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February 6, 2004
Tithe
Filed under: Hot Topic
The dictionary defines tithe as:
A tenth part of one's annual income contributed voluntarily or due as a tax, especially for the support of the clergy or church.
A search in the NIV for the word "tithe" brings up 28 verses.
Jesus tells a story in Luke 18:10-13. "Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: "Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people--robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a
week and tithe on all my income.' "Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, "God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'"
Jesus goes on to say that the tax man is better off than the Pharisee. The spirit or tone from Jesus seems to be leading up to His death on the cross that will abolish all laws and wipe the slate clean.
Ephesians 2:14-15 talks about Christ coming to repeal [revoke or rescind, obsolete, recall] the law code which called for people to tithe. "The Messiah has made things up between us so that we're now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used
to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody."
It is important to note that although tithing was a part of the laws God gave Moses, it was also referenced several times before God ever even gave Moses the law.
Genesis 14:20: "...then Abram gave him a tenth of everything."
Genesis 28:22: "...and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."
Hebrews 7:6: "...yet he collected a tenth from Abraham..."
Yet even in the context of tithing outside of a "command," tithing still appears optional. There is no supporting evidence that suggests God commanded anyone to tithe - outside of the Mosaic law.
A very interesting article on the reason why tithing is not Biblical can be found at http://www.layhands.com/MustChristiansTitheTenPercent.htm
In all of my studying on this subject, I must say I was very surprised to find so many articles and discussions on why tithing is NOT something Christians need to do. I found very few articles on reasons why to tithe, and even less that were convincing.
Growing up I was always taught to tithe. I gave 10% of everything I grossed. I was told that was God's and not mine so I needed to give it to Him. All of the Scriptures that were used were right from the Mosaic law and all pointed back to getting money to the church. Period. It doesn't seem to me that God was so insistent on getting money to the storehouse as much as he was on people's needs being met, thus I think the spirit of the tithe was called for.
Today, I believe tithing is a principle not a mandate. If someone can't give 10% of their gross income to God (or all of it for that matter), I think we're living life backwards. Life is about giving, it is not about getting. Throughout the entire Bible we see God's examples of giving and of course the ultimate example on the cross. To think that God doesn't get the credit for all that we already have and not want to give out of that blessing is crazy.
We can never out-give God. But it sure would be fun to try.
And wouldn't that same spirit abolish the whole tithing concept altogether?
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