequently quote this verse in support of that message. However, there are people who come back and say that verse is from the Old Testament, and it does not apply to New Testament believers; that New Testament believers are not bound by that particular provision of the Law of Moses. What does the Bible actually teach about the topic of tithing?
Let me start by saying, certainly and absolutely, the Bible teaches good financial stewardship. It actually teaches that a hundred percent of what we have belongs to God, because God has given us life, health, strength, ability, intellect, time. So, everything we earn is because of God. So, we shouldn't think of just a portion belongs to God; 100% belongs to God. That means we should be good stewards of everything. It's not just, "Well, if I give a certain amount to the church, then I can spend the rest however I want." No, actually, 100% of what we spend should be in accordance with biblical principles. And the Bible certainly teaches us that we should give to God's house, to God's cause, to God's kingdom, and to ministers of the gospel. That's clear. The question then becomes, what's the exact mechanism?
Now, tithing as such is considered 10% of income. Now, when we talk about income, it's of increase. It's not simply if you, um, if you have a business, for example, you may have some expenses of operating that business. So, you would not necessarily—tithing would not be considered—on all the revenue that comes in. You have to take your revenue less your expenses, and what is the increase? That's your true income, and then tithing would be on that increase or that income.
Well, having said that, 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 of Moses. From the very beginning, God's people were giving offerings and sacrifices. You see Cain and Abel giving of—Cain gave vegetables because he was a farmer, and Abel gave a lamb because he was a shepherd. Now, Cain had a wrong spirit, wrong attitude, and God didn't accept his sacrifice. But there was no question there was supposed to be an offering to God, a sacrifice. And even in a rural, agrarian economy where they probably didn't have money, or not much in the way of what's called money, they were expected to give something of their increase, of what was produced by their labor, that was more than what they had before. So, that's a principle that far precedes the Old Testament. God's people, Abraham, when, uh, he gave a tithe, or 10%, to the priest Melchizedek. Jacob, when he made a commitment to God, he pledged, "I'll give 10% of my income to You." So, we see godly people not only giving in sacrifice and offerings from the very beginning, but having a specific system of tithing.
Now, in the New Testament, uh, there is no new system instituted. There's no statement that we're abolishing the ten percent; now it's going to be seven and a half percent, or 15%, 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. He said, "You know, it's good that you pay tithes. You're so precise, you even pay tithes on the mint in your garden." So, we would expect everybody, if you're a farmer and you raise wheat and you gather in the harvest, then you should pay tithes on all your wheat. But many people might think, "Well, I'm growing a few, um, little—I, you know, I have a little vegetable garden. Okay, I'll pay tithes on my vegetables. But I'm growing some mint for, you know, flavor for my food." So, very few people would think, "Well, if I pick off 10 leaves of the mint, I should set aside one, give it to the priest or something." Most people wouldn't even think that. But Jesus told these religious leaders, "You are so meticulous about keeping the Law that you even pay tithes of the mint in your garden." Now, Jesus didn't say, "How ridiculous!" He said, "You should do that," but more important, "you're neglecting justice and mercy." And so, He's saying, "If you're so meticulous of the least detail, how much more should you be meticulous in the bigger moral issues?" But interestingly, Jesus did not say paying tithes is wrong or legalistic. He's saying, "You pay tithes to the nth degree. I commend you for that. You should do that, but there are much bigger things."
Then, if you read First Corinthians chapter 8, First Corinthians chapter 9, and there are other passages, but the Apostle Paul goes to great length to talk about: 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; they have a right to be supported. Well, how is that going to happen if our preachers and our pastors, particularly, should be supported by the gospel work? How do we do that? Well, the New Testament doesn't give any new method, so I feel that tithing is still that method.
Now, I will say this: we're not under the Law; we're under grace. So, I don't say that all the detailed, um, instructions that you might find in the Law of Moses regarding tithing—tithing, first fruits, offerings—I don't think we're bound by those specific regulations. And I wouldn't say, "Well, 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, and First Corinthians 8, First Corinthians 9, and other passages talk about giving generously, giving as God enables you, giving according to your ability. So, that indicates it should be tied to your income in some way.
Now, what's going to be fair for everyone? An absolute dollar amount would be ridiculously small for very successful people, but, uh, unbearably large for people who are struggling. So, just by looking at the principles of the New Testament, we should give generously; we should give according to how God has blessed us; uh, we should invest in God's kingdom; we should support God's kingdom, even if it causes sacrifice. When you put all that together, what are we talking about? And you say, "Well, what would God consider fair? Do you want to give the minimum God would really expect?" I mean, let's say there is no specified amount. "Do you want to give so little that God thinks you're stingy?" I don't think so. He says, "Give generously." So, how do you know? How do we know what God thinks? Well, interesting that you ask: under the Old Testament, the Law was a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. It was a tutor. God said, "Well, I know you don't know what's fair, so I'm going to tell you what's fair. If everybody gives 10% of your increase, that'll be fair. I'll be fair for the rich, for the poor. Everybody can do that. If you don't have any income, you're not obligated, you know." And then you can give offerings in addition to that. So, we already know the answer to the question: what does God consider reasonable? What does God expect? What would be the minimum? Well, you already have the answer.
So, I don't look at the Old Testament as—or the Law of Moses specifically—as a legalistic requirement for my salvation. I look at it as teaching me. 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. So, even if I'm not a Jew and I don't follow the Law of Moses, aren't I supposed to follow the example of my father Abraham, who was the father of the faithful? So, 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, Paul said, "You've got to be generous," even after the Law. Well, is generous giving even less than what was required of the Law? I hardly think so. I think, if anything, we should be thinking of starting at 10% and then giving more as God enables. So, from all of that, yes, I do believe we should teach tithing and offerings as a principle for the church today.
Thank you for joining us for today's broadcast. We hope you'll make plans to join us again next time, when once again, we take a look at how the Bible applies to our everyday lives.