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Tithing: Should Christians Do It?
By Doug Wilbanks (updated Nov. 2004)


TITHING AND FREEWILL GIVING

I think that it's very unfortunate that Christian churches continue to use the term "tithe" when talking about giving.

       It's an Old Testament term meaning 10%. God used it in setting up the theocracy under which the Hebrew nation was to live after entering the "Promised Land." The main tithe was basically a tax used to support the priesthood.
Because most modern-day Christians never were Jewish, they never were under the Law. And those who were Jewish and became Christians, are no longer under the Law anyway. (Galatians 5:18 "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.")
I talked with a secretary working in a liberal synagogue, as well as a Rabbi in an Orthodox Synagogue. They both said that they don't even tithe anymore mainly because of the loss of their temple in 70 AD.
 

The Old Testament and Tithing prior to the Law
 

Starting with the Old Testament, I'd like to examine the Scriptures that pertain to tithing.

Abram and Jacob are often used as examples of ongoing tithers before the Law.
Genesis 14:20 "And he gave him a tenth of all." Abram gave 1/10th of the spoils of a battle to Melchizedek. As he himself was not attacked, none of the spoils were his own property.
Genesis 28:22 "and of all that Thou dost give me I will surely give a tenth to Thee." Jacob made a bargain with God vowing to give a tithe to God if God kept him safe until he returned. There is no written record of Jacob ever fulfilling this vow or to whom he may have given it. However, Jacob being a man God trusted probably did somehow fulfill this vow.

On January 13, 1997, I talked with Rabbi David Isaak of Congregation Neveh Shalom about these scriptures. He consulted the Jewish Publication Society's "Genesis Commentary" and agreed with me that in both cases, these were ONE TIME tithes. Abram's tithe was an example of a thank offering to God and Jacob's was given to fulfill the vow he made with God. As we are discussing ongoing giving here, clearly the previous scriptures do not apply to ongoing tithing. At that time the Law had not even been given, nor was there a Jewish or Hebrew nation then.

 

Other Old Testament giving prior to the Law

Genesis 8:20 and Genesis 22:13. These are examples of "burnt offerings" given by Noah and Abraham to God prior to the Law. If you want to give something to God and Him only, I know of no better way of doing it than to completely burn it. Though I don't hear any encouragement to do this and don‘t recommend this myself. There are no scriptures even alluding to any ongoing giving prior to the exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Law. Even the very inspiring collection for the building of the Tabernacle in Exodus chapters 25 & 36 was an example of a one-time collection.

I don't think there is any need to go into the scriptures that deal with the tithes as they were part of the Law that governed the Israelite Theocracy that no longer exists.

 

Old Testament FREEWILL Ongoing Giving


The first mention of the term "freewill" was Deuteronomy 12:6 "And there you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings...."
Notice the separation that existed even then between the tithe and the freewill offerings. No amount or percentage was given then for the freewill offering any more than it should be now.

Old Testament and Proper Attitudes

The following Scriptures indicate that God is more concerned with the attitude of the giver than the actual gift itself.
Gen. 4:7 God had no regard for Cain's offering because Cain’s deeds were unsatisfactory. 
I Sam.15: 22 "to obey is better than sacrifice "
Prov. 21:3 righteousness and justice rather than sacrifice
Prov. 21:27 sacrifice of the wicked an abomination
Prov. 22:9 generosity, sharing with poor will be blessed
Isaiah 1:11-14 God took no pleasure in insincere gifts,
assemblies
Hosea 6:6 "For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice
Micah 6:6-8 "to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God" is more  important than sacrifice

My studies of the Old Testament lead me to believe that the Israelite nation, in general, did a dismal job of living up to the Law. In fact, in 722 BC, God allowed the 10 northern tribes to be taken from the land that He had given them. And in 70 AD God removed the rest of the Israelites because they had rejected His Son and caused Him to be killed. (Matt. 21:33-41)

Though there are various verses, especially in Proverbs, which pertain to guidance about how to manage our finances, they aren't directly relevant to either ongoing giving or tithing.

Before we leave the Old Testament, there is one verse that I feel must be addressed. Malachi 3:8 says "Will a man rob God?" Malachi lived under the Law and spoke these and other scriptures to Jewish people who were also under the Law. This verse is not relevant to New Testament Christians because we are not under the Law. I wish modern Christians would stop misusing this verse in an attempt to make their fellow Christians guilty for not doing something that we were never commanded to do in the first place.

 

The Gospel "Transitional Period" on Tithing


The next two verses I'd like to address are in the New Testament. They are the two times that Jesus uses the word tithe. Please remember that when Jesus was born, and during His entire lifetime, He was addressing people (Jews) who were still under the Law. Therefore, Jesus words to Jews living in the Old Testament age.

Matt. 23:23 says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions OF THE LAW: justice.....etc."
Yes, they should have tithed, for they were under the Law. We are not.
Luke 18:12 Jesus told the parable about the Pharisee and the Publican praying in the temple. The Pharisee says, "I pay tithes of all that I get." Jesus didn't put him down for tithing. He was expected to do that. His downfall was self-exultation and self-righteousness. This parable has meaning for us today as well as the people of that age because it points out one of the dangers of legalism including tithing: pride and arrogance.

 

Other Relevant "Gospel Period" Scriptures


Matt 5:42 "Give to him who asks of you..." This and other statements of Jesus' sermon are  very difficult to live up to.
Matt 6:1-4 The main point of these verses is that money given, or deeds of kindness done,  whether they are occasional or ongoing, shouldn't be flaunted. Giving should be done  as secretly as possible.
Mark 12:42 & Luke 21:2-4 the woman with the two coins. Jesus speaks glowingly of this  woman. I hope that this was an occasional gift. I don't see how anyone could be  expected to do this on an ongoing basis unless her family was supplying her daily  needs of clothes, food and shelter.
Matt 6:21 & Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." I believe  this is a valid scripture to be applied to ongoing giving.
Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you..." Taken in context, I believe Jesus is  establishing a principle here having more to do with our actions and our talk than our  money. However, I see a similarity between this scripture and II Cor 9:6 regarding  sowing bountifully.
A misuse of scripture occurs whenever you encourage people to give in order to get. Even to get more than they give. This can bring out greed and false expectations. God looks on the heart and chooses whether the reward is to be material or spiritual. Only He knows what that believer needs most. God may even choose to save this up as a treasure in Heaven for that person. All giving should be done with no intention of getting anything in return.

 

The New Testament on Tithing


The fact that the word tithe appears in only one chapter of all the inspired words of the actual New Testament era is in itself significant. And its use there can in no way be interpreted to even imply that God is telling Christians that they should tithe.
Hebrews 7:1-10 talks about Abram giving a tenth to Melchizedek. The word tithes or tenth is mentioned seven times. The point of these verses is to establish the superiority of Melchizedek. (Most likely not a Hebrew) The lesser pays tithes to the greater.
My last word on tithing is this. If God wanted us to give a tenth, He would have told us so. Is He forgetful? The Holy Spirit had the perfect opportunity in Acts the 15th chapter when the Council met at Jerusalem.
God is silent about tithing in the New Testament era. We should be silent as well.
If the tithe is not a requirement or even an example for us, what does the Bible say that we should do about ongoing giving? Very little. Even the directions that Paul gives in II Corinthians Chapters 8 & 9 are for a special "one time" gift for the needy Judaic Christians.
Basically, any giving from Christians should reflect their love of God and others and their thankfulness to God for what He gives us. Christian giving should be one of freewill in a spirit of gladness. It should be done as secretly as possible and with no intention of something in return. Now, let's look at some scriptures that can guide us.

There is a key Scripture that spans both the Old Testament and the New Testament. I think these verses are the only link between the two testaments that deal with our freewill giving and is our only reliable God-given guide to any amount we should give. 

Proverbs 11:24 says, "There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want."
A New Testament tither would tell you that the, " withholds what is justly due," would be the tithe. That was true of the Old Testament, but don’t forget that the tithe was a tax to the Priestly Theocracy. Today the average person pays about 30% to our government before we can contemplate how much to give the church.
The New Testament cross-reference for this verse is:
II Corinthians 9:6 "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully."

I've heard many moving testimonies over the years about giving, usually from tithers to encourage others to tithe. I don’t think tithing should be the point, but rather giving bountifully. I also think that such personal testimonies are not in the spirit of humility and in fact encourage pride and arrogance.
Instead, needs should be brought forth, and the appropriate scriptures toward meeting that need should be espoused to Christian friends by the Pastor at the appropriate times.  

 

The Actual New Testament Period Relevant Scriptures


Now we can start getting into the actual New Testament era scriptures that were inspired to guide us in our ongoing giving.

Acts 2:45,45 "And all those who had believed were together, and had all things incommon;  and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with  all, as anyone might have need." I get the impression that God was delighted about  this. However it should be noted that God didn't command it, nor did it last for long.
Acts 9:36 Dorcas " was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she  continually did." This is a good example of ongoing freewill giving.
Acts 10:2,31 Cornelius the Centurion gave alms and prayed to God continually.
Acts 11:21-30 The Christians in Antioch sent a contribution for the relief of Christians in  Judea. This was special gift, not ongoing. The only reason that I note it is that it says that they gave in "proportion" without mentioning any percentage. It has to be this way  if it is to be freewill.
Acts 24:17 Paul came to bring alms and offerings to the temple at Jerusalem-no mention of  tithes.
Romans 12:8 Paul is talking about spiritual gifts here. "...he who gives, with liberality "
I Cor 9:14 a reason for ongoing giving--"...those who proclaim the gospel are to get their  living from the gospel."
I Cor. 16:1,2 Two points should be made here. "on the first day of every week," is tied here  to a special offering, not for ongoing giving. Sue and I give monthly. Does this mean  we're doing wrong? "As he may prosper," still no certain percentage given, even as a  guide. No "goal" amount is mentioned either.
II Cor Chapters 8 & 9 both of these chapters pertain to a "special" one-time gift. In all  honesty, and for the sake of truth and accuracy in teaching, this fact should always  be mentioned. Especially when talking about II Cor 8:3(giving beyond their ability). It  saddens me when I hear it put on the backs of Christians that they should continually  give to their church beyond their abilities. I feel this is wrong. Unfortunately, it  continues to go on in some churches.

As you can see, there are no Scriptures that tell us just how much we should give. There are no Scriptures that tell us what percentage we should give. If the Holy Spirit didn't do it, should we? Would it be freewill giving if a percentage was mentioned?
Though II Corinthians chapters 8 & 9 are directions for special giving, I think that with care, common sense, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can apply some of these verses to help us guide our ongoing giving. I will do this using a "do and don't" list.

DO
1. first give yourself to God.
2. give cheerfully.
3. give liberally.
4. give according to your ability, as God has blessed you.
5. give of your own accord (freewill).
6. give as proof of your love of God as well as those helped by your gift.
7. earnestly desire to give.
8. give as an example to other churches.
9. give as you've purposed in your heart (with consistency).
10. give as proof of being obedient to the gospel we profess.
11. give to meet others needs, trusting that other Christians will help you should you fall  into need.
12. give only to those you trust to honorably and openly administer your gift, that no  discredit be brought on it.
13. sow bountifully that you may reap bountifully.
14. give so that those blessed by your gift will praise God.

DON'T
1. don't give to the extent that you afflict yourself.
2. don't give what you don't have.
3. don't let your gift be affected by greed.
4. don't give grudgingly or under compulsion.
5. don't make a vow to give and not fulfill it (churches depend on consistent giving and plan  according to pledges given).
6. don't "give to get," but understand that if you love and trust God, He will help you in your time of need.

       A word about the "pledges" mentioned in number 5 above. I wish churches wouldn't do this. There is no need for it to be done. Ongoing giving will go on and on without pledges. It may fluctuate some; it does now. Believers have ups and downs too. A pledge changes it from freewill to votive giving. God takes a vow seriously. We should too. (Ecclesiastes 5:5)
Churches need funds to operate, locally and in all the world. I still feel that if believers are led to a mature faith, the giving will take care of itself. Getting a person to desire to know God through His Holy Word and establish a personal and growing relationship with Him is essential.

The other books I read were:
Teaching Christian Stewardship by Glenn McRae
How to Develop a Tithing Church by Charlie W. Shedd
Stewardship in the New Testament Church by Holmes Rolston

Earnestly wanting to know if I'd neglected something, I searched these books closely. It wasn't pleasant. Once you've seen the light of truth, it's difficult to walk backwards into darkness.
I hope you'll consider these words. I write this with no ill will, but rather, because I believe God desires us to be continually seeking truth. There were no visions, no voice like the roar of the waves, but rather that little voice in my conscience that persisted towards this end.