To tithe or not to tithe?

Posted by admin on Oct 29, 2005 in Issues & Ideas | 0 comments

Welcome to my rant on tithing. Here is what you probably already know: the church, in addition to being a spiritual body, is a material institution. Material institutions such as churches need to survive financially (excluding the pious ones that meet in houses and spend their post-service coffee budget on the poor). The majority of churches are supported through the generosity of their members by way of tithes and other monetary gifts. It is not uncommon for churches to schedule monthly sermons on giving and tithing.

Galatians 2:16 says, “…a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law because by observing the law no one will be justified.” I would venture that what Paul is trying to say is that no one is justified by observing the law. Admittedly, Paul is writing specifically in regards to the heretical idea infiltrating the Galatian church that men must be circumcised to be acceptable to God – but his point about the law relates to a much deeper issue. The law we are talking about here is the Mosaic Law (for further information, try reading pretty much the whole Pentateuch). The Mosaic Law is where we find the institutionalized, commanded practice of tithing. Here’s where the fun begins, and I think you’ve probably caught on to what I’m going to say.

Biblically, it is heretical legalism to preach the necessity of tithing – generosity is another matter – but if it is accurately written that Jesus fulfilled or “abolished” the law, then we, by faith are bound to no part of it. In addition to that, here’s something you might not have previously known: the tithing commanded under Mosaic Law wasn’t actually ten percent; it was 23 and 1/3 percent of one’s annual income. The Old Testament prescribed three tithes to be given to the Lord: the “classic” ten percent weekly or monthly, ten percent annually, and another ten percent every three years for a religious festival. So not only is it heretical to preach tithing, but the ten percent idea, although it is a nice, round number, is incorrect. In the words of Dave McCall, a pastor in Texas and an itinerate speaker at Torchbearers Bible Schools, “If I’m going be stupid enough to preach tithe and put people on a guilt trip, then I’ve got to be hermeneutically accurate and preach not ten, but 23.33 percent.”

I must bring this idea back around though, so I don’t get stoned for advocating “cheap grace.” By no means am I arguing that one shouldn’t give to churches or other noble causes – it is God’s money after all. But I do argue that we are living post-Law, and therefore cannot be looking to obtain righteousness through legalistic practices. I also think if we employed what Paul called “living by the Spirit” (Gal 5:16), churches would still survive financially. It’s the most extraordinary paradox that allowing Christ to live in us accomplishes what the Law was powerless to do. We will continue to give and show generosity, not because it is commanded, but because we have seen the ludicrous depths of God’s grace.