A Cheerful Tither

One of the best pieces of evidence proving for whether or not people in are submission to God’s ownership over their wealth and possessions is found in the tithe. Today there is massive confusion as it relates to the tithe though and yet I am going to be another voice in that fray. Lord willing what I share will not add to the confusion, but bring more biblical clarity to it. The primary reason there is so much confusion as it relates to the tithe is that there are typically only two views that are taught.

Two Common Views on Tithing
The first view that is commonly taught today is that the tithe is in no way binding over us today. These people also take this whole approach to the scriptures. They say that nothing in the Old Testament is binding today, so therefore the tithe is not binding. They will often then emphasize that Christians are to give cheerfully of what they determine in their heart to give, as Paul stated in 2 Cor. 9:6-7. I think Paul is talking about giving above the tithe. While I respect people who hold to this position here are the conclusions that I came to as why I could not land there. I will start with two narrative reasons and then two Biblical reasons. That is I will start from the lesser to the greater.

1. When I first became a Christian I was taught that I needed to tithe, that is that I needed to give a tenth of my income to my local church. So, in an act of obedience every single day I came home from working at Zehnder's I would count out my money to set aside the 10% to tithe. Then shortly after that I heard a message from one of our elders teaching the principle of giving. This is what my conclusion was, “Yes! That was really hard work to give a tenth and now I can just simply decide any amount to give.” That is what I did. I decided on an amount that did not hurt and did not require any faith or sacrifice. A few months got really hard and I did not give at all. I cheerfully gave enough of what God had given me that it did not hurt. I was cheerful because I was not being so sacrificial.
   
   
2. Ronald Sider, a “Christian” communist, uses this principle of giving to teach that New Testament believers need to give way above 10%. If 10% was required in the Law then how much more should one give in the age of grace. I find people quickly come to delight in God’s law of the tithe when this is taught! If there is no standard then man will always come to create a standard.
   
   
3. Just because something is not commanded or forbidden in the New Covenant does not mean it is not still binding. For example beastiality is only condemned in the Old Covenant scriptures and not the Bew. In order to consistently hold to this view a person can never then speak out on beastiality.
   
   
4. Jesus did say to keep tithing. He just said don’t tithe and think it replaces the weightier matters of the law, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others” (Matt. 23:23).

The second view commonly taught is that a direct application of Old Covenant tithing should be made to the New. That is we take Malachi 3:8-12 for what it is, as if nothing has changed. The problem with this is that the New Covenant has stated that things have changed.

1. The Levitical Priesthood has changed. It has been abolished and a new Priesthood has been formed in which Jesus Christ is the High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16) and all believers are priests in this order (1 Pet. 2:9). The tithes that were offered in connection with the Levitical Priesthood were attached to types and shadows.
   
   
2. Furthermore, the Temple has been fulfilled in Christ. The New Covenant dispensation states that Jesus is the temple (John 2:19), His corporate body is a temple (1 Cor. 3:16), and that individual believers are temples (1 Cor. 6:19).

Tithing in the New Covenant
Now, I will explain why I believe the law of tithing is binding in the New Covenant era. In the New Covenant the Priesthood has changed. It is a Priesthood established after the order of Melchizedek. Abraham met this Priest of Salem and worshiped God and gave a tithe to Melchizedek. The author of Hebrews explains how Jesus established a new priesthood after this order:

“Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him,

“You are a priest forever,
   after the order of Melchizedek.”

​Jesus is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. In the beginning of the chapter the Bible explains how Abraham met this odd figure in the Old Testament whose name was Melchizedek. What did he do as an act of worship to Melchizedek? He gave a tithe. That is a tenth of what he had just received. The conclusion here is clear. God’s tithe has always been in tact and is still in tact. God’s tax, a tenth, is required. This is why Jesus simply assumed it to be still binding as He made this statement, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others” (Matt. 23:23).

Right and Duty of Private Judgment
In areas that are less clear in the Bible we as believers need to be very careful to not bind other people’s consciences on it. One area it seems in the New Covenant is the right and duty of Private Judgment as it relates to the tithe. Clearly, it must go to the Lord’s work and it does seem the New Testament give some guidelines as to what funds should be used for and yet it is reserved to private judgment. The church cannot demand it nor take it through coercion. I would say that a substantial percentage of the tithe should go to your local church though and if you don’t think your church merits that then perhaps you are just simply not like-minded with your church. The New Covenant seems to indicate three key places:

1. Elders (Gal. 6:6; 1 Tim. 5:17)
2. Aiding the orphans and widows (1 Tim. 5:3-16; James 1:27)
3. The poor (Gal. 2:10).​

Contributor / Eric Stewart
Eric Stewart is the Lead Pastor of ONElife Church in Flint, MI.