A STUDY OF ENFORCED GIVING AND TITHING WITHIN THE CHURCH
by Jim Peacock . This discussion paper was prepared in response to questionable practices of enforced giving and compulsory tithing.
1. It is difficult to give a definite answer as to the number of tithes in ancient Israel. While some scholars have argued that there were two tithes or even three, others hold that all the references are to one and the same tithe, and indicate different practices in various places at different times. The rabbis of the New Testament period, however, understood the laws as referring to three separate tithes: a Levitical tithe, a tithe spent celebrating in Jerusalem, and a charity tithe. How does the "royal tithe" fit with either view?
2. It is essential to understand the basic difference between the Old and New Covenants when considering the will of God for Christians today. Law and grace are opposing principles. Not to grasp this distinction is to mix and confuse law with grace with damaging spiritual consequences. Christians are not under the OT law or its economy. The multi-cultural Church is not the theocratic nation of Israel.
3. There is very good evidence that the OT tithe is not for Christians today. The Law was a temporary system until the coming of Christ. The new covenant fulfills the old covenant with a higher law. Believers in Jesus Christ are not under any kind of legal system of external rules that are to be kept in order to walk with God.
4. Therefore to enforce compulsory tithing for the Christian creates a false synthesis of law and grace. It is this error that the apostle Paul tackles in the book of Galatians. It is the mistake of those who seek salvation not through Christ alone but through Christ plus something else. It is the error of the legalist.
5. There is nothing wrong with giving 10% of one's income to God but an understanding of NT teaching puts that practice into proper perspective. Christians are not obliged to tithe as in the NT the principle of tithing is replaced by the principle of grace giving.
6. At the heart of NT giving there is the important Bible word "grace". This key word summarizes the essence of the Christian life. It refers to God's undeserved love, acceptance and generosity in providing salvation through Jesus Christ. It is one of the key attributes of God; it is the hallmark of the Christian experience. Christian giving is based on our response to God's generosity to us in Jesus. It is an expression of our total self-giving to God.
7. We should be sensitive to the needs of others and sensitive to the Holy Spirit, in a responsible Scriptural manner. We must each come to our own conclusion about how, and how much, God is leading us to give. The example of God's gift of grace to us of Jesus Christ remains the compelling motive for Christian giving. God gave his best; he gave his all. God's "indescribable gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15) is his own precious Son (John 3:16). The self-giving of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5-8; Titus 2:14) is our example.
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8. "How can I manage my affairs so that I can give more?" is an even better question than "What is the correct interpretation?" The full revelation of God in the NT reveals that we are to practice one hundred percent stewardship (2 Corinthians 8: 9). Paul said of the Macedonians that they "first gave themselves to the Lord" (2 Corinthians 8:5). A surrendered life is the source from which true giving begins. All we have belongs to God and should be used for his glory. Our personal integrity is usually revealed in how we handle money.
9. There should never be any kind of pressure or coercion by church leaders to get God's people to give a certain percentage or to give to a particular need. Rather they should encourage believers to prayerfully consider particular needs as Paul did in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, but this must be done in a non-manipulating manner.
10. "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). This verse rules out any "compulsion", i.e. any organizational pressure, guilt trips, emotional blackmail, or any form of manipulation and intimidation. Christian giving should always be "free-will"; it is not something that can be demanded.
11. For a Christian, tithing may be the beginning of Christian stewardship, not the end. God may want an individual to give less than a tithe, but he may require more through his enabling grace. It remains a matter of individual conscience before God. Only God and the giver know the proportion determined. The individual believer is to give "as he has decided in his heart" (2 Corinthians 9:7). There is no set percentage in Paul's teaching. Remember that we cannot out-give God.
12. Christian giving should be exercised as an act of worship with preparation, purpose, and joy. Giving that is reluctant or coerced does not please God, "for God loves a cheerful giver."[21] g (2 Corinthians 9:7). For a pastor to enforce the tithe, which is part of an obsolete legal system, on his people is to make them spiritually immature and hinder a genuine partnership with Christ in giving by grace.
13. The NT nowhere tells us that giving to the church is the only way to give to God. Anything that we do for others whether giving money to para-church groups, missionaries, the Salvation Army, to people in need, or giving hospitality to others, expresses God's love to needy people. The parable of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46) warns of the failure to do good deeds. This parable does not teach salvation by works but warns against the sin of omission.
14. As the Levites were commanded to give "a tenth of a tithe" (Numbers 18:26), then we may expect those who make their living by contributions for the Lord's work shall themselves give to the Lord as well.
15. There is the danger of spiritual pride in thinking that if we have contributed a specific amount like 10% that we have satisfied God's requirements. Likewise, if we give more than 10% we may over-estimate our own generosity. This is one of the lessons to be learned from the story of the widow's mite: genuine giving is both generous and sacrificial.
16. A strictly legal point of view on tithing soon becomes a plethora of complicated issues like the list of questions at the beginning of this paper. Those who hold to enforced giving or compulsory tithing tend to become increasingly legalistic in their experience.
17. How should a Christian best determine her/his priorities on the basis of Paul's statement, "let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers"? (Galatians 6:10). While the needy in one's spiritual family take precedence over those outside that family, the church should not neglect needy unbelievers. It is a case of caring for those both inside and outside the family of God. Here is one suggestion to help determine one's priorities:
18. "As the Christian responds to the grace of God by being a good steward of his money, he determines the distribution of his money according to biblical priorities. In general, the order of his giving moves outward, with those who are closest to him having the priority of provision: the immediate family, the extended family, the work of the local church, the work of gospel proclamation, and finally, the relief of needy believers, then unbelievers."[22]
Finally, "Each Christian must come to a conscientious decision on this subject before God, and not be content to submit to the dogmatic statements of others; and it will be surprising if grace does not impel him to give a larger proportion than ever the law demanded."[23]
