Question from a friend of WordTruth Ministries:
>>> I know I should pay 10% tithing but if I take my daughter
to a church school and it cost me already 10% of my pay then is this
taking care of the tithing that I need to pay out? The money is going
to
the church...
Ok suppose I need to pay a church extra 10% for tithing but don't have
a church to pay tithing right now. Couldn't I just support Christian
radio stations up to 10% of my income to take care of my tithing?
WordTruth.Com Response:
I see a couple of different issues in your questions. Let's first
tackle the reason for tithing in general and what it represents to the
Christian today. Then I will get to the specific questions you had.
To understand the principle of tithing and its importance, you need
to consider where it started. Long before the Law of Moses was given
to the Israelites, the principle of tithing was in practice by God's people.
Abraham provided a great example after God delivered his nephew, Lot, into
his hand in a victory over the King of Elam (Genesis 14). Upon his
return with all of Lot's possessions, Abraham offered a tenth of everything
to the LORD through the priest of Salem (Gen. 14:18).
So the principle is to give a tenth of your increase to God for the
work of advancing His kingdom on Earth. Tithing is an important part of
the growth process of any Christian. It shows your acknowledgement
that God owns it all (Psalm 50:9-10), and your desire to give Him the first
of your best:
Honor
the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then
your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over
with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10, NIV).
This, of course, is not a "give to get" scheme. Only the principle
that if you give God your first, He gives you His best. He will provide
for your needs if you seek His kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).
It was established as a commandment to Israel under the Old Covenant (or
Mosaic Covenant). In fact, there were three tithes commanded to Israel.
Since the New Covenant of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ was established
through the death and resurrection of Christ, the believer is not under
the Old Testament Law. Rather, we are under the "Law of Christ" found
in John 13:34 -- Jesus said, "Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By
this, all men will know that you are My disciples if you love one another"
(John 13:34-35, NIV).
While the principle of tithing is still valid, it is not a commandment
to the Christian. Some point to this statement of Jesus in the New
Testament as validation that tithing is a command:
Woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and
anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law;
justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving
the others undone. (Matthew 23:23, NKJV)
As you can see, Jesus' main point here is NOT about tithing since the scribes
and Pharisees tithed regularly. Rather Jesus is condemning the fact
that they tithed without faith, mercy, and justice. These are far
more important than tithing. He did affirm that they should tithe
also, "without
leaving the others [tithing] undone." But
the reason they should do so is that it was a matter "of
the law." The Christian is not under the Law but
under grace. There are commands given to the Christian, to be sure,
but tithing is not one of them.
For the believer in Christ today, what is commanded is systematic, free-will
giving. Believers in the early church had a regular time of giving
(1 Corinthians 16:1-2). We also should have a regular time of giving.
For me, it is the time I receive my paycheck -- I set aside a tithe at
that point. The other aspect of giving is that it is to be a "free-will"
gift. The Apostle Paul praised the faith of the Macedonians who freely
gave to the cause of Christ, even though they were desparately poor (2
Corinthians 8:1-2). They "first
gave themselves to the LORD, and then to us by the will of God" (2 Corinthians
8:5, NKJV).
Giving is to be done according to one's means, not according to a legalistic
standard:
For
if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one
has, and not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean
that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that
now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance
also may supply your lack -- that there may be equality. (2 Corinthians
8:12-14, NKJV).
Finally, giving should be from a spirit of generosity not begrudgingly:
But
this I say: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who
sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give
as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves
a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you,
that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance
for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-9, NKJV)
Now to your specific questions:
(1) I know I should pay 10% tithing but if I take my daughter
to a church school and it cost me already 10% of my pay then is
this
taking care of the tithing that I need to pay out? The money is
going to
the church...
In this case, the money you are giving is specifically to purchase a
private, Christian education for your child. The money is not a gift
devoted to the LORD but a purchase for which you expect certain goods and
services. No, this does not at all qualify for a "tithe."
(2) Ok suppose I need to pay a church extra 10% for tithing but don't
have
a church to pay tithing right now. Couldn't I just support Christian
radio stations up to 10% of my income to take care of my tithing?
I do not understand from your question why you have no church to receive
your offering. Are you not going to church? Then this is a
bigger problem than your failure to tithe. You need to be in a church
that exalts the LORD Jesus Christ, equips the saints of God for service
through solid Bible teaching, and evangelizes sinners with the gospel of
Jesus Christ. The Bible is clear on this point: "not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,
but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the Day approaching"
(Hebrews 10:25, NKJV).
If you are trying to find a church but have not located one as I described,
then I would give through the church you are visiting and pray for God's
blessing on it. Give the "firstfruits" of your increase on a regular
basis to the local church because of your love for the LORD Jesus Christ,
expecting nothing in return but the increase in God's kingdom.
After your offering, then you need to prioritize your spending in a
way that honors God. This may mean a Christian education for your
child. It may mean supporting the needs of other family members.
After your responsibility to the LORD first, your spending priority is
for your family:
But
if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his
household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1
Timothy 5:8, NKJV).
After taking care of this responsibility, you may decide to support Christian
radio (a wonderful investment for God's kingdom), missions work, or other
ministries that proclaim the word of God to the world. That is a
decision to be made prayerfully and with sound financial considerations.
This was a long but important response to a serious question.
I hope I gave you a framework for working through these issues. If
you have any other questions or followup, please feel free to write us
again.
May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow Jesus!
Randy Lariscy :-)
Director - WordTruth Ministries
Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would
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© Copyright 3/29/2003, Randy Lariscy.
